LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Destroyer & The Wyld Stallyns), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

A relatively quiet concert weekend is upon us for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults, but we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) to pad things out with, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will provide musical entertainment at TOMORROW'S street party on Queen Street East to coincide with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' home opening game! Apologies for the short notice, I only heard about this show earlier today via SooToday, but a Facebook event page had been online for the past two weeks. Regardless, The Stallyns have not confirmed their involvement on their own Facebook page, but given drummer Derek Turner's ties with Village Media, them playing makes sense when you realize their precise location TOMORROW. Queen Street will be closed between Bruce & Dennis (naturally given where GFL Memorial Gardens is), but rather than play at street level on a pop-up stage as normal, the band will be playing on the rooftop of Village Media headquarters at 298 Queen Street East!

Very Beatles-esque conceit there, but totally unique for this city, so look up for The Wyld Stallyns' rocking covers TOMORROW! Food/alcohol vendors, OLG promotions, and family activities will also be on tap for this all ages event, which takes place at 3:00 PM in the leadup to the Greyhounds hosting the Sudbury Wolves in the Gardens at 7:00 PM. Likely one of this year's final outdoor hard rock shows in the Soo, 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather of around 20° TOMORROW during the festivities. Visit the above links for more details, here's The Stallyns live, and go Hounds go!

Next up, we'll pause our weekend concert previews for a second for another new concert taking place further in the timeline, as Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to Soo Blaster for a headlining concert on Saturday, October 14th! Announced oddly late given who the headliners are, this will be Destroyer's (at least) sixth local headlining concert, most recently taking the stage at Soo Blaster in April of last year. Fans who have seen Destroyer live will know that they deliver a faithful rendition of Kiss classics in visual and auditory senses, so if you want the best, the next best thing will be here in a little over two weeks! Local support this time will come by way of new local pop rock cover quartet Bourbon Blue (featuring Turner Up and Soo Fighters alumni), and while not as heavy as Fort Creek from last year, there's a lot of talent in their ranks, so don't be late for their lead-off set next month!

Admission for this 19+ & 7:00 PM concert is $20 in advance (on par with last year) or $25 at the door, and VIP booths will be available if desired. No word on online ticket sales yet, but last year's Destroyer show did have them. Should be a good time for Kiss Army members in the Soo, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Moving back to this weekend's concert previews now, we'll next stay downtown on Queen Street for local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard's scheduled return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! A one-nighter due to Shooters' fall decision to host DJs on Saturdays, this show was announced via the venue's Facebook event page last month, but has not received active promotion on their end nor the band's since. Assuming that all is well, Bone Yard should have a solid evening of hard and southern rock favourites in store for fans and Shooters regulars alike tomorrow, so keep this show in mind for your end-of-month delectation! This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Lastly for this weekend's known hard rock concerts, we'll head to the west end, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are slated to rock The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their first of two concert weekends booked for the last third of 2023 at this venue, these will be their first shows since playing at Jay's last week with guest singer Darrel Ford, and as far as I can tell, their full lineup (with Cameron) will be back in full force for this weekend's gigs. While the band proper hasn't publically acknowledged them on Facebook, The Esquire Club has, so fingers crossed that the guys have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock favourites ready to go for fans this weekend! As usual for their gigs here, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges tomorrow and/or Saturday. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live last year!

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

Don't Look Back Concert Preview, New Video Finds, And More!!

On this Saturday morning, we have some more news and updates to tackle on the SMS, so what's in store here? A relevant video regarding our local OHL team, the latest from a prolific local bassist, and a new posting of a recent album release, but first, here's our remaining weekend concert preview!

Arizona-based Boston tribute band Don't Look Back will make their local concert debut TONIGHT when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! One of a handful of touring tribute bands to play at the Soo Kewadin's main indoor venue in recent years, this should be the next best thing to seeing Boston on a local stage, which we are a decade removed from as it is. Based on what I've seen from Don't Look Back, they live up to their descriptions with a faithful looking and sounding tribute to the 1970s and '80s hard rock legends and their hits like "More Than A Feeling", so be sure to check this one out for the Boston experience! Tickets for this ALL AGES and 7:00 PM concert still run for a paltry $12.50, and while there are still plenty of seats available from any row, the center section is almost gone! You can get yours at this link, the in person box office, or 1-800-KEWADIN. This should be a fun show for Boston diehards, so check the above links for more details, and here's Don't Look Back delivering their Boston experience live!



Next up, here's some new-ish videos from the Ontario side of the border, starting with the free YouTube posting of local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver's new studio album "Hitting The Fan"! Uploaded to their YouTube channel on Tuesday, this completes their free postings there of their entire studio recording catalog to date, so if you want an hour+ of crusty death/punk action, you know where to look! If you were curious to jump to an individual track, the 10 songs in order are "Evacuation", "Makes Me Sick", "Just Take It", "It Won't Change", "Liverated", "Cirrhosis", "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops", "Livin' In Shit", "Wait", and the album's title track. Yes, two songs are under 15 seconds in length, but if you're a Shit Liver diehard, that fact is nothing new! Of course, if you want to buy "Hitting the Fan" and missed last night's tour kick-off show like me (I have a cold), do so via ordering from the guys, or check The Rad Zone to see if they have any records!

Those who listen to streaming music on YouTube over Spotify or Bandcamp should enjoy this YouTube copy, but definitely consider supporting Shit Liver's work if you can financially! And yes, our review of "Hitting the Fan" is coming this month, hopefully sooner rather than later, but I wish I could have been at The Rednecks Saloon (moved on short notice from The Speak Easy) last night for Shit Liver's local return engagement! Hopefully cameras were rolling, but in the meantime, here's "Hitting the Fan" in full!

Also today, here's the latest from former Haggith/Pillory bassist Jordan Leach-Berube, who indicated last summer that he was "leaving soon" and would need to be replaced in his local bands. That said, he may not be entirely done with the local scene, as he posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last week that he is now recording bass tracks "purely for fun." Just send Jordan a file to add bass to, and he'll record with it, and send it back in WAV format. Former bandmate and collaborator Mike Haggith already expressed interest there, but if you're interested in working with Jordan on a studio track, message him at this link or above! On a related note, Jordan also has a YouTube channel documenting his recent travels in Asia, which may explain why he left his local bands. He has some interesting content there if you like travel channels on YouTube and Asian culture, so give them a look if you're so inclined, but he does have some bass content there to check out!

One video features him playing alongside Lon Granger's "Mr. Harris", but embedded below is a half hour-long video of Jordan trying out a new bass while repeatedly playing alongside an instrumental track from "a current project". It feels very death metal-esque, and while it sounds like it could be a new Pillory song (assuming that he didn't fully leave), note that we have not heard from Pillory publically in over 8 months, and this project may not be local at all beyond his involvement. The video quality is hit and miss, but it's interesting to see Jordan hard at work in this setting, so give his new bass videos a look above and below!



Finally, this is not a new news item in terms of the local metal, hard rock, or punk scenes, but it's very topical for fans of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and their excellent season so far. Fans may remember Julie Farkas' disco-tinged 1980 song "Hound Power", which still gets airplay at games and online, but if you want something with a punk flair, defunct local quartet The Inner City Surfers had you covered! Back in 2008, the guys recorded a 98 second non-album original named "Let's Go Greyhounds" at Insight Recorders in Toronto with producer Simon Head, and drummer Mikey Hawdon re-posted it to his YouTube channel in December, presumably to capitalize on the Hounds' success. This song would work well as a goal song at home games, and it has a lively spirit that preserves The Surfers' punk sound while leaving catchy lyrics for fans to sing/chant along with, so hopefully it gets some deserved extra airplay as the playoff run continues!

Give it a listen below, and good luck to the Soo Greyhounds next week as they continue their second round series with the Owen Sound Attack! You can catch games 3-5, plus 6 & 7 if necessary, on Rock 101 on your FM radio, and on Shaw TV (channel 10 if you have cable), while tickets for game 5 are now on sale at The Essar Center, so get them while you can!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Havadder) & New Videos Of Theirs, Plus More Updates!!

As promised, here's our second post of the day, touching on one more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW NIGHT, but with plenty of new videos from this band's recent gigs, this post is largely about them, albeit with some shorter assorted updates at the end. Read on below for what you should know, but check out more Canada Day concert previews and more in the post below this one!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Havadder are returning to Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT for their Canada Day bash! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about the show via an ad in last week's Sault This Week, with the band confirming the show online this mornning with the official Facebook event page. Notably, tomorrow's show will mark the return of drummer Scott McLurg to the band after his heart attack in May, so if you've missed Scott with the guys in the past month+, be sure to welcome him back to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! The Sault This Week confirms that tomorrow's Canada Day bash (Havadder's first Studio 10 stop since New Year's Eve) will have prizes and drink specials, and yes, ladies dancing, so if that's your thing, there you go! A personal posting by frontman Jason Roy implied that one giveaway would be for a guitar.

Note also that the same Sault This Week ad plugged that the venue will be holding a drawing for AC/DC concert tickets in Toronto next month, so keep that in mind if you go there! The show has no announced cover (but bring cash just in case), you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, check last week's paper and the above links, and for a preview, we have plenty of new Havadder videos to touch on today! Glen Thomas (who filled in for Scott at last month's Havadder shows) uploaded nine combined videos from both the Havadder concert at The Rednecks Saloon on June 13th and Scott's benefit show at The Rockstar Bar on the 20th onto his YouTube channel in the past couple of weeks, so what can be seen there? The six videos from Rednecks are all as a trio (guitarist Jamie July missed the show for unannounced reasons), while each show featured guest musicians, including Scott's former Turner Up bandmate Krista Marshall (also of Johnny Lunchbox fame) as a guest singer at both shows.

The Rockstar Bar videos include covers of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" (with local blues musician Paul Dellavedova on guest vocals & guitar) and Collective Soul's "Gel" (with Lucky 13's Ed Vowels on guest guitar) in one video, while the others are of Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome" (with guest singers Taryn Bugyra and Dave Kendrick, I think) and Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" with Krista on guest vocals. Glen noted on his Freq's Music Planet forum that the show raised over $1,000 for the McLurg family during this difficult time, Scott did make a speech to thank everyone, and there were other guest performers that weren't captured in Glen's videos. We didn't embed any of the three below though, as all were from the drum-cam angle, but the audio's solid, and it's great to see so many familiar faces coming out to help Scott out during his recovery! As for the Rednecks concert videos, those were filmed from a regular angle of the stage, but what was filmed?

Krista's guest spots were captured on two more videos of "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" (here and here, albeit without Jamie this time) plus a cover of Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You", while Jason, Travis, and Glen covered Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", "The Travelling Wilburys' "Tweeter & The Monkey Man", and Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike". Though shorthanded, Havadder sound strong as ever on these covers, and Glen fits in well on each, while Krista's vocals have been missed on stage, and hopefully we see her in a new band again soon! Check out these new Havadder videos above &"Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" below, and don't miss Havadder (and Scott's return) at Studio 10 TOMORROW NIGHT!



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

• We have deleted the short lived Garden River concert promotion agency GFC Promotions from our "Other Local Metal Links" due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page. Intended as a regional branch of Oh! Right Arm! Promotions to promote shows just outside of the Soo, plans for GFC likely dried up when promoter Boyd Rendell moved to Sault Ste. Marie proper earlier this year, with O!RA! shows now promoted under the Six Two Oh banner anyway.
• Sault Michigan rock radio station Rock 101 have extended their deal with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to continue broadcasting all Soo Greyhounds games on 101.3 FM through at least the 2017-18 OHL season, which will take their current agreement into it's ninth season. Though this might be disappointing news for fans of Rock 101's usual music rotation, this is great news for Hounds fans, especially coming off of their great season! Click here for more details, and go Hounds go!
• The cast list for the local stage production of The Who's Tommy (featuring That's Chester as the house band) has been revealed, via promoters Shot In The Dark Productions' website, with local singer and actor Steven Hewgill playing the title role. That's Chester members aside, there are some familiar faces from local bands in the cast, including Obsession's Valerie Powley & Ashes To Dust alum Noah Morden, so get more details at the above links, and get your tickets for November 4th-8th at The Machine Shop at this link for $25, $20 for children or seniors!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Rotaryfest post TOMORROW, so who's playing when, and where's the Second Stage this year? Find out tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Half A Man), Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews, And The Latest From Rock 101!!

As promised, here's our second weekend concert preview post for this weekend's metal & hard rock shows in Sault Michigan! While there's a few shows across the river for your metal needs, including a notable local band's debut, we also have news from Rock 101 and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer as well, so here's what you need to know! (And I apologize for not being able to make the Rosie metal night tonight, we have errands to run very early tomorrow morning. I'll be at TWO shows on Saturday though, so I hope to see you guys then!)

Brimley hard rockers Half A Man have announced their first concert after a long break from the stage, and it will take place at this year's LemmaFest! Yes, the Sault Michigan concert festival in honour of the late Michael Lemma will return to the stage outside of Dondee Lanes on June 23rd, as per this Facebook event page, but full details aren't out yet. For Half A Man, this is their first announced concert since May of last year, and barring any additional dates announced in the interim, this will be their first concert since adding new singer Dillion Semasky and parting ways with guitarist Denny Breslin, so things will look and sound noticeably different from their past live run. Notably, Half A Man were tentatively lined up for the first LemmaFest last year before they opted out due to other commitments, so it'll be good to see them taking part this year! Again, full details aren't out yet, but admission last year was $10, it was an all ages event, and it went from 12:00 PM through the night last year with bands like Swayze Train, Infathom, Scofflaw, and Powerslug among the performers, so that's an indication of what could be ahead. It'll be great to finally see Half A Man back on stage after over a year away, but stay tuned for more from them and LemmaFest over the coming months at the above links, and check out Half A Man's tribute song to Michael Lemma at this location!

Now to this weekend's concert previews for the metal & hard rock concerts that I know of in the Sault Michigan area, so here's what you need to know for your concertgoing needs across the river! First, a new local band makes their concert debut TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT as local hard rock trio Trail's End will play their first concerts at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino! As you may remember, this is the new band from Splitshot/Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard, Kyle Beaumont, and Jake LaLonde, who'll debut their new band three weeks after Splitshot's last concerts in St. Ignace took place. We know that the guys have clear talent from their past local work, but how will Trail's End's live show do? Time will tell, so definitely consider checking them out this weekend! Note that they aren't publically advertising these shows on their Facebook page, but Kewadin Casino's entertainment page still confirms these dates, so I assume they're on as scheduled. Both tonight & tomorrow's concerts should have no cover charge, 21+ age limits, and 10:00 PM-ish start times. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see Trail's End debut, and hopefully Chris, Kyle, and Jake reach new heights with this new project! Go see them at the casino if you can, and for a preview, here's their first original song "Run"!



Also this weekend on the heavier side of things is Kinross hard rock quartet Banned's next concert, taking place on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Bird, a.k.a. Golanka's Bar! One week after their set at Yooper's Got Talent in Rudyard, this rising local band will play their first "real" public concert in three weeks when they rock The Bird with a mix of covers and originals (more on that in a second) in their first public headlining show of the new year! Note that Banned are NOT playing tonight, this is a one night engagement for this weekend. Admission is likely free, everything starts at 10:00 PM tomorrow, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! Banned should deliver a solid set of hard rock covers for their fans this weekend, but for a preview, here's a brand new video of their current lineup! Filmed by guitarist Alex Traynor's sister Ashley (and drummer Don Traynor's daughter), this comes from the Yooper's Got Talent event in Rudyard this past weekend, and it was uploaded to Ashley's YouTube channel yesterday. This is the first footage I've seen of Banned with new members Jim Pentland & Mike Straw, and it's of an original song also called "Yooper's Got Talent", fittingly enough!

Featuring Alex on lead vocals and guitar, and Mike on backing vocals, this is the first original I've heard Banned do, and it has sort of a bluesy/southern rock vibe. It's not bad, though it could stand to be a bit heavier, but Alex uses his vocal range and solo guitar skills well! I like the audience participation element too, nice touch! Check out the video below, and also check out Ashley Traynor's YouTube channel linked above for Alex and Don's set at what looks like the same talent show last year with a Banned predecessor outfit!



And finally for today, here's a piece of news from The Sault's Rock Station, Rock 101. On Tuesday, it was announced that our local rock radio station has reached an extension on their deal with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, that will see radio broadcasts of all our Ontario Hockey League team's regular season & playoff games continue on 101.3 FM for at least three more years, running through at least the 2014-15 season. Rock 101 originally picked up the Soo Greyhounds' broadcasting rights in 2009, when the Hounds left Sault Ontario country station Q104. The new deal doesn't mention anything about that Tuesday talk show that was hosted at Wacky Wings, but I'm not sure if it even still airs. I'm a Greyhounds fan, and I'm glad to see that they've formed a solid and successful partnership with Rock 101, but I know there's Rock 101 fans in the area who don't like the radio broadcasts cutting in to the rock music time, or would rather see a Sault Ontario team broadcasting on a Sault Ontario station. I bring it up here because we cover Rock 101 and this is on their schedule, but regardless, this is a great relationship for both parties, and hockey fans should be glad that they have an awesome partner in place to broadcast their games!

Besides, if you want rock radio on a weekday evening or a Sunday afternoon, or whenever games air, there's always WLSO and the Mackinac City-area stations to tune in to, so put them into consideration for your rock radio needs when the Hounds are on. For more on this topic, read Jeffery Ougler's Sault Star article on the new deal at this location, and go Hounds go!

That's all for tonight, but I have a logjam of news to get to tomorrow, so stay tuned for all of that, including some big stories and new videos! Thanks everyone!

New Videos, David Gold Updates, And A New Rock 101 Contest!!

Here's one more news post for this Saturday afternoon! I may not be able to make the Tym Morrison show today due to some prior commitments, but I'll try real hard to make it next Saturday if another Bossy's show is confirmed! No matter what though, I'll be at The Canadian tonight for The Merves and Frightlight! On today's post, we've got some new solo guitar performance videos from two local musicians, the latest David Gold updates, and leading things off, here's news on a cool new radio contest that could pay off for one lucky person!

Hey Rock 101 listeners, do you wanna win some extra cash? Can you sing? If not, can you at least complete song lyrics? The Sault's Rock Station, in conjunction with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (whose games are broadcast on Rock 101) are joining forces for the "Be A Rock 101/Soo Greyhounds Rock Star" contest where lucky fans can earn the chance to complete lyrics to one of five songs at an upcoming Soo Greyhounds game, with $101 in store for the winner! According to Greyhounds announcer Gerry Liscumb Jr.'s post on Local2 (which you can read at this location), entries for the contest begin this Monday on Rock 101 during "Scott & Brian In The Morning", which airs weekdays from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM. To enter, you'll need to call Rock 101's toll free contest line at 1-855-876-2536 (or 1-855-8-ROCK-FM) when prompted, though I don't know specific times or rules for calling in beyond what's on Local2, so be sure to listen in for complete details! Three winners will be selected from those who successfully call in over the coming week, and they'll be announced on Friday. The following week, the five songs that could be chosen for the actual contest will be revealed each day, leading up to the actual contest on Sunday, January 29th at the Greyhounds' game that night against the Plymouth Whalers.

Presumably during the intermission, the three contestants will attempt to complete the lyrics to one of the five chosen songs, and fans in attendance will choose the winner, who will win $101 in free money. Check the above links for more details! This sounds like an interesting contest, and it's good to see Rock 101 and the Greyhounds connecting a bit beyond just game broadcasts and that Wacky Wings talk show. If you're interested in entering, bone up on your rock lyric knowledge and singing voices, and tune in to Scott & Brian over the next week to try and qualify for this contest!

Next up, here's the latest David Gold/Woods of Ypres updates! I apologize for being late on this, but David Gold's brother Michael announced on the David Gold's Legacy Facebook page on New Year's Eve that he was looking for input on locations that should be stopped at or featured in the tour that's planned to gather footage and material for the documentary on David's life. From what I can tell, Michael's planning to do the tour using David's tour bus, and he has been working on the schedule over recent weeks. I have no clue if he's done, but give him a shout at this location if you have any suggestions! The only other real news I have today relates to the various tribute articles to David, and there's plenty online, way too many to accurately cover without getting repetitive or downplaying certain ones. The official Earache/Joel Violette-ran David tribute page has a bunch of them, but I will especially note that a recent podcast by Mainstream Resistance Radio is now online featuring a ton of great remembrances of David by the hosts, along with guest interviews (including one with ex-Woods of Ypres drummer Evan Madden) and 18 songs spanning Woods of Ypres' career being played. It's a very long, but great listen, so click here to stream it and read more! Stay tuned for more Woods/David news as I hear it!

We'll close this post with some new videos, starting with the latest solo performance video from Sault Michigan guitarist Chris Hubbard! You probably know him best from his work in Nixxon Dixxon and Splitshot, but he'll debut with his new band Trail's End next week. Aside from that (which we'll have more on soon), he's also kept busy with this new video of his cover of Eddie Van Halen's guitar solos from the new Van Halen single "Tattoo"! Just days after the song was released, Chris had already learned the guitar solos (remember, he's a huge Van Halen fan), and he definitely has a good grasp on the parts he learned! The response to this video has been great so far, but see what you guys think below, so here's Chris Hubbard's cover of the "Tattoo" solos, as posted on Thursday onto his YouTube channel!



And finally, here's some interesting notes on a YouTube channel from a user named SundayFoggyNotions. I believe this person was a former Foggy Notions employee before it became Feedback, and his original post on YouTube was a live video from a 2010 Tym Morrison acoustic show there. Since June though, he's posted some more YouTube videos featuring what appear to be his own solo guitar work. Only one lasts more than 48 seconds, but he does have skill! One is a 7 string guitar solo, and the others are covers of the guitar solos from the White Lion songs "When The Children Cry" and (as posted a few days ago) "Wait", and they do sound good! I don't know who SundayFoggyNotions is definitively, but he is a good guitarist, and he does White Lion justice on these recordings! Check out his "Wait" solo cover below, and more at the above links!



That's all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys out and about for some concerts, including 100% definitely at The Canadian tonight! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, New Sewer Swampstravaganja Videos, And More!!

Here's another news post for this Monday evening! Our consecutive streak of new posts snapped yesterday due to my computer issues, but the news certainly hasn't quelled, and today, we have news on a possible hard rock connection to the Soo Greyhounds, and new videos from last night's Sewer Swampstravaganja concert, but first, how's about a new local band?

Yes, here's the newest metal project out of Sault Michigan, entitled Galactic Alignment! This is the newest metal project from local solo artist, former Slackjawed Rats frontman, and area guitar instructor Mike Libertoski, and he describes Galactic Alignment as "a jazz influenced technical-death-metal project". Mike only plans to play guitar full time in this band, and is looking for additional members to form a full lineup. 5 songs from a planned 6 song demo are currently posted on the band's Reverbnation page, with plans to add vocals in the near future once a singer is obtained. How do the demos sound? Really good and very technical, with fast riffs, unique time signatures, and solid drum tracks! Reminds me of a few progressive death metal and technical metal bands, but I do find that the songs are overall very similar in style. Maybe with vocals and refinement, things will sound more varied, but these are sill really promising demos, and show Mike Libertoski's talent really well! Check the above links for more on Galactic Alignment, and also become a fan of their new Facebook page!

Next up, here's some more new videos from Saturday night's Sewer Swampstravaganja all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall! Firstly, here's the latest video footage from classic metal quartet Sativa Rose, who of course had bassist Adam Veale's dad John present to film them in action! Videos of their originals from last night were uploaded onto John's YouTube channel yesterday, those of course being "Fall From Grace" and "Bellows Of The Beast"! Better video quality than what I shot, that's for sure, and John got a better angle of the band than I had too! These songs are really well written, and have a fast paced nature that really suits them! Very solid stuff, I can't wait to hear more original material from Sativa Rose! "Fall From Grace" is linked above, but because it's a much longer and (at times) more technical song, I've embedded "Bellows Of The Beast" below, so check it out! You'll be glad you did!



Also for new videos, these were honestly an accidental find as there's nothing indicating they're local videos in the titles, but they sure are! YouTube user Chantal Hopper was in attendance for this show, and posted four videos from it onto her YouTube channel yesterday as well! One is of another band, I'll have that in a future post, but three are from As It Stands' set, which I sadly misserd due to the Lion Ride show, so it's great to see footage of it online! The three videos are a 25 second clip of "Big People, Little Lock City", a 4 minute video of a mosh pit during one of their originals (I can't make out which one due to the audio quality), and the video I'm embedding below! This is an over 9 minute long video and it features their original song "Conception" and (surprisingly enough) what sounds like a cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids"! Again, this is bad quality audio, so I could be wrong, but I believe I have the song's name right. The video quality's decent, and you get great angles of the crowd, but the audio is NOT very clear. It's very scratchy and sounds distorted at parts, but still, these are decent videos of their set, and hopefully we can hear more from As It Stands real soon! Check out the new video below, and stay tuned for the other new local metal video from Chantal's channel very soon! (Credit to Amanda Petrocco for the picture)



And finally, here's some news on the Soo Greyhounds' search for a new general manager! With the search to replace Dave Torrie underway, rumours have narrowed onto a few candidates and... what, you don't know why we're talking about hockey on the SMS? Well, here's why. Late last year, you may remember when I mentioned that former Foothill Road bassist Ron Pyette has since moved on to become a Stanley Cup winning scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins (he's also previously worked for Hockey Canada.) Well, wouldn't you know it, Ron is apparently the favourite to become the Greyhounds' new GM! Ron, who is obviously a Sault Ontario native, has been interviewed about the GM position in recent weeks, and an announcement on the new Greyhounds GM could be made as early as this Friday. For more details on the reports, check out recent articles on SooToday, The Sault Star, and Sault This Week. This would be cool to see if the reports have truth! He's a nice guy and he's done some good work as a scout in the hockey world, and I have a hunch he'd do well in the job if he gets it! Of course, check the above links for more, and click here for more on Foothill Road, who were a very entertaining local hard rock band from the mid 1990s! Good bass work too!

That's all for now, but I have more news and notes to come very soon, including tons of Woods of Ypres news, so stay tuned! Thanks everyone!