Pop Evil & Triumph Concert Video Showcase!!

Tonight's post takes us to recent major concerts in to wrap up our coverage of videos shot at them, and in one case, we haven't even touched on the show yet! As you may recall, Muskegon, Michigan hard rock quintet Pop Evil made their Sault Ontario debut at The Machine Shop on April 12th, and while videos were not nearly as forthcoming as they were from their multiple Kewadin Casino concerts in the past 15 years, the ever-prolific Christopher Paci was in attendance that night and uploaded 10 videos to his YouTube channel! No word on if he filmed at the Three Days Grace concert, but if he was there, he hasn't uploaded anything yet. Fittingly for their eighth local concert appearance, Chris filmed eight videos of Pop Evil's headlining set, specifically their songs "Footsteps", "Waking Lions", "Legendary", "Torn To Pieces", "Skeletons", "Paranoid (Crash & Burn)", "Trenches", and as embedded below, "100 In A 55". 

While by no means a staple of the 104.3 setlist, Rock 101 listeners are well accustomed to Pop Evil by now, and there was a good crowd familiar with their ample radio hits last month! Chris about four rows deep (standing room only acknowledged) here, and Leigh and crew sound really good across these videos, especially on more melodic songs and choruses, so give these well shot videos a watch above & below!

The openers at The Machine Shop last month were Waterloo hard rock quartet Sierra Pilot, who once featured ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin in their lineup, in case the band name is familiar. Chris got two videos from their set, including them playing "Replicants" and, as embedded below, what I believe to be a new song of theirs (in a cursory search of their studio material, it doesn't match anything obvious). Sierra Pilot have a good sound going for them, with distinct vocals and a melodic ear while still delivering heavy riffs and and a command of the crowd, so don't bypass Chris' videos from their set either!

The back half of this post takes us to the Triumph/April Wine concert at GFL Memorial Gardens 10 days after Pop Evil, as there are two more videos of note about the show that aren't fan-shot live clips. One is of video from the headlining Mississauga hard rock band's reunion tour-kickoff set here, and it actually is a "Shorts" (ie. YouTube "Reels") video from the band's official YouTube channel! The 48 seconds-long highlight reel video is set to the studio version of "Rock & Roll Machine", and features clips of Rik, Gil, and crew playing on stage and even a bit of off-stage content, as tiled and edited in post-production to make use of the vertical dimensions as best as it can, even with animations rather than plain black letterboxing. As I say often for bands who post highlight reels rather than raw uncut concert videos, I would far prefer full videos, as these look to be high quality from some unique angles!

Regardless, it is neat to see the Soo (and the Gardens) represented in a major band's official online video content, and seeing as this is the 5th (4½th?) post featuring Triumph videos, you know it was a hit! Give Triumph's "Short" highlight video a watch for yourselves below!

Finally, while this does feature videos from the concert, this is primarily a video review of the Triumph concert! Veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas (ex-Flat Stanley, Wishbone, Soundcheck, et al.) posted a 40+ minutes-long review of the concert to his YouTube channel, in what you could argue also fits in line with his "Glen Yaps" videos there. Glen approaches things differently than some as an experienced drummer with connections (a friend was one of the techs that night), and he goes into detail not just about the sets proper by both bands, but also the stage setup, comparisons to what he saw of the pre-tour kickoff concerts in Florida, the fan responses, how the bands came off and sounded in relation to the video screens, the overall sound setup and rigging that night, how the gaps between songs differed between the two bands, and how the experience was seeing the show with his wife and how things connected to seeing Triumph in the 1970s.

Live videos that Glen shot are overlaid at around 10:30 into the review, and other closer videos from other filmers were also included similarly. Glen did suggest that he might post his own raw videos from the concert (he was filming with a GoPro, even), but as of this writing, he has not done so. Regardless, I do agree with him about preferring full songs on video rather than partial clips! Speaking as an experienced live and studio drummer, Glen gives strong insights into the concert, and it's an entertaining watch to go into detail of things beyond just who played what song, so give everything a look below, and we'll let you know if belated videos surface!

That's all for tonight, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone! 

Glen Thomas' "Glen Yaps" Video On Soundcheck!!

If you're familiar with veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas, then you may be aware of his series of "Glen Yaps" videos on his YouTube channel, where he talks about anything that comes to mind, typically relating to music and drumming. His newest "Glen Yaps" video will be of SMS interest beyond those interested in drumming technique and equipment, as it's a 70 minutes long reflection on his recently dissolved local classic/hard rock cover band Soundcheck! Glen does note at the start that he was in Soundcheck and their predecessors/brief sister band Mourning Wood for 10-11 years (according to our old coverage of those bands, he replaced T.J. Case in Mourning Wood in August 2015, left prior to that band's final two gigs in April 2017, then replaced Scott McLurg on drums in Soundcheck over a year later). Next, Glen addresses their breakup, saying that the band was "going through the motions" towards the end, but they had a good run.

Glen next looks at the high points of his runs in both Mourning Wood and Soundcheck, highlighting the professionalism of the lineups, especially the 2018-2019 Soundcheck lineup (featuring singer/guitarists Terry Eaton & Travis Sharpe and bassist Paul Belair), while also acknowledging the drama and internal conflicts that all bands go through, and the shifts in audience response when lineup changes happened, primarily hinting towards when Cameron Oliver replaced Travis in late 2019. He also reflected on their frequent fill-in musicians (often bassists) over the years, and how their experience as musicians allowed them to easily ad lib and adapt on the fly, let alone perform with a massive multi-genre playlist, despite not practicing very regularly. After reflecting on some of the individual members (including their most prominent fill-in bassist Rob Gilmar), Glen looks at the downsides of the band to him.

He starts by reflecting on how he actually wanted to leave Soundcheck two years ago, and desired some more musical variety and setlist input, and how he wanted Soundcheck to change up their set with newer songs in general to retain audience investment. While that was a struggle for him, Glen stuck it out and they found some new fans and fun gigs in the last few years. Glen also noted that he dislikes playing weddings or stags & does, events that often have a large audience that isn't there for a rock band, and he felt that he couldn't express musical freedom at such bookings. In the music business, Glen wants to play music first and foremost, especially nowadays. Reflecting on the ultimate end of Soundcheck, they mainly broke up due to Terry wanting a break from live music, but that lined up anyway with Glen having issues with the band's increasingly loud sound in concert aggravating his existing vertigo.

Glen next mentions how Cameron has a rough go of things when he joined Soundcheck, as some existing fans really didn't like change/Travis leaving, but he praised Cameron's professionalism and talents as he grew into the role. Apparently, Terry & Jim are going to keep performing together in a new band of some type, while Cameron continues to perform as a solo country musician. While Glen is currently working as a fill-in drummer where needed, he is tentatively working on new projects named Drones Over Jersey and Bing Bang Boom, as well as a mystery unlaunched project that he seemed to really want to get going, but could not. Next, Glen thanks the venues who booked Soundcheck and the fans who saw them over the years, while also crediting bandmates' talents again (especially Terry), and noting that commitment to your band is important.

After the camera died and Glen replaced his battery, he recapped everything and thanked all of his Soundcheck/Mourning Wood bandmates and predecessors. It's rare when you get such a long (and public) retrospective on a local band, especially in video format, and while this is just Glen's take on Soundcheck for good and for bad, it's interesting to hear how he assessed the group over the years! The back half does increasingly have him reiterating earlier points, but he's an easy talker in this format, and it's nice to get some public reasoning into why Soundcheck disbanded on New Year's Day. Check out the full "Glen Yaps" video below, and stay tuned for more news & notes soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Apocalypse Afterparty), A Tribute Song, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Die Mannequin frontwoman Caroline Kawa (a.k.a. Care Failure), who just passed away according to numerous social media postings at the age of 36. Read her obituary at this link. A standout presence on the Toronto alt-rock scene from Die Mannequin's launch in 2005 onward, Care will be familiar to SMS readers from her set with Die Mannequin at the former Roosevelt Hotel in May 2012, when they and Dearly Beloved stopped in town on their Danceland Tour, but a planned June 2014 return gig at The Rockstar Bar was cancelled. Die Mannequin peaked in the late 2000s and early 2010s with songs like "Bad Medicine" and "Dead Honey", and would land songs on the final two Big Shiny Tunes CDs in the process. Care also had a well received turn as an actress in the 2010 film Hard Core Logo 2, with the band factoring into the plot & soundtrack of the long-awaited film.

I wasn't at Die Mannequin's local concert, nor can I find public videos from it, but Care was an original and a very talented musician who crossed punk and alternative genre boundaries to strong effect, and it's a shame to lose her at such a young age like this. Do check out Die Mannequin's original material and live videos, and consider donating to Musicares in her name to pay tribute. R.I.P. Care! Now, here's a new tribute song to another musician we lost, and first, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local rap/party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty will be among the openers at TOMORROW'S Madchild-headlined concert at Soo Blaster! Apologies for the short notice, organizers R-Evolution Media only confirmed The A.A. for this show in promotional materials posted online this week, though the Stanghettas were previously teasing their involvement on their personal Facebook pages. This marks a trilogy for rap concerts at Soo Blaster with The Apocalypse Afterparty as the lone rock band outpost, following their appearances at last fall's Tech N9ne and Afroman gigs, and clearly things went well for Paul & Amanda's minimalist hybrid sound to get called back TOMORROW NIGHT! Madchild is the Vancouver rapper best known from the Juno and MuchMusic Video Award winning rap group Swollen Members, who were easily one of the biggest domestic rap acts of the 2000s, so fans will want to note that aspect!

I don't know that Madchild does many Swollen Members songs live, but it'll be interesting to see him in town TOMORROW, and he has a deep solo catalog that dips into horrorcore now, even! Guelph rapper Robbie G (who also opened for Tech N9ne & Afroman here) is the top billed opener, and the other opening acts include Sound Syndrome, Sawbe & Stoney, RyxnNick, Ille$t, and Superskunk Lucas. For reference, Sawbe & RyxnNick were also seen at the Afroman show, and there may be other ties to the Tech N9ne and Afroman lineups if you count solo rappers who were seen in groups or ensembles (and vice versa). While uncredited on the poster, Madchild's own Facebook promotion of TOMORROW'S concert confirms that his DJ on this tour is Dow Jones. A later 10:00 PM start time is in effect, and tickets run for $34.11 online at this link or $25 if bought through local openers. 

Note that at there are higher priced VIP packages for meet & greets and signed posters and whatnot, plus a deal on a booth for 6 people, while at least The Apocalypse Afterparty were selling two tickets for $40. Also note that the online sale page says that this is all ages, but use your best judgement on that given the locale and timing of the concert. Should be a fun night for hip-hop fans, with The Apocalypse Afterparty back to bridge the gap between the rap and bass-led metal worlds, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind, and here's The A.A. live at Soo Blaster!

We'll close today with a tribute song to a local musician who passed away two years ago, namely former Highway 63/Monkey's Uncle frontman Henry Switzer. A staple of the Sault Michigan scene since the 1990s, Henry died in February 2021 after a heart ailment at just 49 years of age, and he would have turned 52 this past Monday. In honour of his birthday, Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas (who played in a band with Henry back when he taught guitar across the river & remained friends long afterwards) posted a song in tribute to Henry named "Forever Highway 63" on his YouTube channel. Glen had actually been working on this song since the spring of 2021, as Facebook friends of his may recall, and he elaborates about how quickly the song came together and what he went through writing it in the description (yes, it is a lyric video too). His old Flat Stanley bandmate Tony Kajnar provides lead guitar in the outro.

Other than some directly music-centric lyrics late, the song isn't hyper specific to Henry, but it comes from a place of loss and respect, and it shows in Glen's voice. He's not a skilled vocalist and he admits as much in the description but the mood is right and I'm sure Henry would appreciate Glen's gesture here! Glen has other original songs with him singing on his YouTube channel, and while they're generally not musically heavy, his talents are present! Give "Forever Highway 63" a listen below!

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

Soundcheck Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is entirely devoted to a bunch of new videos from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, all courtesy of drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel in the past two weeks! Glen posted 11 new videos in this span, adding up to over an hour of new content from this talented veteran group, and with things being spread across multiple different venues, it only makes sense to give each concert's videos their own write-ups! Two of these videos were previously shared to Soundcheck's Facebook page and subsequently featured here already (this Alanis Morisette cover at The Esquire Club & their classic rock medley at The Machine Shop in February), so I won't rehash them in this post. Also, one video is a sampler of scattered clips from various shows of theirs, and I'll approach it at a later date. Going in rough chronological order, we'll start with Soundcheck's set at a drag racing event in Wawa in August, oddly not featuring Glen on drums.

Prior to his addition to the band, this was filmed during Scott McLurg's brief stint behind the drumkit last year. The video is of Soundcheck's aforementioned 12-13 minute classic rock medley, where they cover David Wilcox's "Riverboat Fantasy", Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time", Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer", Van Halen's "Jamie's Cryin'", and a reprise of "Riverboat Fantasy". This is the third video of this medley that I've seen, and it still has a nice balance of tunes, if with fuzzy visuals, so give it a look below!



Next up, here's Soundcheck (now with Glen on drums) covering REO Speedwagon's "Take It On The Run" at what I believe to be their Rockstar Bar show on November 15th. Featuring guitarist Terry Eaton on lead vocals, the performance seems to be solid, especially on the guitar solo, but the vertical camera angle, green lighting, abbreviated run-time and even fuzzier visual quality don't help matters. If you can look past the above points, there's good stuff to take in below!



Moving to another Christmas-season concert, Glen posted three more videos of their Toystock VII set at the Northern Grand Gardens later that month to his YouTube channel as well, all featuring Travis Sharpe on vocals only, not even playing guitar here. These include covers of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" (complete with overlaid cell phone footage of attendees dancing), and as embedded below, John Mellencamp's "Wild Night". Filmed on the same strong camera & angle from their prior-posted medley video, these are largely well done covers, but attendee heads remain in the foreground. Give these a look above & below!



The other three videos are from two (maybe three) different concerts at Reggie's West over the past few months, all again with Travis singing lead. One undated video (possibly from the November show mentioned in a minute) is a very blurry and distant clip of them covering Keith Urban's "Somebody To Love", which is a fitting choice for either Reggie's branch, and the audio here holds up far better than the visuals! This is the only one of the three where Travis plays guitar too. Another video from the Reggievelt features Soundcheck covering Greta Van Fleet's "Highway Tune" in February, distinct from their Esquire Club cover of the same song from November. Solid rendition of this recent rock radio hit with much improved visuals, and the vertical camera angle better frames the band here! Embedded below is this set-ending cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon" at Reggie's West in November, which happens to feature guest guitarist Tym Morrison!

Nice to see him back with his old Hollow and Carbon Black bandmates for a brief spell, and it's a shame we don't see his proficient guitar work in an electric setting as much anymore! Travis' vocals strike me as a little soft for this cover, but everyone performs well, and Tym fits in like a glove, so give Soundcheck's Ozzy cover a look below as well!



That's all for today, but thanks to Glen for sharing all of these videos, and stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

New Local Solo Videos, Plus More Assorted News & Updates!!

(Updated on Wednesday at 12:42 AM) Before the snow piles on any more, here's a new news post for your Monday afternoon! Along with some assorted news and notes, we're largely tackling new videos today, including regarding this year's Toystock and a prominent local solo artist's busy plans, but we'll start today's post with a very fitting cover from local/Thompson, Manitoba hard/alt-rock solo artist Mike Haggith, as uploaded to his Facebook page on Saturday. Fans of his old band The Din will recall their frequent live cover of The Barenaked Ladies' "The Old Apartment", and as fate would have it, Mike recently moved from his initial apartment in Thompson to a new building, so what better way to send off his own old apartment than by covering that very song in it? This is a very serviceable acoustic rendition that fans should enjoy, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's solo project when it rolls in!



Next up, here's the latest from experimental folk/metal solo artist (and Mike's former Strange Coyotes bandmate) Chase Wigmore, starting with the launch of his own recording studio! Entitled Clever Bastard Records (I didn't name it!), Chase is hyping up the studio by saying that you can get your original material mixed "for pretty much free", and any genre is welcome, among other irreverent tweaks of that statement. If this is accurately described, than this is a generous service that Chase is offering, so visit the above links for more details, and the studio's now in our "Other Local Metal Links"! As for his music, Chase did post the link to Soo Blaster's second Indie Music Showcase on his Facebook page, but no one had plainly confirmed that he's playing the November 30th event at press time. He also quietly launched a Soundcloud page, which features free streaming copies of two of his solo albums, and most recently, he posted a new original song entitled "Psychic Driving", so what should you know on it?

Allegedly a song that Chase has been working on for a while now, this eight minute long original has a swinging 1990s alternative vibe with heavier stretches and great bass work, while this is a solid drum showcase too, and the lyrics have some requisite creativity! Unfortuantely, Chase would quietly take the video down for unannounced reasons on Tuesday, but it was a good song, hopefully it resurfaces! Stay tuned for updates either way!

Also today, here's a new Toystock-related video, as shared by organizer Greg Simpson to their Facebook event page on Friday, and as originally posted to veteran local rock drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page! Those familiar with The Freq's drum work locally will know that he has made and donated drum kits for Christmas Cheer each holiday season for over 20 years, and at the last four Toystocks (where Glen played with Mourning Wood & The Peace Vibe), he has given a drum kit to a child in attendance after their set, which is a great gesture at a very giving time of year! This will recur later this month when Glen plays Toystock VII at The Northern Grand Gardens with Soundcheck, and you can see him showcase his garage-turned-drum assembly line in the video below. Interesting look at a great bit of holiday generosity, so kudos to him for what he's doing for a few lucky kids each year, give his video a look below, and don't miss Soundcheck and 9 other acts in two weeks!



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:

• Local rapper Chuck "Lil' Majick" Charrette quietly replaced Bom Kronik on the lineup of Thursday night's Lightmares concert, as per updates on the Facebook event page. A reason for Bom Kronik's late withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened! Genre fans may recognize Lil Majick (formerly Lil' CZ) from his work with True North Talent Entertainment, and hopefully his set was well received last week!
• In their first Facebook page posting since July 2017, local death metal trio Pillory revealed last week that their new album "is getting there", with guitar tracking now underway, and with vocals and mixing apparently next on the docket. Rivers of Nihil show aside, we have heard next to nothing publically from Pillory in the past year, but it's great to see that they are still plugging away, so stay tuned for updates when they come in!
• Tickets are now on sale for Theatre of Night's Christmas tour stop at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on December 15th! Unlike usual concerts there, this will be in the venue's table seating configuration, with traditional theatre seats ($15) and dinner tables ($25) for a more intimate experience. Pick them up at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in person box office! No word yet though on the teased December 16th concert.

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

An Archive Album Posting, New Drum Covers, And More Assorted News & Updates!!

Before we get into today's post, we have an apology for a missed concert, as local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements played a special acoustic set at The Sault Theater Workshop this past Friday as part of a fundraiser to help get the cast & crew of the live stage play Frozen (featuring frontman Rob Speers' wife Christina in a lead role) to the annual Quonta Drama Festival in Sudbury later this week. Though promoted publically in advance, Rob only confirmed The Elements' involvement in a personal Facebook posting on Wednesday that we regrettably missed. Our apologies, we'd have plugged it had we known, and good luck in Sudbury! Now, we have lots of assorted notes and new videos today, so here's what you should know!

Remember how defunct local horror punk/metal band Frightlight released their only CD "It's A...Live!" in October 2010? Well, the whole thing is now on YouTube to stream for free! Bassist Mike Gingras (a.k.a. Eddie Fright) posted it on his YouTube channel in May of last year, and it compiles all 6 songs from the live EP, which was recorded at Coch's Corner that July and produced by Nick Jackson at Spacehouse Studios in England. Featuring their then-quartet lineup of Mike/Eddie alongside current Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce (or Johnny Pints), guitarist/current Redundant drummer Rick "Styles" White, and ex-Caveman Morrison drummer Jeff "Shrek Ogre" Richards, the EP features the songs "Fright Night", "Rust Angel" (a re-appropriated Fitswitch song), "She Screams", "Dead Town Anywhere", "They All Float", and "C.H.U.D." Frightlight's only album still holds up for fans of their horror punk hybrid, with crisp production and familiar fan favourites!

Also, Mike added some band logos and post-effects to give the songs some visual pop (though curiously, no photos of the band themselves.) Frightlight had a good 5 year run, so relive that by streaming "It's A...Live!" in full below, and apologies for the delay in getting this on the site!



Next up, prolific local drummer Glen Thomas (Mourning Wood, Flat Stanley, The Peace Vibe) posted two metal cover videos onto his YouTube channel last week! Presumably learning these songs for Mourning Wood concerts (though he didn't specifically confirm that), his new covers are of System of a Down's "Chop Suey" and, as embedded below, Metallica's "My Friend of Misery". Glen noted that both aren't perfect, which does show (especially on the S.O.A.D. cover), but it's nice to see him tackle some heavier songs than we tend to see from his solo performance postings, and he's having fun and tackling these with clear skill, so give them a look above & below!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter items from the last while, and as usual, they are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Local death metal duo Brutally Fatal have released the cover art and track listing for their newest planned demo CD, and second with the current lineup, to their Facebook page last month! It will be called "Blood of the Devil", and will feature 18 songs, but due to potentially offensive artwork and song titles, we won't embed either here (though some song names include "Belly of the Beast", "Offensive Track", and "Luck of the Irish".) Good to hear they're still active, so see above for more info if you want!
• We have moved local grindcore duo Das Skalpell Kampf to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, not having made a band-related posting on their Facebook page since March 2nd of last year. The mysterious union of Fonzy and Chachi Grozny notably appeared on Blood Shed Productons' 11-way split CD from early last year, but that marked the former Scalpel Fight's only major public activity. Hopefully they turn up again down the road, their songs were solid for the genre!
• Just as a clarification, we can now confirm the full identity of local modern hard rock quartet Eclipse's bassist, as new Facebook postings confirm that his full name is Fred Dunn. The Speak Easy Battle 3rd place finishers had previously credited him as just Fred or Freddy, though either way, I can't find finite info on any past band work. Don't miss Eclipse at the VM Radio Battle of the Bands semifinal on Wednesday!
• Prolific local rock/punk bassist James White (Redundant, The Elements, Nikkfitt) is looking for drummers willing to jam with a musical project of his, and to private message him for further details. No word on if this relates to a replacement in one of his active bands, or something new entirely, but message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from March 4th for more info!
• We have also moved local post-punk/rockabilly duo Orange to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, as they haven't posted a public update since a status on their Facebook page on March 9th of last year. The revived project from Telephone & Address' Chris Shoust had planned to release a split album with his other band The Red & Black last year, but aside from song postings on Soundcloud, the band didn't unveil a lot publically otherwise. Chris is talented, and hopefully he and Matt bring Orange back again in the future!
• Would you be interested in seeing an all ages Random Killing concert in the Soo this summer? Frontman/Saultite Andrew Kiteley (Dutch Angus on Facebook) was weighing interest in the idea on this local concert Facebook group on Monday, and while there have been affirmative replies since, weigh in above if you want the Toronto hardcore punk veterans to roll back north for another Hardcore Homecoming this summer!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Long Shot), New Drum Cover Videos, And More!!

Continuing our steady recent pace on this Friday morning, we have some assorted recent updates, new drum cover videos from two veterans of the local scene, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for early next month, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quartet Long Shot will return to the stage for two concerts that are both taking place on Friday, May 1st! After an almost two month break following their runner-up finish at the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, Long Shot will make up for lost time with a set at this year's ninth annual Passport To Unity festival, which will reportedly be during that day's Downtown Diversity events outside on a shut down block of Queen Street East between March & Spring between 11:45 AM & 1:15 PM. Readers may remember that The Pixo Control were scheduled for this event last year, but rain forced a postponement and move indoors to The Essar Centre, so hopefully there's no hang-ups this time! This will obviously be an ALL AGES event, there's no announced cover, and see above for more details! The other Long Shot event on May 1st will see them make their Canadian Nightclub debut that night when they headline a party held by the Sault Ultimate Players' Association!

If you don't know, that's a local league for players of ultimate frisbee and related disc sports, and if this seems random, remember that Long Shot members Evan & Adam Dawe both are SUPA members, and the band has played at least one SUPA function in the past. The event at The Canadian will be a party and deadline to sign up for their summer leagues, and it will take place at 7:00 PM with no announced age limits or cover. Sounds fun, so see that show's Facebook event page & the above links for complete details on both events, and it's great to see Long Shot back on stage finally!

Next up, here's new drum cover videos from two veteran local musicians, including this video of Fairmounts frontman and prolific local drummer Mikey Hawdon covering The Descendents' "All". Uploaded to his YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is a change from his usual solo covers there, which tend to be of him singing and playing guitar, but without giving anything away to readers who aren't familiar with "All", I'll just say that it's perfectly covered! Give it a look below, and also check out his recent out-of-town band videos too!



Also is this cover of Audioslave's "Original Fire" by Flat Stanley/Peace Vibe drummer Glen Thomas, which compared to his recent classic rock uploads and band work, is a bit of a throwback to his older hard rock/metal days! Posted to his YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is a solid rendition of one of Audislave's bigger hits, albeit not my favourite of their tracks, but give it a listen below, and check out his other recent uploads if you like 1960s rock!



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

• Local classic metal quartet Project 421 have been added to the lineup for the announced Menstural Munchies concert at a venue to be announced on June 25th, as per the Facebook event page. They're honestly not a perfect fit given that they're not a death or grind band, but their talent speaks for itself, so look for them then, and let promoters know if you can help find a venue or in other ways for this concert!
• The fifth annual Swampstravaganza at The Canadian Nightclub on May 9th will indeed see a return of the open mic block that kicked off last year's Swampfest at The Oddfellows Hall, as per a recent update to the Facebook event page. It's way too early to guess on who might play during it, given that it is "open mic", but it will open the day's events at 4:00 PM before the 10 scheduled bands hit the stage at 5:00. Great to see it return, and hopefully there's a solid turnout!
• The newest episode of Local2's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper went online last week, and it's 100% devoted to The Boot Hill Crooners' CD release party at LopLops Lounge last month, including an interview with frontman/Rising Tide member Sheldon Jaaskelainen. Fans of the Crooners and Sheldon's band work should definitely check it out, so do so above! Note however that there's no footage of the opening bands.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days, plus this month's poll and last month's poll results TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Glen Yaps On The Local Scene, And New Guitar Covers!!

The news keeps strolling in, so for this Wednesday afternoon, we have new guitar covers from a Sault Michigan musician, some very interesting new videos from a prominent musician on the local scene, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Here's what you need to know!

Kinross, Michigan classic hard rockers Banned have announced a return to Dan's Place in Rudyard for one night only on Friday, November 1st! This was announced on their Facebook page last night, along with noting a private party that they're playing this Saturday, and reiterating their shows in Hessel and Sault Michigan next month that were previously announced. This will be Banned's first stop in Rudyard (roughly a half hour from both the Soo and St. Ignace) in over three months, and barring any interim announcements, it will be their first public show in four weeks, so just in case, keep it in mind to see Alex and company rock out with their diverse originals and covers! A 9:00 PM start time and 21+ age limit are to be expected, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, check the above links! This should be another fun concert from this prolific regional band (even if a Halloween weekend show isn't in the cards this year), so don't miss out at Dan's Place on November 1st, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, I thought this might be an interesting discussion point, so I thought I'd share it here.Yesterday, Flat Stanley drummer (and former local metal band member) Glen Thomas posted four videos in his ongoing "Glen Yaps" series onto his YouTube channel that, unlike his past videos on recording and gear, talk about the Sault Ontario music scene as a whole. The four videos run for over an hour combined, but if you have the time, they're an interesting listen, as Glen talks about what's good and bad about the local music scene as it currently stands, including the metal angle of things. I won't spoil it all, because I won't do it justice summing it up, but he does mention that metal bands need a reliable location dedicated to the genre, they need their own space during Rotaryfest to get their music out to fans, and they should be more vocal on websites and forums like this one to discuss and promote artists. While he did take some shots at local news media, the lack of a Canadian rock radio station in the area, and some venues, his opinions are noticeably not as vibrant as they have been on his Freq's Music Planet forum, where he has been known to be more vocal in his criticisms.

I agree with a lot of what Glen said, and I think that if local news media was more open in it's coverage of local bands, and if there was more venues (or at least more genre-specific ones), it would help things. He was also very gracious when complimenting the SMS and my work here, and while I will agree that it'd be nice to get more comments on our posts, you can't force the issue, and many of the few we do get are only to correct errors, so it is what it is. I would have been curious to hear him praise or critique individual bands, but given the nature of these thoughts, maybe this was a conscious decision to avoid any controversy or bias that's already happened on his forum with certain bands, especially from certain events in late 2009. The local scene (regardless of genre) always changes and always has room for improvement (i.e. the lack of well used local music sites/forums), but he gave credit where it was due, including to home recording studios and other "do it yourself" methods of promotion, and venues that do well promoting one genre of music only, but opinions of listeners will be subjective.

I like Glen's honest opinions, and I often check his forum to see what he has to say on various issues (I miss his rumour mill posts, for example), but hopefully these new "Glen Yaps" videos gain some attention and create some discussion about the presented topics in their own ways! I've embedded part 1 below, but check out parts 2, 3, and 4 by following those links, and stay tuned in case Glen shares any other opinions like this online!



Finally for today, here's a local guitarist's YouTube channel that I recently discovered, and it's courtesy of former Intrepid guitarist Nick Pavlat, who has uploaded 13 solo guitar cover videos there in the last 4 months! The channel includes three Deftones covers and two Alter Bridge covers, but the other 8 cover a wide array, from Black Label Society & Chelsea Grin songs to Franz Ferdinand & Modest Mouse tracks, but check the above links to give them all a look! Some of the covers start a bit messily, but Nick does seem to know everything pretty well, and he has diverse influences, so hopefully he keeps at it and posts some more videos soon! I've embedded his cover of Hellyeah's "Stand or Walk Away" below, but see more above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles and weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

Anyone wanna see some new videos? I've got a bunch today for another local metal video showcase, so here's what's on tap! Tonight, we've got this week's classic video, new original videos from a pair of local guitarists, and some early 1990s audio recordings from an old local band, and for fairness, I've organized these videos in alphabetical order by band name. Check it all out below, and also see our last news post featuring new concerts, a local band's breakup, and more in the post below this one!

Let's start with the newest video from ApocalyptiCDistroyeR frontman Jesse Middaugh, who uploaded this onto his YouTube channel earlier today. The first new video on his channel in almost a month, this is an over 6 minute long "jam session" video, though he's the only band member present. Jesse's playing on a new guitar here, and the original riffing and melodies he presents here sound pretty good, but hopefully he fleshes out some elements of this session into fuller original tracks, and maybe with the whole band? Check out Jesse's newest video below, and check out much more at the above links!



Next up is a series of new audio uploads onto Flat Stanley/Wishbone drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel, all from an early 1990s hard rock band of his named Dirty World! He was joined by longtime bandmates & Bigsuit alums Brian Oja on guitar & Crank Sound Distribution's George Ravlich on bass for most of the tracks, with The Southern Fried Band's Paul Dellavedova and veteran local musician Dale Corcoran on vocals & guitar instead of Brian in an earlier upload. Four audio recordings from 1992 were posted onto YouTube by Glen earlier today, including a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "All Around The Bend" at The Royal Hotel with their earlier quartet lineup, covers of the Pat Travers songs "Go All Night" and "Snortin' Whiskey" at The Eastgate Hotel, and (as embedded below) a jam session cover of Joe Satriani's "Ice 9", so check everything out above and below! The recording quality is pretty good, and though the CCR cover is well performed & sung, the band had clear talent at instrumental hard rock numbers, and it's nice to see a band (even a defunct one) take that approach with their music! Check out all of the new uploads from Dirty World's heyday (and much more from Glen's past & present projects) at the above links, and here's their Joe Satriani cover from 20 years ago!



Thirdly today is a new original track & video from local solo guitarist Mike Cliffe! Entitled "Three Riff Monty", he uploaded this on his YouTube channel on Saturday. The title comes from both the card game Three Card Monte and the fact that he uses 3 different riffs in the song, and though he calls it "overdriven", it sounded pretty good! Nice jazz-influenced hard rock instrumental with some interesting visualizations (including dancing stick men), and it's worth a listen if you like Mike's heavier solo work! Check it out below, and hear much more from him at the above links!



And finally, here's this week's classic video, and with the Ypres Metal Fest debuting at The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday in memory of late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold, I thought it'd be more than fitting to upload a new live Woods of Ypres video to YouTube that wasn't there before! David had plenty of band videos on his personal Facebook page from concerts following the band's local relocation in 2008, and for this classic video upload, I chose this video of Woods of Ypres playing "Awaiting The Inevitable" from a concert in Sudbury on November 18th, 2008! This was from the band's "Looming Cold of Autumn Tour" that fall, which was their only tour featuring their short-lived "Gates of Ypres" lineup, featuring Gates of Winter's longtime 4 core members, then-drummer David Gold on vocals & guitar, and Evan Madden behind the Woods drumkit. I chose a video from 2008 over others available due to the lineup's very strong local connections, and I picked "Awaiting The Inevitable" over other 2008 videos because of it's rarer frequency at Woods of Ypres concerts. This video has strong audio quality, and the filmer had a good angle of the band, but the lighting is fairly poor, and the band members look almost in silhouette on stage.

This video was filmed live at the concert by an attendee ans was later uploaded by David to Facebook at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=42134820671. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!!! All credit for this video goes to Woods of Ypres and the original filmer, I'm just trying to share this performance with a wider audience like it deserves! David's musical work deserves recognition, and some solid older videos can always help, so give this 3½ year old Woods of Ypres video a look below, and stay tuned for much more coverage and previews of the Ypres Metal Fest as the week rolls along!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post soon, which WILL include the David Gold-related article from The Sault Star, I promise! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sykotyk Rampage), Half Past News, And More!!

Hey guys, here's one more post before I return home to Sault Ste. Marie! Today, we have news from a local music site (or two), some upcoming concert updates, and a major lineup change in a local hard rock band, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

A month after their successful return to the stage at the second Roosevelt Hotel punk night, local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage will return to The Rosie for the third punk night! This will be the first of two straight Thursdays featuring the "punk night" banner following the upcoming two week streak of metal nights there (more on those in a second), and given that it's taking place around St. Patrick's Day, Sykotyk Rampage are dubbing Thursday, March 17th "Sykotyk Paddy's Day" in honour of this show! Additional bands for this show have yet to be confirmed, but other prior punk night veterans could well return, so stay tuned for updates on that front! As with prior shows of this type, I'd expect no cover charge and a 9:30 PM start time, with a 19+ age limit as well. For more details, visit the Facebook event page! Sounds like fun, and yes, I should be at this one! I wanted to see Sykotyk Rampage this past Thursday, but with my Detroit trip, I couldn't swing it. Pencil me in as an attendee for this show, and you know this will fit the St. Patrick's Day theme well! After all, Sykotyk Rampage have tons of songs referencing alcohol and drinking, they'll fit just fine! Stay tuned for updates as they come in!

Next up, here's a major lineup change for a local hard rock band that, frankly, I never saw coming. Yesterday, it was announced that Half Past have parted ways with frontman Luke LeBlanc. This news came just two days after the band returned to the stage for a very well recieved concert at The Rockstar Bar, making the news even more shocking than it would have been. The news was broken in a note on the band's Facebook page yesterday afternoon, and though a specific reason for Luke's departure wasn't stated, I can guarantee that the split was amicable. I do know why he left, but out of personal respect, I won't publicize it unless the band does. Luke originally joined Half Past (then known as Fingerbone) in mid-2009, replacing ex-Driving Dave Home frontman John Barber as the band's singer. With Luke up front, Half Past played some notable shows like the 2009 Coch's Corner Halloween Party and Garden of Bedlam's website launch concert last spring. I have to say, Luke leaving is a big shock, as he's a great singer and a funny guy who really added to Half Past over the last 16 months. Hopefully we'll see him another band in the future!

With that said, Half Past are now on the hunt for a new singer. If you'd be interested in auditioning to join Half Past, message the band at their Facebook page, or e-mail bassist Arthur Lacasse on Facebook by clicking here! Remember, Half Past play mostly modern hard rock songs, with some really exciting originals as well, and I imagine they'll be after the best candidate possible to front the band in the future! I'll keep you posted on their singer search as news comes in!

Thirdly tonight, here's the latest lineup news on three upcoming metal concerts courtesy of local promoter Rich Moreland, who deserves lots of props for the high volume of shows he's been booking in town! Firstly, THIS THURSDAY'S metal night at The Rosie's lineup is now complete, as local hardcore quartet Changing Waves will join As It Stands and Desbarats death metallers For All That Is Lost on the bill. My source is Rich's personal Facebook page, and it looks like Changing Waves will be headlining this Thursday as well! Interesting to note that this will be the third straight Thursday that Changing Waves will be rocking The Rosie, following the last punk and metal nights there, so if you're a fan of theirs, then you've gotta be excited! Then, there's the We, The Undersigned concert at The Vibe Lounge on Sunday night, which is also being booked by Rich. He confirmed on his personal Facebook page as well that local grimecore trio Shit Liver will be one of the opening bands on that show, with WinkStinger potentially being the second opening band, though this is NOT confirmed officially yet. Sounds good to me, hopefully The Vibe becomes a more frequent metal stomping ground!

Finally on the subject of WinkStinger, they may have been added as a third local opening band for the Woods of Ypres show at The Rosie on March 10th. Though event or band pages don't verify this at present, WinkStinger guitarist Jason Ladouceur posted a comment saying "With Winkstinger!" on a Woods of Ypres Facebook posting about the March 10th show. That suggests what you think it suggests, but until something more official comes out confirming or denying this, I won't get too much further. It'd be cool to see them playing too though!

Finally, here's the latest on two well known local music sites run by Flat Stanley/Wishbone drummer Glen Thomas, those being the music site The Barking Eye and his long-running (but often controversial) forum Freq's Music Planet. In his latest news posting on The Barking Eye, Glen announced that he's planning to shut down the Freq's Music Planet forum at the end of the year due to a lack of time to properly maintain the forum due to expanding musical commitments. He's planning to focus on writing, recording, and graphics more, but has said that he'll decide at the end of the year whether he wants to shut down the forum or give it to someone else. The Barking Eye news site itself may be shut down as well due to lack of interest. Things will operate as usual for the remainder of the year though. I'm sure some of you might not shed a tear if either leaves, but regardless of content, Glen does deserve credit for starting a message board like this, maintaining it for this long, and attracting a decent sized group of users without major promotion. I can attest to how hard it is to start and maintain a forum, my attempts at SMS forums crashed and burned. I hope Glen doesn't shut down Freq's Music Planet, as there's some interesting stuff there that shouldn't be deleted, and I think there are uses for it in some form. Time will tell though!

As for The Barking Eye, I wanna say a little something. A news site like that isn't easy to find an audience for, and I can attest to that. When the SMS started as a Facebook group, it never took off very far, but with time and patience, look at where we are now! Sure, readership isn't at an ideal level, but Glen's a great writer and knows a ton about the scene, and I know people would be interested in checking The Barking Eye out if they knew about it! That's just me though, but do check out the above links to see what's up at both sites!

That's all for tonight, but I hope your March has kicked off well! Our next post will be our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post, so stay tuned for that, and more! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Woods Of Ypres), More Out Of Town Shows, And Much More!!

Hey everyone, sorry this post couldn't come earlier, I've actually been battling a cold recently, so this hasn't been my first thought all of the time. I actually took a sick day from my classes yesterday, which isn't normal for me to do. But I have lots of news today, including some new out of town shows, some band updates, and a couple new songs from some local solo artists, but first, here's a very notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

They're baaaaack! 19 months after their last concert in our burial ground, local black/doom metal quartet Woods of Ypres will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario on March 10th to kick off their CD release tour for the "Woods IV" rerelease! This will be their first local stop since August 16th, 2009, when they rocked The Speak Easy with North Bay metal band Inflict and what is now Bring The Fallen, and will also mark their first ever local concert with current guitarist Joel Violette. This time around, Woods of Ypres will rock The Roosevelt Hotel (likely their first show there), and yes, this appears to be another Roosevelt Hotel metal night (March 10th is a Thursday.) Sounds good to me! Full details haven't been released yet, but I imagine a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit will be par for the course. Local openers will also join Woods of Ypres at this show, but they have not been confirmed at present. For all current details on this concert, click here! It's awesome to see Woods of Ypres back home, I'm definitely hitting this show! Stay tuned for updates as they come in, and I hope to see you guys there!

While we're on the subject of Woods of Ypres, here's some more scattered updates from the last little while! A new review of "Woods IV: The Green Album" by Sara Heitman was newly posted on the metal site Blistering, and you can check it out by clicking here. She rates the album with a 7.5/10 and calls it an "emotional rollercoaster" Open and fair with constructive criticism, give it a look if you want! As well, frontman David Gold was interviewed by the British metal site Cack Blabbath recently, and you can check out the review at this location! David discusses his music's meanings, the subject matter and themes of "Woods IV", their signing with Earache Records, their new music video, how their music is created, the status of "Woods V", his beard, and more! Good insightful interview, though the messages concerning "Woods V" don't sound as positive as I'm sure we were hoping. Thirdly, Woods of Ypres are now on Tumblr! This is new for me, as I'm not familiar with Tumblr at all, but it appears to be sort of a combination of Twitter and Blogger, if that makes sense. Looks nice, and it's very custom to the band and "The Green Album", we'll have to see what pops up there! Click here for more, and I'll have more on Woods of Ypres in a second!

Now we'll get to a pile of out of town concerts to add to the SMS listings, as a few local bands have more out of town dates this year! Firstly, Sault Michigan hard rock trio Monkey's Uncle have confirmed six upcoming concert weekends at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace, including the weekends of February 11-12, April 8-9, June 10-11, August 12-13, October 14-15, and December 16-17. Check the above links for more details! Secondly, another Sault Michigan hard rock band, Elipzis, have announced 5 upcoming dates at McDuff's in Wayland, Michigan, which is roughly a half hour south of Grand Rapids. 4 are weekend dates (March 4-5 & April 15-16), while the last of the 5 on June 24th is a headlining show at a bash for Grand Rapids rock radio station 101.3 The Fox! For full details, visit Elipzis' official Facebook page! And finally, Woods of Ypres have added a lot of out of town dates to their itinerary next month, including headlining shows in Barrie, the Northeastern United States, and the maritime provinces! These join their supporting slots in Sudbury and Toronto, and of course, March 10th at The Rosie, in their Eastern North America tour for the "Woods IV" rerelease! For full details on these shows, and how to help get them gigs in Quebec and elsewhere next month, click here!

Oh yeah, Monkey's Uncle's dates at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino on September 16-17 and November 25-26 appear to still be on. These were among the deleted concerts from Kewadin Casino's entertainment page, but again, Monkey's Uncle included them on their MySpace concert listings, so they must still be on. Not new concerts, just reminding you guys that they're on still!

And finally, a pair of local hard rock solo artists have unveiled new solo material! One is the new song from local experimental guitarist Mike Cliffe, who posted his new song "Evil Tuba" onto his Reverbnation page! It features fellow local musician Glen Thomas on bass, drums, and tuba, with Mike handling the guitar and the tuba at the end of the song. This is a well played number with some nice progressive instrumentation and a fun sort of feel while retaining it's heaviness! The tuba parts are an interesting addition too, not necessarily meshing with the song, but setting tones well! Good stuff, hopefully Mike has more stuff in store! The other new song today is a new acoustic solo song from Tym Morrison entitled "Someday"! It's in the same vein of his last new solo track, "How I'm Wanting You More", as it's an acoustic love ballad, but definitely check it out if you enjoy his solo concerts! Well performed and you can feel the emotion! Also check out Tym's YouTube channel for some funny parody videos he's recently posted as well, particularly if you don't find yourself a fan of 50 Cent or country music! Check out the above links for more on Mike and Tym's latest solo work!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our weekend concert previews either tonight or tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Turner Up), End Of Existence & Browbeat News, And More!!

Back to news today, and I sure have a stockpile of stories to get to! We have a lot of smaller news items and such waiting for some SMS love, and we'll get to more of them over the next couple days, but for now, here's what's on tap for today! We have a new video from a pair of local musicians, a drummer switch in a local band, and new songs from a local band, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

I recently recieved an e-mail from Chad Laroue, the manager of The Roosevelt Hotel on Korah Road. He told me that local classic hard rockers Turner Up are playing there on December 18th, with their planned show at The Vibe Lounge that night moved up a day to the 17th. The band haven't confirmed this yet, but The Rosie's new Reverbnation page confirms what Chad told me. It says there as well that they'll be there to "rock the Rosie" for their holiday bash. A 10:30 PM start time is listed there, with a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Should be fun to see them back there, even if it is out of the way from downtown! I'll keep you posted with updates from Turner Up, cause they're likely due to announce some new shows soon! Oh, and while we're on the subject, let's detail The Rosie's new page a bit too! On there, it lists some upcoming weekend dates for the next two months, along with some basic info about the venue, including some comments about how The Rosie's getting a facelift to help bring her back in demand where she belongs! Nice to see, and hopefully the concerts keep rolling in there! Check the above links for more details!

Next up, the long wait is finally over! After numerous date resets and postponements, Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids death metal trio End of Existence have finally released their new original songs from their "EP" onto their internet pages! Yes, the nine tracks from "Sun Is Gone" are now streamable in full online, including at their official website, their MySpace page, and their brand new Reverbnation page! If you wanna listen, I recommend Reverbnation or MySpace, as their website only has eight of the songs ("Ending" isn't posted there), and some or all of the songs might not work for you there. You need Apple Quicktime to play them there, and even if you have it, some don't load. Good stuff overall, reminds me of Integrated System of Machines a lot, but it goes in more extremes into both melodic patches and more extreme riffing! Orb Hearthstone has really developed well since the I.S.O.M. days, and it really shows on softer material like "Deathbed"! But on songs like "Inside You" and "Blood On My Hands", they're at their moshable best! Now because these are just posted online for free streaming, I won't consider this an "album" for review purposes on the SMS, but if it gets sold anywhere as an EP, you can bet on a review in the future!

For a video preview, check out more on End of Existence's new "Sun Is Gone" material at their official YouTube channel! There, you can check out another full song named "Crying Tomorrow", which starts off mellow, but it picks up in speed and heaviness around the middle! Solid track with some real emotion, and cool video effects to boot! Check it out below, and more at the above links!



Thirdly, it appears that Sault Ontario hard rockers Browbeat have parted ways with drummer Rick White. A reason for the switch isn't publicized, and though I have heard a reason from one person as to Rick's departure, I think it's probably best to not say it here without online sourcing. A new drummer has been obtained though, as their Reverbnation page has confirmed that Caveman Morrison/Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger is now in Browbeat! Johnny joins his Caveman Morrison bandmate Dutch Vanderploeg on vocals/guitar in the lineup along with Rick's brother James on bass. Johnny's a great drummer, he should fit in nicely with Browbeat, and I can't wait to see them live again and hear more from their new lineup! Stay tuned for more Browbeat updates as they come in, including more new recordings of their original songs!

Finally for today, local experimental hard rock guitarist Mike Cliffe has uploaded one of his more recent original tracks onto his YouTube channel! Back on September 14th, I told you about his progressive instrumental track "Dog's Breakfast" that he recorded with Flat Stanley drummer (and former metal band veteran) Glen Thomas. Well, Mike added some cool psychedelic effects and some assorted photos to a video to go along with the song, and you can check out the results below! This is a very solid track that shows Mike and Glen's talents especially well, and it's heavy too! Hopefully they collaborate some more down the road, but for now, here's "Dog's Breakfast" again!



That's all for now, but watch out tonight for previews of this weekend's metal and hard rock concerts! And yes, we'll have a new news post of some type tomorrow as well, cause I have a bunch of stuff to get to. Thanks everyone, keep an eye out!