Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Infinity Grinder & Orange

With news very slow as of late, here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profile a couple of days early to keep things rolling on the site! This monthly feature post looks at 1 or 2 defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands, as randomly selected from our band links, in order to spotlight them and their run for current readers! As the first band chosen for this month didn't quiet have enough material to warrant a solo profile, we have added a second band to fill things out, and ironically, both are duos with brief run in the mid-2010s. Here's what you should know!
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Infinity Grinder

Genre: Alternative/Experimental Hard Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:
 
Brad Griffith (Bizotic, No Arrow), vocals/guitar
Terrence Gomes (The Northern Tragedy, Changing Waves), vocals/drums

Info/Analysis: A mystery debuting band at March 2015's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands (where they did not place), Infinity Grinder were spiritual successors to Brad Griffith's 2010-2011 two man band Sounds From The Green Room, just with a larger online presence. Brad & Terrence would only play two more announced concerts (the final Swampstravaganza & Ballot Burner's New A show that August), though 18 mostly instrumental song postings (some with guest "R.P.") made their way to their Soundcloud page, the last of which coming in March 2016, before they quietly dissolved. Harbouring an experimental sound with punk, grunge, and indie influences, Infinity Grinder had solid chemistry and an often heavy range of tracks like "A Few Weeks" and "Last Call", and it's a shame they didn't play live more often! Here's Infinity Grinder playing "Modern World" at The Canadian, but also see them live at The Speak Easy at this link, and don't miss Brad with Bizotic!


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Orange

Genre: Post-Punk/Rockabilly

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/Toledo, Ohio

Members:
 
Matt Zook, guitar
Christopher Shoust (Telephone & Address, The Red & Black), drums

Info/Analysis: Also known as Orange: The Band, this project surfaced on social media in late 2014, though Chris & Matt had previously manned Orange in an oddly undisclosed prior period. Orange never played live in their return, but posted many old instrumental tracks to their Soundcloud page that winter as part of "Sunday Sessions" that were reportedly conducted locally at St. Andrew's Church. Plans were announced on their Facebook page in early 2015 to record an album and/or a split with Chris' other active duo The Red & Black, but neither occurred, and the band fell inactive after that March, aside for apologizing for not posting anything lately in September 2016.  Orange harboured an minimalist sound taking influence from punk, rockabilly, and alternative styles, and while the lo-fi nature and lack of vocals won't be for everyone, fans of Chris' recent projects (primarily Telephone & Address) will be right at home! Here's the first "Sunday Session", and hear more above!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! This series returns on or around June 10th, and we'll be spotlighting a randomly selected Sault Michigan band next in our rotation. As such, we'll be looking at inactive local metal band Tantrym Tyme next, so look for that profile next month, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

The End Of Gnaeus, The Return Of Ashoka At The Show, And Much More!!

My original plan was to review last night's March Mash-Up today on the SMS, but in the wake of a major band dissolution that hit our newswire earlier today, I found it necessary to get that on the site A.S.A.P., and hold our review for tomorrow. This news also joins another likely inactive band note, a reunited band to also acknowledge, and yes, some videos from last night's concert, so here's what you need to know!

Local post-punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus have surprisingly announced they they have disbanded, as per their Facebook page earlier today. Other than to say that "it's time we move onto different chapters in our lives", a reason for their breakup was not given publically, though they did thank fans for their support over their run, and admitted that they wished that this wasn't such an abrupt announcement. This is extra surprising, as Gnaeus were just storyboarding a music video, and bassist Matt Fronzi had indicated in private conversations that a 4 song EP (to be called "E La Vita") was in the works, so this definitely came out of left field. After launching publically in 2014, Gnaeus quickly became one of the most promising young bands in the Sault area, with the guys winning both of March 2015's local battles of the bands, as well as opening for the likes of The Sunparlour Players & The Archaics, touring Ontario with The Pixo Control, releasing their only CD "Meditations" last summer, and last playing live in Searchmont last month.

This is very disappointing news, especially given how quickly Gnaeus rose to prominence in the mid-2010s, which is all the more impressive when you consider that the guys weren't known commodities in bands prior to their formation. I hope there was no bad blood, as their talent and creativity speaks for itself, though it is a shame that the 2014-2015 core of young local indie/alternative bands (alongside bands like The Pixo Control, Stereo North, and Caroline Divine) is already fading out. Best of luck to Aaron, Matt, Brad, Alex, and Brendan in the future, they'll be assets wherever they play!

Next up, let's break up the inactive band notes with a band reunion, as we can move local/Elliot Lake punk project Ashoka At The Show (formerly Mayadevi) up to our active band links! In preparing for this weekend's intended Defunct Local Band Profile on Mayadevi, I quickly discovered that they offically renamed to Ashoka At The Show in 2008, and are officially considered a punk project like under their old name, with frontman Darren MacDonald turning his solo Facebook page into an A.A.T.S. page last month. Actually, Ashoka At The Show has been used by Darren for a few years prior starting in 2013, now as a solo project, rather than their older full-band incarnations (alongside OBCD and Undead Warriors alumni.) That year, Darren (now long-based in Elliot Lake) released a free "album" called "Eponymous", and plans to follow it up with albums called "Selfish Boy" and "Full Coverage" this year, while he also has two solo albums under his own name that can also be streamed online.

Darren has posted a number of Ashoka At The Show and solo performance videos, song recordings, Tony Sly covers, and even video game footage to his YouTube channel, and hile it'd be nice to see him launch a full band again, he is a talented singer and guitarist, and you do often get a sense that his acoustic guitar performances would be great fits as full punk songs! If only he was based out of the Soo again, he'd have no trouble finding a full band here. Give one of his newer songs "Flowers/Broken Fingers" a look below, and hopefully Ashoka At The Show keeps at it!

Also, we have another band to likely move to our inactive band links, they being local alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder. While they haven't posted a public update on their status, the band hasn't made any public updates since their most recent song upload on their their Soundcloud page one year ago this Wednesday, and they haven't played a live gig since August 2015 anyway. A union of ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist Brad Griffith and former Northern Tragedy/Good Morning Gorilla drummer Terrence Gomes, Infinity Grinder were the mystery debuting band at March 2015's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, and followed that up with sets at the final Swampstravaganza and that summer's Ballot Burner show, but all further updates were posted material from studio and jam sessions. Though we haven't heard from Terrence musically since, Brad has been focusing on his new band Bizotic in recent months.

Infinity Grinder debuted on big stages with a lot of promise, and Brad & Terrence played off of each other well, helping bring back the aggressive duo sound that we saw in Brad's prior two man band Sounds From The Green Room (which he also fronted), and it's a shame that they didn't play more than they did! Hopefully the guys pick things back up in the future, but don't miss Bizotic at upcoming gigs!

Finally today, here's a teaser for our review of last night's March Mash-Up concert at The Canadian Nightclub, courtesy of headlining alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback's Facebook page! An uncredited attendee filmed A.D.S. playing at least 5 original songs from this show, including their originals "Wasting Away", "Faded", "Nightmares", "Kicking & Screaming", and as embedded below, their newest original "Everlasting Despair". All filmed from the floor in front of the stage (as opposed to their side-stage clips from the January Jam), the quality is solid for this lively newer band, but we'll elaborate further on their set in our full review coming next. Check everything out!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our March Mash-Up review next! Thanks everyone!

New Van Halen Covers By Local Guitarists, Plus Lots Of Assorted Updates!!

(Updated at 3:11 PM) Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert, as Munising, Michigan metal quartet Infathom (featuring former Half A Man singer Dillon Semasky) apparently played at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley on March 12th, marking their first E.U.P. concert appearance since 2014. I profusely apologize for missing it, Pickles is still not a common venue for our coverage, but hopefully it was a blast, and we will keep a better eye out for Infathom's next trips east! Now, today's post features some assorted recent updates, and first, some Van Halen cover videos from two local guitarists, starting with two instrumental renditions by 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, as posted to his YouTube channel yesterday! Including covers of "Panama" and (as embedded below) "Jump", both feature Chris handling guitar, bass, and drums on multiple camera angles.

These covers are very strongly done by this huge local talent, who has proven his Van Halen fandom is not in vain time & time again, but the overhead camera angle is not a great view for when he plays guitar. Still, give Chris' solid new Van Halen covers a look above & below!



Next up, here's the first cover video from former Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's YouTube channel in over a year, and fittingly, it's also of a Van Halen cover (in this case, "Panama" as well!) Playing along to what sounds like the original track minus the original guitar, Alex has a good grasp on the song, but the camera angles are a little odd. Still, it's nice to see a new performance video from Alex at last, so give it a look below!



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

• In their first public posting of the year, reunited Sault Michigan acoustic hard rock band The Creepy Little Coffee People revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that they made a guest appearance during an open mic night at The Merchant's Bar this past Thursday. This isn't their first live performance in such an event since reuniting, but it's the first to get public word that I've found. Hopefully we hear more from The C.L.C.P. soon!
• Sault Ontario alternative hard rock trio The Din played a set at the Fishbowl Festival's closing party last night at Outspoken Brewing on Queen Street, and photos from their set are available on their Facebook page! The closing party was a private event for volunteers and participants of the month-long festival, hence why we didn't plug it here (or know about The Din's involvement beforehand), but hopefully it was a blast, especially at the unique venue, and hopefully The Fishbowl Festival returns for 2017!
• Local alt-hard rock duo Infinity Grinder re-emerged for the first time this year via a bunch of new instrumental song postings on their SoundCloud page in the past month, including an extended track named "Quong" and a 9-track "Green Room Session" featuring Terrence and Brad jamming new originals alongside guest keyboardist "Rudeger Picklefeather" (which I presume is an alias, but I don't know his real identity.) The songs are strong and entertaining, but vocals would be a nice touch. Hopefully we hear much more from Infinity Grinder soon!
• The planned LemmaFest V meeting yesterday was cancelled for unannounced reasons, and will be rescheduled, as per the official Facebook page earlier today. Despite that, there is already visible interest to perform at the returning Sault Michigan festival from bands like Munising's Infathom, a possible Scofflaw reunion, and a local metal band named Stoned Ape Evolution, who have been together since 2014, wear masks on stage, and feature local musicians John Napoletano and Melvin Willis in their lineup, but don't have a known online page that I've found. The anticipation builds, so stay tuned for more LemmaFest 2016 updates!
• Former Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent is looking to put together another new local metal band, preferably a death metal band with him on drums (as you've seen with Faceityoureametalband and Troubled Mind), though he's open to playing guitar if the band plays "an amazing genre". If you're interested in jamming with Mike, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday!
• Apologies for the delay in mentioning these, but four new episodes of the 7L arts/music podcast have went up on their Soundcloud page in the past month! None are fully devoted to metal, hard rock, or punk topics, but host Teddy Syrette talks to friend Emily Youngsen about dreams, Cafe Natura owner Kelly Barton, local musician/writer Jeff Hinich, and a few local rappers in each. Musical performances by The Din (credited as "fill in blank") and Pillory frontman Robert Sartini (who actually fits nicely in an acoustic setting) are also included in the first two. All are fun listens, so check them out above, and stay tuned for more from 7L!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our extended preview of Wednesday's VM Radio Battle of the Bands finals TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Project 421 Jam Session Recap, Emergency Festival Fallout, And More!!

Before we get too far into this post, we have a very late lineup change for TONIGHT'S Ballot Burner-headlined concert at The New American Pub, as local rapper Mikey Thomas has replaced grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back on the lineup, as per the Facebook event page yesterday morning. A reason for Bad Back's exit hasn't been announced, but seeing as frontman Jamie Vincent is still promoting the show, an external commitment for Nathan Sauve would make sense. Hopefully we see the guys back soon, and don't miss Mikey Thomas TONIGHT! Now, today's post features Emergency Festival fallout, some assorted updates, and first, a surprise jam session recap!

Due to personal family health matters, I haven't had a whole lot of time or opportunities to attend concerts recently, but that was partly remedied yesterday afternoon, as Project 421 guitarist Blair Burch invited me to check out their latest jam session! I don't live far from where they jam, which made things extra convenient! The roughly 2 hour jam was the first time that I've seen the guys with new drummer Chris Thompson, though guitarist Frank McGillivray couldn't make the jam due to personal commitments. As a result, the guys didn't play all of their regular songs, and some sounded empty without Frank's parts, but I got a first hand look at 4/5ths of Project 421 tackling classics from bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Dio, along with their newer original "Into The Darkness"! You can't judge a jam session on the same level of a concert, as a lot of it is meant for practicing and getting everything down for a show, but the guys sounded really good, and it's nice to hear Curtis McKenzie's impressive vocals back with the band!

Me and Blair chatted for a while after everyone left, and it was a nice break from the hectic personal stuff I've been dealing with lately! I also saw and heard some intriguing things concerning future plans, but we'll wait for official public word before saying anything here. I got a handful of photos from the jam that you can see at this link or via our Facebook page, and here's Project 421 (minus Frank) jamming their song "Into The Darkness"!

Next up, here's some fallout from yesterday's second annual Emergency Festival at Rocky DiPietro Field, which appeared to be a hit (despite the hot weather) according to early social media reports! First, there was an act that dropped out of the festival, that being Saskatoon country artist Zachary Lucky due to bronchitis, as per his Facebook page on Friday, though he hopes to play here again later this year. Disappointing for fans, but at least he let everyone know beforehand! As for the festival itself, it was MCed by SooToday's Donna Hopper, and of course, she got lots of great (and colour) photos from the show that you can check out at this article! They include 5 photos of headliners The Fast Romantics, 4 photos each of Gnaeus, Northwest, and The Poor Young Things, 3 each of The Pixo Control, Tasman Jude, and The Sunparlour Players, 5 of concert attendees, and 4 of art vendors on site. Excellent work as usual, and I like how nightfall made the closing set seem like it was at a different venue entirely!

A likely Tuned episode is forthcoming, but Local2 cameras were on site for this (unembeddable) video from The Emergency, which features abbreviated video footage from The Fast Romantics, The Sunparlour Players, Tasman Jude, and Gnaeus' sets (I wonder why The Poor Young Things and the other locals didn't make the cut?) Strong footage, and nice to see fans dancing up front for The Fast Romantics, so give this video a look above!

Lastly for current festival fallout, here's the latest from local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control, as we can finally confirm that their new drummer (replacing the departed Keeghan Rosso) is named Matthew Thibert, who made his public debut with the band on Sunday. The band has yet to confirm this on their Facebook page, but photos from the show confirm his identity. I'm not familiar with Matthew from past local bands, though he did once play with the defunct Bawating Collegiate jazz band Reverse Fozmosis shortly before the school's 2010 closure, alongside The Boatload Killers' Liam Seymour and others. I'm curious to see how he does live with Michael & Steve in The Pixo Control, so stay tuned for more on the new lineup! And we were holding this for when we mentioned their new drummer, as the cover art for the band's upcoming debut CD "Probably Not" is now posted on Facebook!

Similarly to the defunct Habitat Shuffle's EP, it's of a picture hanging on a wall, but this picture of mushrooms will be familiar for Pixo Control fans, as a framed copy of it has sat on stage for the band's recent concerts. I'm unsure of the symbolism, or if it connects to the name "Probably Not" at all, but it's recognizable and to the point! Stay tuned for more from the guys this week!

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

• Just as a general site updated regarding our sidebar links, I've finally added The Emergency Festival and The Northern Vibe Festival to our links concerning concert festivals in the Sault Ontario area, while amending information on venues and dates for existing festivals, mainly concerning events impacted by this year's Downtown Association debate and cancellation of Queen Street East outdoor events. Hopefully things are updated there now!
• Sault Michigan bar/concert venue Golanka's Bar (commonly known as The Bird) has closed at some point in the last two years, though their (now-deleted) Facebook page wasn't updated frequently enough to post a statement on why that I've seen. According to London Gentlemen guitarist Mike Libertoski in a Facebook conversation, the East Portage Avenue building was bought by new owners who are turning it into an outdoor retail store of some kind. The Bird hadn't hosted a hard rock concert that we'd heard of since early 2013, but it's sad to see it go, and hopefully Yoopers have good memories of The Bird!
• Sault Ontario alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder have posted seven new demo recordings on their Soundcloud page in the past 3 weeks, which confirm that they play improvised jams as well as original songs, Brad & Terrence both handle drums and guitar parts in studio, and that they formed last year. The songs are solid, often hard-edged, and nicely varied, but only "A Few Weeks" has vocals. Give them a listen above, and don't miss Infinity Grinder's New A debut TONIGHT!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our newest poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Northern Vibe Festival) And The Ballot Burner Concert Preview!!

Before we look at Emergency Festival fallout and more recent news, let's dive right into a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for two weeks from now that we've missed to cover on here for way too long, but there's also a Monday night concert preview at post's end to look at! Here's what you need to know!

Local punk/country quintet The Billy Bastards will make their long awaited return to the concert stage on Saturday, August 29th when they perform at the first annual Northern Vibe Festival on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir, Ontario! Yes, that is the former site of Hempfest when it was held in the Soo, as the guys over at Planetary Pride are trying to jump back into the summer concert festival game for the first time since their last of 11 Hempfests in 2009. Encouraging to see, we can use more summer festivals in the area, but what should you know about this one?  Hyped as an end-of-summer bash over two separate stages, one will be the "Beach Stage" for DJs and club musicians (locally based and out of town alike, click here for the full lineup there), while the main "Forest Stage" will feature live bands and solo musicians. A full listing of set times is not out yet, and the band orders on the official poster and the above links are very different, but Burlington reggae rockers (and past Hempfest favourites) The Killin' Time Band will headline this new festival.

The other out of town band is Kitchener folk quartet Drew Leith & The Foundation, while the extended local roster (featuring many Second Stage alumni) will include, in no guaranteed order, local/Toronto folk musician Cody McMillan and his band The Soft Shoe Shufflers, local roots rock collective Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect, the aforementioned Billy Bastards, local alt-folk favourites The Boot Hill Crooners, blues rock veterans Al Wood & The Woodsmen, and veteran local soul/funk sextet The Hustle Brothers. As well, the festival website lists veteran jazz/folk singer Britta Wolfert, local/Wawa keyboardist & busker Spider Fingerz, and local cover rock quartet Changing Lanes as performing also, but note that they're not on the poster (we'll treat them as on the lineup unless said otherwise.) The only full punk band on the lineup (with their blast of outlaw country blended in for good measure), this will be The Billy Bastards' first public concert since December 2013, so if you've missed The Billys, keep their return in mind at month's end!

Also, note that The Billys will be playing as a quintet for the first time in a long while (guitarist Paul Michael Stos lives out of town and doesn't play at some shows as a result), so if you've missed the full lineup, here you go! Might some of the band's long-teased new material be unveiled as well? Now, there are still some questions about the schedule, as the festival will take place from Friday, August 28th through Sunday the 30th, but festival organizers have yet to post a full itinerary or set times for bands, so keep posted to online pages for details on that front! In any event, tickets for the full weekend are $125 for the full weekend, including camping, so come prepared, as there does not appear to be single day rates for the Northern Vibe Festival. Tickets can be bought locally at Planetary Pride on Queen Street East or online at this link, and it is a 19+ event, but under special, absolutely necessary circumstances, kids and pets can come with an adult attendee if you follow the protocols at this link (which includes full info on what you can and can't do at the event.)

And yes, there will be food and drink vendors on site, plus art installations, yoga, and hula hoop and fire spinners, and keep in mind that this isn't explicitly a marijuana culture event like Hempfest, it's more about the music, so make of that what you will. For full current details, visit the above links! I apologize for this being later on here than it should have been, but it's great to see the original Hempfest minds back for another summer festival in Ophir, and while tickets are expensive, you've gotta start somewhere. Keep it in mind for month's end, whether you missed the Billys or want one last summer party with plenty of talented bands!

Finally for today, here's a preview of a special Monday night concert going down TOMORROW NIGHT at The New American Pub, as Regina crust punk trio Ballot Burner will make their local concert debut as headliners! Possessing a grimy, intense, and attitude-fueled blend of originals, Ballot Burner sound like what would happen if Destroilet and Shit Liver were blended together, and it'll be very interesting to see them on the local stage tomorrow night! A pair of local two-man bands will open the proceedings, including grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back (in their first show since their quiet album recording sessions concluded) and newer local alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder (in their third local concert and first at The New A), so come early for the heavy duo action! The latest concert from Six Two Oh, there is a 19+ age limit and $5 cover charge in effect, while the doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Sounds like an explosive night of punk and alternative music that fans of the included genres won't want to miss, especially for a double shot of the recent influx of duo bands in the area, so be at The New A TOMORROW NIGHT for all of the action, and here's Ballot Burner live last month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for lots of news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

BALLOT BURNER PREVIEW

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stiffler's Mom) And Lots Of Recent News & Notes!!

Before we begin, I profusely apologize for missing Lucky 13's Rednecks Saloon concert yesterday for coverage on the SMS, as the public announcement of it came too late for us to slide it into a post, but we did address it on our Facebook page. We'd have plugged it if it had more advance word, but hopefully it was a hit! Also, Tym Morrison might not be playing at The Harp TONIGHT due to their possible broadcast of UFC 190, but his own Facebook event page still lists a show tonight. In other words, proceed with caution if you go, as I can't 100% confirm if it's on. Now, today's post features a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and more recent updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock trio Stiffler's Mom will take a rare road trip out to St. Joseph Island for the Biker Pirate Party at The Island Bar & Grill in Hilton Beach on Saturday, August 29th! The event itself will see a motorcycle show & shine event with a pirate costume contest to match, with proceeds going to repair the baseball diamond fence in Hilton Beach (an hour southeast of the Soo), so hopefully everyone can help fulfill that goal! Stiffler's Mom's set will be at 1:00 PM, while this presumably all ages event will begin at The Islander Bar at 3117 Marks Street at noon that day, and there's no listed admission charge unless you're entering the motorcycle show. Intriguing event that mashes together a few very different styles of events into one day, but it's for a good cause for the community, and if you're in St. Joseph Island or are up for the events, consider the Biker Pirate Party with Stiffler's Mom at the end of the month! See the above links for more details!

Next up, local concert venue The Rockstar Bar (and it's downstairs sister venue, The Algonquin Pub) are now on board for a new weekly nightclub event called Rockstar Republic that may impact future concerts at the venue. According to this SooToday article, this will effectively turn The Algonquin Hotel's two bars into a double-floor dance club with DJs, electronic music, drink specials, and an open patio on every Friday, with the aim being to "change the face of Sault Ste. Marie's nightlife". The Rockstar Republic Facebook page will have more details on this new weekly event, but for reference, note that the page originally was for Club Current at Waterfront Legend (the former Docks), though I have no word on if this means anything dire for music events there. The Rockstar Republic's "grand opening" (it's treated like it's own venue) was last night, and it'll be interesting to hear how night #1 went!

Assuming this is a successful venture with the former Club Current gang, this presumably would end Friday night bands on either floor of The Algonquin Hotel, but on a quick scan, only the Hard Up-headlined Gongshow event this coming Friday would be affected, and we'll keep you posted if there's clarification about it. I wonder if this is an attempt to compete with The Canadian Nightclub's own dance party and club nights? Of course, best of luck to everyone involved, hopefully Rockstar Republic is a huge hit for the nightlife scene in the Soo!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last week or so, as we slowly catch up on things now that I'm home! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or promoter name:

• Former Bring The Fallen guitarist Dan Souliere is looking for a drummer for his new local band project, which he describes as "playing some heavy music". Nice to see him back in the local scene, he has been missed, but if you're interested in trying out for this band, message Dan at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• After some initial uncertainty on if they'd be able to play, new local alternative/hard rock duo Infinity Grinder have finally been confirmed as the opening band for the Ballot Burner-headlined concert at The New American Pub on August 17th, which will mark their New A debut. Great to see, and give Terrence & Brad's new project a look then if you haven't yet! Our source is the Facebook event page on July 15th.
• In another Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting, local musician Kiefer Barone is looking for a drummer that plays metalcore, presumably for his own new local project. He's posted on this group before regarding artist searches, but if you can help out this time, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted group post from last week!
• Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie has reportedly ended his work as a local concert promoter once again, as per a post on his personal Facebook page last week, citing "too much stress" & upcoming personal & band commitments for the reasons why. This disappointing news may be deja vu for fans who recall when he left the promotion game 3 years ago after his brief run with the Rosie metal nights, but hopefully Mitch comes back to promoting when the time is right, and message him at this link if you can take on the Dusty Tucker show in October!
• Local classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood have quietly dropped out of next week's Superior Festival at Aune-Osbourne Park in Sault Michigan, as per the new poster for the event, with Sault Michigan cover rock quartet Retro Troop replacing them. A reason for the change was not announced, but Mourning Wood never confirmed their involvement in the event, and remember that playing shows across the border (either way) isn't easy. Should be a great festival though, so check the above links for full details, including on a motorcycle giveaway!
• As previously mentioned in our review of his most recent CD "Fleabag Hotel", Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's upcoming 13th album will be called "Charlie Hidelburg: Ancient Hunter", as per his Bandcamp page. No word on what the title references (perhaps a concept or inside joke?), but the name turned up no obvious results on Google. If his recent album schedules are any indication, look for this one to come out in the fall, but stay tuned for updates!

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

Swampstravaganza V Concert Preview!!

Hey guys, here's our extended preview of TOMORROW NIGHT'S fifth annual Swampstravaganza! Yes, the annual ALL AGES alternative music marathon event will return to an early May timeframe for a second straight year, though after 4 years at The Oddfellows Hall, promoter Steve Mozarowski has relocated the event to The Canadian Nightclub for 2015, which should be a great location for this year's Swampfest! There's a stacked lineup once again with 9 acts (four from past years), and despite a later 4:00 PM start time, things end later at 2:00 AM, so things aren't too compressed! So, who all is playing? Headlining at 1:00 AM are local post-punk quartet Gnaeus (in their return to the site of their VM Radio Battle of the Bands victory), with local alternative/blue rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage playing their third straight Swampfest and first concert of 2015 before them at 12:00 AM.

Local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven (featuring Sense of Truth & Half Past alumni) are on third-last at 11:00 PM in their first concert in over two years, just their third concert ever, and their first show with their new quartet lineup, with ex-bassist Mike Mannarino and ex-drummer Jonny Amendola now replaced by prior guitarist Alain Fletcher and new drummer John Mignacca (who played Swampfest in 2011 with As It Stands.) It's great to have them back finally! Promoter Steve Mozarowski will play a solo acoustic set under the "faceityoureametalband" handle at 10:20 PM, following open mic appearances last year and sets with RedD Monkey at this event from 2011-2013, while local indie/punk quintet (and recent CBC Searchlight competitors) Northwest will take the stage at 9:30 PM. Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will keep their perfect five year Swampstravaganza streak alive with their 8:30 PM set tomorrow, so kudos to them on that level!

Note that they're not playing later despite being prior Swampfest headliners, as Mitch & Johnny are playing at The Rockstar Bar with Beaumont Avenue later tomorrow night. Local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith will play their third straight Swampfest tomorrow in their first concert set since the VM Radio Battle and the release of "XIV" tomorrow at 7:30 PM. It will also see the return of former bassist Caleb Cachagee on guitar to replace Daniel Horton, but how will the new lineup sound? Local death metal duo Brutally Fatal (featuring members of Rotopsy and The Revolution from last year) will hit the stage at 6:40 PM in their Canadian Nightclub debut, while new local hard rock/alternative duo Infinity Grinder will play just their second ever concert as tomorrow's first band at 6:00 PM, in what will be drummer Terrence Gomes' third straight Swampfest appearance (with The Northern Tragedy in 2013 and open mic last year.)

Swampstravaganza V will kick off for a second straight year with a 2 hour open mic block at 4:00 PM, so anyone's welcome to perform once again until 6:00! For reference, last year saw open mic sets by Johnny Belanger, Steve Mozarowski, Terrence Gomes & Katie Huckson, Paul Stanghetta, and Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda, but will any of them pop up again? Note that two bands (rap/metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty and prog rockers Mannapool) dropped out of the event over the spring for unannounced reasons, with Steve's solo set replacing the former and the open mic night being extended to 2 hours to replace the latter. TOMORROW'S fifth annual Swampstravaganza is ALL AGES, and admission will be $10 at the door, but no word on if we'll see vendors and food sales like last year had. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I haven't missed a Swampstravaganza yet, and with the new location and later start time, hopefully I'll see a great turnout at The Canadian TOMORROW for what should be a great union of local talent! Don't miss out, this will be a fun time, and I will see you guys there! For a preview, here's Gnaeus at The Canadian in March, and stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow before or during the event! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stiffler's Mom), A New Local Band, And Much More!!

After a busy week (for me, personally), let's get back up to speed a bit with a stacked news post today, so what's on tap? Some assorted notes, a new Shaw TV piece on a rising young band, and a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, but first, here's a new local band that you may remember from one of last month's battles of the bands!

We have a new local band to add to our band links, and they are the alternative hard rock duo Infinity Grinder! Though they didn't have a known online page by the time of their debut, they now have a Facebook page, so now we can list them on the site1 Featuring Northern Tragedy singer/drummer Terrence Gomes and ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist Brad Griffith in their lineup, you may recognize Infinity Grinder from their set at last month's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, and they'll follow that with a set at the fifth annual Swampstravaganza at The Canadian on May 9th. Their Facebook page is still incredibly bare at the moment, aside from a a link to their new Soundcloud page, which features an instrumental recording named "Initiate The Time Vortex", but you can also see them live via this YouTube video of an original from last month's battle of the bands.

Both showcase a heavy grinding sound that is definitely more similar to Brad's past band work than Terrence's (especially Sounds From The Green Room), and it does add an extra dimension to the recent influx of two man bands in the area! No word on what Infinity Grinder's existence (if anything) means for The Northern Tragedy's active status, as that band hasn't played live in over a year. Check out Infinity Grinder above, and hopefully we hear more soon!

Next up, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom will return to The Rockstar Bar for a headlining gig TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show on their Facebook page yesterday. A one nighter due to the Havadder concert yesterday, this will be Greg, Mike, and Jon's first show since the Ride For Sight chili cook-off, and their first at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs venue in three months. These fun established veterans should deliver a great night of hard hitting covers for fans and revelers at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT, so keep this show in mind for your Saturday plans! There's no announced cover charge for tonight (but bring cash just in case), a 10:00 PM start time is likely, and you must be 19 to attend. See above for more details, and here's the guys live last summer!

Also today, here's a neat new Shaw TV piece on a rising local band, that being alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control! Recently airing on rotation on channel 10 for local Shaw customers (and uploaded to the local Shaw YouTube channel on Tuesday), the video was filmed at a recent set by the guys at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, and it features performance footage and interview clips that were apparently conducted by Habitat Shuffle's Christian Lemay, but he's not heard on camera. In the video, The Pixo Control's members discuss how they met and formed the band, how fast things have developed for the band since launching, their ongoing album plans and creative process, their set opening for Treble Charger in February, and where you can check them out online, as interspersed with footage of their set that day.

In terms of brand new items, frontman Michael Mikus did reveal that their album will be called "Probably Not", and they're hoping for a release by June and a tour run in the summer. Solid video overall with nice thoughts and remarks on the band's run and plans so far, though the vocals (when heard) are often buried in the mix.  Check out The Pixo Control's Shaw episode below, and on TV if you can! Note that local acoustic duo Deviant (featuring 2/3rds of Infamous) were also featured in a recent Shaw TV piece from Superior Heights, so give that a look here if you want.



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

• Local rap/party metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty have dropped out of the aforementioned Swampstravaganza next month, as per a comment reply by "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta on the Facebook event page yesterday. Paul vaguely cited "the lineup" as being why they and fellow locals AlgomA & Bad Back aren't playing, but read into that however you want. Promoter & fellow A.A. songwriter Steve Mozarowski (credited as "faceityoureametalband" again) will replace them with a solo set, so keep an eye out for that!
• Local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters are fielding fan response towards possibly playing an acoustic concert at LopLops Lounge, which would be a first for them in terms of sound and venue. While not unprecedented for extreme metal bands in the area (Gates of Winter went unplugged at LopLops in 2006, and Sault Michigan's Condemned were 100% acoustic), this would be an intriguing change of pace, but voice your opinion at the band's Facebook page!
• Chicago Cookshop (the new steak restaurant at 384 McNabb Street) has "closed until further notice" after just 5 months in business at the former Aurora's building, as per this recent SooToday article. The reason is reportedly due to financial issues, but Facebook posts and discussion will explore other areas that we won't get into here. This fits the SMS as Tym Morrison played a show there in February, but either way, hopefully the restaurant reopens down the road!

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

Speak Easy Battle Of The Bands Video Showcase!! (Part 1)

Before we dive into this all-video post, I briefly wanted to acknowledge on here that local classic/hard rock quartet Lucky 13 did play a Rednecks Saloon gig last night to go along with their short notice Friday show, as per bassist Jeff Gray in personal Facebook posts. The band originally said that they were only playing on Friday, but had the Saturday show been announced at the time, we'd have promoted it here (out apologies either way!) Now, today's post is our first of two posts spotlighting Mike Caruso & Sault Online's videos from the Speak Easy Battle of the Bands this past Thursday, as he filmed one video of each band to go along with the earlier recap video on his YouTube channel! The performance footage in that is the same as in the full clips, but it's not completely redundant, as that video does include a brief interview with battle co-promoter Meghan Rix, so don't bypass it when browsing!

We'll look at Mike's videos in chronological order by when each act played (4 today, 3 in a later post), and remember, I won't give reviews or criticism of bands competing in the VM Radio Battle of the Bands due to my judging commitments there. The battle opened with local indie rock singer/guitarist Jesse Merineau, whose cover of Mr. Probz's "Waves" was filmed by Mike at the event. I imagine it'd be tough to gain ground in a battle of the bands as a solo artist, but Jesse has talent and a good voice for the genre, and this appears to have been a solid way to send him off before his announced move to Toronto! Not metal or punk, but check it out at the link above! Next up on Thursday were local hard rock quartet Long Shot, who the fans voted into second place that night. Their video is of their cover of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love", and while it's messy at points, and singer Evan Dawe is hard to hear, the guys show solid potential, and Nathan Muto handles the guitar solo nicely!

The multiple camera angles are nice too (as used on all of Mike's videos), but I'm seeing more tables than I'm used to for a Speak Easy concert... then again, I haven't been there in quite a while for one. Congratulations again to Long Shot on their runner-up finish, and here's their Cream cover!



Third on Thursday were local acid rock/jam trio Mike Haggith & The Din, who made their first live appearance with new drummer Brandan Glew (ex-The Revolution) that night. Their video was of their rendition of Mike's own solo song "This Potato May Be Used As A Flotation Device", and Mike later uploaded the same video to his own solo YouTube channel. It swings closer to the original version of the song than some of The Din's longer jam interpretations, so give it a look below, and don't miss Mike & The Din at the VM Radio Battle on March 18th!



Finally for this first showcase of Speak Easy Battle videos, we'll touch on the middle band on Thursday night, that being the debuting two man band Infinity Grinder. Featuring Northern Tragedy singer/drummer Terrence Gomes & ex-No Arrow bassist Brad Griffith, they're closer in style to Brad's past band work than Terrence's, and likely bear similarities with Brad's older duo band Sounds From The Green Room. The song that Mike filmed (which I can't place, and might be an original) has a grungy hard rock sound that has promise, but Terrence can be hard to hear vocally, and I do wonder how the song would turn out with guitar work. Solid start though, so give Infinity Gringer's video a look!



That's all for now, but look for our second Speak Easy Battle video post in the coming days, which will feature videos from the 3rd place Bear Hunters, the 1st place Gnaeus, and Project 421, along with more news and features to come! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lucky 13) And Speak Easy Battle Of The Bands Fallout!!

In today's second post, we're mostly focusing on fallout from last night's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, which I regrettably missed due to my cold not improving as much as I'd have liked, but as I'm still judging 4 of last night's bands at the VM Radio Battle, that might be for the best so I can judge those bands fairly & impartially based on how they perform at the battle, without any pre-formed opinions based on other recent sets. We have lots to cover though from last night's events, but we'll start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Lucky 13 will return to the stage TONIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies for the extremely short notice, the band only just announced the show this afternoon via it's Facebook event page, and they acknowledged the late notice as well. I wonder if they're a late replacement for a band that couldn't play? Regardless, this will be the first show for this veteran quartet in over a month, and they should deliver a solid night of hard hitting covers for fans at the former Nicolet Tavern! Yes, this is a one night only event, no word on who's playing there tomorrow. Like usual for their Rednecks stops, there's no announced cover charges, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:30 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss Lucky 13's short notice return TONIGHT, and here they are live in November!



Next up, here's some fallout from last night's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, so who won this second local battle in as many days? Local post-punk quartet Gnaeus won the fan vote, claiming $400 and first place! Congratulations to them, of course, and that's a nice feather in their cap going into their VM Radio Battle semifinals set on March 18th! Second place and $200 went to local hard rock quartet Long Shot (the only placing band that's not involved in the VM Radio battle, nice to see they finished well!), while death metal rockers The Bear Hunters took third place and won $100. That may seem disappointing after their win on Wednesday, but that's actually their second best battle result to date, and they still have the VM Radio Battle finals ahead on the 25th! Infinity Grinder, Jesse Merineau, Mike Haggith & The Din, and Project 421 all fell short of the podium (I don't imagine we'll hear their final placements), but keep in mind, this battle was fan voted and did not feature judges.

We'll see Gnaeus, Mike & The Din, and Project 421 have a rematch on the 18th at The Canadian, but will the same results occur, or will the judges see things differently (and how will The Apocalypse Afterparty play into the final scores?) Sound last night was provided by Twin City Sound, and while I opted not to attend due to still being under the weather, Sault Online's Mike Caruso was on hand to film each band! He recapped the battle in this article, where co-promoter Meghan Rix said the battle might become an ongoing event due to it's success last night. Videos of each band will be uploaded to Mike's YouTube channel in the coming days, but in the interim, a video featuring clips of each band is online too! It starts with an interview with Meghan where she talks about the inspiration for this battle and other events that The Speak Easy hosts, though honestly, she and Mike are hard to hear over background noise.

While we wait to spotlight Mike's full videos (especially as I'm still judging 4 of last night's bands at the VM Radio Battle), I'll hold comment on most of the videos for now, but the performance order appears to have been Jesse Merineau, Long Shot, Mike Haggith & The Din, Infinity Grinder, The Bear Hunters, Gnaeus, and Project 421. However, this does give us our first glimpse at the debuting Infinity Grinder, so who are they, and what do they play? They're the latest in the recent growth of two man bands in the area, and as best as I can tell, their lineup features Northern Tragedy singer/drummer Terrence Gomes and ex-No Arrow/SBD bassist Brad Griffith. Infinity Grinder play a heavy alternative rock sound that bears similarities to Brad's old two man band Sounds From The Green Room, and we'd definitely add them to our band links if they get an online page! We'll let you know when we hear more on them!

No word on what this means for The Northern Tragedy though, as they haven't played an advertised concert in almost a year. Stay tuned for our look at the full videos from last night when they're fully uploaded, and here's Sault Online's recap video!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

Another Older Punk Band Discovery, A New Album Release, And Much More!!

Before we get into our newest post, we have a note on TONIGHT'S Elements/Late Shift concert at The Rockstar Bar, as SooToday's newest "Soo-To-Do List" mentions that DJ Seith will be making a "special guest appearance" tonight as well. The Facebook event page hasn't confirmed this, but he should add his own flavour if true, so look for him tonight! Now, for our surprise second post today, we have info on the latest Tuned episode, the complete lineup for an upcoming battle of the bands, and a new album release, but first, here's another older punk band to add to our links! (And check out another new band addition, two new concerts, and more in the post below this one!)

We have another archive punk band to add to our defunct local band links, and they are Good Morning Gorilla! Active circa 2008-2010, you may remember them from their mid-2009 peak, where they opened for Upheaval of an Exorcist, Broadcast Zero, and Michael Froh at Oddfellows Hall concerts. I may be missing some members, but their original lineup featured singer/guitarist Craig Jackson, lead guitarist Montana Sebastiano, bassist Chas Dalton, and drummer Terrence Gomes (now of The Northern Tragedy), though Montana left the band later that year, and they would add lead singer Shawn Creedon, who partially inspired a late 2009 name change to Creedon & The Animal Detectives. Under that name, they're best known for finishing in fourth place at December 2009's Algoma University Battle of the Bands, but they would quietly disband in 2010. G.M.G. still have a surviving MySpace page & Facebook group, and the former has 3 songs, so how do they sound?

Harbouring more of a ska-punk sound than any of Terrence's later bands, Good Morning Gorilla had a slower and more casual style that had good qualities, but the vocals sometimes felt like they were held back, and they lacked the faster punk edge that The Northern Tragedy have. G.M.G. had promise, so give them a look at the above links!

Next up, we have a new local album release to take note of, as local grunge/punk solo project Telephone & Address released their seventh solo album "Rust Orchid" on their Bandcamp page on Tuesday! As previously teased via uploads on their Soundcloud page, the album features the same track listing that was previously unveiled on their Facebook page, but like with past digital releases, the album artwork is different from the cardboard & silkscreened version you'll get in physical copies. An experimental & ambient release that differs from Chris' bass/drum sound on "Need Not Apply", digital albums can be bought on Bandcamp for $15, which is likely also the cost for CDs, but a release date for physical copies hasn't been announced (though we should see them when Telephone & Address return to the stage.) With all of that said, when might we see our review of "Rust Orchid"?

While a review this month would make sense, we're not quite past our 6 month buffer period from our "Need Not Apply" review in September (to avoid accusations of showing a bias for or against any bands), but "Rust Orchid" has the all clear for next month, so might it be our March review subject? Stay tuned to find out, as well as which album we're reviewing next week, but check out the new Telephone & Address album above!

Also today, here's the complete lineup for next month's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands on Thursday, March 5th! As quietly confirmed by promoters on the Facebook event page in recent days, this one-day fan-voted battle at Algoma University's campus bar will now see local post-punk quartet Gnaeus (who are also competing in next month's VM Radio Battle at The Canadian), local solo musician Jesse Merineau (who you may remember from the Bon Soo Marquee), and a mystery band named Infinity Grinder, who I have absolutely no info on. We'll let you know if we hear anything! These acts join the previously confirmed Bear Hunters & Project 421 (both also in the VM Radio Battle), Long Shot, and Mike Haggith & The Din in this battle, completing the planned 7 act lineup, meaning that both battles will share 3 bands. Promoters have also confirmed that this battle is 19+... except for underage Algoma students with student I.D. cards, so if you fit the bill, you're in luck!

Infinity Grinder are still a question mark, but Gnaeus should put in a solid effort in their first battle appearance, and while it is unusual to see a solo artist in a battle of the bands, Jesse is a talented singer & guitarist that will hopefully leave a big impression! Stay tuned for more updates in the next two weeks on this second battle of the bands next month, and see the above links for current info!

Finally for today, here's Thursday's new episode of Local2's music spotlight webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, which takes a look at the Treble Charger concert at The Machine Shop from earlier this month! The episode features performance footage that we hadn't seen before, including Treble Charger covering ZZ Top's "Gimme All Your Lovin'" during the set-ending cover jam (with the local openers and Ed Turgeon joining them on stage), before transitioning to an interview with Justus Veldman, the founder and CEO of Riversedge Developments, who were responsible for the development at The Machine Shop to turn it into a performance venue. Justus talks about what was envisioned about the building at first, it's potential for the future, and upcoming plans for the venue, so what's coming to The Machine Shop next? He said that they'll be booking events again starting next month, and they're looking for a long term operator for the venue as well.

The episode also features performance footage of local openers The Pixo Control and Frank Deresti & The Lake Effect (albeit sans prominent audio), while all 3 members of The Pixo Control talked about the energy of the venue and the experience of playing there. Ending with more footage from The 12 Musicians of Christmas at LopLops, this is a quality episode of Tuned again, and it's nice to get more info on the venue and future plans! Give it a look above, and also note that there's no concert calendar segment again, instead plugging 2 shows (including Friday's Cover Up concert) in text on the page.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!