LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fort Creek) & Two Inactive Band Notes!!

Today's post is split into two camps: SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend from a recently prominent cover band, and a pair of bands moved to our inactive band links following a year+ of online silence and no concerts. Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to The Rockstar Bar for a concert TOMORROW NIGHT, followed by a special set at the Fundraiser For Injured Riders outside of United Floors on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced TOMORROW'S show via their Facebook page on Labour Day, but SATURDAY'S event was quietly announced there on August 20th, so apologies in letting that slip through the cracks until now, especially given it's scope and charitable intent. This weekend's shows will be Fort Creek's first since rocking The Rockstar Bar last month, and since an unspecified health issue forced them out of their Reggie's West gigs two weeks ago, so I'd assume the band member is rested ready to go once again! TOMORROW'S Rockstar Bar show is a normal one for them (complete with a requisite merchandise giveaway), but what should you know about SATURDAY'S set?

The Fundraiser For Injured Riders has been set up to help three area residents who were seriously injured in motorcycle accidents, with proceeds going to help them with long term expenses. Wonderful cause, and hopefully Eric, Savi, and Pierre get lots of help at this time of need! Taking place outside of United Floors at the corner of Second Line West and People's Road (same building as Surplus Furniture), Fort Creek are the musical entertainment playing in the parking lot, while attendees can also expect a car show/shine, prizes, a 50/50 draw, and refreshments. Sounds like a fun time, so keep all of these aspects of the fundraiser in mind for SATURDAY! The Rockstar Bar show TOMORROW is the usual 10:00 PM and 19+ affair with no cover charge, while the Fundraiser For Injured Riders is an all ages, family friendly event starting at 2:00 PM (I don't know when Fort Creek's sets are, but the event runs until 9:00 PM, so they may be at the later end of the schedule).

There is no advertised cover charge on SATURDAY unless you're entering the car show. Of course, it goes with out saying to please be mindful of social distancing regulations at The Rockstar Bar and mask up where required, and while an outdoor charity fundraiser will presumably have less red tape re: the pandemic, use common sense to ensure everyone has a safe time, especially as this is a family event. Visit the above links for more on Fort Creek's busy weekend, and here they are live at Reggie's West!

Next up, we have two notable bands to reluctantly move to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, starting with local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades. The band has not updated their Facebook page since a condolence post in July 2020, and while you can easily blame the pandemic for their silence in the past year+, frontman J.D. Pearce has since moved out of town for work reasons, which would understandably impair the band's activity level. Jack Spades made their live debut in May 2013 and would become a live favourite in shows through the fall of 2019, often at concerts J.D. promoted. You may recall seeing Jack Spades open for notable bands like Anvil, Random Killing, and The Ripcordz, while also touring as a support band a few times in Ontario, and playing multiple Spiderfests in Meyersburg, not to mention their 2014 EP "The First" & their involvement in 2015's "Fed Up!" split CD.

A break was slated to end in May 2020 at the long-since-cancelled Anti-Queens concert, complete with teased lineup changes (Tiffany & Daniel had both already moved out of town), but the pandemic obviously ground short term plans to a halt. As we did see Frightlight back in Ophir last month, a Jack Spades reunion could theoretically happen at any point if J.D.'s in the Soo with a full lineup ready, but it is sad to see such a prominent band fade out, especially given their energy blast of hardcore punk and metal intensity at every gig! Best of luck to J.D., Tiffany, Daniel, Rob, Johnny, whoever joined their 2020 lineup, and their prior bandmates in the future!

Finally, the other big band moved to our inactive band links is local punk trio Stegadeth, coincidentally also featuring Jack Spades guitarist Tiffany Stocco and drummer Johnny Belanger. Like Jack Spades, Stegadeth have not posted on their Facebook page since July 2020, and had not played live since 2019 (in their case, at that year's Oh!No Festival), and while the pandemic is an obvious factor, Tiffany moved out of town beforehand in the fall of 2019. Punk-centric successors to early-2010s metal quartet T-Rex Manning (even carrying over that band's lone original "She Banged The Mayor"), Stegadeth debuted on stage in November 2016, and would become a fan favourite sight at various concerts over the next three years, including sets opening for the likes of The Ripcordz, K-Man & The 45s, and Speaker, and appearances at both Joni Radford's benefit & memorial concerts.

While they had no albums to show for it, and Tiffany didn't have the more forceful vocals for the genre, Stegadeth delivered the punk goods for fans here and in Southern Ontario in the late 2010s, and hopefully we'll see them back in some form when Tiffany comes back home and the pandemic eases up! Best of luck to Tiffany, Bill, Johnny, and Daniel in the future, and that's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & RPM), Plus New Gorod/Bookakee Concert Videos!!

I was originally planning for today's second post to be our LopLops concert review from last night, but on the way to the venue, I saw that The Rockstar Bar's outside marquee advertised a pair of shows that we hadn't heard about for this weekend, so our review will be coming tomorrow morning, I promise! As such, we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, another new concert event next month, and some long overdue new videos from a recent concert, so here's what you should know!

Sporadically seen local classic/hard rock quartet RPM will return to the stage for shows at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Profuse apologies for the short notice, the gigs were only announced on the venue's Facebook group this morning, complicated by RPM's lack of an online page to promote shows, though they had been advertised on The Rockstar Bar's physical marquee sign this week. I'm not sure if RPM have been playing live at all since, but these are the first shows that we've heard about from Lindsay Pugh & his adult music camp alumni since August's Roberta Bondar Pavilion show during the city's summer concert series. RPM have been developing well since their debut, and hopefully they rock The Rockstar Bar well TONIGHT & TOMORROW! There's no cover for these 10:00 PM-ish shows, and you must be 19 or older to attend. See above for more details, and here's RPM live!



Next up, a big fundraiser concert entitled "Bay Mills Bands Together!" will go down in Brimley, Michigan at Pickles Bar & Grill on Sunday, May 15th, with a number of local artists joining forces to raise money for Maryssa Kronemeyer, an area high schooler who was seriously injured after being hit by a car last month. All proceeds will go to her and her family & the related medical costs, which is a great gesture! The lineup has many solo acts, but there will be bands performing, including new local hard rock/blues quartet Project 906 as the listed headliners (returning to the site of their live debut), and online pageless local metal quartet Stoned Ape Evolution, whose frontman John Napoletano is promoting the benefit. I still don't know much on Stoned Ape Evolution beyond some member identities and that they wear masks on stage, but hopefully more is revealed soon! Bands named The Karstons and Brainstorm are also listed, but I have no info at all on either. Of course, we'll let you know if we hear anything!

Remaining acts include Broke On Sunday frontman Mark Bowen, local country/pop artist Caitlin LeBlanc, Infathom frontman Dillion Semasky (no word on if his solo set will be rock or rap-based), solo artist Ken Jahnke (genre unknown, but Facebook indicates he's a metalhead), and a duo act named Mitchell & Brenda (possibly ex-Train Wreck bassist Mitchell Willis?) A $5 donation is in effect for this 21+ fundraiser, which starts at 6:00 PM, has sound by the Superior Sound Company, and will feature door prizes & a 50/50 draw. This is a great idea to help Maryssa out during a difficult time, so visit the Facebook event page for more info, and stay tuned for updates!

We'll close today with some overdue videos from last week's Gorod/Bookakee concert at The Oddfellows Hall, courtesy of frequent local concert filmer Chris Paci's YouTube channel this past weekend! Though he's been active filming at various other big concerts since, these are Chris' first public videos from a metal concert since The Superior Festival in Sault Michigan last August. Starting with his videos of French death metal quintet Gorod, Chris shot their opening song (I can't place the name, maybe it's new?), "Celestial Nature", and "The Axe of God", but embedded below is the last song from Gorod's set, "Carved In The Wind", which came after Julien Deyres' microphone died. The song's still brutal, and Julian made the most of it by singing sans mic and turning into the conductor of the metal symphony at hand, but the lighting of the hall does impact the quality. See more from Gorod above & below!



Finally, here's Chris' videos from Montreal theatrical/progressive death metal band Bookakee's set, which include this very entertaining quintet's song "Carcass Coffin" and the their version of the theme song from the Super Nintendo game Donkey Kong Country, titled "DK" on their album (if you're at all familiar with Bookakee, you'll know exactly what happens at song's end!) Embedded below is the longest of Chris' Bookakee videos, of a song whose name I can't place (maybe it's new?), so give it a look below, and see more of Chris' solid footage from this show above! (Sadly, he didn't film Jack Spades or Them at all, but kudos to him for getting what he did!)



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our review of last night's LopLops concert next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), A New Album Release, And New Videos!!

Let's get some more news onto the site on this Sunday morning, so what's on tap? New videos from two very different August concerts, and another new digital album release, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a special fundraising event next month!

A pair of heavier local bands are on the lineup for a special benefit concert at The Algonquin Pub on Saturday, October 3rd, with all proceeds going to the Soup Kitchen Community Center on James Street, which is a great cause! Though the listed headliners are sporadically seen local progressive rock quintet Machines Dream (whose frontman Craig West is promoting the show), they're actually the opening band due to logistical setup reasons, as per Craig's personal Facebook page, but it's nice to see them out of the studio after so long! The other listed bands include local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, and the recently reunited local classic rock quartet Nikkfitt, who feature Browbeat alumni Dutch Vanderploeg & James White (also of The Elements) in their lineup. Nikkfitt havn't really taken hold for a long time locally, but it's nice to see them back at it, and we'll have to see what all they play!

Admission is $5 at the door for this 19+ fundraiser concert, which is advertised to begin at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Very diverse lineup, but the Soup Kitchen could always use some help, so definitely consider checking out this concert in two weeks!

Next up, remember how local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back have been teasing recording a proper full-length album in recent months? Well, it's now out on their Bandcamp page! Entitled "ALbums" (again continuing with the extra capitals & gratuitous plurals from their late-2014 demos), it features eight songs, and was mixed and mastered by Cross Dog's Mark Rand, with frontman Jamie Vincent's AlgomA bandmate Kevin Campbell credited for assisting in production, though on Bandcamp, all names are given creative misspellings like "Naythang Sauvege". Save for "Shirt Tucker" & "Lung Bucket" (which were re-recorded), none of the songs are identical from what's on the 2014 demos' online copies, though remember that physical copies of the second demo also included "Number One Hit Single", and I can't speak for the first demo's CD versions to know if they had omitted tracks too. Digital copies are, like the demos, available on a "name your price" model, but it's yet to be established if physical copies will be on sale in some form or not.

Now, as you can now buy "ALbums" (or download it free, but support the band!), when can you expect a review of it on the SMS? Honestly, as we've already reviewed RedD Monkey's new album this month, and October will likely be set aside for the Jack Spades/Destroilet/Ripcordz split, Bad Back's album might be delayed until November for a review. It's definitely coming though, so stay tuned for more from Bad Back as it comes in!

We'll close today with new videos, including a new discovery from the short notice opening set by Shit Liver from the Golers concert at The New American Pub on August 9th! Apologies for the delay in getting this on here, we only just discovered it this weekend. Filmed by attendee Dawne Schryer and shared on the band's Facebook page the following day, it features the guys playing two predictably blistering originals, sandwiched around their comical cover of The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Going On", and while it's filmed on the vertical cell phone camera angle, you do get a nice clear (and oddly well-lit) view of Shit Liver's debut at the New A! Give this video a look below!



Finally for today, here's two new videos of pageless local classic/hard rock cover quartet RPM from their Summer Concert Series gig at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion last month! Filmed again by Sault Online's Mike Caruso and uploaded to his YouTube channel on August 22nd, the videos are of RPM covering Robert Palmer's "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" with drummer Ben Pascuzzi on vocals, and, as embedded below, Hank Williams Sr.'s "Move It On Over" (specifically, the George Thorogood version) with guitarist Dino Mazzuca on vocals. Solid quality videos on multiple cameras, but why wasn't the stationary camera more centered to the band? For most of the videos, all you can see of Lindsay Pugh is his bass head! Well done covers too, with some extra grit laid on, but the guys do still need to loosen up a bit on stage. Give their new videos a look above and below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Havadder & Mourning Wood), A New Song, And Much More!!

As predicted, we have one more set of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend, so those will lead off today's second post, but we also have a new show next week, a new song posting, and some assorted recent updates! Here's what you should know, and check out the rest of this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews in the posts below this one!

Local classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood will be rocking Reggie's West TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about these shows via SooToday's entertainment page this afternoon, and while the band hasn't confirmed the shows on Facebook as of this writing, note that they generally only announce gigs on a few hours notice via personal accounts. In any event, this weekend's shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel will mark their second straight weekend at a Reggie's venue following their shows at last weekend's Reggie's Place 25th anniversary festivities. This talented trio should deliver some solid cover action to fans in the west end this weekend, so keep TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows in mind if you don't have other plans! They are 19+ gigs at 9:30 PMwith no announced cover, so see the above links for more info, and here's Mourning Wood live!



Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock band Havadder will hit The Rockstar Bar next Saturday (June 20th) as part of the lineup for a second fundraiser concert for drummer Scott McLurg during his heart attack recovery! Though a lineup for the event hasn't been announced yet, Havadder confirmed on the Facebook event page for TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Rednecks Saloon gigs that they'll be playing at the fundraiser, with fill-in drummer Glen Thomas joining them for that show as well. Promoted by The Rockstar Bar's Hayley Warnock, next Saturday's event is a formally scheduled and planned benefit to help raise funds for Scott and his family while he's off work. Performers are being sought to play the show, so if you're interested in playing or donating raffle prizes, message Hayley or anyone involved with the event at this link! The fundraiser will have a minimum door charge of $5, it's presumably 19+, and a 10:30 PM start time is advertised. Check the above links for more details!

It's great to see a larger fundraiser booked to help Scott and family out (last week's Lucky 13 show was a late replacement gig, so there wasn't a lot of time to plan it like next week's is getting), and it'll be interesting to see who all joins on to play! Maybe some of Scott's former bandmates? Time will tell, but stay tuned for updates, and of course, get well soon, Scott!

Also, here's a brand new studio track from local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven! Uploaded to their YouTube channel yesterday, it's of their song "Enough", and while not stated there, personal Facebook postings mention that the song was recorded at Mannapool guitarist Korey Deluca's studio. Their second studio track and first with their current lineup (featuring Al Fletcher on bass and John Mignacca on drums), this is a mid-tempo rocker that has a dark edge to it and nice melodic vocals, and it's another strong composition from this rising band! Check it out below!



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

• Local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue will still be playing at The Rockstar Bar THIS COMING FRIDAY! The original Facebook event page was deleted for unannounced reasons in the spring, but the show is either back on or still on, and the band confirmed on the new event page that drummer Ben Boudreau will indeed be back for the first time in 5 months after returning home from college! Great news, so keep this show in mind for next week! No word yet though on the July gig that was also advertised.
• Barring sudden new activity, we'll be moving local hard rock band Meant To Last to our inactive band links next week. The cross-border project featuring These Sins of Time and Tantrym Tyme alumni are nearing a year since singer Alexa LeClair last referenced the band in Musicians Wanted Facebook group searches, with their own Facebook page not updated since last April. The members are talented, and I liked the international angle for the band, but hopefully they keep active in music, and best of luck to Alexa, Dalton, and Ethan in the future!
• While the wait continues for the full schedule on both stages, Rotaryfest's website now confirms that two tribute acts will headline the main stage on July 18th, those being the joint Toronto-based Fleetwood Mac & Tom Petty tributes Fleetwood Nicks and Practically Petty, making the second straight year that the Clergue Park stage has featured a Tom Petty tribute (after year's local one-off Free Falling.) Should be fun for classic rock fans, so see above for more, and stay tuned for the full schedules!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, and much more in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

The End Of Lion Ride, Fundraiser Concert Updates, And More!!

Hey guys, here's one more post for this Saturday, and in case you missed it, check out our post from this afternoon below this post featuring last month's poll results and details on our newest poll! Today, we have some assorted shorter news items, updates on two upcoming fundraiser concerts with local metal talent, and leading things off, some very surprising news on a local band's demise, so here's what you need to know! Local/Toronto metal quintet Lion Ride have officially broken up. The news was revealed this afternoon in a post on Lion Ride's Facebook page by guitarist Mark "Marky Lion" Rand, which is lengthy but well detailed. In the post, Mark said that the reasons for the slowed band activity since the summer (and now the band's end) included personal commitments, creative differences, and band tensions, and that they've prevented Lion Ride from operating as it once had. Mark admitted that the biggest factor holding them back in recent years from themselves, but he clearly outlined his appreciation of Lion Ride fans for the support as they grew from a "joke" band to their recent successes. He also addressed the band's unreleased material from their now-cancelled full length debut, and said that they may be available to download in the future, along with suggesting that a farewell concert could take place in the future as well. He also took the time to thank all of their fans for the support over their run and their ex-band members in nicely detailed post, which you can read at this location, as it's hard for me to sum it up. This is extremely surprising news, despite their recent inactivity, as they'd been one of the most successful and highest profile local bands of recent years! From their July 2007 debut to their last concerts in July 2011, they've delivered lots of high energy and very cool shows, along with lots of lasting memories and a very solid EP in the process! I knew that distance was a problem for them to have more frequent activity, but some things are hard to correct or fix, and if a breakup had to be, at least it was amicable and after they'd achieved some great heights in both the local and Toronto areas! I (and other fans, I'm sure) had hoped that they're return with a vengeance in 2012, but hopefully we can say goodbye to Lion Ride properly with an actual farewell concert at some point, and we'll surely see at least some members in the area again down the road in newer bands. Until then, I wish Mikey, Marco, Mark, Carmine, and Mike all the best in whatever happens next for them musically, and hopefully this won't be the absolute last we'll hear from Lion Ride! Check the above links for more, and if updates roll in, I'll keep you guys posted! Now to some more positive local news, as more details are now out for Frightlight's "Dead In The Van: The Locals Attack" all ages fundraiser concert on March 4th, so here's what else you need to know! According to the new Facebook event page, two more bands have been confirmed for this now 7-band concert, those being local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre and local punk trio Redundant (featuring Frightlight guitarist Rick White), and there's still more to be announced, so keep an eye out for news on potential new bands! They've also confirmed a 5:00 PM start time for this show (which is appropriate given the band numbers) and a $10 ticket price, which works for the size and fundraising nature of this concert! More details are forthcoming, so stay tuned to the above links and the SMS for updates! This is shaping up to be an awesome concert with lots of quality local and Algoma District talent, and hopefully lots of cash is made to help Frightlight's touring goals, so hopefully you guys have this concert circled on your calendars! I'll keep you guys posted as more updates roll in! Speaking of upcoming fundraiser concerts featuring classic metal quartet Late & Loud, here's some more updates on their next show, which is the Sault College Campus Watch Pub at Coch's Corner on Saturday! Despite hopes to secure a band to join them at this event, it's been confirmed that Red Carpet DJ Entertainment will fill that second band slot with a DJ set to dance the night away with. It may seem out of place to have a DJ performing with Late & Loud, but hey, DJs pull in fans of their own, so hopefully this attracts more fans! Advance tickets are also now on sale through band members and those attached to the event, so click here or call (705) 987-3912 to inquire about advance tickets for $10 (they cost $2 more at the door.) There will also be door prizes, appetizers, and maybe some games to partake in at this event, so check the above links for all of the current details! Sounds good to me, and it's definitely a high profile way for Late & Loud to rock Coch's Corner for the first time, so stay tuned for more details, and if I'm in town this weekend, I'll be there! And finally for today, here's two assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• This may seem badly overdue, but only now do we have the official Hempfest Facebook group in our Other Local Metal Links section! Give it a look, as it'll have continued updates on this year's Hempfest as the year progresses, and I apologize for the late addition!
• I've edited our YouTube Channel Profile on Lion Ride's old YouTube channel to reflect today's news on their breakup. Nothing major was changed to the info, but I like things to remain current for readers, so check it out to see some great Lion Ride videos from their earlier years!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for more news later this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Still Of The Night & Frightlight), Plus New Videos & "Woods V" Reviews!!

I wasn't expecting to have another post so soon, but when news hits, you've gotta capitalize on it! Today, we have some more "Woods V" reviews, some new videos from some young local musicians, and starting things today, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows next month and THIS WEEKEND, so here's what you need to know!

We have another concert this weekend that I only just found about today, and if you've missed Whitesnake since their headlining concert at Kewadin Casino last August, then good news, as the next best thing is coming to Sault Ontario THIS SATURDAY! Toronto-based Whitesnake tribute band Still of the Night will rock The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday for a good long night's worth of Whitesnake classics, and even some David Coverdale-era Deep Purple, from what I can tell! I apologize for the late notice on this show, I only just heard about it on a radio ad on Rock 101 this morning, and The Canadian's Facebook group didn't acknowledge this concert until this afternoon. Details on this show aren't too prevalent online, but I believe a 10:00 PM start time is likely, you must be 19 to attend, and I'd expect a cover charge of around $5. Check the above links for more details! Late notice or not, The Canadian is always a good bet for bringing in talented touring Canadian tribute bands, and Still of the Night fit that mold well! Jon Munroe's singing isn't a perfect match for David Coverdale in his prime, but they have the sound down pretty well, and if you love Whitesnake or classic 1980s metal, you'll definitely not wanna miss this show on Saturday night! For a preview, here's a Still of the Night promotional video featuring clips of a few of their Whitesnake renditions!



Also in new concerts, remember last week when I alluded to a planned fundraising concert at The Canadian Nightclub that briefly had a Facebook event page before it was pulled? Well, I don't know what happened then, but it appears to still be a go, so here's the current details! As Frightlight frontman Johnny Pints revealed on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday, the band has scheduled a special all-ages fundraising concert at The Canadian on March 4th to raise money towards a tour vehicle, so Frightlight can do some tour dates and "bring the fright" to other cities. Depending on the number of bands, the show will run until 11:00 PM on that Sunday, with an undetermined start time. Currently confirmed to join Frightlight at this "Dead In The Van" event are local hardcore quintet As It Stands, classic metal rockers Late & Loud, Desbarats metal band Inhuman Methods (nice to see them increasing their local presence!), and Business Suit Trappers guitarist "Evil" Greg Callaghan in a solo set. More bands are to be confirmed, so contact Johnny at the above links for details if your band wants in on this event! Full details are expected to be released next week, so we should hear more on admission prices and times then, but I can confirm that the show will be licensed in addition to the all ages element.

Frightlight (and Fitswitch) have always been good for supporting causes at fundraising events, and they deserve the support to raise some funds towards some tour dates, so hopefully a huge turnout is there in March for this show! Depending on the size, this could be similar to notable concert events like the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser from the summer of 2008 at The Canadian, but we won't know the full scale of everything until next week. It sounds very promising already though, and you can definitely pencil me in to attend and support Frightlight! Stay tuned for more updates as they roll in!

Thirdly today, here's a recent discovery I came across on YouTube that you guys might be interested in. Yesterday, a YouTube user by the name of adamscovers posted three live cover videos onto his YouTube channel from a recent Hawkplugged (formerly Dunnplugged) performance at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, and two of the videos are hard rock covers! The newly posted videos (which joined a Foster The People cover from last month) are of covers of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Alice In Chains' "Rooster", and (as embedded below) Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown", so click each link to check them out! I don't know the performers in the videos, but there's three likely Superior Heights students playing in this band, and I assume one's name is Adam. They're definitely talented, though I find the verse singing on "Rooster" was a bit forced, and the zoom effects on the videos are well edited to emphasize certain band members! I'm curious to learn and hear more from these guys, so check out these new Hawkplugged performance videos above, and here's their cover of "Communication Breakdown"!



Finally for today, here's a few more reviews of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" to check out! Last month, "merginator" of the metal blog Headbang or GTFO gave Woods of Ypres' last recorded CD a 4.5 out of 5 in a lengthy review, calling it an "emotional roller coaster" and "definitely fulfilling", while only knocking the song "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)" for being boring. It's a nice and well-worded review, so click here to check it out! This past Friday, Rob Liz from the metal site That Devil Music gave an overall favourable review to "Woods V", though the postmortem nature of the review definitely seemed to throw things on a loop. He called the CD "an audio painting full of styles and colours" and termed it "the band's masterpiece", while complimenting the Type O Negative influences and the album's haunting effect. Another solid review with lots of personal reflection, so check it out at this location! Lastly for this chunk of reviews, John Roach from the metal website Xplosive Metal gave "W5" a favourable review of his own last month, calling it a "must-buy" for doom metal fans that was worthy of purchase regardless of David Gold's death, while also complimenting David's vocals & the album's symphonic elements. Definitely another nice review, and it's great to see the first reviews of "Woods V" skewing positively, so check out his review by clicking here, and stay tuned for more "W5" CD reviews soon!

That's all for today, but I should see you guys at The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT for the 42nd Rosie metal night! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sneaky Pete & As It Stands) & New Videos!!

The news keeps on coming for this Thursday, so remember to check out some short notice new shows and previews of all the metal and hard rock gigs this weekend (including an extended LemmaFest preview) in the post below! For this post though, we have two more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some new videos, so here's what you need to know, going (As usual) in chronological order! After three shows in three months, local hard rockers Sneaky Pete will play a full weekend set for the first time ever next weekend! The veteran quartet will return to The Roosevelt Hotel on July 1st (Canada Day) & 2nd for a weekend of hard rocking covers for their fans at The Rosie! Nice to see the shows ratcheting up over the long weekend, and it's nice to finally see Sneaky Pete twice on a given weekend too! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend these shows, and everything starts at 10:30 both nights! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be good shows, and you're in for some talented hard rock covers from this group of experienced and skilled local musicians, so definitely consider a run to the Rosie over the long weekend! Stay tuned for updates if they come in! The other new show is a special fundraiser event, so here's what you should know. One week ago today, the Shaule family residence on Placid Avenue was severely damaged by a fire, of which the cause is currently unclear. No one in the home was hurt, but this was understandably devastating, and you can read more at this location. As such, a benefit/fundraiser is being hosted at The Verdi Hall on July 8th (two weeks from tomorrow) that will also double as a concert, and there is some SMS-coverable bands already announced! Local hardcore bands As It Stands and Changing Waves have been confirmed for this event, as has local solo artist Lisa Steinwedel, with more acts to be announced. Nice to see some metal bands rallying together to help the Shaule family in this time of need! The Verdi Hall will have it's bar open for this event, though it is all ages, so remember ID if you want to order anything alcoholic. Tickets are $15 for this event, and you can purchase them from any of the people listed at the Facebook event page. At least 50 will be held at the door if you want to wait until then, but I'd recommend buying advance tickets in case the door tickets go fast. And before anyone asks, yes this is a public event. As It Stands wouldn't have plugged it on their Facebook page if the general public wasn't welcome. This is a great event that will hopefully raise some well deserved funds for the Shaules in this troubling time! My dad's home burned up in a fire when I was 6, and we lost the cat, much of my dad's magic equipment, and most of our possessions in it, so I remember how it feels. I personally don't know the family, but I feel their pain! Definitely consider making it to this event to help the family out, they could use it! As always, stay tuned for updates on this fundraiser as I hear them! We close today with new videos, and first, did you miss The Isosceles Project when they hit The Roosevelt Hotel on May 23rd? I did, thanks to computer issues (that was around when I traced them to overheating), and I'm still bummed out about it. If you're disappointed at missing this talented Toronto instrumental metal band in action, than good news, as a local concert video from the show is now online! Despite repeatedly calling our city "Sue Ste. Marie", this indeed from the May 23rd concert, and it's of The Isosceles Project playing their 11+ minute original song "Oblivion's Candle"! Filmed on a stationary camera sort of on the side/back of the stage, it was uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel earlier today. Looks good, though the sound is slightly distorted, I'm not sure why. It just sounds kinda off. Makes me wish I was there even more though, they're at their usual proficient and energetic selves here, though bassist Scott Tessier doesn't come through too well due to his stage placement. Solid stuff though, hopefully they come back to town soon! Check out The Isosceles Project playing "Oblivion's Candle" below! That's all for today, but stay tuned for my long overdue news from Half A Man, Rotaryfest & LemmaFest lineup details, and more very soon! Thanks everyone!

Garden of Bedlam Fundraiser Pub Review, Last Month's Poll Results, & This Month's Poll!

Hey guys, I am back from last night's Garden of Bedlam fundraiser show in Garden River, and as you may expect, I have a review of it! We'll start with that, and afterwards, it's poll time on the SMS, as we'll go over the results of last month's poll, and intoduce you to this month's!

First, huge thanks to Kris and Lisa Belleau for picking me up and getting me home, I really appreciate it! Misspelling of Garden of Bedlam on the marquee board aside (Garden of Bedlem with backwards 3s instead of Es?), the Garden River Community Center is a nice building, well designed and it has a rustic sort of feel! That chair hanging high on the wall left me wondering a bit though. The fundraiser started with the family friendly portion of the festivities, and true to that, the crowd was a mix of Garden of Bedlam fans, and what seemed like their kids and parents! Very closeknit community, everyone seemed to know everyone and was having a good time! There were door prizes for two awardings of $250, and largest of all, a guitar signed by the band and a $100 gift certificate for Forsaken Tattoo Studio! There were also tons of raffle prizes, and I entered for a few, but my good luck streak extending from the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser and Stillbroke's Verdi Hall show ended last night. But I did get a signed photo of the band, as did many others, it seemed like they were autographing things left and right! There was also special edition Garden of Bedlam shirts that looked cool too, didn't bring enough cash for one though.

Supper was the first major event, and my compliments to the chef! Pasta tasted great, and whoever thought to bring parmesan cheese had good foresight! Italian food's my favourite type, though I'm only 1/8th Italian. Is that odd? No matter, after supper, we mostly sat around and mingled and talked, me and the band and assorted others chatted about music, MMA, and whatever all else came up! That's always fun, and amidst it all, I heard some cool things I will keep secret, my lips are sealed! It dragged at points waiting, but the band finally hit the stage around...8:00, I think. And it was another great set from Garden of Bedlam, though shorter than I figured. Good energy as always, Buzz sounded as great as ever, I'm still in awe at some notes he can hit! Evan Belleau continues to impress me on bass, and Josh's riffing and solos just seem to get better and better! Derek Turner's drumming is top notch too! Last night, they didn't have anything to prove, they were just having fun, and it showed! This set was all originals, and the crowd was receptive, if not eager to stand with them. I also spotted Rick Dellavedova from CML Productions filming once again, might we have some new footage to look out for soon?

(Note: If the image quality from my pictures taken in this set is lacking, here's why: I had to use an "image stabilization" setting on my camera with the flash turned off to get decent looking shots. With flash on, it was too dark, with it off on normal settings, it was blurry.)

After their set, everyone mostly mingled until 9:00 PM, when the fights were turned on! We watched Strikeforce: Nashville on the big screen while a "dance" went on. Well, no one danced, but I think that's what they were hoping for. Most of the songs weren't my thing, and it drowned out the fights, but what can you do? Fights weren't bad, I was wrong on all of my picks, though I was impressed by the winners! And that brawl between Mayhem Miller and Jake Shields' camp at the end was nuts! It was during the Shields/Henderson fight that they announced the prize winners, and though I went home empty handed, I did contribute cash for the new album, so that all works!

Much to my surprise, near the end of the night, Garden of Bedlam hit the stage once again for another set! This set seemed more like your typical Garden of Bedlam show, if shorter and with a more casual feel! Buzz, by this point, was drunk, but it didn't impact his singing performance! Honestly, it's not something I'd thought about either, his voice was always good! Finally, fans got up to stand with the band after some prodding, and I'm glad to say the attendance was better for this set, a lot of people shown up late! A few songs re-appeared from earlier sets, though that was likely for the benefit of late arrivals. They played all the songs on their E.P. in the two sets combined, along with brand new stuff like "Torment" and "Your Disgrace", and covers of Tool, Disturbed, and for their encore, The Deftones! Compared to their normal shows, they did make a few tiny mess-ups here and there, but really, this is a fundraiser show with their friends and family, they don't have to put on their A-game. They're just having fun, and we all sure did!

Also of note from this last set: For the first time at a Garden of Bedlam show, the band had some solo stretches! Evan first got a bass solo, and though he seemed critical and caught off guard by it, he didn't do a bad job! Though it'd be cool to see him write and have a proper bass solo for shows, I'd like to hear it! Derek's drum solo was awesome, I wish it would have ran longer! Nice and fast and relentless, just how it should be! Josh's guitar solo was great as well, he never ceases to impress! Oh, and at the show, there was suggestions made about possible involvement of Garden of Bedlam in some big summer events. Nothing's official, I'll keep you posted as I hear more!

Overall, this was a fun night of music and fundraising! I think this was the longest I've ever been somewhere for a concert since the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser in August 2008! It was worth it though, and the crowd seemed receptive and proud of the guys in Garden of Bedlam! Hopefully the money that was raised will help ensure that their full length album gets the best recording and treatment it deserves! The band had fun, we all had fun, and before you know it, the fruits of Garden of Bedlam's labour will be out for us to enjoy! I got photos from both sets of the concert, so click here to check them out, or visit The Sault Metal Scene on Facebook! And yes, I have a video, so here's my footage of their performance of their new song "Three Days"!



And now, it's poll time on the SMS! Last month's poll has came to a close, and thanks to the 44 of you who cast votes! Decent amount, not too low but not a huge record breaking total either. But the results are very telling, and I can see where they come from! If you remember correctly, the question I posed to you last month was "What would you like to see happen in the local FM rock radio scene?" And here are your results!

Three choices got no votes, those being adding more rock music to WLSO, simulcasting an exisiting station, and "I'm happy with what we have." I attribute the no votes for WLSO to there not being many diehard listeners who check the SMS out, though you guys really should, they have some awesome rock blocks if you know when to tune in! No one wants a simulcast? Either you guys completely want a local station based here, or some of you didn't remember what that meant. Either way, we should have a true local station, not some other city's! And I'm so glad no one picked that they were happy with what we have! Things need to get better, hopefully the higher voted choices will have some good insight! Tied for seventh with a vote each were an AM rock radio station, moving Energy Rock Radio to FM, and "Other". I won't comment on "Other" because I don't know what that person had in mind, but I'm honestly surprised a person picked wanting an AM station! FM would be clearer and easier to access, but who knows, maybe AM's cheaper? And nice to see someone wanting Energy Rock Radio on FM, though I wish they had more listeners, maybe the vote would be higher!

Tied for fifth with four votes each are a rock station in Sault Ontario and bringing back The Bear. I KNEW there'd be sentiment for bringing The Bear back to the local airwaves, though I thought that choice would have been higher! Was it not as popular as it seemed? A rock station in Sault Ontario shown up where I thought it would. It'd be nice to have one here, but Sault Michigan is definitely a more likely area for a new radio station. Fourth place with six votes is a new classic rock station, though when you combine the votes of that and bringing back The Bear, that's 10 votes in general for just wanting a classic rock station back in the Sault, The Bear or not, and that would be good for second place in the poll! In third place with seven votes is taking the Hounds games off of Rock 101, and honestly, this result is quite telling! Rock 101 fans tend to want their station to air ROCK! Higher than I thought it'd get though, but really, I'm sure a number of metalheads in town would be perfectly satisfied if the Soo Greyhounds were back on Q104, and Rock 101 aired more of what they love! Second place with 8 votes, WAY higher than I figured it'd place, was "I don't listen to FM radio." Sure, you have other ways to listen to music, but I figured that you'd be enough of a casual listener to have an opinion? I dunno.

And in first place with 12 votes, 27% of the total vote, is a new modern rock station! I think this is pretty telling as well, it looks like more of you would rather hear modern rock than classic! Though if you combined the classic rock and The Bear votes, it is closer, you do see that modern rock is what a lot of people want to see! Maybe some of you miss Northern Michigan's Modern Rock, 94.5 The Zone, maybe you just want some newer stuff than Rock 101 and The Bear tend to air, or maybe you just want change! Either way, the results of the poll are very interesting, maybe some day, we'll get a new local rock radio station!

So now that poll's came to a close, but we have a new one, and I actually devised it's concept at the Garden of Bedlam fundraiser! During the first set, Buzz shed his hoodie, unveiling a Gene Simmons shirt underneath prior to when they performed their song "Three Days", which was about their Kiss Battle of the Bands victory! You can see this in my video above. This and later Kiss mentions led me to think about the Kiss/Garden of Bedlam concert that we're still waiting for. Since December's postponement, we've been waiting for word on a rescheduled date, and so far, nothing. Seeing as Kiss's Sault show hasn't been dominating the news so far in 2010, I figured I should gauge people's feelings on it amidst this dry spell. So I pose this question to you guys: Four months after the postponement, what are your current feelings towards our future Kiss concert? Here are your choices!

It's still gonna be awesome!: Still psyched that Kiss are coming here? I know a lot of people still are, mostly diehard Kiss fans who tend to be more optimistic and forgiving, but there's a huge number of them here! I think it will still be awesome, but I never vote in the SMS polls. What do you guys think?

It'll be alright: Basically, you're gonna enjoy the show, but you're not gonna jump head over heels over it. Maybe you're a more reserved fan, or only like some songs, but there's people like that out there who are going! If this is your current mindest, vote here!

It's losing it's appeal: Has the long arduous wait for Kiss at The Essar Center been too much to bear? Is the lustre of a Kiss show fading amidst the time that's passed? I know people whose excitement level is lower now than it was last year. Reasons for the postponement aside, do you feel this way?

It will be a disappointment: This is more for people who feel that this show won't live up to the hype and the wait. Stuff like the band might not play to their potential, the show and performances might be underwhelming, the crowd might not be great, et cetera. If you figure this show won't be as good as you'd like, here's your best pick!

Kiss suck, I'm not going: Amidst all the hype and anticipation, there always have been people who don't like Kiss and don't plan on attending this concert as a result. Simple enough choice, if you aren't going and don't like Gene Simmons and company, vote away!

Tickets are still too pricey: There's no expected drop in ticket prices from the $99.50 we paid for the original December date. Tickets carry over from then, and they'll be back on sale when the rescheduled show is announced. So is $99.50 still too much for you to put out to see Kiss? If so, pick this option!

I don't think they're coming at all: Since the Kiss show became a possibility in last year's Eventful fan vote, there's been skeptics everywhere thinking that Kiss wouldn't come or would screw us over. Some are still out there, are you one of them? If you, despite the announcements and press, don't feel Kiss will ever play in Sault Ontario, vote here!

Other: Got an opinion that doesn't apply above, like something that involves Susan Myers, or some offbeat thought about the Kiss show? Then "Other" is your option!

VOTE TODAY! It'd be interesting to see general thoughts of the SMS faithful about the Kiss show! You know what'd be ironic? If the rescheduled date was announced during this poll's voting period! And no, that's not a hint or foreshadowing, I honestly have heard nothing. Still, vote today, hopefully there's a high vote total! That's all for now, my next post will almost certainly be chock full of news and such, I'll try and get it sooner than later around my class schedule. Stay tuned everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Garden of Bedlam & Destroilet), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!

Alright, before we get to some major news stories, I just wanna remind you guys that yes, my review of Integrated System of Machines' debut album IS COMING LATER TODAY!!! After all, why do you think they're the subject of today's banner image? So today's a two post double shot, and first, we'll attend to business as usual: previews of this weekend's metal shows, the Lion Ride bassist situation, and kicking things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

Remember the planned Garden of Bedlam fundraiser/concert that was scheduled for last month in Garden River? Well, it has been rescheduled for NEXT SATURDAY! Now from what we originally were told for the original date, nothing appears to have changed, but let's go over what to expect in case you forgot. The fundraiser will be at The Garden River Community Center on April 17th to help raise funds for the recording of Garden of Bedlam's first full length album. At 5:00 PM, there will be a spaghetti dinner, followed by a set from Garden of Bedlam, and then a dance afterwards! After 9:00 PM, it becomes 19+, just for your reference. A chartered bus will be available for Saultites to get home on! Raffle prizes to be announced will be available to draw for, the original fundraiser info pointed to stuff from The Rad Zone, Forsaken Tattoo Studio, and Wal-Mart being offered!

Unless something changed in the interim, tickets are $10 for this very special fundraiser show. It's not listed on the Facebook event page, but keep it in mind. If nothing's changed, they would be available to purchase from all members of the band and Nathalie Belleau, contact any of them on Facebook to inquire about tickets! I hope to make it out there, hopefully this vehicle-deficient metalhead can find someone to give me a ride! If and when I hear more updates on the fundraiser, I'll have them here! Remember, it's NEXT SATURDAY, and it's your absolute last chance to see Garden of Bedlam live before they hit the studio!

Meanwhile, another new concert was confirmed the other day, and it features the return of local punk/metal band Destroilet! Over 4 months after their debut at Coch's Corner opening for Detroit, Destroilet return to that very same venue on May 8th as openers for an act you may not expect. The headliners for this show are The Hobo Banditos, a Toronto underground rap outfit! You don't see rap and rock acts on the same lineup in local shows very much, so this is unique! Now speaking as a metalhead, I don't listen to rap too often, but I do like certain rappers (shocking, I know), and these guys aren't bad! No Auto-Tune or objectifying of women here, just straight up rap, and I welcome that! Note that the poster says "Hobo Banditos vs. Destroilet", but don't expect a rock vs. rap fight, that actually might allude to a collaboration (that's what "vs." usually means in music terms), but who knows! Unlike most shows at Coch's Corner, there will be a cover charge of $5, it is 19+ (remember, this is a bar), and a start time of 10:00 PM is listed! Get full details on this show at the official Facebook event page! Just for the differences of genre and each band's respective fanbases, this could prove to be one of 2010's most unique metal shows, but it surely won't suck, so keep this show on your radar if you like punk, metal, and/or rap! Click on the above links to check out all the bands!

Alright, so the new shows are now in your consciousness, now let's get to stuff on the imminent horizon, as there are four local metal shows this weekend! Two each in both of the Twin Saults, so here are your local concert previews for this weekend!

Staying in Sault Ontario to start, head out to The Roosevelt Hotel on Korah Road tomorrow or Saturday night, as Caveman Morrison return there for a weekend full of heavy metal! This is the band's second weekend set at The Rosie since they got back in the swing of concert booking, and it's this weekend due to a switch of weekends with Wishbone. Same deal as most Caveman Morrison shows, a start time of 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday, get ready for 4 hours of metal covers from a great band! No cover charge is announced, confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page! As always, I'd expect these two shows to be awesome Caveman Morrison never disappoint, they know tons of songs, and will be sure to rock all weekend long! Check out lots more from them, including audio and video clips, at this location! For a preview, here's a short clip of Caveman Morrison covering the Metallica classic, "For Whom The Bell Tolls"!



Meanwhile, in Sault Michigan, Nixxon Dixxon return to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino tomorrow night and Saturday night! The rising young stars will take the stage at 9:00 PM for both shows, there is no announced cover charge for either night. It's your only local chance to see them for almost two months as of today, so why not head out there if you can? They're a great sounding band, and they're not even at their peak yet, they're only getting better! Expect two shows full of great metal and hard rock covers and some really good originals like "One Shot Woman" and "High Life"! Check out more from Nixxon Dixxon at their official MySpace page, and for a preview, here's the band playing the song "High Life" last year at the Kiss Battle of the Bands in Sault Ontario!



And finally for this post, want some more clarification on the Lion Ride bassist situation? Well, here's what you should know! The other day on Facebook, frontman Mikey Lion told me that Saigon Hookers frontman Carmine "Cobra Carmander" Romano will fill in on the four strings for their May 22nd show here at The Canadian Nightclub! Romano has played bass with Lion Ride on a temporary basis since Diamond Brent Panther's departure, and played with them in their recent Southern Ontario swing and at the Great Canadian T-Shirt Battle. As for a permanent bassist, no word on that, but Mikey told me that Lion Ride guitarist Marky Lion will do the bass tracks for their next album! He has the chops, as you've heard on Detroit's newest album, so this should work out well! So that's "bassically" what's up with Lion Ride's lineup, I'll keep you posted if something else is announced!

I have another story concerning ANOTHER possible summer concert festival, but I'll save that for my next news post to spread things out. The next SMS update is LATER TODAY, when my review of Integrated System of Machines' debut album is posted! Stay tuned for that!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Garden of Bedlam), Lion Ride News, The Return Of The Issues, And More!

Good evening everyone, time to update you all on some more news-like things, including a local band's return, even more news from Lion Ride, and a clarification on The Bear's status, but first, a very important LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

(NOTE: This fundraiser concert has been postponed due to an unfortunate loss to the Garden River community. It's postponed out of respect for the family and their wishes to use the community center for the funeral arrangements. Thanks to Buzz's Facebook status for the update! The info on the concert will remain up as it's postponed, not cancelled. Stay tuned to the SMS for updates!)

On SATURDAY NIGHT, Garden of Bedlam will hit The Garden River Community Center in Garden River for a special fundraiser concert! This is to raise funds towards the recording sessions for their first full length LP, so they'd love to see all you fans make it out for this show! Not only is it a Garden of Bedlam concert, but there will also be a spaghetti dinner, door prizes, and raffle draws for prizes from local establishments like The Rad Zone, Forsaken Tattoo Studio, and Wal-Mart! This all starts at 5:00 PM on Saturday, with the bar opening at 7:00 PM, and a dance to follow Garden of Bedlam's set. Saying that you can't get home at the end of the night, or are too drunk to drive, a charter bus back to Sault Ste. Marie will be available at 12:30 AM to head back home on. Tickets are $10 for this very special fundraiser show, and they are available to purchase from all members of the band and Nathalie Belleau, contact any of them on Facebook to inquire about getting a ticket! For full details, visit the Facebook event page!

Now I know Garden River may be far out compared to where you usually go for concerts, and $10 may seem steep, but throw those worries out the window, this is for a good cause! After all, some members of Garden of Bedlam live out there, and the more money that is raised, the less they have to pony up for the recording sessions for their next album! And we all know from hearing new songs live that this will be one hell of a CD, so damnit, support your local musicians and at least try to show up! Plus, you'll get supper, you can enter draws, and you'll help towards the making of this album! As long as I can secure a ride, I'll try and make it to this, every bit helps, and hopefully all you guys will be there too! I'll keep you all posted with any updates I have!

Next up, even more Lion Ride related updates! Guitarist Marky Lion has posted a new blog entry onto MySpace, which updates us all on some things that recently happened, and some exciting things to look out for! It starts with mention of their Kiss Battle loss (Shows how often they post blog entries), before mentioning that Lion Ride will hit the studio on April 26th to record their second album! They'll be at BWC Studios in Toronto with Greg Dawson producing, same as when Lion Ride members recorded the newest Detroit EP! According to Marky, the band's been through a lot and we should "expect a heavier roar." I can't wait! Then it goes into a bit of detail about the out of town shows I mentioned a couple days ago, so if you're in Southern Ontario, Lion Ride are coming to your area soon! Interesting news and stuff to watch out for! Read Marky's full blog entry at this location!

Speaking of things I found on MySpace, it looks like a local metal band is back from inactivity! Remember The Issues? Well, the band have posted two new demo tracks onto their MySpace page, entitled "Lambs To The Slaughter" and "Last Stand"! The first track has a hardcore-ish sound, the vocals are nice and aggressive though they don't kick in til late in the song. Sounds good, though it doesn't really have much of a "punch" to it. "Last Stand" has some nice drumwork and it's pretty catchy, this would go over well at a concert if they booked one! That's about all new from The Issues that I've heard in months, but it's signs of life, and I welcome it1 If you're not aware, The Issues are a punk/hardcore/metal band from Sault Ontario (or "The Sewer" as they affectionately call it.) Known by aliases and not usually revealing their full faces, the band have an good sense of humour, especially from when they often posted fake concert listings for shows in "The Sewer" and elsewhere, at typically fake venues. Good band, it'd be cool to see them at a full real concert one of these days, hopefully there's more from The Issues on the horizon! Check out more from them at this location!

And finally for tonight, a clarification on the demise of 97.9 Classic Rock: The Bear. Going forward from the announcement of it's likely end, I had been under the assumption that The Bear's sister stations in Glen Arbor and Cadillac would be shut down too. After all, reports had said that Northern Star Broadcasting (The Bear's parent company) wanted out of radio. Well, as it turns out, only the Newberry station (WIHC, our Bear station) died. The Bear is still (as best as I can tell) alive in Glen Arbor and Cadillac. A new version of their logo, seen on the lower right of this poster for an upcoming art event in Traverse City, only includes the two surviving Bear stations, with 97.9 now removed. Also, 105.1 out of Cheboygan, which is still listed on the banner image on The Bear's official website, became a mainstream rock station, Real Rock 105.1, late last year. Coincidentally, it's also a sponsor of this art event. Northern Star Broadcasting's website also only lists the Glen Arbor and Cadillac stations as ones it owns, so it looks like Northern Star isn't completely out of radio. They just left the Sault area, and because Sovereign Communications didn't buy 97.9, The Bear is only dead in the U.P. So if you want The Bear, you'll have to take a road trip down to the Lower Peninsula, sad to say. Still crossing my fingers that we'll get a new FM rock station here at some point, someone fill the gap!

Oh, and for what it's worth, Real Rock 105.1 carries a Rock 101-like format, AND it still airs The Bob & Tom Show! So if you're around the Mackinac Bridge area, turn your dials to 105.1! Good music and Bob & Tom, you're all set for that area! Sadly, it's too far for most Sault Ontario signals though.

That's all I have for today, expect lots more in the coming days! Hope this weekend's concerts went well, and buy tickets for the Garden of Bedlam fundraiser show!!!