LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Exit 808, Generations, And Curtis McKenzie) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up another batch of weekend concert previews today, but it's supplemented with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), and a brief teaser clip from one of the bands in question, so here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced this past Saturday on their Facebook group when revealing their March dates, and while we covered the other shows at the time, we held TOMORROW'S for this weekend's previews due to the already late notice. This will be Generations' first concert since rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub three weeks ago, and their first at Sault Ontario's casino since January. If you want a night of fan-friendly and diverse classic/hard rock covers from this experienced quartet you know where to go TOMORROW! Remember, Gateway Casino doesn't host live music on Fridays, and Generations aren't playing elsewhere tonight. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, here's some shows with advance notice, including Sault Michigan hard rock sextet Exit 808's return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Saturday, March 15th! Four months removed from their debut at Bay Mills' on-site lounge/concert venue, this show was quietly announced on their Facebook page on March 2nd when they posted a teaser video that we'll outline in a second, and this show will be their first anywhere since their I-500 pub crawl gig at The Merch early last month. Good to see Exit 808 back after a quiet month+ stretch, and hopefully things go well in Brimley next weekend! No word on if there will be a St. Patrick's Day theme at the Back Bay and/or on the band's end, but note that Bay Mills' events calendar only lists the actual holiday (Monday the 17th) as having a tie-in event. This 21+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time and no advertised cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

As for Exit 808's teaser video, the 11 seconds-long clip features guitarist Alex Zimmerman and (seemingly now full-time member?) Blaze Beairl playing a new cover for their setlist, with Blaze playing guitar himself in the clip. Someone's holds a bass neck in frame but we don't see who is doing so. A commenter seemed to accurately guess that they were playing an Ozzy Osbourne song (possibly "I Don't Wanna Stop"), and while it's way too short to accurately judge the cover, maybe you'll see them play the full thing next week, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

Also, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock/grunge singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert on March 20th! This will be Curt's first stop at The Dive for a traditional concert since the start of February, and it was first announced via the venue's March concert cale-+-ndar on their Facebook page. It's always good to see the former Haggith/Eclipse frontman back on stage, and hopefully his hard rocking unplugged covers get another strong response from attendees and fans alike in a couple of weeks! All of the action in The Dive's "naughty corner" goes down on Thursday the 20th at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more show announcements and updates from Curtis when they roll in!

Finally, we'll wrap up this weekend's concert preview by heading to (well, under) The Distraction on East Street, where Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their second local concert appearance TOMORROW NIGHT! Unlike their local debut in May of last year, tomorrow's show will take place in The Stellar Door, the basement venue space under the barbershop proper, as has been the case for all scheduled rock concerts at The Distraction since the summer. Greg and crew made a strong presence on local fans last year with their folk punk originals and high energy live sound, and hopefully they get more of the same tomorrow!  This year, they won't be the closing band though, with new and online page-less local space rock duo The Spaceship Opening getting the honours tomorrow, and hopefully we learn more about them in due course!

Two solo acts will kick off the night, including local folk punk solo project Agnosticism (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) in their first public set of 2025, and local folk musician Tucker Lidstone, who has played at a couple of folk/acoustic-leaning events at/under The Distraction in the past year. This all ages concert has a $15 or "pay what you can" admission fee, and doors open at 7:00 PM. If you like a nice variety of alternative rock, you'll like what The Stellar Door is hosting tomorrow, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Greg Rekus & The Inside Job live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some long overdue fallout from recent major concerts next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Dayglo Abortions, Greg Rekus & The Inside Job, And Bone Yard 225), And More!!

Here's a stacked news post on this Monday night that features a surprise kinda-sorta album release 2+ years in the making, but let's lead off with three big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few months!

Local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 will make their Soo Blaster debut for a one-night-only event on Saturday, February 22nd! You do occasionally see covers-leaning rock bands headlining at Soo Blaster, as seen from past gigs from bands like Half Past and Fort Creek, so such a booking is usually a sign that they have big plans and upward momentum locally, and that is definitely the case for your local 225. Of course, the guys have three studio original songs now, they recently got a lengthy interview on The Borderline, and they have big plans for shows locally and afar in 2025, so hitting the big Soo Blaster stage should be a good stop as they continue their late-period rise! No word on any specific frills given the larger venue, but expect merchandise and their infamous "Bone Yard shot". This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard's big show ahead!

Next up, Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their second local concert appearance when they return to The Distraction on Saturday, March 8th! Fans may recall seeing Greg and crew at the former barbershop in May of last year, but when they return next month, this show will take place downstairs in their basement venue space The Stellar Door, which has hosted all of The Distraction's concerts since the summer (I know that the Ripcordz show downstairs was a huge hit, but the upstairs barbershop space is unique and I hope it gets used for concerts again!) Unlike last year, The Inside Job are not the advertised headliners, with new and online page-less local space rock duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring former Redundant bassist Andrew MacDonald) getting top billing. We still don't know a lot about this band, but in case nothing is posted online prior, you can learn more next month!  Local folk punk solo project Agnosticism (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) will open in their first concert of the new year.

Kicking off the proceedings is Tucker Lidstone, an acoustic folk singer/songwriter who you may have seen at The Distraction opening for former(?) Sylo frontman Eli Russell and playing at last fall's Sewing In Solidarity event, but this is the first time that he's crossed our radar on a heavier/punk show. Doors open at 7:00 PM for this all ages basement event, and admission is $15 (up from $10 last year) or "pay what you can". Greg & The Inside Job should deliver a solid set of folk punk amongst this diverse array of local talent, so don't miss out on all of the action at The Stellar Door next month, and visit the above links for more details!

Also newly confirmed is the long awaited return of Victoria, British Columbia hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions to Sault Ste. Marie when they rock the aforementioned Soo Blaster on Thursday, May 8th! This will be the Cretin and company's first local date since headlining at Soo Blaster in May of 2023, following two well received gigs at the former Roosevelt Hotel in the early 2010s and many in prior decades, though the Soo's half-own Spades GT have opened for The Dayglos in Southern Ontario in the interim. Should be good to have their ferocious old school punk attack on home soil once again, so don't miss out in spite of the work/school night scheduling! Two touring bands are joining The Dayglo Abortions on their cross-Canada spring tour, including Vancouver-based "west coast skacore" quintet Dirtnap and Prince Edward Island folk punk band The Devil's Punchbowl, both making their local debuts.

Hardcore punk fans will find Dirtnap to be closer spiritually to Dayglo, but there's a diverse array of punk stylings here, which will be kicked off by local hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails in a rare Soo Blaster appearance. This will be a huge feather in their cap, so don't miss their fast and intense originals in May either! Doors open at 6:30 PM for this all ages concert, and tickets will run $20 in advance (presumably in time on Soo Blaster's website and through Ha!ls members) or $25 at the door. For reference, the advance ticket price is identical to 2023, but the door charge this year is actually $5 less. Hardcore punk fans will not want to miss this huge concert in three months, so see above for more details!

Finally, here's a surprise, as inactive local hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley have posted what would have been their debut album on YouTube! As you may recall, this young group were working on an album from at least late 2020 onward, and included their song "Stuck In Rotation" on the "Clusterfolk" compilation album in 2022, but public activity dried up after that fall aside from posting a belated music video for "The Village" in June 2023. The 40 minute album was uploaded to their YouTube channel on January 29th, in both a single video format and as 11 individual songs. The upload order of the individual songs on the channel is is not accurate to the order on the full video, so the songs in presented order are "Onto The Path/Where Do I Go?", "The Uncanny Valley", "Middleman", "Something To Believe In", "This Love Is Psychedelic", "The Oracle", "The Village", "Glowin'", "Fumblin' Through", and "Wastin' Time".

Their early original "Sweet Like Sugar" didn't make the cut, nor did "Stuck In Rotation", though the Clusterfolk compilation has the latter in full studio splendour. No idea if the band's logo was intended to be the cover art right along, for the record. This obviously isn't the ideal release method for what Adrian, Matt, Brenden, and Dylan had in mind in the early 2020s, but even 2+ years after they fell inactive, I'm glad that these songs finally saw the light of day! Nice slices of psychedelic and classic rock-tinged original material with solid melodies, and while not a proper paid album, do check it out on YouTube above and below to support what The Uncanny Valley worked on in their heyday!

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

The First Half Of This Weekend's Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews!!

Another busy concert weekend is upon us, but this weekend, it's not because of a holiday! Yes, it is the Memorial Day long weekend in Michigan, but I only know of two hard rock shows in the E.U.P. from one band. This is just a busy weekend as we near the summer season, and as such, we will have to break up our previews into two posts. Today's previews involve bands playing tonight or tomorrow in some description, with the Saturday or Sunday-only shows from Pet Retina, Tym Morrison, Generations, and Agnosticism being previewed in tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know to start in rough chronological order!

We'll start with the first of two shows at The Distraction on East Street in a three day span, as Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their local concert debut TONIGHT! If you appreciate folk punk (particularly the full band, Rising Tide-esque type), you will like Greg and crew's original music, which benefits from a raw, more direct style and lyrics more themed around tough times and social issues, and they should get a good response from local fans in this special Thursday nighter! This show will have a wide array of styles on offer from its three scheduled acts, including Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson and local hard rock quintet HeadFirst (in their Distraction debut) as the opening acts. HeadFirst's hard rocking sound (augmented by their new studio single "Don't Care, Don't Mind") should get some positive attention, and DJ Seith's turntable mixes are well done!

Tonight's all ages festivities at the former barbershop have a 7:00 PM start time, and admission is under a "$10 or pay-what-you-can" model. While folk punk is the main attraction, there is a little something for everyone tonight, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Greg Rekus live!

Next up, let's head north to The Water Tower Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will play the last traditional concert of their early 2024 concert slate TOMORROW NIGHT! Like last year, this talented foursome will be taking the summer off from the normal weekend bar grind aside from festivals & private bookings, so if you're hoping to see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve in a public nightclub setting after tomorrow, you'll have to wait for September 6th-7th at The Esquire Club. Tomorrow's show will be Silent 9's first at the Great Northern Road venue since January, and hopefully their hard rocking and crowd-friendly covers get another strong reception! Remember that The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly acts, with this Saturday's band there actually being Nova Scotia blues rock duo Claverhouse in a rare show (and EP release!) here from a touring band, so keep that in mind if you want something a little different!

We will address Silent 9's public summer festival appearances on the SMS soon, but note that their website's calendar claims that they will be making their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut in July. In Rotaryfest's case, I traditionally wait until the festival releases the full schedule (last year, it was on May 26th), but either way, keep that in mind! Tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Silent 9 live!

Now let's head back downtown, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage at Gateway Casino for another "uncorked" concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Normally, bands only play at the Sault Ontario casino on Saturday nights, but tomorrow's rare Friday nighter appears to be due to Gateway Casino's 25th anniversary celebration, with the concert being one of multiple special events going down tomorrow, including a $2,500 cash draw, a t-shirt giveaway, free cupcakes, hourly hot seat draws all day, and dinner specials. Of course, congratulations to the casino on a successful 25 year run, and here's to 25 more! Concert-wise, this is an acoustic show as usual for Bone Yard at 30 Bay Street West, and if you'd rather see them "uncorked" tomorrow rather than next week at the aforementioned Water Tower Pub, you'll wanna head downtown for their show and all of the 25th anniversary festivities!

No, Bone Yard 225 are not scheduled for a Saturday nighter elsewhere this weekend. Tomorrow's Gateway Casino concert has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard acoustic live!

Finally for today's previews, let's head across the river to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Peril will return to the E.U.P. for Memorial Day weekend concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen in our neck of the woods at the end of April in Sault Ste. Marie (which I regrettably missed covering here, apologies again), these will surprisingly be Peril's first St. Ignace dates of 2024. No official promotional image for these concerts yet, but they are definitely on, and hopefully Peril draw in a solid crowd both nights for the long weekend! If you can't make it, Jeff, Adam, and Brooks will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the end of June. This weekend's concerts are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a few years back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Greg Rekus & The Inside Job, Bone Yard 225, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison!!)

Another concert weekend is upon us, but let's infuse things with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! This is a relatively quiet weekend as heavier shows go, but with new announcements beyond this weekend, things are filled out well, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his bi-weekly arrangement at Misty's Fifties with another matinee concert on SATURDAY NIGHT, but before then, he will make his debut at the newly opened Dive Gastro Pub TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on his show at The Dive, it was only announced this past Thursday via Tym's Facebook event page, with the venue corroborating that with their own event page yesterday. The Dive is the new restaurant at 648 Queen Street East, taking over the building last occupied by Low & Slow in March. Click here for details on what The Dive offers as a restaurant and bar, but they're dipping their toes into concert promotion right away with "Think It Over Thursdays", featuring acoustic musicians every Thursday evening. Soundcheck frontman Cameron Oliver led off last week with a country set, and Tym's rock covers are second up TONIGHT, so come check out the new digs and perhaps try the menu!

If you're curious, former Jack Spades bassist Steve Shaw plays there next Thursday. Tym's show takes place at 6:00 PM TONIGHT with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover, while his bi-weekly return to Misty's Fifties on Second Line West is on Saturday at 4:00 PM with otherwise similar ground rules. If you can't make it to Misty's this weekend, Tym has at least three more shows coming up there through the end of next month. Visit this link & above for more on TONIGHT'S and Saturday's shows, and here's Tym live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these bookings were only announced via the band's Facebook page earlier today. TOMORROW'S & SATURDAY'S shows are fill-in gigs for the previously advertised Mustang Heart, who have dropped out of this weekend's bookings, apparently due to guitarist Lorenzo Fabbri recovering from shoulder surgery, as per that band's Facebook page. Hopefully he gets better soon! Now, as per The Esquire Club's early 2024 concert calendar, Soundcheck are also scheduled to play there next week, but did they and Mustang Heart swap weeks or are Soundcheck now playing back-to-back weekends there? As nothing I've read mentions next weekend, I'll treat them as Soundcheck both for now.

Of course, Soundcheck (sans Cameron) are hosting jam night at Jay's tonight too, but as for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, their late notice Esquire Club shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. Kudos to Soundcheck for stepping up, so don't miss their varied and often hard rocking cover slate this weekend, and here they are live!

Also this weekend, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play previously announced concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place, but the guys have also announced their concert slate into early June via this calendar on their Facebook page! We already knew about their Water Tower Pub show on Friday, May 31st thanks to the venue's advertising but the rest are new to us, so where else are Greg, Alex, and Warren playing ahead? On Saturday, May 18th, Bone Yard will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for a one-nighter on the Victoria Day long weekend, so if you want some fully electric entertainment for the May 2-4 ahead, go to Dennis Street! From one downtown venue currently only booking bands on Saturdays to another, Bone Yard 225 have also booked gigs (likely "uncorked" ones) at Gateway Casino on May 24th and June 8th, so fans of their acoustic stylings have two likely chances to see them in that fashion!

The other new show will see Bone Yard "FAFO" at Reggie's Place once again on Saturday, June 1st, another one-nighter due to their gig at The Water Tower Pub the previous day (they are not booked on Friday otherwise for the new shows after this weekend, and I don't yet know if a different band is playing at Reggie's on the 31st). These dates are all 19+ affairs with no cover charge, and aside from the Gateway Casino gigs (9:00), all start at 9:30 PM, this weekend at Reggie's included. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's upcoming shows, and here they are live!

Finally, let's completely leap out of this weekend for one more new show announcement, this time at The Distraction on Thursday, May 23rd when Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job make their local debut! Musically, I'd compare Greg and crew to Dustin Jones & The Rising Ride, but rawer and with lyrics more based on the issues and hard times, so to speak. Genre fans will find a lot to like from Greg Rekus' original material, and they should attract a solid audience to the East Street venue in two weeks! A mosaic of styles will be on offer for the scheduled acts, with local openers including hard rock quintet HeadFirst (in what I believe to be their debut at The Distraction) and a turntable mix set from Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson, who is no stranger to mixed genre events like this (remember when he opened for Ha!ls here?) "Music, dancing, (and) art" are promised for attendees on this night, so keep all of that in mind.

An all ages show as usual for the former barbershop, doors open at 6:30 PM on May 23rd, and admission is $10 or "pay what you can". This should be a good time for folk punk fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this concert, and look for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), Peril Concert Previews, And Treble Charger on MuchMusic!!

For the first time in 2022, we have a new post that is not 3 days from the previous one! Not necessarily because news is perking up, but because there's actually a pair of concerts to preview this weekend, obviously not in Ontario though given the current restrictions (though we'll have more on the new re-opening timeline on the site soon.) Alongside those previews, we have a very cool video upload with a prominent local band, but leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Hulbert Happy Hour in nearby Hulbert Township for one night only on Friday, February 18th! This will be Project 906's first gig at this venue since way back in 2019, as well as their first show of 2022, and their second concert set with new drummer Odin Osogwin. However, this is actually a rescheduling of a concert originally planned for this past Saturday. While we did miss it for coverage on the SMS when  the Facebook event page went up two weeks ago, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the show to be postponed five weeks, with news breaking in a post on the event page on January 12th. There's no partial lockdown in Michigan right now like in Ontario, but clearly some venues are still being very cautious, and hopefully things are sufficiently quieted down by Presidents Day weekend! Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover.

And as usual, please respect and follow any public health and safety measures in effect at Hulbert Happy Hour (at 10402 South Maple Street) to ensure everyone has a safe and happy time next month. It's a shame that the pandemic cost this show its original date, but the omicron variant is what it is and everyone's adjusting however they can, so hopefully next month's date sticks! Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates from the Project 906 camp as we get them!

Next up, while Project 906's show this month was postponed, we do finally have weekend concert previews for the first time in 2022, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! As best as I can tell, Kewadin have not been cancelling concerts due to omicron, but please adhere to any and all public health and safety guidelines posted at the lounge/casino if you come out this weekend. This weekend's shows are Peril's first anywhere in 2022, and their first in Sault Ste. Marie since February 2020, and while they did return to the E.U.P. with St. Ignace Kewadin gigs in the fall, it's probably pretty obvious why they haven't played in the Soo in almost two years. It'll be great to see Jeff, Adam, and Brooks back at The Rapids Lounge this weekend, so keep these rare gigs in mind!

Peril are not scheduled to return to either Kewadin branch in the first quarter of 2022 after this weekend, but their sister band Scarkazm will be at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace in March, pandemic willing. Peril's Rapids Lounge gigs this weekend have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Peril live!

Let's head north to Canada now, as another archive video of inactive Sault Ontario/Toronto indie/punk band Treble Charger on television has surfaced on YouTube, this time from the 2001 installment of MuchMusic's old Snow Job outdoor concert festival! In case you forgot, Snow Job was held annually from at least 1993-2002, and featured (mostly) Canadian bands & musicians performing outdoors at a Canadian ski resort to a live audience and on TV proper. In March 2001, MuchMusic held Snow Job at Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, with Treble Charger joining Our Lady Peace, Shaggy, and Crazy Town as that year's featured acts. If you want more info on Snow Job 2001, visit the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine backup of it's old Much website page. Almost 40 minutes of Much footage was uploaded by YouTube user TheLasko45 last week, so there's obviously a lot to take in!

Yes, Treble Charger footage from Snow Job 2001 was already uploaded by YouTube user tiffanyminx11 over a decade ago, but her videos only add up to 19 minutes, and are mislabeled by one year. The video proper (which features two vintage MuchMusic commercial breaks!) sees Treble Charger as the first band to play that year, and they were introduced by then-MuchMusic VJ Bradford How. Set-wise, Treble Charger played "How She Died", "Cheat Away", "Friend of Mine", "Favourite Worst Enemy" (preceded by Bradford asking Greig and Trevor about the song's inspiration while on the slopes), "Brand New Low", "Business" (preceded by the band snowboarding), "More's The Pity", "Mercury Smile", and "American Psycho". If you're into watching old commercials, the breaks are at 6:51 & 22:06. I don't know about you guys, but I had a lot of fun watching this set back!

This long of a Treble Charger concert video is cool enough (tape hiss excepted), but what put things over the top are the visuals and special elements that an outdoor winter concert at a ski resort provides, from the mountain scenery to snowboarders doing their thing behind the stage to Rosie wearing a ski helmet & goggles, and even a challenge during "Brand New Low" for a fan to chug 4 bottles of ginger ale during the song! I don't know what the temperature in Sun Peaks was that day, but I didn't see anyone's breath, so I doubt it was as cold as the Soo has been over the last week! Definitely worth a watch for Treble Charger and old school MuchMusic fans, so check it out for yourself below!

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

Battle Of The Bands Rewind Profile: The 2015 VM Radio Battle Of The Bands

One year ago today, the first annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands commenced at The Canadian, so in that spirit, here's the return of our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profile series! I'd debated waiting until the 25th (one year from the finals), but I thought it'd be best to get this up now as we continue the lead-up for this year's VM Radio Battle (which begins this coming Wednesday), and we'll have much more on that soon as well. As in our past battle profiles, this is strictly an informative feature with no reviews or criticism of the competing bands, either from the event or their activity since. Hopefully this brings back some fun memories, so here's our first of two straight battle of the bands profiles from last year!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2015 VM Radio Battle of the Bands (March 4th-25th, 2015)

Background: A spiritual sequel to 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce partnered with then-new local digital radio network VM Radio (and their parent company Village Media), Tidal Records, and sponsors Case's Music, Maxx Graphics, and The Sault Metal Scene to host the first annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands on every Wednesday in March 2015 at The Canadian Nightclub. 11 bands (up from 9 in 2013) competed for numerous prizes in a staggered weekly competition, with three semifinals taking place on March 4th, 11th, and 18th, and each night's winner (plus the highest scoring runner-up band as a wild card) re-convening at The Canadian for the finals on March 25th. Like in 2013, judges scored the bands on aspects of their musical ability, chemistry, stage presence, and crowd engagement (among other factors) for a total score out of 300 each night, or 100 points a judge, while individual awards were scored on varying criteria depending on the award's type.

Prizes: The first place band would receive $1,000, a professionally produced electronic press kit & video from VM Radio, and a large framed plaque for their victory. In lieu of prizes for the runner-up bands, individual awards were instead offered for finalists & semifinalists alike, including Case's Music gear packages for the Best Guitar Player & Bass Player, a new microphone from Right Hook Mics for Best Vocal Performance, a custom drum skin from Maxx Graphix for Best Drummer, recording time with Tidal Records for Best Original Song, a Budweiser/Marshall amplifier beer fridge for the Fan Favourite Band, a case of Bomb Energy Drinks & a Bomb t-shirt for the Most Energetic Band, and a $100 Rad Zone gift certificate for the Most Enthusiastic Fan.

Competitors: The semifinal on March 4th featured three competing bands, including local death metal veterans (and reigning Viva La Battle winners) The Bear Hunters, indie/folk rock quintet Honest Job, and newer metal trio Infamous, with alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control filling out that night's lineup as a guest performer out of competition. The March 11th semifinal featured all female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats, grunge/metal standouts Haggith, progressive rock quartet Mannapool, and new pop punk group Stereo North, while March 18th's semifinal featured rap/metal project The Apocalypse Afterparty, post-punk/garage quartet Gnaeus, alternative/hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din, and classic metal quartet Project 421.

Results: The winners of each week's semifinals were The Bear Hunters, Mannapool (as part of a close 8.5 points spread between that night's four bands), and The Apocalypse Afterparty, while Gnaeus claimed the wild card slot for the finals. The other night's runner-up bands were Honest Job & Haggith, and Infamous finished in third on the 4th, but no other nightly or overall results were announced for non-finalists. In the March 25th finals, Gnaeus overcame their wild card status to edge The Bear Hunters by two points to claim their second battle of the bands title in 20 days time, with Mannapool & The Apocalypse Afterparty finishing in third and fourth place. Among individual prizes, Bear Hunters members Mitch Sirie & Johnny Belanger each won the Best Guitar Player & Drummer prizes, while Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie won Best Vocal Performance, Honest Job bassist Jared Fridy claimed the Best Bass Player title, and Gnaeus won Best Original Song for their track "Circles".

As well, The Apocalypse Afterparty were the Most Energetic Band, Project 421 won the crowd-voted Fan Favourite Band award, and Danger Cats drummer "Calico" Katie Maskell was chosen by organizers as the Most Enthusiastic Fan. 

Aftermath: Gnaeus continued to play major concerts throughout 2015, and have recently been busy recording their debut album "Loomings", while The Bear Hunters have enjoyed a similar trajectory, with their sophomore effort "The Dead Testament" now in production. Mannapool have largely been working in studio since this battle, releasing their album "Full Hearts, Half Hearted" in December, while The Apocalypse Afterparty have not played live since, with their "Bufflesnort" EP and a new lineup currently in the works. Honest Job & Infamous have both been fairly quiet since mid-2015, while both The Danger Cats & Haggith disbanded that same summer, albeit after both conducting studio recording sessions, with Haggith putting out two final albums. Finally, Mike Haggith & The Din (now simply The Din), Project 421, and Stereo North remain active and frequent sights at local concerts, often playing together in the process.

Some Notable Performers' Newer Bands (Metal/hard rock in italics, ex-members noted with an *):
Chronic Demonic (Nik Deubel from The Bear Hunters)
Eclipse (Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton from Haggith)
Faceityoureametalband (Steve Mozarowski from The Apocalypse Afterparty) 
Heavy Head (Daniel Horton from Haggith and Johnny Belanger from The Bear Hunters)
Jack Spades (Justin Lam & Johnny Belanger from The Bear Hunters)
Pillory (Jordan Leach from Haggith) 
The Suicide Kings (Mitch Sirie from The Bear Hunters)
Them (Anthony Boudreau from Infamous)

Trivia:

• Local doom/punk trio The Revolution were scheduled to play this battle on the first night, but they surprisingly broke up for the first time in February 2015, while a mid-2015 reunion didn't lead to much publically. They were replaced on a month's notice by Mike Haggith & The Din, who had just added Revolution drummer Brandan Glew to their lineup, though they switched places with planned night #3 guest performers The Pixo Control due to scheduling conflicts. As well, Revolution bassist Jordan Leach (who would have made his debut with the band at the battle) still competed anyway as Haggith's bassist on March 11th.
• The judges for the duration of The VM Radio Battle of the Bands included Tidal Records owner & Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones (who had brushes with competing & playing at local battles in 2009), Elements frontman & Village Media repesentative Rob Speers, and Sault Metal Scene owner Rob Figures (the only returning judge from 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle.) For this battle, promoter J.D. Pearce handled the MC duties in lieu of a judge.
• Gnaeus' narrow victory in the VM Radio Battle of the Bands made them the first local band to win two battles of the bands since defunct death metal quintet Bring The Fallen won three of these events from 2009-2010, as well as the first non-metal band to do so since folk rockers Blackwater won the Sault College/Scotties Tournament of Hearts Battle in February 2010.
• The Bear Hunters' appearances in this battle occurred without rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney, as he currently lives out of town and only plays select gigs as a result. The band pulled out extra stops for their finals set with an increased usage of camouflage attire, the debut of their new song "The Dying Den", and a mass slaughter of teddy bears during their set, with some of the bears being claimed by fans as souvenirs.
• The Apocalypse Afterparty's semifinal appearance on March 18th marked their first live concert appearance as a quartet, now with Sara Biedermann (as "x") on bass and Amanda Brown (as "z") on the MPC electronic sampling instrument. However, their finals set marked their last concert appearance with drummer Steve Mozarowski (a.k.a. "X") due to his departure from the band later that year, and his replacement has yet to be publically unveiled.
• Honest Job's semifinal set on March 4th saw the live debut of their new bassist Jared Fridy, whose performance netted him the Best Bass Performance award during the finals. However, he wasn't in attendance that night, so bandmates accepted on his behalf.
• Haggith made their final live concert appearance with founding guitarist Daniel Horton (and only one with his short haircut) during the March 11th semifinal. He departed the band shortly afterward, and he was replaced by original bassist Caleb Cachagee until their breakup that summer. However, he would reunite with singer Curtis McKenzie later that year when Curt rejoined Project 421, after his prior stint on lead vocals in early 2014.
• Both of Daniel Horton's then-bands (Haggith & Project 421) unveiled new originals during their semifinal sets, with Haggith's being "Silver Bullet", and Project 421's being "Into The Darkness". The former song was only played the one time before Daniel left Haggith, but the latter is still frequently played during Project 421 concerts.
• The Pixo Control's involvement as a guest performer rather than as competitors was due to their signing to sponsors Tidal Records, avoiding a potential conflict of interest concern. The Pixo Control's set was well received, and while they replaced bassist Steve Edwards with Dustin Goodall last fall, they've since released their debut CD "Probably Not" in December, played a handful of out of town concerts, and continue to play live often in the area.
• To fans uninitiated with The Apocalypse Afterparty from their duo concert appearances, the band made a lot of waves from their masked attire, creative hybrid sound with two bassists & no guitarists, a half-female lineup, the sale of bandanas during the finals, and use of false British accents on stage. However, fans of members' prior work with The Fury and RedD Monkey no doubt enjoyed the presence of familiar songs like "Rebel Scum" & "Fo' Dozen Cookies" during their sets.
• Along with their sponsorship involvement in the battle, local news/video website Local2 gave in-depth promotion and coverage of each night of the battle with four episodes of their music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, with Donna also being a nightly fixture to cover and photograph the bands for SooToday. These Tuned episodes featured remarks from judges, band introductions, performance footage, and nightly results, but Donna was unable to host the finals episode due to illness, so VM Radio's Derek Turner (himself a battle winner with Garden of Bedlam) filled in for her.
• The scheduling of the VM Radio Battle of the Bands prompted local live sound company Twin City Sound & Entertainment to indefinitely postpone a battle of the bands that they were to host at The Rednecks Saloon on February 20th, 2015, due to it's proximity to this larger battle that would start 12 days later. Were it to take place, it would have been a one night event with up to 10 bands playing 25 minute sets each, with Mourning Wood frontman Terry Eaton, Midway frontman Paul Leclair, and the aforementioned Rob Figures serving as judges.
• Despite the cancellation of the Twin City Sound Battle, Algoma University hosted the first annual Speak Easy Battle of the Bands on March 5th, 2015, just one day after night #1 of the VM Radio Battle. The fan voted event (which was co-promoted by Haggith bassist Jordan Leach) was also won by Gnaeus, who picked up $400 for their win, while The Bear Hunters won $100 for third place (hard rock quartet Long Shot finished in second.) VM Radio Battle competitors Mike Haggith & The Din and Project 421 also competed in The Speak Easy Battle, but did not place in that event.
• VM Radio Battle judge Rob Speers took a stab at competing in a local battle of the bands when his funk/hard rock band The Elements headed out to Spanish to compete in the annual Rock N' Roar Battle of the Bands the following month, with Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger filling in for Alex Hagerman, who couldn't make the trip. However, The Elements did not place in that event, with winning bands added to the Rock N' Roar Festival lineup that August.

Videos:
Tuned with Donna Hopper episodes on the battle from Local2
Five videos from Mike Haggith & The Din's semifinal set
The Sault Metal Scene's videos of each band's opening songs




Sources/More Info:
Official Facebook event page
Pre-event coverage from SooToday
SooToday's coverage & photos from the March 4th semifinal
SooToday's coverage & photos from the March 11th semifinal
SooToday's coverage & photos from the March 18th semifinal
SooToday's coverage & photos from the March 25th finals
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you guys liked this latest Battle of the Bands Rewind Profile! As last year also had two battles of the bands in consecutive days, we'll be back with our profile of last year's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands TOMORROW, so watch for that then, and for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

VM Radio Battle Of The Bands Night #1 Recap/Pixo Control Review!!

Hey guys, it's now time for our recap of last night's VM Radio Battle of the Bands opening night! As I was one of the judges, this will not be a review with personal judgements or criticism of the 3 competing bands, instead just a post to recap what happened and was observed by all. The setup at the battle was nice though, featuring a merchandise table for Tidal Records and plenty of banners for event sponsors, while Maxx Entertainment's Greg Simpson was on hand to provide solid sound for last night and the rounds to come! After a random draw to determine the band order, local folk/garage band Honest Job took the stage first last night, making their first local concert appearance in 14 months, as well as their first live concert appearance as a quintet, now featuring Jared Fridy on bass. Their set was comprised entirely of originals (save for a cover of Dick Dale's "Pipeline"), and included songs like "Waterslide" and "Page of Cups" from their "Numbers Game" EP.

Honest Job also showcased a unique sound featuring accordion work from frontman Mister Tahti that seemed to get a positive reception from early fans, and they had more of a rock sound than I recalled from the last time I saw them live, though activity on the floor wasn't too prominent yet. They were followed by newer local hard rock trio Infamous in just their second ever promoted concert (that I've heard about, at least), and they were admittedly still a bit of an enigma thanks to their lack of an online page, so what did we learn? Their lineup still features singer Lizzie Pearson, guitarist Damon King, and Them's Anthony Boudreau on drums (no bassist yet, which was sometimes very noticeable), and their all-cover set included renditions of bands like Bon Jovi, Asking Alexandria, and Halestorm, among others. Infamous got a better group of fans on the floor though, and hopefully this set was a good step in their development!

Capping off the night's competitive block was local death metal band The Bear Hunters in their first set of the year, who played a seven song set including their songs "The Omen", their newest "Neckbreaker", and their CD's title track "Collapse The Sun". The guys easily got the best crowd of the night, complete with a bunch of headbangers and a few mini-mosh pits, but did they do enough to win? Fans would find out after the last set of the night, as Tidal Records' newest signing The Pixo Control played a special non-competitive guest set to fill out the 4 band lineup, allowing me to revert to my usual reviewer/photographer mode for their set! Rocking an energetic set of originals like "Vicinity", "Alphabetical Order", and "Call Me A Liar" (plus their slowed down "Twist 'N Shout" cover), the guys showed off their clear skill and talent to a solid group of fans, with Michael Mikus' stage presence and Kurt Cobain-inspired vocals nicely meshing with Steve Edwards & Keeghan Rosso's solid rhythm!

The Pixo Control are making fans fast in the local scene, and it definitely showed last night with their skilled originals and stage presence (complete with an amusing hyped-up intro from a friend), and if The Pixo Control were actually competing in the battle, they'd likely have been strong challengers in the final tally! After their set, battle promoter J.D. Pearce took the stage to announce the winners of night #1, as the judges chose.....

...The Bear Hunters!! The death metal veterans were the last band to qualify for the Rockstar Bar Battle finals 2 years ago and they're the first band to do the same this time around, so they have ensured themselves a top 4 finish for the second time in their four-battle resume! We'll see them again at the finals on March 25th (complete with some teased "surprises"), and while I won't reveal anything else regarding the scores or placement at this time, I will say that the judges didn't unanimously agree on the band order. Congratulations though to Honest Job and Infamous for their sets too, they put in strong efforts in their own right, and we'll know in 2 weeks whether one of them is the wild card or not! The crew from SooToday and Local2 were on hand last night, with Donna Hopper capturing 19 photos at the battle, including 5 photos each of The Bear Hunters & Honest Job, 4 of Infamous, 2 of The Pixo Control, and one each of the judges, J.D., and Tidal Records business cards. Though all black & white, they're great as usual, so give them a look at this link!

Also, look for Local2's video coverage of night #1 in the coming days, as video cameras were rolling throughout the night. Fans can also see if The Bear Hunters can continue their hot streak at local battles at TONIGHT'S Speak Easy Battle of the Bands, which also features Gnaeus, Mike Haggith & The Din, and Project 421 from the March 18th lineup, plus fellow local acts Infinity Grinder, Jesse Merineau, and Long Shot. I plan on attending, so check the above link for more info on this battle! It was great to be involved in another local battle, so thanks to everyone at Village Media and Tidal Records for their hospitality, and I can't wait for next week's semifinals! Of course, we'll see The Danger Cats, Haggith, Mannapool, and Stereo North battle for the second finals spot this coming Wednesday (March 11th), and I hope we'll see everyone out next week for night #2!

We'll close today with videos (which you can see on our Facebook page, alongside our Pixo Control photos), and remember, the competing bands were filmed with the camera stationary on a tripod, as I was judging. Here's Honest Job playing their song "Queen St.", Infamous covering Sixx A.M.'s "This Is Gonna Hurt", The Bear Hunters playing their song "The Void", and The Pixo Control playing "This Is Momentary, Forever"! Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next!

Soul Killing Female Concert Review!!

Before we promote the full details on the bands and schedule for next month's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, here's my review of last night's Soul Killing Female-headlined metal show at 180 Projects on Gore Street! As this was my first ever time at this building since it's rebirth as an arts/concert venue, let's start with some thoughts on the building itself, so here's what you need to know!

I don't remember 180 Projects' past as MJ's to compare it, but the concert venue space is at the 178 Gore entrance, and the second floor was (as best as I can tell) storage. There was an art exhibition of some kind to the left of the concert area, and though things were somewhat barren, there was some interesting art pieces on the walls, and an inviting loft atmosphere with some lounge chairs for patrons to use! I'd personally like to see them display some for-sale local art pieces during open periods (similarly to what Feedback did in late 2011), but I don't know how feasible that is. I also really enjoyed the projector that shown videos on the right wall in front of the stage, which the two metal bands used to quality effect, and I hope this is a regular feature for future concerts! Plus, the pre-show videos on Aboriginal culture and rights by B.C. filmmaker Chris Bose were interesting both culturally and visually, including some trippy and experimental visuals that really caught my attention, so I recommend checking them out at this link!

Now to the bands, and after a delay from the 7:00 PM start time, the first band was actually new local band AlgomA rather than Honest Job, who were bumped to last on the bill due to (I believe) a band member's job commitments. Now, AlgomA have kept their profile low-key until yesterday, so we didn't know much on them, so what can we say now? Their sound is definitely metal, but far removed from any other current local bands, as they play a very sludgy mix of doom metal and hardcore (picture Winkstinger + late era Woods of Ypres), along with some effective samples and some cool silent movie footage to go with their set! As you may remember, guitarist Boyd Rendell & bassist Kevin Campbell were previously in the local hardcore/punk band BeeFMouTH in the late 1990s, and while AlgomA's sound is similar (especially thanks to Boyd's high pitched yelling vocals), they're no where near as fast or punk influenced. Myself, I really liked their set, as it was heavy, locally original, and very aggressive, and if you'd have heard Kevin's voice after co-singing last night, you'd know they gave their all!

There are things to work on though with AlgomA though, like they could stand to be a bit more lively and inviting, especially with their lack of banter with the crowd, as it did give a somewhat cold & serious vibe. Also, Boyd often played with his back to the crowd when he wasn't singing, which makes me wonder if he was nervous to be back on stage? Overall though, this was a good first gig, and Jamie Vincent's drumming fit well also for their debut! If they can work out the kinks, they'll be a definite band to watch soon!

Next was the advertised headliners, Winnipeg cyber-sludge metal band Soul Killing Female in their second local concert appearance! I was out of town when they came to the Oddfellows Hall last year, but I must say, I should have been there to see them then, as they were quite impressive! Shorter than expected set aside, they tore through some very solid technical metal originals, all of which were nicely accompanied by their own projector video! Project mastermind Michael Lewis made use of his bass talents and vocal aggression well throughout, and he added some liveliness and activity to the floor as well! The band's other live members also fit in nicely throughout, with James Jansen's keyboard and sampling work standing out especially, which is more proof that in the right hands, computer effects have a place in metal! The big problem with Soul Killing Female's set was the audio quality, which seemed badly muffled, and by the end of their set, Michael's vocals were almost inaudible.

I don't know what happened, but I'd love to see them live with the audio kinks worked out, and hopefully they'll come back, as they're a very talented and original band, and they have a unique sound and setup that would be welcomed here a third time!

Lastly last night was newer local garage/folk rock quartet Honest Job, who I've never seen live before, so what can I say about them? Their sound is diverse, ranging from ethnic-leaning folk songs (complete with accordion) to folk-inspired rock songs that, though not heavy, demonstrated clear talent! Aside from a Pixies cover, their songs were all original, including some songs in an ongoing concept series on Tarot cards by frontman John Hobbes, to a song dedicated to former local band/YMCA Battle competitors Waterslide (I wonder if any Honest Job members were in that band?) I liked their collective talents (even if I'm not entirely sure of their complete identities), and they shown good guitar and drum talents, but this show did seem like an ill fit for their genre. Diversity never hurts though, and Honest Job put in an honest set last night that was very good for their style, and they definitely have a good future locally!

Overall, this was an entertaining first concert at 180 Projects, and it's great to see live metal music back on Gore Street after a 2½ year hiatus! If more concerts get booked there, this could very well be a big new venue, so support it and here's hoping we get some new metal concerts there soon! Also, kudos to AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent for his first promoted local concert since beginning his new all ages promotion agency, and while this was somewhat of a soft launch (minimal promotion, no visible underage attendees), I see a lot of promise! I got a bunch of photos last night, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, and for videos, here's AlgomA playing their song "Tertiary Syphillis" and Soul Killing Female playing their CD title track "Of Human Bondage"!





That's all for today, but stay tuned for all of the details on the schedule and bands (possibly minus one mystery act) at next month's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Thanks everyone!