The news keeps on coming for this Thursday, so remember to check out some short notice new shows and previews of all the metal and hard rock gigs this weekend (including an extended LemmaFest preview) in the post below! For this post though, we have two more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some new videos, so here's what you need to know, going (As usual) in chronological order!
After three shows in three months, local hard rockers Sneaky Pete will play a full weekend set for the first time ever next weekend! The veteran quartet will return to The Roosevelt Hotel on July 1st (Canada Day) & 2nd for a weekend of hard rocking covers for their fans at The Rosie! Nice to see the shows ratcheting up over the long weekend, and it's nice to finally see Sneaky Pete twice on a given weekend too! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend these shows, and everything starts at 10:30 both nights! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be good shows, and you're in for some talented hard rock covers from this group of experienced and skilled local musicians, so definitely consider a run to the Rosie over the long weekend! Stay tuned for updates if they come in!
The other new show is a special fundraiser event, so here's what you should know. One week ago today, the Shaule family residence on Placid Avenue was severely damaged by a fire, of which the cause is currently unclear. No one in the home was hurt, but this was understandably devastating, and you can read more at this location. As such, a benefit/fundraiser is being hosted at The Verdi Hall on July 8th (two weeks from tomorrow) that will also double as a concert, and there is some SMS-coverable bands already announced! Local hardcore bands As It Stands and Changing Waves have been confirmed for this event, as has local solo artist Lisa Steinwedel, with more acts to be announced. Nice to see some metal bands rallying together to help the Shaule family in this time of need! The Verdi Hall will have it's bar open for this event, though it is all ages, so remember ID if you want to order anything alcoholic. Tickets are $15 for this event, and you can purchase them from any of the people listed at the Facebook event page. At least 50 will be held at the door if you want to wait until then, but I'd recommend buying advance tickets in case the door tickets go fast. And before anyone asks, yes this is a public event. As It Stands wouldn't have plugged it on their Facebook page if the general public wasn't welcome.
This is a great event that will hopefully raise some well deserved funds for the Shaules in this troubling time! My dad's home burned up in a fire when I was 6, and we lost the cat, much of my dad's magic equipment, and most of our possessions in it, so I remember how it feels. I personally don't know the family, but I feel their pain! Definitely consider making it to this event to help the family out, they could use it! As always, stay tuned for updates on this fundraiser as I hear them!
We close today with new videos, and first, did you miss The Isosceles Project when they hit The Roosevelt Hotel on May 23rd? I did, thanks to computer issues (that was around when I traced them to overheating), and I'm still bummed out about it. If you're disappointed at missing this talented Toronto instrumental metal band in action, than good news, as a local concert video from the show is now online! Despite repeatedly calling our city "Sue Ste. Marie", this indeed from the May 23rd concert, and it's of The Isosceles Project playing their 11+ minute original song "Oblivion's Candle"! Filmed on a stationary camera sort of on the side/back of the stage, it was uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel earlier today. Looks good, though the sound is slightly distorted, I'm not sure why. It just sounds kinda off. Makes me wish I was there even more though, they're at their usual proficient and energetic selves here, though bassist Scott Tessier doesn't come through too well due to his stage placement. Solid stuff though, hopefully they come back to town soon! Check out The Isosceles Project playing "Oblivion's Candle" below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for my long overdue news from Half A Man, Rotaryfest & LemmaFest lineup details, and more very soon! Thanks everyone!
One more news post before Victoria Day, and if you're home not camping or vacationing for the weekend, you can enjoy today's slate of news on The Sault Metal Scene, including new songs from a handful of local hard rock acts, some assorted stories from across the river, and a preview of a big metal concert taking place tomorrow night, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!
Local hard rockers Half Past are returning to the stage in July! The band will make their long awaited debut with new singer Jordan Rains when they return to The Rockstar Bar on July 23rd for what should be an interesting return show! This will be their first concert appearance in five months, following their return from a lengthy hiatus in February, in what would also be their last concert with then-frontman Luke LeBlanc. Though hinted at without a concrete public date late in a post on their Facebook page last month, they've since quietly posted the show with date on their Reverbnation page, and cause it's publically viewable, it looks official enough to call it. This show has a listed start time of 10:30 PM start time, it is a 19+ show, and a cover charge isn't listed. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see Half Past getting back out there, and with this show and their sets at Hempfest lined up, here's hoping they'll be back in their rightful spot in the scene very soon! And yes, the curiosity about how Jordan will sound with Half Past will be in full force as well, but I have faith he'll do just fine! I should be at their July return, and stay tuned for updates as I hear them!
Now to a big concert preview, as Dismembertainment are bringing you another high quality package of metal tomorrow night at The Roosevelt Hotel! Three out of town bands are making their way here tomorrow, all of which are very familiar with the Soo, including headliners The Isosceles Project! Last seen locally in August at The Canadian Nightclub, this Toronto-based all-instrumental progressive metal trio will be sure to turn heads tomorrow night with their highly proficient and technical sounds! North Bay experimental metal trio Thekillingfield (who also played at that August concert mentioned above) are also scheduled for tomorrow night, with a highly brutal and relentless sound that will surely get us moshing! Toronto hardcore punk band The Endprogram are also on for tomorrow as a late replacement for Orillia metal band Like Animals, who dropped out for unexplained reasons. Also no strangers to Sault Ste. Marie, The Endprogram just headlined at Coch's Corner last month, and their punk-inspired hardcore attack will find lots of fans tomorrow! The local openers are extreme metal quintet WinkStinger, who'll look to unleash a bottle of fury on their fans just two weeks after opening for Fuck The Facts! Check the above links for more on each band playing tomorrow night!
Admission is $4 for this concert, and before you complain about the price, keep in mind that it's just a dollar a band, it's worth the money! Doors open at 9:00 PM with it likely starting not long after, and it's definitely a 19+ event. I should note that, at least as recently as Thursday, The Rosie was increasing security on checking ID, so make sure you have ID cards on you. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! There's no better way to spend Victoria Day on the long weekend then by rocking out with 4 great bands at The Rosie, so I hope to see all you guys there tomorrow night! For a preview, here's The Isosceles Project playing their original "The Factory" from their 2008 live DVD!
Now, we have some new songs from a handful of local hard rock acts, and first, former Browbeat mainman Dutch Vanderploeg's new Training Snakes project has finally posted their first song! Posted on their Reverbnation page earlier this month, it's a solid hard rocker, though the production seems slightly off, and the drums don't sound all that clear. Dutch's voice seems impaired too, possibly due the vocal issues he had that helped cause Browbeat's demise earlier this year. I'd like to hear this song with some better production and possibly with a different singer, but I see a lot of promise with it, and check the above links to hear it! As well, local industrial project Riverin (featuring past & present members of Dirty Virgin) have posted a new song named "Trenches" onto their Reverbnation page! A slower and more deliberate song, Matt Hicks' vocals are getting more aggressive, and it still has some industrial flourishes to set it apart! Parts feel empty, but it has good pacing and would be a good addition to their EP if they opt to include it when it's released! Check the above links to hear "Trenches" and many more songs from Riverin!
Also for new songs, veteran local guitarist Mike Cliffe has three new songs on his Reverbnation page to mention as well! One's called "Cinderella Run", as inspired by my comments on his surprising semifinal run in our March Mayhem tournament, and it's a softer experimental guitar track with a dreamlike quality, though not skimping on some good guitar playing either! Not a whole lot to say on it, Mike's showing his impressive guitar range here! Also posted is a cover of Frank Zappa's songs "Wedding Dress" and "Handsome Cabin Boy", which has a more energetic bouncy pace fitting of a Zappa song like this, though it does go by too quickly! I like it, but if you're looking for heaviness, you'll wanna hear his other new song "Vote No To Elections", which has a hard charging riff, though it seems layered under some higher experimental sounds for much of the song. Pretty good though! Mike's varied work continues to impress, and if you check out his material at the above links, you're bound to find lots of stuff to enjoy, so check his work out at the above links, and watch out for more from him soon!
And finally for tonight, let's close with a trio of shorter stories from the last little while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:
In case you were wondering, Sault Michigan hard rockers Clownsack's new EP "Funny Farm" is indeed on sale at Grooves Music across the river! This is the only place I know of that's physically selling the EP at present, and it goes for $5 American. Thanks to Schloppy for the info, and definitely give it a listen!
I deleted the defunct Eckerman, Michigan metal quintet Moss (of Eckerman) from our band links, as band member Jason Mills (of Life's Eclipse fame) opted to delete the page due partly to his lack of satisfaction for the material. For archival sake, I did save the posted songs & bio information, just in case, as I didn't want everything lost for good. So if you're wondering where Moss went, now you know!
Sault Ontario metal band Skull After Betrayal are looking for a full time singer. They're looking for one with a hardcore base, as the band are hoping to transition away from a death metal sound, though growling and clean singing are also being sought in their ideal singer package. If you (or someone you know) are interested, contact frontman Mike Vincent at this location!
That's all for tonight, but have a good Victoria Day, stay tuned for my Soo Stories review this week (along with more news), and I'll see you guys at The Rosie tomorrow night1 Thanks everyone!
Now to get to some news today before we have another double post day tomorrow! Today, we have a new local solo act, some news from Dismembertainment, an some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (including some short notice ones), but remember to check out my Defunct Local Band Profile on Renderware in the post below! Now, to the news, and we'll start with the new local solo act!
Bear Hunters & Skull After Betrayal guitarist Mike Vincent has launched his own solo project! The latest musical project from this prolific artist, Mike plans to record and release original material under his own name through his Reverbnation page, where he plays or programs all instruments! One song is posted so far, which is oddly titled "Cheese". It's an instrumental track, and if you can get past the incredibly repetitive programmed drums, some promising riffing and melodies are present! His recording equipment has improved from some of his earlier projects that he led, and you can tell he has guitar skill, but it does need more work. Mike needs to work on his drum programming so it's not just constant double kicking, which almost drowns out his guitar work, but it's still promising! He's told me that he plans to record some more solo material with "odd" titles to post there, so keep an eye out! I was telling him that he should re-record his old M7K track "Damien's Arrival" on there too, that'd be interesting if it happened. Mike could get some real attention with this solo stuff with some more care and work, I'll be interested to see what comes next! Check the above links for more!
Now for LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and here's a SHORT NOTICE pair of shows, so take note of these! Sault Michigan hard rock trio Monkey's Uncle are playing a weekend set THIS WEEKEND at Dondee Lanes! I apologize for having these so late, the band actually announced them last month on their MySpace page, and I'm just negligent for missing them. I guess I'm just so used to them not updating it that it's not a common thought for me to check it. Either way, they're back at the Dondee tomorrow & Saturday night for what should be some solid nights of hard rock originals & covers, so consider this a preview as well! Both should have 9:00 PM start times or later, there's no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend either night. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see Monkey's Uncle back at the Dondee, check them out this weekend if you can! Also check their MySpace page out to hear a brand new Monkey's Uncle studio cover song of (oddly enough) Ronan Keating's "This I Promise You"! Well performed and recorded, but a bit out of character. Give it a listen though! For a preview, here's Monkey's Uncle covering Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog" in early 2008!
The other new show comes from Dismembertainment, and is attached to some exciting news from them: the Rosie metal nights on Thursdays are now weekly! The previous bi-weekly punk nights at The Roosevelt Hotel have since been cancelled, and promoter Typhoid Meaghan has since moved to just simply presenting "punk nights" anywhere locally. Rich Moreland from Dismembertainment has confirmed this news with me as well. Why the change? I won't go into detail from what I've heard out of respect for all parties, but the short notice announcements & largely metal-comprised lineups for the Rosie shows were a discussion point for fans and attendees. As such, Rich is now presenting Dismembertainment promoted metal nights on a weekly basis, starting with Thursday, April 21st, where Shit Liver will take the stage as openers with two bands to be announced! Click here for current details, which are largely no different from other Rosie concerts. Awesome to see Shit Liver back, their grimy crusty metal will go over well! I'm optimistic for these shows, which have quickly expanded from monthly to weekly, and it's been one of my hopes since starting the SMS for a more active metal scene! I just hope that this won't feel watered down or stale in time, as Rich is doing great things for the scene, and he deserves all the support we can give!
Rounding out today's Dismembertainment news are some new show updates! Firstly, Sativa Rose have been added as openers for the Rosie metal night on April 28th! This (I think) is their first ever show at The Roosevelt Hotel, and it will be their first 19+ show with new guitarist Anthony Orazietti, so remember that! They'll be the middle band at this show, between openers Changing Waves (also the first 19+ show for their new bassist Terrence Gomes) and headliners State of Misery! As well, the Isosceles Project concert on May 23rd has been moved from Foggy Notions to The Roosevelt Hotel, as indicated on the Facebook event page and it's accompanying poster. A reason hasn't been publicized, but I imagine it's due to a scheduling conflict, given that Dismembertainment are still lined up for Foggy's on May 13th for the Hallows Die show. Finally, if you're going to the Rosie TONIGHT for the Bring The Fallen-headlined metal night, you'll notice brand new lighting! Rich bought some new professional lighting gear for the Dismembertainment shows, and I've heard very cool things about it, so keep an eye out going forward for the new lights! Things should look a lot brighter, that's for sure! Check all of the above links for more news on upcoming Dismembertainment shows!
That's all for now, but stay tuned tomorrow for our next Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles! That, more news, SMS March Mayhem updates, a Woods of Ypres centric post, and hopefully some Cinderella fallout are all coming up, so be on the lookout! Thanks everyone!
Well guys, as promised, here is that extremely packed new post! We have a lot more than just what is here now, but I don't like overloading posts and burying stories, so this is just the icing on the local metal cake! Today, we have news on a pair of bands with guitarist changes, the completed lineup for a major upcoming concert, and kicking things off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!
Lion Ride are coming back to Sault Ontario next month for their first local concert of 2011! Over three months after rocking The Canadian Nightclub at an insanely packed show, the hard hitting quintet will make their way to The Rockstar Bar for their first show there in over a year when they headline there on April 9th! Like at their last show, local country punk quintet The Billy Bastards (featuring Destroilet & Harsh Heads alumni) will open for them, giving a nice Southern flavour to compliment Lion Ride's punk inspired metal attack! Also, ironically, this concert is the same night as the Sewer Swampstravaganja concert at The Oddfellows Hall (more on that later), making this the second straight Lion Ride show to fall on the night of a major all ages concert (their December show was the same night as Soo Music Mash-Up.) There will be a $5 cover for this concert, you must be 19 to attend, and the doors open at 9:00 PM! This sounds like a great concert, and with the all ages concert preceding it, I don't know if I can handle all this great live music! I'll give it my best though, and if nothing else, I'll try and be there for Lion Ride's set! For more details, check the Facebook event page, and I'll keep you posted if updates come in!
Meanwhile, a few well known metal bands from out of town are coming back to Sault Ontario in May! Last August, you may remember a high profile metal concert at The Canadian Nightclub that featured Toronto instrumental progressive band The Isosceles Project and North Bay extreme metal trio Thekillingfield as opening bands. Well, they're both coming back to town, this time on May 23rd at Foggy Notions! This time around, The Isosceles Project will headline with their brand of instrumental and very technical music on their upcoming "Total Vandemonium" tour, with Thekillingfield set to devastate as openers! A third opening band is also confirmed, and ironically, they're also a three piece! This band is Orillia, Ontario experimental progressive band Like Animals, who possess a unique sound of their own that you'll have to hear for yourself! Check all of the above links to hear the three bands in question! Promoter Rich Moreland tells me there will be a local opener (which one isn't confirmed yet) and there will be a cover charge of around $4. I'd expect this to have a 10:00 PM start time, and you must be 19 to attend. Sounds good to me, I'll absolutely be there for this one, as all three bands are very talented, and brutal! Click here for more details!
Next up, here is the latest news from local hard rockers Sense of Truth! Drummer Ryan Haryett sent me a statement yesterday by e-mail to discuss some recent events and their long hiatus, so here's all that you should know! The band have officially parted ways with founding member & guitarist Steve Myers. The decision was due to artistic differences, and was completely mutual. As such, the statement said that the band "may be looking for a new member", which might not mean they will get one. Steve was a member of Sense of Truth from their 2008 inception onward, and it's definitely disappointing to see him leave! I wouldn't be surprised if his next musical work resembled his old Odd Man Out material, given the reasons provided for his departure. Still, if any of you guys are interested in the vacant guitar position in Sense of Truth, click here, and best of luck to Steve! As well, Ryan detailed the band's recent hiatus (not having played live since May), explaining that the band haven't been active lately due to the editing problems with their upcoming EP's artwork and scheduling conflicts. However, they have been focusing on heavier & more complex material since last year's studio sessions, and the band are "confident that things are finally progressing to a new groove"!
Ryan also confirmed that there was still no word on a release date for the EP, but they are working with a media company in Northwestern Ontario on some mystery projects. This 10 month hiatus sure has been disappointing for fans, but it's nice to know that they're still plugging away! Ryan's return from work out of town should help get the band back in gear, and when I hear more on their next steps, I'll let you guys know here, be it for their possible guitarist search, their EP, or anything else! For more details, check the above links, and e-mail senseoftruth@shaw.ca for any inquiries!
Now, to the other guitarist change in a local band, and in this case, it's an addition! Local horror punk/metal rockers Frightlight have quietly announced the addition of rhythm guitarist Kevin Powe to the band, officially making them a quintet! To go along with the horror theme, Kevin will use the stage name "St. Mayhem". Local fans will no doubt recognize Kevin as one of the original members of the defunct local punk/metal band Fitswitch, playing with them at numerous local concerts through 2007, and being featured on their "Rust Angel EP" before moving to Sudbury for a few years. Now back in town, Kevin will reunite with his old Fitswitch bandmates J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) and Rick "Styles" White once again, which will definitely be cool to see on a more regular basis again! Plus, his graphic design prowess will be put to good use even more now, hopefully! Surprisingly, this news wasn't publicized on band pages, though he was added to the band's lineups on Facebook and on Battle of the Bands (more on that soon), so there's your sources. It's great to see Kevin back locally for good, he'll add a nice dimension to Frightlight going forward! But when can you see the new five-piece Frightlight lineup next?
...at The Sewer Swampstravaganja, that's when! Frightlight have officially been announced as the last band on the lineup for this massive 12 band all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall on April 9th, replacing The Fury! Sounds good to me, and it's fitting to see the new lineup debut at a massive old school all ages concert like this! With that said, a lot of the lineup has been shuffled, so here's what's changed. Frightlight aren't co-headlining in the old Fury slot, they'll instead be playing at 6:00 PM, bumping Shit Liver back to 5:15 PM. Now in the second-to-last slot at 10:30 PM is Bring The Fallen (saying they don't break up), with WinkStinger moving up a slot to replace them at 9:00 PM. The Bear Hunters will also jump a slot on the lineup into WinkStinger's old 8:15 PM placement, leaving Sativa Rose to make a large jump from the 5:15 PM slot to 7:30 PM on this final lineup! The previously announced set times for The Tenagens, Changing Waves, State of Misery, Late & Loud (replacements for SBD), As It Stands, and RedD Monkey are no different than before. For full lineup and concert details, click here! This concert will be awesome, and even if I can't stay the whole night (Lion Ride, again), I'll be there for the vast majority! Stay tuned for updates as they come in!
That's all for now, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Rosie for their punk night, featuring Sykotyk Rampage! And yes, I have a LOT more news to share as well, so expect some of that tomorrow night as well! Thanks everyone!
One more post for you guys before I head to The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT, full of some notable updates! We have three bands who have tentative dates in Sault Ontario that I'll go over, an update on our local musicians union, and first, here's some Bear Hunters-related updates, including a schedule change for tonight's concert!
WinkStinger are now the co-headliners for tonight's Icy Metal For Aborted Therapy concert at The Oddfellows Hall due to prior work commitments for at least one band member. This means that both The Bear Hunters (pictured) and State of Misery will be pushed back in the band order, though Sativa Rose & Bring The Fallen's slots are unchanged. Also, the concert has been pushed back an hour so it will now start at 6:00 PM with the doors opening at 5:30 PM. Nothing else has changed, but make note of these so you don't show up early or miss a certain band! Thanks to Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie for these updates, as sent to attendees in a Facebook e-mail. While we're on the subject of The Bear Hunters, they've talked about a lot of intriguing things for their future, including plans for both an EP and a full length album this year, with the EP to include a DVD in the package, and a planned tribute to the Big Four thrash metal bands for future shows! I probably won't cover any Bear Hunters albums here until recording officially starts, but keep all this in mind, as they have big hopes for this year! Check out their official Facebook page for more!
Now for three tentative local metal concerts, two of which need a venue, the other of which needs openers! We'll go in chronological order, and firstly, an out of town metal band looks to be the headliners at an upcoming Roosevelt Hotel metal night! Rosie owner Chad LaRoue was inquiring yesterday on the Metal Nights at The Rosie Facebook page as to local openers for a band named Skepsis on February 17th, which is a Thursday and two weeks after the next metal night on the 3rd. So I looked up Skepsis to see who they were, and believe it or not, there's at least THREE Canadian bands with this name, maybe more! None have definite dates listed for February in town though, and the only one that is hinting towards February shows doesn't even describe themselves as metal. I'm not comfortable enough to assume which Skepsis it is, but if you wanna open for them at the presumed February 17th metal night, get a hold of Chad at this location! When I hear more, especialy concerning which Skepsis this is, I'll let you guys know!
Now to shows without venues, and we'll start with a band we saw here last year! Toronto instrumental progressive trio The Isosceles Project are tentatively planning a return show in Sault Ontario on May 23rd! You may remember when they came here last August one night after the Kiss concert as one of the openers for Skull Fist at The Canadian Nightclub, or maybe you saw them on Disband on MuchMusic! A venue, additional bands, or any specific details aren't known yet for this show, so I take it nothing's finalized. Bassist Scott Tessier had told me that they are playing a longer set than they had last year, so that's a good sign! I take it the band doesn't have a finalized booking yet though, so if you're interested in booking or promoting The Isosceles Project for a local concert on May 23rd, message the band at their official MySpace page! I hope this gets finalized, as I was VERY impressed with The Isosceles Project last year, and their progressive instrumental attack will surely leave you guys wanting more as well! Stay tuned for updates if I hear them!
The other possible new concert has no specific date in mind, but maybe you can help secure one? When I was browsing the 705 Video Magazine forum recently, I came across a topic about a band's efforts to secure a local booking in May or June. The band is Vancouver progressive metal quintet Unleash The Archers, and singer/guitarist Brayden Dycszkowski posted there in the hopes of securing a booking for the band in that timeframe for their upcoming tour cycle in support of their new album. I like their sound, it's a creative mix of extreme death metal and melodic female-fronted metal, and they're pretty heavy to boot! The band has no real contacts in town, so I'll do what I can to help get them a booking in town this year! If you're interested in helping set up an Unleash The Archers concert in town later this year, contact the above links to show your interest! I'd like to see them here, how about you guys?
And finally for today, this is a new find for me, but we have mentioned this group on here before. In May, you may remember us talking about Sault Ste. Marie's own musicians union, The American Federation of Musicians, Local 276. When browsing links the other day, I found out that they actually have an official website! It mentions that one of the bands who is members of Local 276 is Woods of Ypres, though it doesn't name drop any other metal bands as members. The site is descirptive in talking about Local 276's history, why you should join, and all the benefits that becoming unionized can offer. This can go from playing in the United States to recording to even helping fill in for other musicians, there are many benefits to getting your band into the AFM! Definitely consider joining this union if you're in a local band, it could pay off in the future! Click here for details on how to join! Also, note that one of the executive board members is veteran local musician Ric Datson, now best known as the drummer for That's Chester!
That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall! Thanks everyone!b
Now it's time to clear out the news desk a bit more by sharing a few stories that got lost in the cracks over the past little while. With all those concert reviews and the end-of-year special posts, I am admittedly behind on new stuff, so that explains the high amount of posts so far to start 2011. Things should get back on a normal pace soon, but first, here's some assorted stories from the last week or so! Because all could feasibly be a top story (except the last paragraph), I'll organize our first four in alphabetical order by band name. So, let's get things started, but remember to check out our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post from this morning immediately below!
We'll start with Sault Michigan hard rockers Bad Side, and this is stuff that I had previously referred to in our post where we looked back at 2010, but I never devoted an actual news post section to it. It appears that the band has officially decided to break up. There's never been an official statement to that effect, but the fact that they produced a graphic of a Bad Side tombstone (with the year of death being 2010), that about says it all. Honestly, this isn't too surprising, when you add things up. The band went on a hiatus in late 2009, cancelling scheduled local dates in the process, and following the firing of singer Melissa Krahnke and guitarist Jason Mapes from their radio jobs at Yes FM and The Bear last year, both of them moved from the area. Jason now lives in Nashville, where he's working on a solo album with other former Bad Side members, and Melissa now lives in Pennsylvania, where she works at the the radio station 98.5 KRZ. So their shows this past summer in Milwaukee were basically their farewell gigs, which is odd when you consider that you'd think their last shows would be local. Even still, they had a great five year run that produced many memorable concerts and three albums, and add one more thing to that: a retrospective DVD/CD combo!
According to the band's Facebook page, it will be titled "Live After Death", and it will feature the band's music videos along with live videos, demos, interviews, and more! A video showcasing the intro of the DVD was also posted, which you can watch at this location! Good stuff, it appears to be a performance from their Milwaukee Summerfest show. It's still a shame to see Bad Side breaking up, but you never know what might happen down the road, and as updates come in for "Live After Death", I'll let you all know!
Next up, here's a new locally-related video from a metal band that came through town last summer! You may remember on August 11th when Toronto instrumental progressive metal trio The Isosceles Project played at The Canadian Nightclub as openers for Skull Fist. Well, here's a side you don't see from many bands who play here, as the band posted a new installment of their tour blog onto their official YouTube channel! It's almost 8 minutes of what appears to be the post-concert party and gathering that the band had with fans and band members! There's lots of swearing and alcohol to go around, so if you're easily offended, don't watch. It is however mostly talking amongst the band and other attendees about the concert and such, so if you're expecting live concert clips or road footage, you won't find it. It's a good video though, and this is the kind of stuff you might have been a part of before with other local bands, and parts are amusing too! Check it out below, and fingers crossed that The Isosceles Project come back through here one day, they're an awesome band!
Next up, do you remember in December 2009 when local photographer Curt O'Neil posted photos from the Kiss Battle of the Bands onto his official website, specifically of Lion Ride's sets? Well, I did mention in my review of Lion Ride's show last week that he was snapping pictures at this most recent show as well, and a sneak peek at his shots is now online! Five photos are now up, one each for Mikey, Marky, Marco, Iron Mike, and Carmine, and they're all great quality! Makes me want to see the rest even more! I didn't mention this in my review, but Curt got special on-stage access for some photos, which led to shots like this one of Mikey Lion singing right in front of the crowd! Who's that guy on the far left though? He doesn't look very metal. There's a lot more photos from Curt to come, and Donna Hopper too, so when the rest make it online, I'll let you all know! For now, click here for Curt's first photos from the Lion Ride concert, and I've also added Curt's website to our "Other Local Metal Links" list on your left!
And next, we have the latest news and notes from Woods of Ypres! Again, this is stuff I had referred to in the past, but never devoted proper attention to. It has been announced on Woods of Ypres' Facebook page that their 2009 CD "Woods IV: The Green Album" will be reissued by their new label Earache Records on CD and vinyl on March 14th. Nice to see W4 get a wide release like this, as it is a great album (if depressing at parts), but this likely will spell a delay for "Woods V: You Were The Light", which David alluded to in his Governor's Ball interview. After all, if they put two Woods of Ypres albums out in the same timeframe, one (or possibly both) would suffer in sales, so it makes sense to stagger them and devote attention to one at a time. So we'll likely have to wait until the summer (at the earliest) for "Woods V", but it should be worth the wait! With that said, the band has a few more independent copies of Woods of Ypres' independent back catalog for sale, so if you want information on how to snag these albums, click here! And finally, the metal blog Antivenin included "Woods V" on their list of the most anticipated albums for 2011, including references to the reaction over their "breakup". Check it out at this location, and stay tuned for more Woods of Ypres news as I hear it!
And finally, here's some updates I made to recent special feature posts on the SMS. I've made many of them date accurate to reflect this new year we're in, but the following are just factual edits or additions. Our Defunct Local Band Profile on M7K now reflects guitarist Mike Vincent's most recent work in The Bear Hunters. From our GarageBand Profile Mini-Series this past summer, I edited the Recognition and Sin Stereo profiles to reflect the removal of their iLike pages as "band pages", as they aren't really. Also from that series, I edited the Gates of Winter profile to reflect the addition of Jon Morrison on drums, but I did specify in the profile that he was not a band member when GarageBand was active, and he was only added to make the page accurate at present, as the band are still together. Finally, I edited our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Lion Ride guitarist Mark Rand's solo project, as he is now going by his real name for his solo work, instead of his Lion Ride stage name Marky Lion. With that said, I also made it date accurate to refer to the fact that his show with The Mark Rand Band last month has came and went. As more edits become necessary, I'll have them for you!
That's all for tonight, but I have a big update concerning our poll tomorrow as well, which has to do with "ballot stuffing". Details are coming tomorrow, along with more news, so stay tuned!
As promised, it's time to review last night's Skull Fist concert at The Canadian Nightclub! After nearly being rendered deaf by Kiss on Tuesday night, would my ears survive the metal onslaught the next day? Let's find out!
I shown up for 9:30, just like Facebook and the event poster said, but North Bay extreme metal trio Thekillingfield were still doing their sound check, and nothing would start for another hour. No worries, I chatted with some friends and hung around until the show kicked off! Thekillingfield were the first band, and they were the only group of the three that performed last night that I'd seen before, as the first band at last March's Cattle Decapitation show at The Oddfellows Hall. Since then, I think I'd forgotten how brutal they are! Frontman Jay Stone has one hell of a hardcore scream going for him, and his dreadlocks were flying throughout their brutally heavy set! Honestly, his vocals were overshadowed by the band's unqiue experimental music, which resembled organized chaos at the best of times, no doubt helped on the low end by bassist Jonesy Y. Knoxville! Drummer STDean Kennedy was sure banging away at the drums all night long too, he had some wickedly fast moments on the pedals! One cool part about Thekillingfield's set for me was that Isosceles Project bassist Scott Tessier (who's a VERY nice guy) gave me the reigns of the professional camera he was using to film Thekillingfield's set for the last few songs! That was really cool, and it sure added to one awesomely fast and heavy set! Not typical of most hardcore extreme bands, but if you like your metal to deviate from the norm, Thekillingfield brought it!
One unique aspect about Thekillingfield's set was the inclusion of multiple instrumental songs, which helped to make their music speak for itself. The Isosceles Project kept that trend up even more so when they took the stage next for a completely instrumental set! Their sound is basically hard hitting progressive metal with lots of unique time signatures, riffing, and an overall exciting sound! Who needs vocals anyway? Scott Tessier and guitarist Eric Euler were all over the place on the stage, clearly getting into each song, with drummer Brandon Smith keeping up capably throughout! I should add that The Isosceles Project's songs are VERY long in general, so much so that their set comprised of just THREE songs! And when their shortest clocked in at a little under 8 minutes long, you know that they pack a lot of music into their material! Their set was full of moments where, just when you think the song's about to end, you get hit with a different riff or line or solo! It was one surprise after another, and the crowd responded well! I thought that some people might have an aversion to an all instrumental band, but not with guys this talented! But with just three songs, as long as they were, I did leave their sot longing for more, and hopefully, they'll be back one day with a longer set, maybe with four or five songs!
Skull Fist were your headliners last night, and honestly, I wasn't sure how the crowd would react to them. After two bands with an extreme progressive bent, how would they respond to a classic 1980s styled group? Pretty damn well, and rightfully so! They immediately made an impression with their 1980s-styled metal gear and their stage setup, including impaled skeletons on the microphone stands (they reminded me of Geoff Peterson from The Late Late Show) and skull shaped smoke machines that absolutely flooded The Canadian with smoke! On a ratio of smoke to venue, this holds the record, especially by the end of their set, when it was FOGGY inside The Canadian! I needed a knife to cut through all that! Though there was scattered moshing and horn waving for the first two bands, Skull Fist easily got the small but devoted crowd going with their classic heavy metal sound which was balls to the wall, high energy, and in your face! Jackie Slaughter has a great vocal range and tone that easily shook the crowd, while Sir Shred had some blistering guitar solos and lots of catchy riffs for us to rock along with! Props as well to Johnny Exciter on bass and Allison Thunderland on drums, I can't complain about their playing at all, especially with the fun heavy rocking that was going on! From Jackie jumping into the crowd to getting on Sir Shred's shoulders, they gave their all last night, as I'm sure is typical for Skull Fist! Some people I knew figured they'd sound like some hair metal band. Hell no, Skull Fist were just heavy metal, and awesome heavy metal at that! Great capper to a diverse night of heavy metal!
Overall, this is one of the most fun multi-band out of town packages that I've seen in quite some time! This show, thought seemingly a better fit for an all ages concert, worked very well at The Canadian, and the fans responded well to all three bands, who gave their all for us last night! This is one of the first times I can think of in a while where I bought something from each band at a show like this (Skull Fist t-shirt, Isosceles Project DVD, and a Thekillingfield poster), so that says a lot! Awesome show, I sincerely hope that all three bands come back soon! And for the record, I can still hear! Two straight nights of metal didn't cripple my ears, thankfully! Yes, I got photos, as you can tell above, check them all out at this location or at The Sault Metal Scene's Facebook page! And of course, I got videos of each band, so here's Thekillingfield playing "To Be Joedy", The Isosceles Project playing "Whispers In The Factory", and Skull Fist playing "Sign Of The Warrior"!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for previews of this weekend's concerts tonight, hopefully around midnight! And then tomorrow, the second installment of our Kiss Concert Video Showcase goes up, along with a long awaited news and updates post! Thanks everyone!
Massively packed post tonight, with loads of major updates, including a HUGE concert announcement, and before anyone asks, Kiss news and notes are 100% of the preview post from yesterday and may very well come later today in a second pre-concert post. But yes, it's TONIGHT! Now, this post includes some updates on "Woods V", the long awaited preview of TOMORROW'S Skull Fist show, and kicking things off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!
On Wednesday, you may remember me mentioning that Sault Michigan concert promoters Allstar Promotions were contemplating bringing a huge modern hard rock package to the area in mid-October. Well, it's confirmed: Atlanta metal band Sevendust are coming to The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino on October 19th! This was confirmed by Allstar Promotions' Facebook page. Known for three gold albums and hit singles like "Unraveling", "Driven", "Enemy", and "Ugly", Sevendust are an awesome modern metal band, very catchy, and they'll be sure to rock Kewadin Casino hard in October! Joining them, as previously announced, are Knoxville, Tennesse hard rockers 10 Years (best known for their hit song "Wasteland"), Florida christian metal quartet Since October, and Austin, Texas metal band Anew Revolution! All have some good songs, check out the above links for more! Sounds like a solid lineup of hard rock, hopefully there's a good turnout! It's likely an all ages concert, it will start at 7:00 PM on October 19th, and tickets will be $20 when they go on sale on August 21 (ONE WEEK FROM SATURDAY) at the Kewadin box office! Note that Kewadin Casino's ticketing page does NOT list this show yet, but give it time, cause it's official! I'll keep you guys posted as I hear more!
Another new concert to share tonight, this time, a short notice return for a local cover band! Turner Up WILL be playing one single show this weekend, on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Fresh off their latest weekend dates at The Nicolet Tavern, the band will hit the stage on Saturday night at 10:30 PM for a night full of rock hits and awesome songs! No announced cover charge, you must be 19 to enter. Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page! Once again, I apologize for the short notice of this concert, the event page was only just created today. Should be another fun show, I still need to go out and see them with Brent on vocals though. Click the above links for more, and also, here's another Turner Up related note. Singer Brent Royer e-mailed members of the band's Facebook group on Sunday to ask fans what they'd wanna hear the band play at concerts. Got any suggestions? Contact Turner Up at the above links to share your ideas! Wanna hear more metal, a certain band or song, or something completely random? Let them know!
Now, to our long awaited preview of a concert that has really gotten lost in the shuffle amongst all the Kiss speculation. But don't let it slip you by, cause it's a very promising concert, so here's what you all need to know! Tomorrow night, at 9:30 PM, three prominent Canadian metal bands will hit The Canadian Nightclub for a concert that's sure to start a few pits! Toronto classic heavy metal band Skull Fist will be headlining on the first stop of their Wild Wild West tour of Western Canada! Prepare to get skull fisted by a great 80's metal sound that will definitely get you guys moving tomorrow night! Also joining them are two radically different opening bands that are still quite heavy! One is Toronto instrumental progressive metal trio The Isosceles Project, who'll definitely impress you guys with their proficient musical abilities and hard hitting sound! Who needs vocals anyway, these guys don't, and progressive fans should take note! Rounding out the lineup is North Bay experimental metal band Thekillingfield, who you guys will likely recognize from a few local appearances, most recently in May at Derelict's concert at Foggy Notions! These guys will start the show on the most extreme note possible, and will no doubt set the bar very high! Check all of the above links for more!
You must be 19 to enter, there is a $4 cover charge, and it all starts at 9:30 PM tomorrow night! This is gonna be one awesome show, I've been looking forward to this one for a while now, and I hope people remember this concert amongst all the Kiss hype, cause you're gonna get a lot of bang for your buck tomorrow night! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's a 9 minute plus video from Skull Fist's CD release show in Toronto in March!
Finally today, here's some new Woods of Ypres updates of varying types and moods. What do I mean by that? You'll see. Firstly, recording sessions have begun for their fifth (and apparently final) album, currently titled "Woods V", though I figure a subtitle will be tacked on eventually. As I expected, the band are recording the album at Sault Ste. Marie's Stereo Soul Studios once again, same as when they recorded "Woods IV", which has been confirmed by producer Miguel Gauthier on his Facebook page. No word on if Joel Violette will be playing lead guitar on the new disc or not, though I can confirm that both of the Madden brothers will be a part of "Woods V". A new topic on Woods of Ypres' official forum says that "Woods V" will fittingly feature five tracks, so unless they're all insanely long, this could very well be an EP. The first sessions are to record drum tracks with Evan Madden, with Miguel saying the tracks are "Charles Manson type killer", and frontman David Gold says the drums are already "crushing!" I'll of course keep you guys posted on the whole Woods of Ypres situation relating to "Woods V" as I hear more! Note that this image has accompanied all talk of "Woods V" so far, I wonder what it means?
The other Woods of Ypres related note is towards a new Twitter account, which is being used and updated by a "David Yprez", who is the "official Woods of Ypres' gossip columnist", complete with his own e-mail address, davidyprez@gmail.com. Now most of you will likely recognize the profile and background photo on the Twitter page as a clean shaven David Gold in a black and pink shirt, but just listen to what has been tweeted by "David Yprez" (likely pronounced ee-prez, a'la gossip columnist Perez Hilton.) The first few tweets were negative excerpts from a Woods of Ypres CD review, followed by inside tweets from "sources" about the sessions for "Woods V". Now, on the surface, I took these on a humorous level, as I'm sure is intended. David Gold's always had a wit, and it's in force here! But if you read into things a bit more, could this just be another layer of fog onto the whole situation of David's departure from Canada and the apparent shutdown of most Woods of Ypres activities? I dunno, but I've gotten that vibe a bit. This one tweet especially had me wondering: "Apparently "Woods 5" will be the final WOODS OF YPRES album. It is, in fact, officially their fifth album (this has been confirmed)." What say you guys? Another public diversion, a hint towards something unexpected, or just a witty tweet? The questions continue, and likely will for a while yet. I'll of course keep you guys in the loop! Check out David Yprez's Twitter page at this location, and make your own judgment!
That's all for now, but stay tuned this afternoon for one final news post prior to the Kiss concert! I'll have final Kiss updates in the lead-up to the big show, plus updates from Jake Lalonde's Musicians Institute contest, the return of a notable local band, and more! Stay tuned, and remember, a full preview of the Kiss concert is in the post below, with more coming later today!!
Good afternoon, metalheads! Big post today, including TWO LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, a concert preview for Wednesday, another band looking to play in Sault Ontario, a cool local concert photo discovery, and some more assorted stories! Let's begin, and remember, news I don't get to today will likely be posted on Thursday, due to the new profiles I'm posting over the next couple of days, unless there's something really huge to anchor a news post in between.
Three metal bands who've been hoping to play here for months now have now succeeded in their search, and will be playing TOGETHER!! I first told you guys about this possible show two weeks ago, and now it's confirmed: Toronto classic metal band Skull Fist, Toronto progressive instrumental metal trio The Isosceles Project, and North Bay extreme metallers Thekillingfield are coming to The Canadian Nightclub on August 11th! This has been confirmed in a new Facebook event page to promote the concert, with venue information also confirmed there by Tiffany Stocco, who helped to set up this booking. Note that Thekillingfield's MySpace page still lists a "TBA" date for Barrie on August 11th, but the Facebook event page seems to shoot that down. A cover charge is not known, but a guess of between $3 and $5 is listed. Because this is The Canadian, I can see the show starting at around 10:00 PM, and it's definitely 19+. This is gonna be an awesome concert, with a diverse lineup of bands that will be sure to impress! I hope to be at this concert, and you guys should go too! I'll keep you all posted with updates!
Meanwhile, local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight will hit the stage on July 17th for their first ever concert away from Coch's Corner! On July 17th, Frightlight will headline a special benefit concert at Foggy Notions to raise money for guitarist Rick White's 2 year old nephew Logan, who has meningitis that has severely affected his hearing. Money raised would go toward covering tests and surgery to be done in Toronto. Locals The Fury have been confirmed as openers, with another band to be announced. Unlike most Foggys shows, this will be an ALL AGES show from 5:00-9:00 PM! The cover charge will be $5 at the door, with of course, all proceeds going to Logan. This is a great idea to raise money, and the fact that they've made it all ages is a smart move to raise interest! I'll keep you posted with updates as they come in, and thanks to Rick for additional concert info! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page!
Thirdly today is, because there's a midweek concert, a local concert preview! And AC/DC fans, get yourselves ready, as Who Made Who, The Ultimate Tribute To AC/DC are coming back to Sault Ontario on WEDNESDAY! Just a month after fellow AC/DC tribute Hells Bells rocked The Canadian Nightclub, Who Made Who will bring their own brand of high voltage rock n' roll to The Canadian on Wednesday, in their first local show since February at Nite-Life Dance Club! If you need even more reason to go beyond hearin authentic AC/DC classics, then hear this: There will be a giveaway for KISS TICKETS! No details on what that entails, but if you want free tickets for one of the biggest shows of the year, heading to The Canadian doesn't sound like a bad idea! Doors open at 10:00 PM, admission is $5 at the door, and you must be 19 to get in. Who Made Who impressed me last year at The Canadian, and they'll be sure to deliveryour favourite AC/DC hits faithfully! They'll rock, trust me! If you can't make it on Wednesday, no worries, cause Who Made Who will be back on July 24th at The Rockstar Bar! For a preview for Wednesday's concert, here's Who Made Who playing "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" from a show in Thunder Bay!
Finally, here's another band hoping to play here in the next few months! I got an e-mail the other day from Joel Genier, a guitarist in The Prosthetic Hearts, a death metal band from Sudbury. They wanna do some touring this summer and would love to play in Sault Ontario at some point, whether that means a new booking or joining an existing lineup! Joel was even inquiring about getting on the lineup of the Breaking The Fourth Wall show here on July 30th on our Facebook page, so you can see that these guys really wanna play in the Soo! If you're interested in booking The Prosthetic Hearts for a show here, or adding them to an existing scheduled concert, e-mail the band at prosthetichearts666@hotmail.com! The Prosthetic Hearts are pretty good, they're nice and heavy, and mix death metal and hardcore pretty well for an effective mosh-worthy mix, with a sense of humour to boot! It'd be great to have them here, check them out at this location, and if you can help bring them here, e-mail them!
That's all for today, but here's a schedule for you guys on what's coming up on the SMS! Tomorrow, I will profile The Disciples of Rock and Violet Fuse in my newest Saultites in Out Of Town Bands Profile! Then on Wednesday, it's time for our new GarageBand Profile Mini-Series to begin, as we take a look at Sault Ontario's Recognition in advance of GarageBand's closure! Thursday will have weekend concert previews and the latest updates on two local music festivals, and if need be, I'll have a news post Tuesday or Wednesday, albeit well spaced from our special profile features. Stay tuned for all this, and more!
There we go, I have a new update ready for you guys a lot faster this time around! And there's some cool things to talk about today in the local metal scene, including news on Browbeat, Kiss, a possible upcoming concert, and much more! But first, here is a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!
On Thursday, I told you guys that The Canadian Nightclub was plugging an Alice Cooper tribute band as playing there on June 18th, this Friday. Well, I can now confirm which band it is, along with details on the concert! Second Coming: The Tribute To Alice Cooper will be at The Canadian on Friday for a night full of shock rock classics! Based out of Toronto, Second Coming deliver a very authentic Alice Cooper experience, both visually and musically! I've seen a few videos of these guys on YouTube, and not only do they pull off the Alice Cooper sound very well, they have a really good stage show full of theatrics similar to those you might have seen at the real Alice's shows here, just pared down to fit smaller stages! Singer Robby Cooper especially looks and sounds the part! They perform songs from Alice's 1970s albums all the way to more recent fare, and they do take requests too! Jay Perron, who you may have seen DJing at The Canadian, highly praised Second Coming to me, and I can see what he sees, I'm impressed myself! Check Second Coming out at their official MySpace page!
The show is at 10:00 PM Friday night, you must be 19 to get in, and admission is $8 at the door. Steep for a bar show? Maybe, but keep in mind the amazing theatrics you're going to get for your money along with all the Alice Cooper classics! This will be a tribute show unlike any you're likely to see here, so make it on out for this one! I'll have to see how my schedule lines up, but this sure sounds like fun! Confirm your attendance at this location, and in case you're wondering if the weekend tribute band streak continues next weekend for The Canadian, it does, as Led Zeppelin tribute Black Dog comes back to Sault Ontario!
Next up, wanna help book or play on a concert? Two bands that have recently been searching for a local booking are pairing up for a tour and wanna play here in August, so here's what you should know! It's for August 11th and it will feature Toronto instrumental progressive metal trio The Isosceles Project! You may remember me mentioning this possible show in March, the date hasn't changed from my initial posting on it. This time though, they're opening for another band that was recently searching for a local concert: Toronto classic metal band Skull Fist (pictured), last seen trying to slot us in for a concert last month! The show may also include North Bay's Thekillingfield, who just played here last month at Foggy Notions with Derelict. The e-mail I recieved couldn't 100% confirm them, but The Isosceles Project list them as opening for the Sault date on their MySpace page.
Tiffany Stocco e-mailed me, she's been trying to help set up this show for here, though not everything's finalized. The Canadian was pointed to as a likely spot for the concert, but they still need an actual booker. If you want to either book this show or play on it (cause they're looking for local openers) on August 11th, e-mail Tiffany at this location! I guarantee some awesome music if it happens, though it'd be quite the diverse lineup of bands. Click the links above to check them out, and HELP GET THIS SHOW HERE!!
Thirdly, I have more Browbeat news! Yeah, I know, I've had them a lot lately, but they've had some big stuff to share, and today continues with that pattern! Frontman Dutch Vanderploeg has uploaded some audio demos onto their new Reverbnation page, on which he played all instruments! Nothing with the current lineup yet, though I imagine it can't be too far off. This is the first time I can recall that they've had audio on a band page, previously I think it's just been jam and live videos. Three songs are uploaded there, a slower song named "Days Gone By", a mid-tempo tune named "Delays", and my favourite, "So They Think", which has an awesome intro and some nice heaviness to it! Dutch is definitely better on guitar and bass than drums, but these are cool samples into what to expect from Browbeat going forward! Solid stuff, heavy enough to headbang to but with nice melodies and structure as well, check the songs out by clicking here! Can't wait to hear some songs with the current lineup too, I've heard nothing but good things about the band as they are now!
Next, I have a news story that I frankly should have had up on the weekend but it got pushed aside a couple times too many. You guys remember that Kiss are planning to play here, right? Or are you still a skeptic on the subject? Well, let's see what you guys think of this. Craig Huckerby of SooNews.ca posted an article on the site on Thursday where it's mentioned that Rock 101 was teasing radio listeners that Kiss ARE coming here, they just can't say when. Essar Center events manager Trevor Zachary wouldn't confirm or deny what Rock 101 said on-air, saying that nothing would be announced without word from the promoter, though Scott Cook from Rock 101 said that a date had been tentatively reached. My take on this: It's at least a sign of life that the show will happen, I have faith that it will, I'm certainly not a skeptic. Kiss are good with their word, and we'd be sure to make Kiss happy with the turnout and all that! Click here to read the article!
And finally, three quick news stories in order by band name:
Another new band has announced their involvement in the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival! Grand Rapids pop punk band Dannison are listed as playing at Kewadin on July 23rd, which is night two of the festival, with Three Doors Down as headliners. Not metal, but seeing as they're on the same festival as confirmed metal acts, they're worth mentioning! Check them out above if you want! Dannison join Finding Clyde & StilrizE as confirmed openers on night two, no openers for other nights are known yet.
Sault Ontario hard rockers Half Past have joined Reverbnation! Their page there includes a short band bio, member listing, and three videos of live performances of their originals! Nice to see another band taking advantage of Reverbnation, more should! Check out their page there at this location!
A couple quick Woods of Ypres updates! The band are currently in Sault Ontatio, though sadly not for a concert, just for pre-tour rehearsals. No local show yet, hopefully they'll play one here at some point! Their North American tour kicks off on Friday in Thunder Bay, with the band heading west, then through the States, before a handful of Ontario shows to cap off the tour! Also, remember how the band are closing up merchandise/CD sales? Well, according to a status update on their Facebook page, you will still be able to buy their stuff on iTunes, so keep that in mind!
That's all for now, I will have more news and updates by Thursday, hopefully sooner! Friday, there will definitely be a post though, as I will close down our current poll on battles of the bands, share the results, and launch a new one! Oh, and expect my next CD review next week! Which Sault Ontario album release will get a review? Time will tell!
Back to assorted news this afternoon at the SMS, and we'll start with a new band on the lineup for an upcoming show! Afterwards, a potential new local metal concert, another local concert video, a band's search for a new drummer, and photos from a recent major concert!
Remember yesterday when I mentioned that there would be openers to be announced for Garden of Bedlam's April 2nd website launch concert? Well, I can now confirm that it will be Half Past! It's on the Facebook event page and the band have announced their involvement on Facebook themselves, so there's my sources. This will be Half Past's first concert since last month's weekend set at Foggy Notions, and if I'm not mistaken, will also be their first ever concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Great to see them booking more shows, they should deliver some great hard rocking tunes! So there's all the more reason to head out to The Canadian on Good Friday! Remember, it's at 11:00 PM that night with Crank Sound Distribution and The Rad Zone in tow, it's likely 19+, no cover charges have been announced. I'll be there, and I'll keep you guys posted with any more updates I have on this show! As for the fundraiser in Garden River, I've heard things about the rescheduling, but I won't announce anything until the band does. Stay tuned!
Next up, yet another band is looking to play here this summer! I don't know how the other bands I've mentioned are doing in their venue search for here (click here for which bands are on the hunt), but we have another, so here's what you promoters and venue staffers should know! Toronto progressive metal trio The Isosceles Project are hoping to play in Sault Ste. Marie on their Ontario tour on August 11th! They're bringing a locally familiar band with them on this leg: North Bay's own Thekillingfield, last seen locally last March at The Oddfellows Hall! They're also scheduled to back up Derelict in May, so we could get them here twice in four months! Anyone out there interested in booking The Isosceles Project and Thekillingfield on August 11th? Send them a message at this location! The Isosceles Project are really good, lots of long (by long, I mean 10 minutes+ long) progressive metal songs with tempo changes and dynamics! They're also unique in that they have no singer, they're an instrumental band! I really like these guys, it'd be awesome to have them here, hopefully some bookers out there are interested in getting them here in August!
Thirdly today, new live video from Destroilet! On Saturday, you may remember that I shown you guys a video from their December debut of their Fist Magnet cover "Evil God Hater" (It really is cool that they covered a local band, that doesn't happen enough!) Well, the band have uploaded another video from that concert at Coch's Corner onto their YouTube channel, this one being a cover of the song "My Erection" by The Dayglo Abortions! And if you're offended by the song title or band name, don't blame me! Also, why hide the truth? Same cameraman that filmed the Fist Magnet cover, so the same video issues are present: The backs of my and everyone else's heads are clearer then the band, though the audio is good! However, it is affected a bit by chatty concertgoers nearby. More punk than the last one, good energy, though I wish I could see the band. Check out the video below!
Next up, it appears that Social Play drummer Chris Smith has left the band, as confirmed in frontman Dutch Vanderploeg's Facebook status. That in itself is news, as Chris is a good drummer, a nice guy, and it's sad to see him leave the former Browbeat after only one show since their return! I won't pry into the reasons in case there's anything touchy, but at least you can still see Chris on bass in the local rock band Wishbone! That being said, Social Play are looking for a new drummer! Dutch says that you don't even need a kit, all you need is the will to give it all, be serious about drumming, and be able to learn around 35 original songs. As Social Play don't have a band page at present, e-mail Dutch on Facebook if you, or someone you know, are interested in drumming for Social Play! Hopefully someone comes around, I've always been a fan of Browbeat/Social Play and it'd be great to see them back on stage!
And finally for today, some great pro-quality photos have been posted online by Nixxon Dixxon from their supporting performance at the Pop Evil benefit concert last month! Six photos are now up on their MySpace page'sphoto album, which take some interesting angles you don't see too often at local concerts, like this one from the side of the stage! They were taken by Dan Dodge from Evart Michigan's Photography By Dodge, so the photography isn't by anyone local, but Evart is Graveyard Tan's hometown, and they were also on the bill for this show, so there may be a connection there! I haven't seen any of Dan's other photos from the Pop Evil show, saying that he took more, but if I do, I'll have them here! For now though, check out the six Nixxon Dixxon photos at this location!
That's all for now, just to spread things out a bit! Remember, tonight is The Cancer Bats at The Essar Center in support of Billy Talent! Sure, it's not a total metal concert, but it's a major show with one metal band playing, so it's worth re-mentioning! If any Cancer Bats videos surface after the show, I'll have them here too! Next post will also have a new event page for an upcoming show, and much more, so stay tuned for all that!
After three shows in three months, local hard rockers Sneaky Pete will play a full weekend set for the first time ever next weekend! The veteran quartet will return to The Roosevelt Hotel on July 1st (Canada Day) & 2nd for a weekend of hard rocking covers for their fans at The Rosie! Nice to see the shows ratcheting up over the long weekend, and it's nice to finally see Sneaky Pete twice on a given weekend too! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend these shows, and everything starts at 10:30 both nights! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be good shows, and you're in for some talented hard rock covers from this group of experienced and skilled local musicians, so definitely consider a run to the Rosie over the long weekend! Stay tuned for updates if they come in!
The other new show is a special fundraiser event, so here's what you should know. One week ago today, the Shaule family residence on Placid Avenue was severely damaged by a fire, of which the cause is currently unclear. No one in the home was hurt, but this was understandably devastating, and you can read more at this location. As such, a benefit/fundraiser is being hosted at The Verdi Hall on July 8th (two weeks from tomorrow) that will also double as a concert, and there is some SMS-coverable bands already announced! Local hardcore bands As It Stands and Changing Waves have been confirmed for this event, as has local solo artist Lisa Steinwedel, with more acts to be announced. Nice to see some metal bands rallying together to help the Shaule family in this time of need! The Verdi Hall will have it's bar open for this event, though it is all ages, so remember ID if you want to order anything alcoholic. Tickets are $15 for this event, and you can purchase them from any of the people listed at the Facebook event page. At least 50 will be held at the door if you want to wait until then, but I'd recommend buying advance tickets in case the door tickets go fast. And before anyone asks, yes this is a public event. As It Stands wouldn't have plugged it on their Facebook page if the general public wasn't welcome.
This is a great event that will hopefully raise some well deserved funds for the Shaules in this troubling time! My dad's home burned up in a fire when I was 6, and we lost the cat, much of my dad's magic equipment, and most of our possessions in it, so I remember how it feels. I personally don't know the family, but I feel their pain! Definitely consider making it to this event to help the family out, they could use it! As always, stay tuned for updates on this fundraiser as I hear them!
We close today with new videos, and first, did you miss The Isosceles Project when they hit The Roosevelt Hotel on May 23rd? I did, thanks to computer issues (that was around when I traced them to overheating), and I'm still bummed out about it. If you're disappointed at missing this talented Toronto instrumental metal band in action, than good news, as a local concert video from the show is now online! Despite repeatedly calling our city "Sue Ste. Marie", this indeed from the May 23rd concert, and it's of The Isosceles Project playing their 11+ minute original song "Oblivion's Candle"! Filmed on a stationary camera sort of on the side/back of the stage, it was uploaded onto the band's YouTube channel earlier today. Looks good, though the sound is slightly distorted, I'm not sure why. It just sounds kinda off. Makes me wish I was there even more though, they're at their usual proficient and energetic selves here, though bassist Scott Tessier doesn't come through too well due to his stage placement. Solid stuff though, hopefully they come back to town soon! Check out The Isosceles Project playing "Oblivion's Candle" below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for my long overdue news from Half A Man, Rotaryfest & LemmaFest lineup details, and more very soon! Thanks everyone!
