Defunct Local Band Profile Series: No Funeral & Habitat Shuffle

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! For the first time in 2025, we're looking at not one, but two randomly selected defunct or inactive local groups, due to the first act chosen not having much to talk about given their short lifespan and lack of videos, so a second randomly chosen act in a similar state was also picked to round things out with. Both ended up being short-lived bands who released an album each but didn't do a ton else under these names, so here's what you should know on both!

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No Funeral

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/Edmonton, Alberta

Genre: Noise Punk/Post-Hardcore

Lineup:

Connor O'Brien (Flint), vocals/guitar
Jamie Vincent (AlgomA), bass/drums

Info/Analysis: After being bandmates in the Edmonton punk band Flint from 2009-2012, Connor and Jamie planned a new joint project for at least two years, eventually debuting No Funeral when Connor travelled east for a Dryer Fire-promoted event at Outspoken Brewing in October 2022, and they were scheduled to play at the cancelled Matthew Nadon memorial concert in February 2023. That same month, they recorded their self-titled album at Unsalted Audio, and its release in March was their final public act before falling inactive. In effect, No Funeral were here for a good time, not a long time, but fans of noise rock, Rollins-esque vocals, and Jamie's local bands (especially Bad Back) will take to their inconsistent but strong album, and hopefully they resurface in time!

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Habitat Shuffle

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Alternative/Hard Rock

Lineup:

Christian Lemay (Free Beer, Id Iota), vocals
Dustin Goodall (Id Iota, The Pixo Control), guitar
Ryan Gray (Free Beer, Creatures Of The Night), bass
Blair St. John (All Over The Map, Pillory), drums

Info/Analysis: The 2014 launch of Habitat Shuffle united most of the former Free Beer (a.k.a. M.O.B. and Sarah's Valley) while eschewing their former ska punk sound in favour of 1990s-inspired alt-rock & grunge. After dropping out of a planned live debut at the Great Sabatini concert that June, they recorded their four-song EP "Sober Drift" at Mission Control Studios, releasing it on Bandcamp that August. For one reason or another, the band (minus Ryan) opted to scrap Habitat Shuffle and relaunch as Id Iota in the spring of 2015 with a more indie rock-inspired sound, running locally until 2019. For my own heavier musical preferences, I actually preferred Habitat Shuffle's EP (especially "Resort") to Id Iota's for its grungy qualities and catchy song structures, but it helped bridge the gap from Free Beer effectively, but listen to both "Sober Drift" and "Maudlin Fair" to compare their sonic evolution in the mid-2010s!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! This series will return on or around March 10th when we look at another randomly selected past local band, and in this case, it will be acoustic southern hard rock duo and former Bone Yard side project The Bearded Lounge! Look for that then and for more news and notes on the site as this week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tool Tribute, Soundcheck, And Fluid 5ive), Plus A New Punk Band!!

Before we dive into weekend concert previews, we have a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on, mostly at one popular venue, but first, here's a new addition to our band links!

We have a new local punk band to add to our active band links on the site, and they are the Distillers tribute band from last month's Halloween Party concert at The Rockstar Bar, who are no longer simply a one-off! Following a positive response to their set, the band has decided to continue as a full project under the name Coral Fang (taken from The Distillers' 2003 album), so if you liked what you heard late last month, they are reportedly open for more bookings! Channeling Brody Dalle up front is Stegadeth/Jack Spades guitarist Tiffany "Spades" Stocco, with bandmate Johnny Belanger joining her in a third active band on drums, and their lineup is rounded out by A Dire Setback's Chris Nielsen on guitar and Destroilet's Adam Larocque on bass. Aside from teasers of more dates both here and out of town, we don't know much about Coral Fang, but can they sustain in the long-term just as a Distillers tribute, or might original songs or outside covers join their rotation? It will be interesting to find out, but like and follow Coral Fang at the above links!

We'll have more on the Halloween tribute end of things in a bit, but first, let's kick off those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's return to the aforementioned Rockstar Bar for one night only on Saturday, November 17th! While not confirmed at press time by the band, the show was announced via the venue's Facebook event page on Sunday. This will be Soundcheck's first stop at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub since June, and unless there's a short notice surprise this weekend, their first anywhere since rocking the Reggievelt over Halloween weekend. Soundcheck's fan favourite blend of 1980s-themed hard and classic rock covers should go over as well as ever in 10 days time, so keep this one-nighter in mind for next week! No word yet though on if bassist Paul Belair will be back in the fold on the 17th. There is no cover charge for this 19+ show, which has a 10:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details!

Also, here's another Rockstar Bar show that was newly announced via a venue-created Facebook event page this week, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will return there for one night only on Saturday, November 24th! This will be their first concert since playing at the same locale early last month, and their second with new guitarist Liam Vaillancourt, so if you haven't seen their fan-friendly blend of rock covers yet, this would be a good time to be introduced! In another new show announcement, Fluid 5ive will be the musical entertainment at the third annual Habitat For Humanity Builder's Bash at The Grand Gardens North on Friday, November 30th! This special event is a fundraiser for local Habitat for Humanity operations (always a great cause),with dinner, a silent auction, some type of gaming, a photo booth, and yes, Fluid 5ive in concert, so keep this in mind if you want to show your support! Keep all of the above details in mind when you note the $40 ticket cost, or $375 for a reserved table for 10.

Contact organizer Sandi Wheeler at (705) 941-9646 or sandi@habitatsault.ca for ticket availability (reportedly, drummer Jeff Pennett has tickets too), and a 6:00 PM start time is advertised. Meanwhile, the Rockstar Bar show the previous week has a 19+ age limit, likely 10:00 PM set start time, and no cover charge. See the above links for complete details on both of Fluid Five's shows this month, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Finally, we have one more Rockstar Bar show to acknowledge, as two more tribute bands from the aforementioned Halloween parties there will join forces for an encore on Friday, December 14th! The announced headliners are the (two-off?!) Tool tribute band from night #2, featuring Late Shift's John Barber & Anthony Gagnon, The Wild Iris' Steve Myers, and Skeyes of Seven's Alain Fletcher. It;s great to see the guys bring their proficient and authentic brand of tribute prog/alt-metal back for another go-around, and in case this is it for this tribute, don't miss out! The other announced band is a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute, and while not firmly stated on the Facebook event page, this appears to be a encore of The Elements' themed set from night #1 of the Halloween party. If accurate, they should have another fun blend of Chili Peppers hits in store on December 14th, so don't be late for their set either! No other bands are advertised, but wouldn't it be fitting if Coral Fang played this too?

A $5 cover charge is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has a 10:00 PM start time. This is a solid way to help continue the holiday concert season, and after how good the Halloween Party sets were, who will complain about one more set from each? Visit the above links for more details, and that's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, The Danger Cats' Future, And Mike Haggith Updates!!

Before we tackle weekend concert previews and our next CD review, let's touch on some news and notes from the Sault Ontario side of the border, including big updates on an upcoming album and release concert, and a popular local band's apparent final weeks, but first, here's a new local band you may recognize from some recent concert announcements!

Remember Id Iota, the new band debuting at The Algonquin Pub next Friday? Well, they finally have a Facebook page, so we can tell you more about them! Their lineup features ex-Free Beer frontman Christian Lemay (of Shaw TV fame) and guitarist Dustin Goodall alongside bassist Justin Girardi (who I couldn't find recent band credits for) and ex-Dirty Few drummer Blair St. John. You may recognize all but Justin from the band Habitat Shuffle, who released an EP last year alongside fellow Free Beer alum Ryan Gray, but they never played live, and judging by the quiet deletion of their Facebook page, that project is presumably now defunct. There's no clear indications yet of Id Iota's sound, but for what it's worth, Habitat Shuffle played more of an alternative rock sound than Free Beer's old ska-punk material, but if they skew close to either, they'll fit the SMS well!

Recently seen recording material at Tidal Records' own Mission Control Studios, Id Iota will join fellow debuting local band Caroline Divine (more info forthcoming) at both next Friday's Gonqshow event and at the next day's Lopstock II at LopLops Lounge, as they're the last and newest announced band, and are in the opening 1:00 PM timeslot (source here.) It's great to see Id Iota getting a quick start to the concert game where Habitat Shuffle didn't, so stay tuned for more on them as it rolls in, and they're now in our band links, with their predecessors moved to our inactive links, albeit under their Bandcamp page now!

Next up, it looks like local all-female hard rock/punk quartet The Danger Cats are disbanding in the near future. As per a post on their Facebook page on Monday, the girls revealed that their set at the Archaics-headlined concert at The New American Pub this coming Monday will be our "last chance to see a full set" from them, even referring to it as their "last hurrah", though they are still playing halftime mini-sets at the Border Brawl roller derby event on June 13th. Though not stated there, the breakup is at least partially due to frontwoman Kate Kougar's upcoming move to London, and they'll presumably be removed from the lineup of October's Dusty Tucker concert at The Rednecks Saloon as well. I was hopeful that The Danger Cats would stay active in some form after Kate's move, but they've had a good run that's seen them get lots of positive attention and quickly rise in the local scene since their 2013 debut!

Hopefully everyone stays active in music after next month's shows, and best of luck to Kate, Paula, Jamie, Katie, and Summer in whatever comes next, but they're not done yet, so make sure to see the girls before it's too late on Monday and on June 13th!

Finally for this post, we'll touch on some recent updates relating to prolific local hard rock musician Mike Haggith including the latest on his upcoming studio album "The Warinside" and it's release party on Friday, July 3rd at The Rednecks Saloon, so what should you know? In terms of the release show's lineup, local solo musician Micheal Husband is the surprise final opener for the show, and he'll kick off the night's events at 9:30 PM. He is credited as among the PaperClip Productions artist roster, and he's apparently a singer/guitarist, but we don't know much about him at this point. This should be a good showcase for him though! Instead of the announced three opening bands, there will only be two (Micheal and jazz rockers The Wild Iris), as headliners Mike Haggith & The Din will instead play two sets: one of them playing "The Warinside" from start to finish, and the other of extra originals and covers, not unlike what The Bear Hunters did in November.

Also, spellings of the album's name as "The Warrenside" are frequent on Facebook, but that is reportedly just an inside joke that is explained in the album booklet, and the CD's title's spelling is officially still "The Warinside". Ticket prices have also been announced, and they'll be $5 in advance, $7 at the door, or $10 for admission + a CD upon entry, though details on ticket availability will be announced in the near future. This is by far the biggest launch ever given to a Mike Haggith solo album, and everything sounds like it's shaping up well, so keep everything in mind for July 3rd, and see the above links for more details! As for "The Warinside" itself, Mike has uploaded final copies of the remaining songs from the album ("Out Of My League", "30", and as embedded below, "Someday") onto his YouTube channel, complete with a full playlist of the full album to boot! For reference, Mike's Haggith/Din bandmate Curtis McKenzie assists in the production on all 3 songs, and guest performs on all but "Someday".

We won't review these songs here yet, as we plan to review "The Warinside" in full this summer (likely in July after the release show), but check out the new songs and full streaming copy of the album above and below, and for you Haggith fans, look for our review of "Apocalypse" by week's end!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Haggith CD review, weekend concert previews, and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Habitat Shuffle - "Sober Drift" Review!!

Let's end August in style with our 62nd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and our first since formally adding punk bands to our full coverage on the site, so all of our monthly features are officially up to date for what they can and will cover! This month's review is of "Sober Drive", the debut release by new local alternative rock quartet Habitat Shuffle, who suddenly released the album on their Bandcamp page on August 20th. The band itself are basically the successors to Free Beer (M.O.B. or Sarah's Valley if you prefer), with singer Christian Lemay, guitarist Dustin Goodall, and bassist Ryan Gray being joined by Dirty Few drummer Blair St. John. "Sober Drive" was recorded at Tidal Records earlier this year with producer Dustin Jones, and was later mixed in Toronto by guitarist Simon Head (The Fairmounts.) You can buy the EP on a "name your price" model right now at this link, so while you can get it free, consider buying it to support the band's work! Plans for a physical CD release are coming "soon and/or never" as per their Facebook page, so take that for what it's worth.

A short EP with just 4 songs clocking in at under 10 minutes in total length, let's begin with a look at the first song, "Soda Date"! Lyrically about debating spending all of one's money on a date, fans of Free Beer might be surprised right off the bat to hear that Habitat Shuffle do not retain their earlier ska-punk sound, as this song instead takes on more of a laid back alternative rock style that doesn't sound unlike a mid-late 1990s alt-rock band. Christian's vocals here are grittier and bluesier than you may be used to also, creating an interesting grungy quality! Honestly, this song is a bit too laid back in some respects, as it meanders and seems to lose it's structure and pace at times, though Blair's drumming keeps up with the swings, and the last 20 seconds are much faster and more of a punk style if that's your preference. "Soda Date" isn't a bad song, and it has a mellow groove that I appreciate, but the song itself is a bit too loosely written and all over the place.

The longest song on "Sober Drift" is next, and it's "Only On The Weak Ends", which appears to be about a desire to leave home and go to a favourite beach instead. It's louder and more up front than "Soda Date", with more prominent bass work from Ryan, and the structure and overall melody of this song is tighter and easier to follow! At the same time, the song doesn't have the catchy melody of it's predecessor, but I do like Dustin's guitar ability here, and the vocals have more of a musical match for the grit and style. I like "Only On The Weak Ends" better musically, and fans of heavier music will likely take to it more, but it seems too deliberate at the same time. Third on the EP is "Resort", a song that seems to use vacationing and hotel motifs in regards to a relationship. This track has a bouncy early melody, effective singing, and a fun guitar track from Dustin, and it's definitely the best song on "Sober Drift" for marrying the best elements of the first two songs! The low grit to the vocals can be an odd fit for such a happy sounding song, and the end of the song seems too out of place, but hopefully Habitat Shuffle can build on this song in the future!

"Sober Drift" concludes with "Dice", a 30 second punk rocker whose lyrics (primarily shouted between instrumental sections) are basically of Christian enthusiastically playing craps, though I won't spoil how he did (listen to find out!) This is the heaviest and fastest song on the EP, and everyone's firing on all cylinders, though it's far too short, and I was hoping it'd run longer, perhaps with other casino games being played? As for my final thoughts on this EP, I do like what Habitat Shuffle are doing here, and it's an interesting switch-up from most of the guys' earlier Free Beer work, but there's work to do. The 1990s-esque alt-rock style gives a nice grungy quality to many of the songs, and I like Christian's singing style (which is reminiscent of grunge singers on the full songs), but "Soda Date" had a jumbled structure, and "Only On The Weak Ends" lacked it's catchiness. Things ended strongly with the fun "Resort" and the hardcore punk-esque "Dice", so hopefully Habitat Shuffle can build on these songs for future songwriting sessions!

Free Beer fans may be disappointed by the lack of ska and reggae themes, but Habitat Shuffle are off to a good start, there's ready-made chemistry between Christian, Dustin, and Ryan, and I'm interested to see where things go from here, so pick up "Sober Drift" at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what's coming in September for our next review? Likely a new release, and one possibility is Telephone & Address' new CD "Need Not Apply", which is in post-production and may be available at the IDNS show that they're playing at on September 6th, but that's pending it's release. If nothing new comes out though, we'll review an archive metal, hard rock, or punk CD tied to a live performer at a show next month. Stay tuned for updates either way, and for our Soo Band Roulette review shortly! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, New Video Postings, And More!!

Before we get to this weekend's hard rock concert previews, let's cover some more recent news and notes, including a new guitar video, new Das Bunkerfest clips, and more, but first, here's a new local band to take note of!

Remember how a new local punk band named Habitat Shuffle were slated to play at the Great Sabatini concert at The Moose Lodge in June, but later dropped out? Well, they finally have a Facebook page, so here's what you should know on them! Their lineup features 3/4ths of the defunct local ska punk quartet Free Beer (a.k.a. M.O.B. & Sarah's Valley), with singer Christian Lemay, guitarist Dustin Goodall, and drummer Ryan Gray reuniting for this new project, albeit with Dirty Few/ex-Vertically Impaired bassist Blair St. John enlisted in place of Free Beer's Keith Gagnon. Surprisingly, the band has already released a digital EP via their new Bandcamp page featuring 4 songs, and it's available on a "name your price" model, so it's free if you choose! The EP (entitled "Sober Drift") was recorded at Tidal Records with producer & Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones, and later mixed in Toronto by Fairmounts guitarist Simon Head. It should be noted that Habitat Shuffle are hyping a live debut, physical EP release, and merchandise coming "soon and/or never", so take from that whatever you want.

As this is a new album release, and is available for paid release if you choose (support the guys and pay something!), it is eligible for a review on the SMS, but how do Habitat Shuffle sound? Honestly, fans expecting the ska punk sound of Free Beer may be disappointed, as this is more of a groovy alt-punk sound with more of a laid back casual feeling, but with grungier vocals. Interesting change of pace, and as it's new, this could be our first CD review on the SMS to come via our punk band expansion, so keep an eye out in next week or so, and Habitat Shuffle are now in our active band links!

Next up, here's the latest from local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back! New media of theirs are now online via drummer Nathan Sauve's Soundcloud page and new YouTube channel, and on the former, you can now hear long new original songs named "Boyz" & "What I Want", as recorded at recent jam sessions. "Boyz" has a summer anthem sort of feel to it, while "What I Want" has more of an alternative chaotic bent, though neither have the fury of their live sets. Solid songs though! For what it's worth, the band's newest Facebook page post yesterday implied that they had begun full recording sessions, though whether this is for an album or not has yet to be proven. As for Nathan's new videos, he uploaded clips of Bad Back at the recent Das Bunkerfest private concert event in Garden River this past weekend, and they're of covers of NOFX's "Linoleum" and (as embedded below) their cover of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "American Girl".

Diverse lineup, but they handle these covers in their own unique minimalist style, and Nathan's lead vocals on the latter work out well! The video quality is the main fault of these clips however, as they're dark, poorly lit, and very far from the stage, so you don't see too much. Check out Bad Back's newest media above & below!



Also today, Full Throttle/ex-Bottom Line guitarist Joe Jenkins has posted a brand new solo performance video onto his YouTube channel, this time a revised version of his own original song "Pitch Black". His first upload there in 3 months, this actually isn't a video per say, as all you see is a partial shot of an amplifier. The song itself has an early tuning issue due to Joe breaking in new guitar strings, but this is still a solid modern rock original that could benefit from having a full band around it, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Full Throttle in the Sault Michigan area!



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

• In terms of clarifying some unanswered questions regarding the lineup of the aforementioned Das Bunkerfest event, we can now confirm that The Beau Regards were actually Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger's new punk band under a temporary name (though they have yet to publically launch otherwise), while Mikey Thomas is a local rapper. We'll keep you posted on Johnny's new band as we hear more, and thanks to AlgomA's Darby Wigwaus for filling in these gaps!
• Former March Into Regression guitarist Christopher Neveau is looking for a drummer and bassist for his new progressive metal project, who have apparently already written an album that is ready to be jammed and recorded. Chris has actually shown me some rough demos of his recent originals, which do sound promising, so if you're interested in trying out, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week!
• The Sault Ontario hard rock solo project StrykerGC has apparently changed their name to StonesmithGC, as per recent updates on their Facebook & Reverbnation pages. A reason for the change has not been announced. Unless it's necessary due to a naming conflict, I honestly like the StrykerGC name better, but at least Troy's keeping at his original music, and check out their new song "Blue Mountain" on Reverbnation, it has a slow driving feel to it!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Jack Spades' EP Release, New Dank Fest Videos, And Much More!!

Before we double up with weekend concert previews and our newest Battle of the Bands profile on the site tomorrow, we have recent band clarifications, new videos from a recent all ages show, and first, big news concerning another new album release, so here;s what you need to know!

Be prepared to jack the planet, as local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' debut EP saw it's digital release on Sunday! Entitled "The First", the EP is now on sale at the band's Bandcamp page for just $4, so if you want to buy it right now, feel free! In order, the EP's songs are "They Live", "Rise", "Breakneck Speed", their cover of The Ripcordz' "X", and "To The Left", so click each link to sample the songs as well. A physical release is not coming until mid-May, but early indications suggest that physical copies will be out on Friday, May 16th at the long-teased release party, which is tentatively scheduled for The Rockstar Bar pending venue confirmation. Early word suggests that it will feature sets from Jack Spades, the returning Destroilet, and Oshawa punk band the Black Cat Attack, but nothing is 100% official as of yet, so keep an eye out for updates! While this appears to be the album cover on your left, Jack Spades have indicated that local graphic designers will provide some elaborate artwork in the CD inserts.

As well, a Facebook contest is on where if you change your Facebook profile picture to the above image and tag frontman J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) in it, you'll be entered to win a free copy of "The First" and release party tickets, so keep it in mind if you want to win both! The songs sound great so far in terms of production, but when can you see our review of it? In order to time it with the physical CD release party, we'll give it a formal review next month, so look out for it then! As for April 2014, I'll confirm that we're reviewing Shit Liver's debut album (which also came out on Sunday) within the next week, so stay tuned for that as well! Pick up Jack Spades' album at this link, and Shit Liver's here!

Next up, we have some new public videos to share from Saturday night's 11 band Oddfellows Hall marathon known as Dank Fest 2014, starting with a new clip from local classic metal quintet Project 421's set! Similarly to some of their Medi-Fest footage, this was uploaded to attendee Joey Phuckel's personal Facebook page but publically shared by the band last night, and it's of their cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?", so how does it turn out? Pretty well, Joey had a nice close angle to the band, though the house lighting is inconsistent in the video, and Curtis McKenzie's vocals aren't as loud as they could be. Solid metal action though, so give Project 421's newest live video a look below!



Also from Dank Fest are two new videos of local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore's set, as per their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Monday! One of the videos has a song title we won't repeat here to avoid possibly offending some readers, but the other is embedded below, and it features fans moshing to one of C.T.W.'s (presumably untitled?) songs. The filmer captured the chaos well, but with the vertical cell phone camera angle, jittery camera motions, and dark lighting, the visuals on each aren't optimal. Fans of their grind attack should enjoy there songs, so give them a look above and below!



Finally, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while (ironically all concerning unanswered questions about local bands from our recent concert coverage, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Remember how we didn't know anything concerning Habitat Shuffle, who are debuting at June's Great Sabatini concert at The Moose Lodge? Apparently, they're a ska-punk/alternative band featuring ex-Free Beer guitarist Dustin Goodall & Dirty Few drummer Blair St. John, though we await official word and online information on them and their lineup. Thanks to promoter Jamie Vincent for the information!
• Local hard rock/punk duo Re-Born (a.k.a. the original Brutaly Fatal) are indeed still alive, but have reportedly switched focus to playing mostly unadvertised surprise gigs at events, so keep that in mind if you're at any Blood Shed Productions-affiliated house party events or Oddfellows shows. Thanks to drummer Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson for the clarification!
• To answer another lingering question from our coverage of last month's Commencing Human Desperation show at The Oddfellows Hall, the new local band known as Them that were once on the lineup are apparently a ska-punk duo featuring Pixo Control drummer Keeghan Rosso, though like Re-Born, they also mainly stick to quiet unannounced shows. Thanks again to Ringsnaps for the info!

That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for both the first of the weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews, and our newest Battle of the Bands Rewind profile on last year's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Great Sabatini & Glitch), A New Local Band Page, And A New Song!!

Before we get to the meat of this post, just a late notice reminder that the announced Tym Morrison show TONIGHT at The Harp has been pre-empted due to an Easter weekend set from prolific local musician Jay Case & friends, but Tym will be back on his new usual double bookings there next weekend! Today's post features a new original song from an upcoming album, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next while, and first, a long awaited local band's online page launch, so here's what you need to know!

It took a breakup and reunion for it to happen, but local acid jam/hard rock band Mike Haggith & The Din finally have their own official Facebook page! Launched last May before breaking up in October (and then reuniting in January), fans may best remember this band from appearances at last July's second Bushplane Musical Madness event, along with being a late addition for Heavy North Entertainment's Oddfellows Hall show in January, plus various private events in 2013. Not solely a live concert outlet for Mike Haggith's own solo material, him and The Din play a free-flowing and often improvised brand of music that takes from various genres across widely varying song lengths, as seen on their four free "albums" ("Perpetual Musings", "Chaotic Symphony", the live "Despite The Insects...", and the half-finished "Dinner With The President".) Their new Facebook page confirms that their current lineup features (but isn't limited to) 5 members, similarly to the variable collective lineup of Sault Michigan's Highest of Fives.

Mike and drummer Daniel Horton are now joined by founding bassist Curtis McKenzie, newer bassist Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson, and returning saxophonist James Watterworth, though keep in mind that everyone in the band is multi-talented, so members can cover other instruments if need be. Also, note that the cover photo features a Haggith jam session, not The Din, so don't be confused by Caleb Cachagee's appearance there. It's great to finally see a Din Facebook page, so stay tuned for new updates from this unique band, they're now in our active band links, and hopefully we see them live again in the near future!

Next up, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming months, starting with a surprising new gig from local classic/hard rock quartet Glitch, as they're apparently playing at the OLG Casino at 30 Bay Street West one week from today on April 26th! Apologies for the short notice, guitairist Marco Pedalino announced the show on their Facebook group three weeks ago but it slipped through the cracks since then. In that post, he said info was to be announced, but as we're still waiting, I thought I'd help get the word out! The local Sault Ontario casino has never been a frequent concert venue for heavier shows, so I'm not familiar with it for our purposes, but they have both the Northern Gateway Restaurant and Bivouac Bar on site, so I'd have to assume Glitch's show will be at one of the two areas. Hopefully we get some more info by then (including on a possible cover charge), but a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit are likely. This should be an interesting diversion though for this talented veteran outfit, so stay tuned for updates!

Also in new concerts is the newest metal show from local concert promoter Jamie Vincent and Oh! Right Arm! Promotions, as they're bringing back Montreal doom/grind quartet The Great Sabatini for a headlining show at The Moose Lodge on Tuesday, June 10th! Last seen at the former Foggy Notions in April 2011, this band left a solid impression with their classic-influenced and very sludgy sound, and hopefully fans welcome them back with open arms after 3 years away from our area! The local openers include local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA in their first announced show since TONIGHT'S Dank Fest (and first ever Moose Lodge appearance), while a debuting local band named Habitat Shuffle are advertised to open this show. At present, there's no public information on them beyond a confirmation from AlgomA's Darby Wigwaus that they're "awesome", so we'll have to see if anything leaks out before showtime, or if they're operating under intended secrecy until then. This ALL AGES concert (Jamie's second at The Moose Lodge in under a month) has a 7:00 PM start time and an $8 cover charge at the door. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more on this promisingly brutal summer show!

Finally for today, we come full circle with some more Mike Haggith updates, as the prolific local musician posted the first finished studio track from his upcoming 48th solo album "A Place Of Our Own" onto his YouTube channel yesterday! Entitled "Let Me In", it was projected to be the album's first song, but as we've learned, his albums often see late order and song changes, so it remains to be seen if it still is. As we do hope to review "A Place Of Our Own" on the site, I'll hold thoughts on the song until review time, but it does have an orchestral rock base, and isn't as soft as some of his recent solo work, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more on Mike's album plans!



That's all for today, but I'll see you guys in a few hours at The Oddfellows Hall for Dank Fest! Thanks everyone!