Two More Recaps Of Metal Morpheus Episodes On The Borderline!!

We've fallen very behind on recapping episodes of Metal Morpheus on local internet radio station The Borderline, so let's dive into some more back catalog episodes! I was originally going to look at episode #17 from October 24th, which was all about local metal bands, including a few from Sault Michigan, but that episode was quietly taken down for unannounced reasons and re-aired as last night's episode with a heavily altered track listing. I have no idea why Josh overhauled it like this, but we will look at it on the site when we catch up to December in the timeline! Instead, let's stay chronological with the October 31st episode, which began a new theme for the series, as host Josh Amendola is starting to spotlight metal bands from around the world with country-specific episodes, weekly local bands aside! Rather than starting with prominent national scenes, it looks like he's going in alphabetical order.

Josh started this theme with a 64 minute episode all about metal bands from Afghanistan, and if you've ever seen Sam Dunn's excellent documentary Global Metal, you'll know about the cultural differences and persecution that metal bands can have in the Middle East, so it's nice to see Josh putting a deserved spotlight on bands from that region! The first half of the episode is entirely devoted to the same band, namely Kabul-based atmospheric black metal band Almach, who get four songs played on air, including "Battle of Tours" (1:00),  "Dream Elegy" (10:00), "Sons of Umayya" (19:20), and "Kandahar" (25:45). The second half starts with New Jersey-based Afghani death metal project Strains of Bellum with their 2020 songs "Alive" (35:20) and "Children of Isis" (40:35), before closing the themed portion of the episode with masked groove/progressive metal band District Unknown.

That band is heard via two songs of their own, namely "64" (44:50) and "Portraits" (52:40), before Josh acknowledges the loss of two local soldiers from the Soo fighting in the war in Afghanistan. Nice of him to pay respect in this way! He wraps things up with that week's local pick, namely hard rock guitarist Tym Morrison's non-album original song "Mystical" (1:00:35), so picked due to its Middle Eastern themes. Solid episode to take us through three promising metal bands whose Afghani roots definitely impacted their music, and I especially liked Strains of Bellum, so give the whole thing a listen above! As for the following episode on November 7th, the 67 run time belies the fact that it's topic (music from Albania) doesn't really have a huge recorded metal output, but Josh does make up for that by starting the episode with a historical lesson on Albanian music and its cultural origins.

Kudos to him for sticking with alphabetical order despite the obvious challenges for certain countries, but he clearly has his limits, given that some countries were skipped before his Austria episode on Nocvember 28th (was there not enough bands from Australia? Parkway Drive would fit!). Unlike the vast majority of recent episodes, a song list is not given on the episode's page, but the first song played is by Albanian progressive death metal band Gverr, entitled "Fail Philosophy" (4:15), followed by speed metal band Thunder Way's song "The Order Executors" (9:50). Black metal band Nihil (not Nile, different band) follow with their entire 2014 EP "Nën thundrën e dhunës", featuring the songs "The Majestic Word of Darkness" (16:30), "The Dark Side of Lust" (19:50), and "Macabre Ruins" (22:55), though Josh doesn't credit any of those songs by name. Death metal solo project Ethernil are played next via the song "Age of Awakening" (26:50).

The first half of the episode ends with the ambient/black metal project Cryptorsatan via their song "Hymn Ov Sathanaa (Weapons Ov Death)" (31:25), while Josh jumps back to death metal to end the Albanian portion of the episode with the band Aten's "I Call Upon Thy Name" (37:40). Possibly as a consequence of a lack of Albanian metal songs, Josh spotlights five acts with local talent to end the episode, starting with his old extreme metal band Winkstinger, via an Alan Wells-era live recording of their original song "Sadist" (44:45) from 2011, though Josh doesn't credit then-rhythm guitarist Jason Ladouceur by name in the intro. Josh does allude to recording an album that was never put out during his stint with the band, but I never heard pray tell of that outside of this episode. The deleted October 24th local-only episode aside, the first ever Sault Michigan band on Metal Morpheus is next!

Specifically, Josh went with alt-metal trio Weed via their 2007 song "4:20" (50:55), but I think he got his wires crossed keeping all these band bios straight, as he credits Papa Fogals Chair's Andy Chillman as being in the band (they were definitely from Sault Michigan, featuring ex-Clownsack bandmates). Josh next plays a song by defunct local punk band Proposition 86, namely "Scapegoat" (55:40) from their self-titled 1998 cassette tape, though I'm surprised he never mentioned that their drummer was late Woods of Ypres founder David Gold! Soo native Jeff Nisbet's old Kitchener-based solo project is next via the instrumental "The Juice" (1:00:55), and the episode ends with inactive local/Toronto hardcore punk quartet Detroit with their quick original "Spiritual Warfare" (1:04:30), specifically the "Brace For Impact" re-recording from 2009. Well, that was a lot to take in, but this was also an entertaining episode!

While the Albanian bands are definitely more obscure as a rule with not a lot of back story to draw from, I applaud Josh for trying to put the spotlight on the ones that he could, and it will be interesting to see what he can wring out of other perhaps unlikely countries! Just needs to pin down correct details moreso, especially on some of the local bands. Listen to both of these episodes at the above links, and stay tuned for more from Metal Morpheus as the month rolls along, including the next live episode this Sunday at 9:00 PM on The Borderline! Thanks everyone!

Early Fallout From Rotaryfest's Music Stage In 2021, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Cinderella guitarist Jeff LaBar, who suddenly passed away on Wednesday at the age of 58. At press time, a cause of death hadn't been revealed, but he is survived by his son, Tantric guitarist Sebastian LaBar. Visit your preferred rock music news sources for further details as they roll in. Local fans may recognize Jeff from his appearance with Cinderella at The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in April 2011, not to mention their Hair Scare-approved classics like "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)", "Nobody's Fool", and "Shake Me" that fans got to see singer Tom Keifer perform solo here just before the pandemic began. I'm not a diehard glam metal fan, but Jeff was a talented guitarist who supplied strong work where needed, and our best wishes go out to everyone affected by his loss. R.I.P. Jeff!

Now, today's post is otherwise all about Rotaryfest, which returned to in-person activities yesterday in drive-thru form in the parking lot outside of the former Lowe's, and you can see video from early in The Steeltown Playboys' opening set yesterday in this SooToday article, plus shots of Ribfest and some of the paths vehicles take. From what I have seen in Facebook photos, organizers opted to bring the Clergue Park-era Stage 2 set (or a close facsimile) to Lowe's Plaza for the bands, rather than cart the much larger Stage 1 set north. If you want to have your FM radio ready before arriving, the frequency carrying the music is 107.1 FM, which is interference free, as there are no proper local stations immediately around it. I can confirm that 107.1 FM does carry music before/between bands, presumably to keep the music going for everyone who attends if they choose, so you can leave the radio there for convenience.

A video of Blues Harvest's reunion set is floating around personal Facebook pages, and things seem to go smoothly, but I can't confirm if the audio is from a car radio or if it's the much quieter live sound. Chris Paci (who filmed a lot of major concert videos pre-pandemic) told me that attendees could get out of their vehicle to see the bands if they wore a mask and maintained social distance, and vehicle-less attendees were asked to watch in the grassy hill by Pennington's. The live music feed was loud enough to be audible without an FM radio, so while it's still quieter than normal, keep that in mind. Lastly from his report, there was a lot of honking in usual applause breaks, which seems to go with the territory (thanks again, Chris!) You can also read more about the 2021 Rotaryfest changes in these preview articles by SooToday's James Hopkin and via The Sault Star's Brian Kelly, plus new photo postings from the newspaper.

The Sault Star's article said that only every second parking space in the stage area would be allocated for attendees, with 50 cars estimated as a maximum attendance, and organizers saying that most attendees would likely only stay for two bands. Be advised that all of this came out while Ontario was in Stage 2 of re-opening, and specifically planned to abide by it's regulations. Despite the province entering Stage 3 yesterday, this follow-up article by Brian Kelly confirms that the already-planned format is not changing, as it's too late logistically and organizers are fine with how safe it is. Most of the articles otherwise are just going over the rules to enter and safely get ribs/see the bands, while optimistically talking up this year's format and the hope for a return to Clergue Park in 2022. Kudos to The Rotary Club for doing what they can to ensure that this year's festival takes place safely!

Finally, here's the debut single from Rotaryfest newcomers Jonesy Land... at least in name! While the band you'll be seeing at 7:00 PM tomorrow is a proper punk band paying tribute to frontman Dustin Jones' back catalog, the Tidal Records YouTube channel posted this video last month for their song "Sunshine Parades" which features a softer reggae-inspired sound and motivational lyrics about seeing better days and coming together, with suitable photos interspersed with videos of Dustin singing neck deep in water and while strumming the guitar on the beach. So far, this is the only Jonesy Land-branded song that has been released, but Dustin had been posting occasional new acoustic originals online during the pandemic that were never tied to one of his bands, so are they for Jonesy Land? In any event, the video does not feature any of the backing members of the live band you'll see tomorrow.

The song is fun and cheerful, and perfectly fits the lyrical content, so fans of Dustin's softer and folksier music won't jump too far to see where he's going with this! Time will tell if Jonesy Land is just a name for Dustin's truly solo exploits of if tomorrow's show is actually the debut of a proper full-time band (they don't truly have social media pages yet), but give "Sunshine Parades" a watch below, and maybe we'll hear it tomorrow?

That's all for today, but stay tuned for new news posts in the coming days, and don't miss day #2 of Rotaryfest tonight, with the final 7 bands playing tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Fluid 5ive), Northwest & Highway 63 Updates, And Much More!!

Here's a new news post for this late Sunday night, including some assorted shorter stories, big lineup updates, and full details on a recent album release, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for at year's end... literally!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will end 2018 with a bang when they headline The Rockstar Bar's New Year's Eve party on December 31st (a.k.a. next Monday!) This will be the first show from this talented veteran group since last month's Habitat For Humanity Builders Bash, and their first at this venue in just over a month, and this should be a prime opportunity for New Year's Eve revelers to get a solid dose of hard rocking hits next week! The Monday night timing is unfortunate, but if you can swing a trip out, this should deliver the heavier goods! As usual for The Rockstar Bar's New Year's celebrations, this event has 8:00 PM door opening times and a 19+ age limit, and while admission is at $10, remember the holiday ties and the drink specials and party favours that are expected at such a bash. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on New Year's weekend hard rock concerts in the area as they roll in!

Next up, local indie punk quintet Northwest's second EP "Songs From 2015-2017" was successfully released last night at their release party concert at LopLops Lounge, and it's also now on sale via their Bandcamp page, so what should you know on their sophomore effort? Recorded since mid-2017 at Mission Control Studios with producer Dustin Jones, the EP was later mixed and mastered by Kyle Whittaker of the St. Catharines-based Strange Pumpkin Studio, who had previously worked with fellow locals K.I.C.K. and Brendan Hodgson on their own studio releases. Mirroring their 2014 debut, "Songs From 2015-2017" features four songs, namely "Swayze Train" (no relation to the defunct Sault Michigan band), the previously unveiled "Sorry Sunday" & "True North", and "Hangover Habits", with their prior unreleased original "Drinking Games" nowhere to be found. Also, the album artwork was provided by photographer Keith Descoteaux.

I cannot speak for the physical distribution of the EP from LopLops last night, but Bandcamp copies run for a $4 minimum, and yes, you can stream the whole thing for free there.I've heard good things from the release party, and I'm glad to see that Northwest gave their second album a successful launch, so be sure to pick it up or stream it at the above links! And yes, "Songs From 2015-2017" will end 2018 as our last album review of the year, so look for that at some point later this week, definitely by Monday!

Also today, here's the latest from Sault Michigan classic/hard rock veterans Highway 63, who returned after a year+ long hiatus from the stage at Dondee Lanes' own Double D Bar & Grill on Saturday! As revealed at that night's Christmas party (and on their own Facebook page), we can now confirm the full identities of the band's two new members, so who's now in the fold? Now on bass is George Belleau (replacing Chris Leask), who fans may recognize from playing in the preceding rock cover bands RamWagon & Full Throttle with existing Highway 63 guitarist Nathan Switzer. The other new addition is the band's first ever permanent keyboardist, namely Brian Drumheller, who previously played in popular local cover acts like The Hixx and The Mamas Boys (the latter alongside Highway 63 frontman Henry Switzer.) George and Brian are both talented musicians with existing chemistry with the Switzers, and hopefully the new lineup rides this momentum well into 2019!

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

• In October, Sault Ontario grindcore solo project Crucify the Whore announced plans to record an EP named "Crucifiction Inquisition" (complete with cover artwork), and shared said post anew on their Facebook page earlier this week. No other details were given, but Blood Shed diehards will want to follow C.T.W. above for details! 
• Veteran local drummer Jeff Stuckenbrock is looking for a keyboardist with backing (or perhaps lead) vocals for his new "hard rocking" band, albeit one that is "not metal". Acts like Alice Cooper, April Wine, and Grand Funk Railroad were cited as bands they're tackling in some form, and he would prefer videos if you have them. If you're interested in trying out, message Jeff at this link or via his Musicans Wanted Facebook group post from December 9th!
• The True North Talent Entertainment Christmas concert at Soo Blaster on Thursday (featuring Winkstinger) now has a confirmed MC, namely "ShakaDoctor", who I know nothing on. If we hear anything, we'll let you know! This was confirmed on a new event poster, which curiously doesn't credit some of the openers, namely The Dynowaves, Trace Prince, DQ, and Sawbe. If that was on purpose, we will again let you know later this week!

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

New Solo Videos, And Much More Recent News & Notes!!

In what may be our last news post before kicking off Halloween concert previews on Thursday morning, we're covering some assorted recent updates (including the three bumped from Saturday's post), plus some new videos, so let's begin with a new guitar cover from Jack Spades/Stegadeth guitarist Tiffany Stocco's YouTube channel, notably her first posting on there since last year! This is a cover of The Distillers' "Dismantle Me", and while not stated there, this has to be a teaser for her upcoming sets at THIS FRIDAY'S Halloween Party concert at The Algonquin Pub, where she will channel Brody Dalle on guitar and vocals in a one-off Distillers tribute band. For what it's worth, personal Facebook postings indicate that Tiffany will be joined by current bandmate Johnny Belanger on drums, alongside A Dire Setback frontman Chris Nielsen on guitar & Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque, and the four will also serve as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and H.I.M. tributes that same night

This news surprises me, as that's a lot of work to put in for one concert, but everyone here is very talented, and it'll be interesting to see how each tribute set looks and sounds, especially with The Distillers and H.I.M. not being regular cover selections locally. As for Tiffany's Distillers cover video, it's a fine rendition with a good tone, and fans should enjoy her take, but does she have a handle on Brody's singing too? We'll find out on Friday, but give Tiffany's guitar cover a look below!



Next up, veteran local rock drummer Jeff Stuckenbrock is hoping to return to local music and has posted a handful of videos to the Musicians Wanted Facebook group since last month in the hopes of drumming up interest in jamming with like minded performers. Two videos feature him playing on a djembe & cajon, but the other three are of him on a full drumkit, including videos linked here & here, with the longest and most recent one below. Jeff hasn't been involved in local bands in a long while, but he showcases solid skill in the videos he's shared, and it'd be cool to see him back out there in a new project! Click here for more details, and here's Jeff in action this fall!



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

• The all ages Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall on October 30th (next Tuesday) has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page earlier this month. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but public updates were slow to nonexistent after the event page went online last month. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, I know many fans were eager to see a new Oddfellows metal show again after far too long!
• In their first Facebook page posting since May, local/Toronto Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide revealed that they are recording new material at Mission Control Studios, and that the songs are "guaranteed to put a pep in your step." No word on if this is towards their fourth studio album or not, but recent live drummer Chris Johns is tagged in the attached photo, implying that he's taking over for Mikey Hawdon behind the kit for at least these sessions. It's been over 6 years since the last new Rising Tide CD, so hopefully the new tracks prove to be worth the wait, and see above for more details as they roll in!
• Local power rock quintet Re:Born have parted ways with singer Robert Nevitt, as per their Facebook page on Thursday. The split is 100% amicable, with the band citing "time commitments" for Robert's exit, though the door was left open for him to guest with the band in the future. Re:Born have only played three public concerts to date, but Robert was progressing well as a frontman, and hopefully he turns up in a new band down the line! No word yet on a potential singer search, but fans of their predecessors Project 421 know that guitarist Blair Burch can handle lead vocals if need be.
• Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie has changed it's name to Shaw Spotlight, which appears to be a nationwide change with the cable provider's local access channels, presumably as an acknowledgement of the stations "spotlighting" their communities. Despite teasers reflecting a new Facebook page, that is for the national Shaw Spotlight networks, and is not geared only to the Soo, so I won't update our link yet. Hopefully some more local music content finds it's way to channel 10 soon, they're a quality resource!
• I have moved local Foo Fighters tribute quartet The Soo Fighters to our inactive band links. A Cherry Crush side project, this band played twice publically last fall, but were primarily formed to play at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, and have not shown any public sign of life since. The one year mark from their last public update will be on Saturday, and despite launching a Facebook page at the time, it looks more & more apparent that their run was a short term thing for the season. Don't miss Jules & the Amendolas with Cherry Crush, and hopefully we hear more from Jeremey soon also!
• Mik & Steve guitarist/Pixo Control alum Steve Edwards is again looking for a drummer "to form an original band", preferably between 18 and 30-something in age, and who "must be committed to practicing and playing." I don't know whether this it towards an expansion of Mik & Steve, a revival of Vol., or a new band entirely, but Steve's been looking for a while, and hopefully the right drummer comes along soon! Message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday if you're interested in trying out!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Jeff Hagan

After a slight delay, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly spotlight of YouTube channels featuring content primarily on local metal, hard rock, and punk artists & concerts, as randomly selected from our 200+ YouTube subscriptions! This month's selection features lots of concert footage from some major recent concerts, so here's what you should know!
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Jeff Hagan (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_KmHRJvgtcTvFpNyGLgRA) 

Owner: Sault Michigan-area resident Jeff Hagan

Channel Timeline: Launched on September 12th, 2013; Videos posted from January 2014 through May 2017

Channel Summary: With one exception, Jeff's channel is devoted to videos from hard rock concerts at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie last year, including one of Pop Evil and sixteen of Alter Bridge. Jeff's first upload, footage of a snow removal truck in January 2014, is the sole exception.

Why You Should Watch: This channel will be of primary interest to Alter Bridge fans, especially as Jeff filmed almost their entire setlist before the encore (only three or so songs didn't get filmed by him), while Pop Evil fans will appreciate his video from their concert last year too! The snow removal video may be of interest for those aware of last year's winter conditions in the area, but has no musical connection beyond it's hosted channel. Also, note that this channel hasn't seen any visible activity in the past year.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

100 in a 55 - Pop Evil: Jeff's first concert video on his channel came from Muskegon hard rock quintet Pop Evil's headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater on February 26th, 2017, and it's of their early hit single "100 in a 55". Filmed at a high but zoomed angle, the washed out lighting, muffled audio, and the abbreviated length don't help matters, but it's a solid video for diehard Pop Evil fans! Other videos from this concert are floating around on YouTube, primarily at this link (which also includes this concert's opening acts.)



Alter Bridge - Intro/Writing on the Wall: Jeff's remaining 16 videos come from Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge's headlining concert at the Soo Kewadin on May 16th, 2017, including videos of their songs "Come to Life", "Ghost Of Days Gone By", "Cry of Achilles", "Addicted to Pain", "Rise Today", "Metalingus", "Open Your Eyes" (erroneously uploaded twice), "My Champion", "Crows on a Wire", "Blackbird", "Slip to the Void", frontman Myles Kennedy's acoustic renditions of "Watch Over You" & "Wonderful Life", and as featured here, their opener "The Writing on the Wall" and it's preceding introduction. The audio has it's muffled moments, but this is a nice entry into Jeff's Alter Bridge uploads, and he has a nice central angle of the band from his high vantage point!



Alter Bridge - Waters Rising 5/16/17: The lone video of Jeff's not linked above is of Alter Bridge playing their song "Waters Rising", notable for featuring guitarist Mark Tremonti on lead vocals. This song doesn't reach the thrash levels of his namesake metal band Tremonti, but it's a solid performance from their "Fortress" album, and well worth a watch for long-time Alter Bridge fans! This concert was blessed with loads of YouTube videos from multiple channels (some featuring openers In Flames), so be sure to search for them on YouTube for alternate takes and songs that Jeff didn't post, including of the mid-set marriage proposal.


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll be looking at multiple channels again, as our first randomly selected channel only had 3 videos of the same style, and our second only had one period, so it's another triple header for June! Our next profiles will be on the channels of former F.A.T.I.L. guitarist Brook Moreau (featuring 3 solo covers) user deresti64 (featuring a Tea Party concert video from last year), and Maltheas (featuring a Treble Charger song posting), so look for those on or around June 26th, and for more news on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase!!

I'm still trying to clear out a lot of news from my pile that I've let build up too much, so here's our ninth post in the last 5 days, all about new videos! Today, we've got new videos from the David Gold memorial concerts, a local band's new instrumental demo, a heavier cover from a local indie band, and this week's classic video, so here's what you need to know, and check out our latest news post below this one for local album updates, news on a concert venue's move, lineup updates for the Humane Society Battle of the Bands, and details on Reverbnation's new look!

Let's start with some new David Gold tribute concert videos from YouTube user Laura Lee Louise, who posted five new videos related to the local & Toronto events on her YouTube channel on Thursday! Two are from the Toronto memorial show/"Woods V" CD release party, including London metal quartet Kittie covering Woods of Ypres' "Evertything I Touch Turns To Gold (Then To Coal)" and part of David's mom Esther's speech to the Toronto crowd, so click the above links to check them out! The staticy audio issues on Laura's camera are evident on the Kittie video, but the video of Esther came out well, and it's good to get another view of her thanks to David's fans and friends! The other new videos all relate to the local show, Windsor stoner metal band Gypsy Chief Goliath in particular, with the first two dealing with the night before the Ypres Metal Fest. One is right after the band arrived at The Canadian Nightclub the night before with remarks from frontman Alex Petrovich about the ride and some initial plans, and the other shows Gypsy Chief Goliath locked out of their hotel room at The Canadian Motor Hotel, and what happened when they got in. Interesting to see videos of a band's pre-concert happenings like this, so click the above links to see them!

However, the other new video of Laura's is of Gypsy Chief Goliath covering Woods of Ypres' "Suicide Cargoload (Drag That Weight)" at the Ypres Metal Fest last week, and though the staticy audio remains an issue, it's nice to get a close and clear alternate angle of Gypsy Chief Goliath in their local debut, so check out this newest video from the local David Gold tribute concert below, and stay tuned for more David Gold tribute show fallout!



Next up, Brimley metal quartet Half A Man may not be playing at the end of the month with Fifth Way anymore, but they're staying busy with the recording of their first EP, and a taste of one of it's tracks has been posted onto YouTube! Drummer Mikey Bishop uploaded this instrumental demo of their new original song "Release Me" onto his YouTube channel last month, which I apologize for missing for so long, but how does it sound? Pretty good, but I'll hold full thoughts until the full version (hopefully with the full album) comes out. Check it out below, and stay tuned for more updates from this hard hitting Sault Michigan-area quartet!



Thirdly, longtime readers of the SMS may know that I'll share videos from non-metal local bands on here occasionally if they cover a metal or hard rock song live. Well, when I was researching info for our Downtown Showdown profile the other day, I came across this video from June of last year of local indie rock quintet The Tenagens covering Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", so I thought I might as well share it here! Uploaded by YouTube user jacksonnite, this appears to be from a function at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School last year. This is one of the hardest Queen songs to do justice to, and as such, the quality is extremely uneven, with the intro & opera section ("Scaramouche, Scaramouche", etc.) noticeably suffering in listenability and timing, but the rest of it is admirably played, especially the early ballad stretch. I applaud their effort here, but I'd much rather hear their originals, even if indie rock isn't something I listen to much of. What I would like to find is their cover of The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" that they played at the Smeltzer reunion show, that turned our surprisingly well! If you wanna hear The Tenagens tackle Queen, then check out the full video below, and hopefully they return to activity this summer!



And finally, here's this week's classic video! Late, I know, but we've had a lot of news this week that helped push this back. With Caveman Morrison's gigs this weekend at The Roosevelt Hotel, I decided to revisit them for a new video upload, and like our last three uploads of theirs, this video is from a late 2009 concert at The Rockstar Bar. The last video from this concert that was posted in .swf format on Caveman Morrison's website, this is of their cover of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough", and it's notable partly for featuring then-drummer Jeff "Shrek Ogre" Richards on lead vocals! During his 2009-2010 run with the band before moving to Barrie, Jeff frequently sang and drummed on Tragically Hip covers at their concerts, and though you don't hear them cover The Hip as much nowadays, these were fun to hear when they occured! Also featuring frontman Tym Morrison on guitar and former bassist Rick White (Jeff's Frightlight bandmate in 2010), this video was ripped from http://tymmorrison.com/cavemanmorrison/video2.html, and apologies for the video quality. The lighting's hard to correct, fans got in the way of the attendee's camera, and the green watermark from the original conversion program late in the video was already on the original file.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Caveman Morrison and the original filmer, I'm just trying to share this performance with a deserving wider audience! It's a solid performance as one would expect (though not especially heavy), and Jeff has a decent singing voice, so if you can look past the video quality issues, give this 2009 Caveman Morrison video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a special all-video post dedicated to a local recording studio's recent original song blitz, so if you're interested in new Sault Michigan metal and hard rock material, definitely stay tuned tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Frightlight), Plus More Frightlight News & This Week's Classic Video!!

Let's get your Friday going right with a pile of news, and most of it revolves around one band, who have a lot of big announcements on their plate, though we also have this week's classic video to round things out. So let's kick things off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight will return to the local stage for at least two shows over Halloween weekend! The shows were announced via a press release that the band sent to SooToday yesterday, so click here for the full article! First, the band will rock Bossy's Pub N' Grub on Friday, October 28th for the first time, in what will also be the first metal concert at the former Smack Daddy's since Hollow's reunion show there last month! Interesting spot, but Frightlight will bring the horror to Bossy's as only they can at this show! Details on possible cover charges, additional bands, and times are not out yet, but I expect this will be a 19+ concert. When I hear more, I'll let you guys know! The other new local concert will be the very next night, as Frightlight will presumably headline the sixth annual Coch's Corner Halloween Party! Always a highlight of the Halloween season, Coch's Corner pulls out all the stops to give a Halloween ambiance to the bar each year, and expect lots of great music and good times to go along with it! Last year, there was a costume contest too, so look out for that on October 29th as well! Admission should be around $5, which isn't standard for Coch's Corner shows, but is definitely worth it! I'd expect a 9:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit as well.

As for the complete lineup, that isn't out yet, but for reference, the Halloween parties in 2009 & 2010 featured Half Past & Winkstinger respectively, along with one-off cover bands Glamoween in 2009 & The Mothermakers last year (who shared identical members.) Also, both of these shows will be among the first featuring Frightlight's current lineup, but we'll have more on that later. Awesome to see Frightlight back for some big concerts next month, and I'll definitely at least be at the Coch's Corner Halloween party, but in terms of scope, their biggest concert is happening a couple days before...

... as on October 26th, Frightlight will head to Toronto to open for horror punk legends The Misfits at The Phoenix Concert Theater! How about that for a concert? Frightlight will join Chicago punk standouts Juicehead and Toronto-area punk bands Rehab For Quitters, The Unbelievers, and Bi-Kneel at this concert, which is part of The Misfits' tour cycle in support of their upcoming album "The Devil's Rain"! This is awesome news for Frightlight, and it's great to hear public word of them playing with such a legendary band as The Misfits! For the record, this show was the main focus of the SooToday press release linked above. Now, being that the show is in Toronto, you may be wondering why we're covering it in extra detail on The Sault Metal Scene. Simple, because you can buy tickets for the show locally! The Rad Zone at The Wellington Square Mall has limited tickets available for this concert for $32.50, so if you want to take a road trip down to Toronto on Wednesday, October 26th, get your tickets A.S.A.P. at The Rad Zone! Yes, you can buy tickets online or by phone too, but you won't get saddled with shipping or other additional fees if you buy them in person. For complete details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome concert, so if you can make it to Toronto on October 26th, definitely head down to see The Misfits and Frightlight together on stage! Get more details at the above links!

And finally in Frightlight news, the band appears to have parted ways with drummer Jeff De Rose. Though still listed on Frightlight's band pages, he's not credited on their Misfits show press release linked above, and through some additional searching, it definitely looks like he's out of the band. I don't know why he left, but everything looks amicable. Under the stage names "The Count" & "Dr./Mr. Bates", Jeff had been Frightlight's drummer for about a year, after replacing Jeff "Shrek Ogre" Richards in August 2010. It's disappointing to see Jeff leave, but hopefully he'll pop up behind a drumkit again soon! Though not officially confirmed on band pages, it looks like Jeff has been replaced by Half Past drummer Chris Thompson, making him the band's fourth drummer in under two years. He's credited solely as "Thompson" in the band's press release, implying that that's his current Frightlight stage name. Solid choice, especially given Chris' talent and his past work in Fitswitch, seeing as he, J.D., Rick, and Kevin were all Fitswitch bandmates for a time in the mid-2000s! In fact, click here to see all four of the now-Frightlight bandmates playing "March of 1,000 Corpses" at The Canadian Nightclub as sort of a preview of what's to come! Chris should do great in Frightlight, and stay tuned for their new lineup's debut late next month!

Lastly for today, here's this week's classic video! I honestly couldn't find many suitable non-YouTube videos to tie in with any metal bands playing this weekend, so I'll dip into the general archives for a video this week, but for which band? Lion Ride, they'll work well! I chose a video of the talented quintet playing their new original "Bang Bang Bye Bye" at a 2009 concert for this week, but I'm not 100% sure where it was filmed. Judging by past tour dates and photo evidence, I think it's from Lion Ride's show at Maxwell's Music House in Waterloo, Ontario on April 25th, 2009, but correct me if I'm wrong. If that's all correct, this is the earliest video I've seen of the band playing "Bang Bang Bye Bye", and it features their 2009-2010 lineup, including then-bassist Diamond Brent Panther (now of Maximum RNR.) Very good quality, though I think newer versions of the song have a bit more aggression to them. This video was originally filmed by attendee Rob Schramm, who uploaded it to his personal Facebook page that same day, and you can see the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=80227591746.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! I want to share this video with a wider audience like it deserves, and all credit for this video goes to Rob and Lion Ride! Also, I did come minor colour correction to the video after uploading it, but it didn't need much work. With that said, check out Lion Ride playing "Bang Bang Bye Bye" in Waterloo(?) in 2009 below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes over the weekend, and our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Paricide on Monday! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: Jeff Nisbet

One more feature post for the month of June, now in it's new permanent spot near the end of any given month, and for just the second time, we are taking a look at a solo artist originally from Sault Ste. Marie! As always, this series profiles and discusses bands and acts that, though not based here, feature at least one local member. That continues today, and hopefully you guys enjoy what I have for you guys in this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Of course, please tell me if I have anything incorrect, missing, or misstated, but for now, check out this month's profile below! (Updated on November 26th, 2014)
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Jeff Nisbet (Kitchener, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Jeff Nisbet (all instruments)

Official Reverbnation page: http://www.reverbnation.com/jeffnisbet
Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/jeff-nisbet/354155820749
Official SoundCloud page: http://www.soundcloud.com/jeffnisbet

Local Info: Fans of the local scene from the 1990s are bound to remember Jeff Nisbet, most notably as guitarist for the defunct local punk band The Spigots! They (and Jeff) were prominently featured in Paolo Colasacco's book "Going Underground" if you want to read up on some of the more detailed elements of Jeff's run as a prominent local guitarist, which included numerous concerts at The Windsor Hotel during "the second wave". Click here to listen to a rate Spigots original! However, Jeff was a metalhead first and foremost, growing up playing metal in the 1980s, eventually forming the local metal band Broken Halo during his high school years. Though Jeff got a Bachelor of Arts in classical guitar, he opted to seek employment in other fields, now owning a Kitchener-based consulting firm, though he never dropped the guitar!

Band Bio: Though largely playing the guitar for fun in recent years, Jeff launched solo band pages in early 2010 to share some of his original compositions with a wider audience from his current base in Kitchener. Old fans of The Spigots may be hoping for punk, but this stuff is straight up metal, and Jeff certainly hasn't lost a step over the years! His original tracks posted on his Reverbnation & SoundCloud pages are all very proficient, while being very heavy at the same time! They don't follow rigid structures, the drum arrangements are well done, and it's hard to believe when listening that just one guy is doing all the work! Jeff has an ear for heavy riffs and melodies, very thrashy feel to everything, and his solos? Very nice! I can only imagine how this would sound live, or with vocals. I understand the lighter approach to his solo work, but it'd be cool to see these songs progressed further, cause Jeff himself is doing everything right to make some really fast, thrashy, and awesome heavy metal tracks! His solo project appears to be inactive (with no updates since August 2011), but definitely become a fan, you should really dig his solo work!

The above links contain some nice solo work, so check the above links to hear his five posted solo originals, but remember that I did link a classic Spigots original above as well! Because there are no videos of Jeff's solo work online, I decided to upload one of my favourite Jeff Nisbet tracks onto our YouTube channel! I mean NO HARM with this upload, I want people to hear his work, and hopefully he'd feel similarly! NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED! With that said, check out "The Juice" below, and much more at the above links!


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There we go, I hope you guys enjoyed this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Next month, we'll return to a full band, as we'll focus on another band from Saultite (and prolific musician) Ash Richtig! As I alluded to when we profiled The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles in April, we will indeed take a look at his Windsor-based sludge metal band NeanderTHRALL next month, hopefully on July 26th like we originally promised when we announced the new feature post schedule (it got lost in the shuffle of other news and computer overheating this month.) So look out for that next month, and stay tuned for more news, weekend concert previews, and much more very soon! Thanks everyone!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more local metal news and notes very soon, including weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Turner Up & Caveman Morrison), Two Lineup Changes, And New Woods V Videos!!

Another packed news post today, as we discuss the newest "Woods V" updates and the drummer changeover in TWO local hard rock bands, but first, here are some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!! (Check the post below this one for our third, and likely final, Kiss Concert Video Showcase!)

(UPDATED: 12:31 PM Wednesday) Turner Up have booked two more short notice concerts! This time, the local classic hard rock quintet will make their way to Foggy Notions for on Friday and Saturday night! This time, they'll be at 10:30 PM with a likely cover charge of $3, and as usual, they will be a 19+ affair. So in other words, there are typical shows for Turner Up, so your drawing pull for this show is to enjoy some live rock music! Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page, and again, sorry for the short notice, I only just heard about these shows yesterday. Should be fun, and if you've been waiting to hear the Brent Royer-fronted lineup of Turner Up online before checking them out live, here's your chance! Bassist Jeff Gray has uploaded a video taken of the band (with Brent) onto his personal Facebook page from a recent concert at The Rockstar Bar! This one features Turner Up covering (oddly enough) Gavin DeGraw's song "I Don't Wanna Be", a.k.a. the theme song of "One Tree Hill"! I can't embed Facebook videos here, but check it out, they make the song heavier and Brent shows some good singing! Click here to do just that, and I'll keep you posted with more updates!

Next up, we have more new dates from local metal trio Caveman Morrison! Coming off their debut show with Browbeat's Dutch Vanderploeg at The Vibe Lounge, the band have scheduled three dates for next month! They'll first hit the stage on September 11th at a different venue AND show than we typically hear about, as they will be the opening band for Tony Lee, XXX Hypnotist at a Sault College Frosh Week event at The Outback! Aside from the uniqueness of the show, this will be their first show with their new drummer, which I will have information on in a second. Interesting to see a metal band opening for a hypnotist, but hey, this will expand Caveman Morrison's reach even further! Also, Tony Lee's a good (and funny) hypnotist, but believe me, the "XXX" is warranted, so if you're easily offended, take note. Caveman Morrison start at 8:30 PM that night, with Tony Lee at 10:00 PM, it's absolutely 19+, and I believe Sault College students either get free admission or a discount. I'm not entirely sure, but when I heard verified info, I'll tell you guys! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page!

The other new Caveman Morrison shows are a week after their Sault College set, as they return to familiar surroundings at Foggy Notions! They'll play two sets there on September 17th and 18th, the Friday and Saturday of that weekend, both of which have a likely $3 cover charge and 10:00 PM start times! If you don't want to risk any "non student" issues at Sault College, and just want to relax with a beer and check out some great music, the weekend after will have you covered, as Caveman Morrison break out their familiar and awesome brand of metal! I think I might just hit these shows that weekend, I'm LONG overdue to see Caveman Morrison live! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page, and check the above links for much more on the band and both shows!

Now, a major lineup change that impacts TWO local bands, as both Caveman Morrison and Frightlight have parted ways with drummer Jeff "Shrek Ogre" Richards. The reason behind Jeff's exit from both bands is that he's moving to Barrie, reportedly for work-related reasons. Jeff had been with Caveman Morrison since the band relaunched locally last summer, replacing Greg Sutherland behind the drumkit. He played with Caveman Morrison frequently, and also contributed vocals on select songs, notably on Tragically Hip covers. Jeff later replaced Larry Mousseau in Frightlight earlier this year, and will appear on Frightlight's upcoming debut album, "It's A...Live!!" It really sucks to see Jeff leave both bands, he was a very good drummer and added a nice dimension to them both, but hey, life happens, and you gotta pay the bills somehow! Both bands have quickly found replacements though, so there'll be no worries on that front!

Frightlight frontman J.D. Pearce confirmed on their Facebook group that another Jeff has taken the drum position in the band, that being former Strictly Classified drummer Jeff De Rose! I've heard good things about him, we'll have to see how he does with the new band! As for Caveman Morrison, the band haven't made a public announcement concerning a new drummer yet, but I can confirm that one has been selected! Their new drummer is Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Lowrie/Belanger, who you'll also likely recognize for his work in Devastation of the Heavens, among other defunct bands. This can be confirmed at his personal Facebook page, and he debuts with Caveman Morrison on September 11th, so keep an eye on that!

Finally today, we have new Woods of Ypres videos! Yes, there's more from them as they near the conclusion of the "Woods V" sessions, of which the vocal recording has just recently started! This is an in-studio preview video of "Woods V" from Stereo Soul Studios featuring instrumental previews of all five songs, as uploaded on frontman David Gold's YouTube channel! The first two songs and the last one are basically filmed footage of the computers with the songs playing in the background, but the third and fourth feature frontman David Gold playing along on his guitar with his t-shirt tied around his head! Must have been hot that day. I REALLY like how the fourth song is coming along, while the last one sure sounds ominous and dark, probably perfect giving the finality of this album. Good stuff, check it out below! Also note that there's a second in-studio preview clip on his channel, which you can check out at this location, but it's part of the longer full preview video below.



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more very soon, including (finally) the new Barking Eye articles, weekend concert previews, new Kiss videos (I have at least one more), and lots of other stories! Also, make note that this past month's SMS poll ends on FRIDAY! I know I said the 18th the last time I mentioned it, but I forgot that I pledged to give this poll an even 30 days thanks to last month's computer issues, so it won't be up tomorrow. Stay tuned!