New Musician Interviews From The Borderline Radio, And More!!

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of veteran local radio personality, program director, and sports announcer John Bell, who recently passed away, as per an announcement on 1230 WSOO's Facebook page yesterday morning. Stay tuned to relevant Sault Michigan news outlets for information on services when it becomes available. A Minnesota native, John would become a fixture of local radio over the past 35 years across multiple stations and companies. SMS readers may best recognize John as the long-time news anchor for Rock 101 and their sister stations, but his on-air and behind-the-scenes roles on the Sault Ste. Marie airwaves go well beyond that, including lengthy runs as a DJ and/or morning host with WSOO, 99.5 Yes FM, and the former Know AM/Talk Radio 1400, as well as doing play-by-play for the Sault High Blue Devils hockey team and local junior hockey clubs like the Soo Eagles and the Soo Indians.

John had dealt with major health issues in the last couple of years that I won't get into here, but a fundraiser burger bash was held in his honour in October 2019 at The Elks Lodge, and that seemed to go over pretty well. I never met John, but his familiar voice and on-air talents were ever present when listening to local radio, and he will be missed by all that knew and respected him, if social media testimonials are any indication. R.I.P. John!

Now, today's post continues in the realm of radio, specifically Sault Ontario internet station The Borderline, which we covered shortly after it's launch last fall, and one missing aspect for me at the time was the ability to listen to episodes online after the fact if you weren't able to catch them live. Well, they have done just that on their redesigned website, and 10 of The Borderline's shows have streamable-on-demand episodes at this link! As such, let's at least start to spotlight the series that have episodes dealing with local metal, hard rock, or punk music, and we'll first look at Across The Tracks, where host & station founder Adrian Vilaca talks to local musicians about the story behind their original music. Most aren't hard rock artists, but back in August, Adrian did interview local/Thompson, Manitoba alt/hard rock musician Mike Haggith about the background of his newest CD "If Ever Comes The Day", so what should you know behind that episode?

An 84 minute listen, it features Mike discussing the lyrical inspirations and real life feelings that enveloped the album and it's individual songs, including how his day job in aviation puts things in another perspective, the reason behind the two blank tracks. Every full song from "If Ever Comes The Day" is included after the interview segments, though they aren't discussed in their running order on the actual album. This is an entertaining listen that will likely be the most context you'll ever hear from Mike re: the album's concept, and Adrian gives Mike lots of room to go into lots of details therein, so fans will want to hear the whole episode at this link! While we're on the subject, fellow Borderline staffer Mike "Sev Micron" Severin interviewed Mike Haggith himself on Friday for an episode of his own interview series Sev's Cellar, which has interviewed multiple hard rock performers so far.

Honestly, I'll hold a full write-up on Sev's interview with Mike Haggith for now, because only the second half of the interview is available to stream on demand. It's not labelled as such in the description, but Sev clearly notes that it's part 2 about three minutes into the 68 minute file, before jumping into the interview in progress. Hopefully the first half is posted at some point!

We'll close by looking at a full episode of Sev's Cellar from early last year, where he interviewed Jack Spades/Frightlight frontman and local concert promoter J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints)! However, be advised that this was recorded before the pandemic, hence why J.D. promotes the local First Jason and Anti-Queens concerts and Jack Spades' annual July tour run, all obviously being cancelled. He also alludes to the lineup changes in Jack Spades, including an apparent new guitarist & drummer, but again, the pandemic may have delayed a further public reveal. The interview afterwards features J.D. discussing his inspiration as a songwriter, his favourite lyrics, songs he's listening to now, info about his personal life, why his concert output was decreasing, memorable local concerts of his, and advice for young musicians, among other topics. "Fright Night" and "C.H.U.D." by Frightlight are also played in full.

Mike revealed in the episode that J.D. would be hosting a punk/metal show on The Borderline, but as best as I can gather, that series never premiered. A lot of the context of the interview is very much dated now (this was only posted for on-demand listening last month), and the background music seems out of place despite reflecting the interview discussion, but this is a fun listen that has some interesting insights from a performing and promotional viewpoint! Give it and more a listen above, and stay tuned for more from Sev's Cellar and beyond in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), Plus Lots Of New Videos!!

Here's another news post for your Saturday afternoon reading, so what's on offer today? Mostly new videos from artists on both sides of the border, but leading off, let's start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Fresh off wrapping up another week of Gliss shows, local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will head to The Water Tower Pub TONIGHT as one of many performers at their eighth annual Blues For Food fundraiser concert! Profuse apologies for the short notice, this has been announced since at least November 8th, but we only learned of it via a mention on Tym's personal Facebook page this morning, and given the genre theme, it's never been something to hit our direct radar before. This annual concert features a stacked cadre of blues-leaning local musicians, with all admission fees being either cash or non-perishable food donations to the Soup Kitchen, which is an excellent cause, and hopefully year #8 is another huge success to that end! This is Tym's first publically credited appearance at Blues For Food, so expect a bluesier set from him TONIGHT, while 10 other artists are advertised on the poster. These include (in listed order) Catherine Taddo, blues rockers Five Below Zero, Obsession frontwoman Valerie Powley, Treble Charger guitarist Bill Priddle...

...Stuart Bolduc, Barn Board Trio/ex-Gianni Gagoots guitarist Liam Seymour, Rusty McCarthy, Rick Wysynski, Mark Gough, and Steve Quesnele. Very talented lineup with many familiar faces from the local blues community and past Blues For Food events, so don't miss them and more special guests TONIGHT! This show starts at 9:00 PM TONIGHT, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym Morrison live a few years back!



Next up, here's the latest from local punk trio Stegadeth, starting with a surprising lineup shift, as they announced the addition of Bear Hunters/Handsome Sandwich drummer Johnny Belanger to their lineup last month, replacing Daniel MacDonald. The band cited unspecified "health reasons" for Daniel's departure, so hopefully it's nothing too serious, and that we see him back on stage down the road at some point! Of course, Johnny was a bandmate of guitarist Tiffany Stocco's with Jack Spades (Mk 1) through last summer, and he should fit in fine with her and Bill going forward, starting at the Guy Thiffault memorial concert at The Canadian on the 27th! In our first look at Stegadeth Mk 2, the band posted this video to their Facebook page last week featuring their cover of Diarrhea Planet's "Ghost With A Boner" (I didn't title the song or band, don't shoot the messenger!) Filmed by frontman Bill "Orthae" Bennett while playing, the performance is raw and promising, but not a lengthy look at the new lineup yet. Still, check it out below, and don't miss them live after Boxing Day!



Also today, here's some long overdue new videos from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's Facebook page, in advance of TONIGHT'S Soo Theater concert! Apologies for the delay in these making the site, they fell through the cracks far too often. All via shares from keyboardist Craig Harrison's personal Facebook page, one comes from November 21st, and it's just a 10 second clip of their version of "The Little Drummer Boy" played through a computer. Sounds good, but very brief! Another one from November 6th is this video filmed at Grooters Productions in Holland featuring ominous instrumentation, though the dark lighting doesn't accentuate things well, especially with no one visibly performing live. Also that day was this video showcasing the beginning of their version of "Silent Night" (again, via computer tracking), though this does reveal that they have pre-taped spoken word introductions on certain songs. Again, this is short, but it's a good preview!

An earlier video from November 2nd features just tracking background instrumentation. Embedded below however is this weekend rehearsal video from the 20th that opens with Craig performing a section, before translating to instrumental performers at Grooters. Arguably the heaviest non-concert video yet from Theatre of Night's Christmas tour cycle, this is a nice preview of what to expect tonight at The Soo Theatre or tomorrow in Pickford, despite the vertical camera angle, so check out these new-ish Theatre of Night videos above & below, and stay tuned for more next week!

 
Finally, here's the first video posted to Sault Ontario hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary's new YouTube channel! An original song called "Childish Leaders", this is Mike's entry into the Serj Tankian Challenge, a contest by System of a Down's frontman where musicians must make a 3 minute-or-less original song that starts with a a provided 7 note progression. Very well put together video with lyrics and animations, and if Mike did this all himself, kudos for a great job! Catchy song with a laid back feel yet serious lyrics, and hopefully it makes listeners think about what's on offer below!



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

Johnny B.'s #Litfam Birthday Sheezy Review!!

It's now time for our review of Saturday night's birthday concert for prolific local metal/punk drummer Johnny Belanger at The Oddfellows Hall, under the curious name "Johnny B.'s #Litfam Birthday Sheezy"! Only a mixed turnout at best, peaking for the last two bands, which may have partially been from the show's branding as a birthday event (maybe people were scared off thinking it was private?) Hot dogs and pop were on sale for the occasion, and everyone even sang "Happy Birthday to You" to Johnny midway through the show, which was a nice moment!

Opening Saturday's show was new local hard rock quartet Heavy Head in their Oddfellows Hall debut, and it's safe to say that they've improved a ton since their VM Radio Battle of the Bands set! The talented quartet seemed more casual and tighter than they did during their early appearances, and seemed to entertain early fans with their set, which seemed to evolve their cover selection away from poppy songs like "Shut Up & Dance" into a better-suited rock set. Actually, punk made up a substantial part of their set, with Blink-182, NOFX, and Sublime getting prime spots alongside a handful of originals (like their closer "Mikey Doesn't Whiskey".) The guys all performed strongly, with Daniel Horton and Jesse Cook having fun interactions, but Mike Gaetano mostly stuck to the mic stand, only rarely bantered with the crowd, and, in what was to recur with later singers, was often inaudible on heavier songs. Heavy Head are definitely turning the corner, and hopefully they keep at it into the summer!

Next up was local modern hard rock quartet Eclipse (also making their Oddfellows debut), and for fans who like their System of a Down renditions, you'll have been quite happy, as the first 7 songs of their 11 song set were S.O.A.D. covers! I often find it hard to critique the same band twice in a short span, as things don't usually have drastic changes in the interim, but this definitely helped! The guys have the instrumentals down well, but I will say that Curtis McKenzie's vocal range doesn't suit certain S.O.A.D. songs with Serj on lead vocals ("Aerials" is a good example.) Closing with originals "Crywolf" & "Silver Bullet" and Led Zeppelin & Billy Talent renditions, Eclipse were in good form with solid energy, with Chris Thompson keeping the beat strongly on drums, and Fred Dunn holding his own on bass! Eclipse delivered a unique set for early fans, and we'll have to see if they repeat it at all in the future!

Third was new local death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora in their own Oddfellows Hall debut, and they delivered a strong, if work-in-progress set that got some light moshing going on Saturday evening! Playing a short 5 song set (including songs like "Evolution By Force" and one that appeared to be called "ABCDEFG"),  Kaepora Gaebora endured some technical difficulties with their own amps and gear to deliver a strong death metal wallop that called to mind guitarist Dan Souliere's Bring the Fallen past! Original B.T.F. drummer Joey Graham proved to be a capable growler, but with vocals muffled for most of the night's bands, I'd want to hear him again before I really compared or critiqued him. It was also nice to see Kevin Overton back behind a drum kit for a local band, his skilled playing has been missed in recent years! Kaepora Gaebora need to get some more songs under their belts, and some more guitar solos, but they're on their way, and hopefully we hear more soon!

Punk/metal quintet Jack Spades took the stage next in Heavy Head bandmates Johnny Belanger & Jesse Cook's second sets of the night, and they were up to their usual entertaining standards on Friday! Unfortunately, the first half of their set had a very low turnout, but with songs like "Breakneck Speed", "To The Left", and covers of the likes of SNFU and The Ripcordz, fans in the hall definitely took to Jack Spades' melodic punk/metal fusion! J.D. Pearce's vocals were as consistent and fitting as ever (just a shame the vocals were quiet all night), while Jesse & Tiffany Stocco provided strong guitar throughout! Jack Spades are a band that really feeds off the crowd, so they've had stronger sets than this, but the guys delivered well!

Jesse Cook stuck around for the co-headlining set from his reunited extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, who showed clear improvement from their new lineup's debut last month! Playing a similar set mixing familiar originals with covers of the likes of Pantera and Anthrax, Winkstinger avoided the technical difficulties and stage rust of their debut with an entertaining metal onslaught, with the new members showing improved stage presences! Keith Gagnon (complete with Little Mermaid poncho) relied less on lyric sheets this time out, and had a fun chemistry & rapport with Jesse throughout the set, while bassist Andrew MacDonald didn't face the back of the stage as much as he had during their return. It was also fun seeing Johnny, Dan, and Bear Hunters frontman Nik Deubel joining in for vocals on Winkstinger's covers, and if Winkstinger continue on this path, they'll be back at their early 2010s peak before you know it!

And finally, your headliners on Saturday were local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters in their first show of 2015, but their set contained the teased special guest appearance, as rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney did indeed return to the fold for the first time since the "Eternal Hibernation" release show in November 2014! It was great to see Josh retake his rightful spot on stage with the Hunters, and he didn't lose a step in the past year & a half, fitting right in like he'd never moved! Busy in studio lately, The Bear Hunters broke out a set full of brutal originals new and old like "Servitude" and "Neckbreaker", plus fan favourite covers of "Guardians of Asgaard" and, yes, "Squirrel Buddy", though the quiet vocals killed the humour of the latter with Mitch Sirie's vocals virtually inaudible. Everyone was on form, with Nik in ferocious form, and Justin Lam strong on bass, and it was great to see The Bear Hunters' full lineup again! Here's hoping it's not another 18 months!

Overall, this was a very fun concert despite the constant vocal audibility issues, and it looks like Johnny had a great birthday party with lots of local talent, including three of his own bands! You can check out our photos from the show at this link or at our Facebook page, and as for or videos, here's Heavy Head playing their original "5 A.M.", Eclipse covering System of a Down's "Hypnotize", Kaepora Gaebora playing "Death Spins", Jack Spades playing "Crossroads", Winkstinger playing an unclear song (let us know if you can help title it!), and The Bear Hunters playing "I Fear No God"!













That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates this week! Thanks everyone, and Happy Birthday, Johnny!!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Bear Hunters), Plus New Videos!!

We're back with a new news post for your Monday morning, and it includes some new videos from local artists, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a big upcoming all ages show!

Prolific local metal/punk drummer Johnny Belanger is throwing a birthday bash on Saturday, May 21st in honour of his upcoming 27th birthday, in the form of an ALL AGES concert at The Oddfellows Hall! Entitled "Johnny B's #Litfam Birthday Sheezy", at least 7 bands will take the stage in under two weeks' time for what should be a great time, but who all is playing? Timeslots aren't 100% official, but he official hand-drawn poster credits three of Johnny's active bands as playing on the 21st, including his death metal band The Bear Hunters (in their first public concert appearance of 2016) and his punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, alongside reunited extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, and three local bands making their Oddfellows Hall debuts on the 21st, they being modern hard rockers Eclipse, Johnny's hard/pop rock quartet Heavy Head, and new death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora (who aren't on the poster, but Johnny confirmed them on the Facebook event page last week.)

The event page also indicates interest in doom metal trio AlgomA joining the bill too, but they are by no means confirmed at this point. As well, Johnny announced last week that "a band" will be making "a special guest appearance" that "you do not want to miss" that night. I honestly don't have any clue who Johnny is referencing, but what band is it? A reunited band that we haven't seen in recent years? A debuting or one-off supergroup? A surprise out of town headliner? Something completely different? Unless there's an early spoiler, be at The Oddfellows Hall on May 21st to find out! Promoted by Johnny in association with Eclipse guitarist Daniel Horton, his Litfam Birthday Sheezy is planned to also feature a barbecue if all goes according to plan, so keep that in mind as well. Also, don't be scared away by the private Facebook event page, Johnny confirmed that is a public show too, and to that end, there will be a $5 admission fee, and as of right now, a 6:00 PM start time.

This is shaping up to be a very fun concert, and quite a bash for Johnny's birthday! He's definitely stacking the deck with familiar faces, Oddfellows newcomers, a triple run of sets from his active bands (sans Caveman Morrison and his acoustic work), and not to mention the teased guest band, but there's more to come out on this show in the next couple of weeks! Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Next up, here's a video of a new local classic rock band that just played their debut concert last week, as they tackled Aerosmith's classic "Sweet Emotion"! The band in question is Red & The Muscle, featuring ex-Sativa Rose frontwoman Marisa Valois alongside Machines Dream guitarist Keith Conway, his former Blues Harvest bandmate Michael DiSanto, and veteran local rock drummer Cliff Alloy, which is a strong lineup to say the least! This video (from their Water Tower Pub debut last week) was uploaded to Keith's personal Facebook page but later shared by Marisa on her solo music page, and it's well filmed from a close angle, but the song isn't the best showcase of Marisa's strong vocal range, and the filmer was in a location where Keith's guitar overpowers the the other instruments. Nicely done though, so keep an eye out for more from Red & The Muscle if you like classic & blues rock (I hear they cover Led Zeppelin too), and here's their first video!



Finally today, here's a new solo guitar cover video from Sault Ste. Marienative and Lethbridge, Alberta-based metal guitarist Paul Melanson's YouTube channel! His first posting there in four months, this is a loose cover of the solo from Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher", and while Paul admitted that it's not note for note, it's a solid rendition, so give it a look below, and follow his current bands Damage Inc. & Bottoms Up as well!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next, and for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

Shit Liver/Bear Hunters Concert Review!!

At last, here's our review of Tuesday night's Shit Liver-headlined concert at The Rednecks Saloon, but be sure to check out the first of this weekend's concert previews in the post below this one! Before we get into the review proper, I wanted to give an outline of the venue itself, as believe it or not, this was my first time ever at the former Nicolet Tavern for a concert. If you only know it from pictures, the stage is to the right of the front entrance, and it's smaller than it looks online. There's a small floor section with tables to the right, and the saloon is fairly long, with the bar in the middle between the stage area and an area with pool tables and extra seating. There are various rustic and country themed items on the walls like at The Canadian, as well as strung up Christmas lights, but I can't verify how much of this was added after the name and theme change. The Rednecks Saloon is cozy and inviting, and though the turnout on Tuesday was medium at best, it'd be nice to see more non-cover shows here!

Opening the show on Tuesday was an acoustic solo set by Jack Spades bandmates Johnny Belanger and Jesse Cook, who you may have seen at assorted recent events, including as "Sleigher" at X-Mess 2. If you've seen Johnny & Jesse's acoustic punk cover sets before, the song selection will be familiar, including covers of the likes of Social Distortion, Blink-182, and The Foo Fighters that definitely got a good reception! The guys kept things light-hearted during the set, with Johnny showing off his singing and guitar ability well that it would be nice to see expanded on beyond just the occasional unplugged gig and he and Jesse continue to have good chemistry in this form! I would like to see more of a range of covers and different songs in their set, but hopefully we see more of Johnny & Jesse together!

Next up was local alternative hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din in their Rednecks Saloon debut, and they delivered a very solid set to build on their recent debut shows with this lineup! Mixing renditions of Mike's solo originals like "Cowardly Hearts Beneath The Stars" & "Of Cars & Criminals" with select covers like Live's "Lightning Crashes", the band's recent evolution from extended improvised jam originals to more straightforward versions of Mike's own songs was more fully realized here than ever before, with Mike showing a natural ease up front, Curtis McKenzie demonstrating his underrated guitar ability, and Brandan Glew drumming consistently throughout! Personally, I do prefer the creativty of their old acid jam sets and recordings, and the Live cover is sort of a mood killer during their set, but The Din are on their way!

Third on Tuesday was local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in a rare set not promoted by frontman J.D. Pearce, and they rocked the stage with a fun and energetic mix of their familiar originals and select covers! Songs like "Fear Corps", "Rise", and the newer "Negative Headspace" joined covers of The Ripcordz and The Misfits (with a Slayer interlude?!) to a positive reception, with J.D. and his new Right Hook Mic making use of his surroundings by exploring the floor throughout! Everyone was on their game musically, with Jesse Cook again delivering some blistering lead guitar work and Tiffany Stocco providing heavy riffs and improving backing vocals as well! It was odd seeing Justin Lam with his hair tied back, but still great to see Jack Spades again, and stay tuned for much more from Jack Spades and their upcoming three-way split release plans!

Co-headlining were local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, who brutalized fans with their aggressive originals late in the night! A collection of mostly newer songs like "I Fear No God" and their newest "The Dying Den" joined their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" and two versions of "Collapse the Sun" (the original and a jokey melodic rock version) which fans all seemed to eat up! Though guitarist/promoter Mitch Sirie apologized for his performance on Facebook, he sounded fine to me, and the VM Radio Battle runners-up were at their brutal best for their regular quartet sets, with Nik Deubel's devasating growling on form, and Johnny Belanger showed little fatigue in his third set of the night! Maybe because his windshield was fixed and covered, it helped his performance? Stay tuned for more from The Bear Hunters in the near future!

And your headliners on Tuesday were local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver in their Rednecks Saloon debut and second show of their brief home swing, and if you've missed the guys since last summer, rest assured that they haven't lost a step in the past year! On this stop of their Homeland Debauchery Tour, the guys powered through a somewhat abbreviated though blistering set of originals like "It's Not My Problem", "Helen Kellers", and the debuting "Just Take It" & "It Won't Change", even debuting the use of audio samples like on their album for the live show as well. Josh Penno, a nicely mohawked Mike Kyle, and Matt Baic let their extreme vocals loose with fury, and all kept up their end of the bargain on their respective instruments for a to-the-point set of brutality, even inciting some brief mosh pits! It was great to see Shit Liver again, and hopefully they play here again soon!

Very entertaining show overall, and in a sense, it felt like a throwback to the old Rosie metal nights... only not at The Rosie.... or on a Thursday. Kudos all around, and check out our photos from the event at this link or via our Facebook page! As for videos, we got one of each band, so here's Johnny & Jesse covering Flogging Molly's "The Worst Day Since Yesterday", Mike Haggith & The Din covering Simple Minds' "(Don't You) Forget About Me", Jack Spades playing "Frederick", The Bear Hunters playing their new song "Neckbreaker", and Shit Liver playing three songs in a row: their self-titled song, "You're Scared", and "Fabricated Nonsense"!











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

Updates On Another Sault Ontario Battle Of The Bands, Plus An Interview With AlgomA!!

Keeping our busy stretch alive on the site, we have more big updates on another battle of the bands taking place in the Soo early next year, so if these don't make up for the lack of 2014 battles, I'm not sure what will! That will lead off the vast majority of this post, but we also have a recent interview with a local band to cap things off, so here's what you need to know, and check out the rest of the weekend's concert previews in the post below this one!

The second Sault Ontario battle of the bands of 2015 will go down in March at The Canadian Nightclub, and if you remember April 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle, this will be very familiar! Promoted by local concert promoter & singer J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints), this battle is a spiritual sequel to that 2013 battle that he co-promoted, and it will also be an all-month event, with four nights of battling taking place on each Wednesday in March! Specifically, there will be semifinals of an intended 4 bands each on March 4th, 11th, and 18th, with each night's winning band (and the highest scoring runner up as a wild card) returning on March 25th for the finals. The first place band that night will win $1,000 in cash and recording time, with more prizes to be announced. Judging criteria has not been announced yet, but crowd engagement, originality, talent, and stage presence are all locks to be among what the judges (yet to be announced) are looking for.

A maximum of 12 bands are being sought for the battle, who would each play 30 minute sets on each night of the battle, but who's confirmed so far? As of this writing, eight bands are confirmed, including local rap/metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty, all female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats, local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith, folk rock quartet Honest Job, pageless local hard/funk rock quartet Late Shift, classic metal quartet Project 421, doom/punk trio The Revolution, and a new local metal project named Them. Of these bands, only Haggith have competed in a recent battle (they were runners-up at the Rockstar Bar's battle last year), but members of some of the above bands have been seen in other recent battles! For example, Apocalypse Afterparty "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta is a two time battle runner up with The Fury, Late Shift's Clint Wilson finished in second with his old band Northwest in last fall's Viva La Battle, and Project 421's Daniel Horton is of course also in Haggith.

In case you're wondering, the debuting Them play a variety of genres (everything from death metal to hardcore punk), and their lineup includes Heavy North Entertainment owner Tyler St. Amour on vocals and guitar, ex-Revolution bassist Rainey Vincent, and Infamous guitarist Anthony Boudreau on drums  You may recognize them from being briefly scheduled for February's Commencing Human Desperation show, and while information at the time implied that they were a ska punk band featuring The Pixo Control's Keeghan Rosso, that's either erroneous or now outdated. Thanks to Tyler for the info!

Also, Tyler's involvement gives him a chance to repeat his 2008 Case's Music Battle of the Bands win with Fountain of Betrayal, so keep that angle in mind! The identity of the other four bands is forthcoming, so be sure to stay tuned for updates! If you or your band want in on the four night battle at The Canadian in March, the entry fee for bands will once again be $100 per act, but like in February (and in April 2013), bands will be given tickets to sell, so they can make their money back (and more) if they sell them all! These sets will be premium tickets that will cost $15 and guarantee attendance for all four nights of this battle, and a savings of $10 if you bought tickets separately or at the door. If you don't get tickets from a competing band, admission will be $5 for each night of the semifinals and $10 for the finals, though outside ticket availability is to be confirmed.

A licensed ALL AGES event throughout March, each night has an 8:00 PM start time, though additional details (including the remaining bands, battle sponsors, judges and their scoring criteria, and complete semifinal schedule) are to be confirmed. For now, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and if you or your band want in on the Canadian Nightclub Battle in March, message Johnny Pints on Facebook A.S.A.P.! I enjoyed the first all-month battle at The Rockstar Bar last year, and it's great to see a sequel from some of the same crew behind that event for next year! For sake of clarity, Beaumont Avenue (the former Suicide Kings) will not be defending their Rockstar Bar Battle title in March, as drummer Ben Boudreau won't be back from college out of town by then. Given the gap between November 2013's Viva La Battle and February/March 2015's new battles, the field is theoretically wide open for both of next year, so be sure to stay tuned to the SMS for complete impartial details on each, and SIGN UP A.S.A.P. BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Finally for today, here's a recent interview conducted by the music website Grand Sounds Promotion with local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA! Posted on November 18th at this link, the in-depth interview features the members of AlgomA discussing their music's themes & influences, their new album "Reclaimed By The Forest", how they'd describe their music, their past & other band work, their relationship with label Deadbeat Media, their friends and relationships in the music scene, and the specific inspiration behind their song "Tertiary Syphillis", among other topics. Note that this interview is almost a month old now, so it does still list frontman Darby Wigwaas' side project Das Skalpell Kampf under their original name Scalpel Fight, and it still name drops the now defunct Pillory among their friends in local bands. There's no real "scoops" for new info in the interview (though the band confirmed that they'd like to release their CD on vinyl), but it's still a very entertaining read!

The over-usage of exclamation points in the transcription is a little amusing for a depressive doom metal band, but give it a look above, and stay tuned for more updates from AlgomA! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more on both upcoming battles of the bands and other news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Jack Spades EP Release Party Review!!

Hey guys, it's now time for our review of last night's Jack Spades EP release show at The Rockstar Bar! Before we get into the performers, I should mention that physical copies of their EP "The First" were $10 at the door, while patches, posters, and more band paraphernalia were also on sale at the door upon entry, and we will give a more in-depth look to the CD this coming week (and yes, our review is also imminent!) Good turnout last night, fans were very active by night's end, but it did start slowly. Now, to the bands!

The night started with a late addition acoustic set from Jack Spades bandmates Johnny Belanger & Jesse Cook, with Johnny reprising his singing & acoustic guitar work from the Sewer Swampstravaganza open mic block last week. Aside from Jesse's addition on second guitar, this set was largely similar in song choices (if not exact) with Johnny's open mic set, mixing punk covers of bands like Flogging Molly and Social Distortion with alternative & indie rock covers from the likes of Blue October and Biffy Clyro. Like then, Johnny has underrated talents as a singer and guitarist, but I remember him playing both when we were still at Bawating in the mid-2000s, and it's nice to see him break out of the drumkit more nowadays! I assume too that his covers reflect more of his own music preferences, so why hide them for so long? Jesse's guitar work was a nice addition, but he seemed a bit out of place at times, though we'd get his more usual fare later in the night. Solid start to the evening, we'll have to see if this goes any further!

Next up was local classic metal quintet Project 421, though with a temporary change up front, as singer Curtis McKenzie is out of town at the moment due to work commitments. They kept it in the family for his mystery replacement though, as his younger brother Travis (who played guitar in some of Curt's early bands) filled in on vocals in his place, though guitarist Blair Burch sang lead on the first two songs. While Travis doesn't have his brother's vocal range, and his stage presence did seem a little forced at times, he does possess a punk tone that fit pretty well on Judas Priest, Kiss, and Metallica covers, and I'd be curious to hear him in a full time band again! Everyone else was in their usual form, with Blair's guitar work standing out, and Larry Mousseau's experience drum skill showing throughout the set! This might not be the optimal way to see Project 421, but Travis filled in nicely, and if the need arises, they should give him the call again!

Co-headlining was local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements (replacing Destroilet) in their first show since Medi-Fest in March, and they left a good impression in their Rockstar Bar debut!  Their set featured assorted funk rock covers including heavier songs from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Tenacious D, and Nine Inch Nails (featuring Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce on guest vocals), and they handled each pretty well, though a few were a bit messy. Like when I saw The Elements at the former Roosevelt Hotel, I found them hard to photograph partially due to how animated singer Rob Speers was, but his voice held up well on their songs, while it was nice seeing Alex Hagerman on drums again, and James White's skilled bass work was a constant! The delay before their set was the only major complaint I had, as The Elements have a good thing going that's a bit different from the norm, and hopefully we see them back at it soon!

And finally, your headliners were local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, who tore through a slightly sped-up set of originals and covers in honour of their release of their new EP, and fans were very receptive! Along with all 5 songs from the new disc, Jack Spades' setlist also included newer originals like "Frederick" and "Motorwolf" and Misfits & SNFU covers, and their freewheeling intensity and attitude served them well with the crowd! J.D. Pearce's vocals were up to par from past shows, Justin Lam's bass was excellent as usual, and in his third set of the night, Jesse Cook showed no obvious wear as he tore through some very nice guitar solos! Aside from a late mishap during "To The Left", things seemed to go off without a hitch, and hopefully last night's show kicked off Jack Spades' EP in style! If nothing else, they jacked The Rockstar Bar, and there's definitely more to cover next!

Overall, this was a very fun show, especially with the release party frills and seeing some bands who aren't regulars at The Rockstar Bar at this very nice venue, and be sure to look for more on "The First" this week! Photos and videos from the show can be seen at this link or via our Facebook page, and as for videos, here's Johnny & Jesse covering The Verve Pipe's "The Freshman", Project 421 & Travis McKenzie covering Iron Maiden's "Running Free", The Elements covering Volbeat's "The Mirror & The Ripper", and Jack Spades playing their short originals "Crossroads" & "They Live"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and this month's new poll TOMORROW, plus new news soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Glitch) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today, we're getting to this weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews on a fairly active weekend in Sault Ontario, including a CD release show (with new band confirmations) and much more, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this weekend! (Updated on Friday at 7:00 PM)

Local classic/hard rock quartet Glitch will return to The Rockstar Bar for another concert THIS SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, this was only just announced via the official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen three weeks ago in their debut at the OLG Casino, this will surprisingly be this veteran party outfit's first stop at The Algonquin since January, but it's still their most frequent local concert venue, and hopefully Mark, Mike, Marco, and Sean get a solid reception for their diverse and often heavy covers on Saturday night! Note however that this is a one night only gig due to the Jack Spades EP release show that we're touching on next. Admission is likely $5 for this 19+ show, and a 10:30 PM start time is in effect. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss Glitch's grand return to The Rockstar Bar, and for a preview, here's the guys rocking out at this same venue late last year!



Before that however, a well anticipated CD release show will take place at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, when local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades will officially launch the physical copies of their debut EP "The First"! Though the digital release occurred last month, this will be your first chance to buy the album in a disc format, and that alone is pull enough for many fans to attend, so visit the band's official Facebook page for preview photos of the packaging and booklet for "The First"! There's a full lineup of opening acts scheduled as well to back up Jack Spades' headlining set, so who's on tap? Replacing Destroilet tomorrow will be local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements (featuring Jack Spades guitarist Jesse Cook) in their Rockstar Bar debut and their first local concert date since Medi-Fest in March, and they should be a natural fit among tomorrow's performers, so don't miss this newer band's return to the stage! Also making their first appearance at this venue is local classic metal quintet Project 421, though they'll be playing with a guest singer due to Curtis McKenzie's work commitments out of town. The band is keeping the singer's identity a secret, but how will he (or she?) do in this temporary setting tomorrow night?

Also announced after Destroilet's dropout is an acoustic opening set by the aforementioned Jesse Cook and Jack Spades bandmate Johnny Belanger to kick off the night, but how will this sound, and will it bear similarities to Johnny's open mic songs this past Saturday at the Swampstravaganza? Tomorrow's show will have a 10:00 PM start time and a 19+ age limit, and while admission is $5, paying $10 at the door will also guarantee you a copy of Jack Spades' EP upon admission, so keep that in mind, and click here for more info! This should be a great concert on that level, but the EP release side is a solid incentive, and the bands should be rocking, so I'll see you there, and for a preview, here's Jack Spades at The Canadian in March!



Closing with bands playing two nights this weekend, local hard rock standouts The Suicide Kings will return to the site of their local concert debut TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT for shows at the former Nicolet Tavern, now known as The Rednecks Saloon! Last seen at this Albert Street West venue under it's original name last year, this will be their first show since their runner-up finish at the Rock N' Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish last month, and their first local date in 2 months, so if you've missed the guys' entertaining and heavy originals & covers, take a trip down to the recently renamed Rednecks Saloon this weekend! There's no announced cover charge for this weekend's gigs, you must be 19 to attend, and each night has a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's been a relatively long time for fans to get their fill of The Suicide Kings on a local stage, but hopefully a big crowd turns up at the new country-themed Rednecks Saloon this weekend, and for a preview, here's The Suicide Kings live at The Canadian!

Finally for this weekend (barring any very late notice announcements) is the return of Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison to The Harp Bar & Grill SATURDAY NIGHT, as his weekly concert arrangement there enters it's 24th straight week! Though his website still lists this weekend as featuring shows both tomorrow & Saturday, Tym will not be playing at The Harp tomorrow due to a set by Jay Case and Frank Deresti, in a similar circumstance as a preemption from last month, but Tym's acoustic hard rock covers will still be in full force on Saturday night! My source for Jay's show tomorrow is a Facebook post shared on one of The Harp Facebook pages by Jay's wife Carrie. Tym's entertaining and prolific covers should find a solid audience on Saturday all the same, so keep it in mind! Admission is likely free for this 10:00 PM show, and you must be 19 to attend. Click here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live in Heyden a few years back!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, and in case there's nothing tomorrow, we'll see you guys at the Jack Spades EP release show! Thanks everyone!

Anvil Concert Photos & Interviews, Plus New Concert Video Postings!!

In case you're wondering, yes I do know of a handful of late notice concert announcements, we'll be touching on them tomorrow in conjunction with this weekend's concert previews, so look out for them then! In today's post, we have new video postings from each side of the border, and first, some fallout from a recent big show, so let's kick things off!

SooToday & Local2 were on hand for Saturday night's Anvil concert at The Canadian Nightclub, with two separate articles & videos documenting the event making it to Local2 in the last few days! Remember, the video host that Local2 uses does not allow external embedding, so you'll have to visit the links below to see them. The first video served mainly as a sample of the full later upload, with the second video full of 10 minutes of content, starting with footage of frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow playing "March of the Crabs" in the crowd to start their set, before transitioning to a pre-show interview with Lips (interspersed with some concert clips) where he talks about if Anvil are still chasing the dream, whether they regret anything from their career, the struggles with selling metal in Canada, how they feel about being an influence to newer bands, trying not to sell out, advice to younger bands, and more. It's a solid interview, and Lips speaks very well about the topics asked, so be sure to check it out above!

Also, don't sleep on the first video, as while it does preview the full interview with Lips, it also includes an interview segment with promoter/Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce where he talks about his role in promoting Anvil's recent Northern Ontario run and it's importance for connecting Northern Ontario communities, as well as the other bands on the bill and Jack Spades' own quick rise, so be sure to check that out as well above! Finally, Donna's photos from the show finally went up on SooToday this morning, so what should you know on that front? All in black and white again, she posted 35 photos of the night's bands, including 10 of Anvil, 9 of Caym, 6 of Jack Spades, and 5 each of The Suicide Kings & Project 421, and like usual, Donna got some great shots of the bands in action! Note that I haven't seen any concert videos online aside from the Local2 footage above, but we'll have them here if any turn up, so keep an eye out!

We'll close today with new embeddable videos, starting with an 11 year old Kewadin Casino concert video! This comes from Sacramento hair metal legends Tesla's headlining show (perhaps their first in the area?) at The Dreammaker's Theater in Sault Michigan on April 6th, 2002, and though it was posted via Wawa author Duane Roy's YouTube channel yesterday, he told me it was filmed by the late Mike Lemma, who Yooper readers will be familiar with! Notably featuring the band's classic lineup (including now departed guitarist Tommy Skeoch), the half hour video starts with Tesla's cover of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil", before transitioning to their originals "Action Talks", "Gettin' Better", "The Way It Is", and "Song & Emotion", so click each link to check out each individual song! The video itself isn't much to look at, with a far angle to the right of the stage that often dips below people's heads (maybe the camera was being hidden?), but the audio is solid enough, and if you love Tesla or hair metal, or missed this show, be sure to give this video a look below and above!



Lastly for today, here's a new video from a recent private Blood Shed Productions concert! Uploaded to the label's YouTube channel on Sunday, this featured goregrind duo Rotopsy and other label-affiliated acts at label co-founder and Brutaly Fatal frontman Austin McCrae's house. There's assorted media from this private event on personal Facebook accounts, but there is one video on YouTube, and it's of Rotopsy playing their original song "Non-Profit Vomit Shop" (which is, as of yet, unreleased on CD) at the show. Decent recording quality with a good close angle (despite flipping on it's side for a stretch), but if you've heard past Rotopsy originals, there won't be a lot new from this track compared to others, so keep that in mind. Check it out below, and stay tuned TOMORROW for info on the next Blood Shed-affiliated show, which takes place sooner than you might be thinking!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for weekend concert previews, including some big short notice announcements! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sugar Island Music Festival), Your First Look At Chronic Demonic, And More!!

Well, I wasn't expecting to have a second post today, but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, I had to get this up, so read on below for that (plus a new song posting, ticket availability for some upcoming shows, and the first video from a newer local band), and check out some new concert announcements (including one for tomorrow) and more Sault Michigan weekend previews in the post below this one!

I completely forgot about this (blame slow updates for the schedule), but there will be one hard rock band at this year's Sugar Island Music Festival, as Kinross, Michigan quintet Banned will be playing at this annual event once again TONIGHT! This probably explains why Banned are only playing in Hessel tomorrow night rather than all weekend. The guys (and girl) will be on at 8:00 PM tonight, with new Dafter classic rock band Thieves In The Night headlining at 10:15 PM, and they're preceded by Flint duo 3-Zip at 9:30 PM, The Fosters Sportsmen's Club Band at 8:45 PM, Banned at 8:00 PM, Junior and the Dinosaurs at 7:15 PM, Hillsdale indie quartet All Arms at 6:30 PM, 3 and a Half Men at 5:45 PM, and local pop duo Missy & Chelsea opening at 5:00 PM. Apologies for not knowing about some bands, this is a recurring theme for the Sugar Island Festival's schedules. The rest of the schedules feature no heavier leaning bands that I can source, but everyone playing today except Banned and Thieves of the Night have another set coming up tomorrow or Sunday, so keep that in mind.

Emceed by Rudy Villareal, admission is $10 for the weekend (no single day options), while kids 12 and under get in FREE. For more details on events, schedules, games, and advance ticket locations, click here! Sure, there have been heavier years for metal/hard rock bands, but The Sugar Island Music Festival is a consistent success in the region, and it gives an American alternative to Buskerfest and Hempfest, so don't miss Banned and the other bands TONIGHT and this weekend! Remember, it's about 45 minutes east of the Soo, and for a preview, here's Banned at the 2011 Sugar Island Festival covering AC/DC!



Next up, remember last week's benefit concert at The Roosevelt Hotel to fund Frightlight bassist Mike Gingras' short film "The Kid Who Made The Face"? Well, aside from the previously announced bands (Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, and Redundant), two newer local metal/punk bands played surprise mini-sets at the show, including Jack Spades and Chronic Demonic! The former (featuring T-Rex Manning, Bear Hunters, and Asylum Country members) was confirmed through personal Facebook posts, and while I don't know much on what they played in their second preview set, Chronic Demonic confirmed their brief performance on their own Facebook page the following day, complete with a video! Featuring members of Frightlight and Faithless Sin in their lineup, the video (which was uploaded to Facebook and is unembeddable here) was filmed by attendee April Fogal, and while the song's name wasn't given, my first thoughts point to what Frightlight would sound like if they had a female singer (Ririe "Sabrina Strange" Lavoie), and it works on that level!

The audio quality isn't great, and make sure your speakers are low, but there is something there, and I'm curious to hear more when they make their full debut! Click here to check out Chronic Demonic's first video, and don't miss the full debut of Jack Spades on September 9th at The Rosie when they open for The Dayglo Abortions! Speaking of concerts promoted by Frightlight/Jack Spades frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce, tickets for his upcoming Bunchofuckingoofs and Dayglo Abortions concerts are now on sale at both their host venue (The Roosevelt Hotel) and at The Rad Zone in the Wellington Square Mall, so get yours A.S.A.P., especially as the BFGs show is THIS MONDAY! J.D. also announced that if you buy tickets for the BFGs show and the Airbourne concert on August 19th, bring them with you to the Black Cat Attack-headlined show on the 17th and you will get in FREE! Sounds like a good deal to me, so keep that in mind, and don't miss the BFGs on Monday and the get more details on all of J.D.'s upcoming metal and punk shows at the above links!

Finally for today, here's a new YouTube song upload from defunct experimental/grunge trio SBD! Uploaded to frontman Dann Pichette's YouTube channel this past Saturday, it's of the No Arrow successors' original instrumental "Ess", though I don't know off hand if this is the same recording from their "Sonic Experiments" album. Nice psychedlic tinged take on alternative rock with solid instrumentation, but it does hint towards the largely instrumental nature of their album. I miss Dann's local music work since SBD's hiatus began in 2011, but hopefully this helps fill the void, so check out SBD's "Ess" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Infrastrate! Thanks everyone!

Peril Concert Previews, Swampstravaganza Updates, And More Recent News & Notes!!

Hey guys, it's time for some more news at the SMS, along with previews of this weekend's metal/hard rock concerts! Honestly, this weekend is fairly quiet for metal/hard rock shows, with only two that I know of going down (both across the river), but we've filled this post out with updates for an upcoming all ages show, some early glimpses at Haggith originals, and much more, so read on below for what you need to know!

We'll start with the concert previews, as Charlevoix classic metal trio Peril will make their first trips to Sault Michigan of the new year TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino! Their third & fourth shows in the Eastern U.P. of 2013 (following two February dates in St. Ignace), this veteran Northern Michigan band should have an exciting weekend of metal and hard rock classics in store for their Yooper fans tonight & tomorrow, so don't miss arguably the heaviest local concerts of the weekend! Admission should be free for both nights, a 10:00 PM start time is likely, and you must be 21 to attend. For more details, check the above links! It's great to see Jeff and company back in the Soo for some live action, so keep Peril's regional return in mind for your weekend concert schedules, and for a preview, here's Peril covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" a few years ago!

Next up, here's the latest updates on the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall, which as you may remember, goes down in August, though now on a different day. Originally scheduled to be held on Wednesday, August 21st, the show was rescheduled to Saturday, August 10th, as per the Facebook event page on Monday. A reason for the date change wasn't announced, but the Saturday placement is definitely an improvement for the scheduling, and hopefully there will be a bigger turnout! No word yet though on if any bands will drop out due to the date change. The other news for this event is that a new band has been added, and surprisingly, they're an out of town band, that being Montreal thrash trio Warsenal! My source is the event page linked above, as updated yesterday. The first fully out of town band to play at a Swampstravaganza, I presume they're headlining, but a full schedule has not been announced as of yet.

Warsenal have a fast and heavy old school thrash sound that should appeal to many local metalheads, so kudos to the guys in RedD Monkey for getting them for this show, give Warsenal a listen at this link, and stay tuned for more updates on the newly rescheduled Swampstravaganza as they come in!

Also today, here's another new video posting from Haggith/Sound X frontman Curtis McKenzie's new YouTube channel on Tuesday, and it's a bit of a throwback and a prototype all at once, as this is a package of three songs named the "Rage Train EP" that he recorded in early 2012. These appear to be recordings from before Haggith's formation, but all three included songs ("No Cure For Insanity", "Rage Train", and "Wanko [Reprise]") were adapted into Haggith originals for their debut album "Dragon Joy Ride" last fall. Featuring Curtis on all instruments (save for drums, which are covered by collaborator Zach Day Andre), these are well recorded and performed, and if you didn't know better, you'd assume they were just Haggith demos! Good stuff, and a nice early look at these songs, so check out Curtis' "Rage Train EP" below, and stay tuned for updates from his active band projects!



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

• Frightlight/T-Rex Manning/Jack Spades frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce was thanked in the liner notes of Toronto metal legends Anvil's new album "Hope In Hell" (proof here), so if you pick up a copy, make note of this little local connection! That's awesome for sure, and maybe J.D. can bring them back to town for another concert at some point?
• Sault Ontario metal standouts Garden of Bedlam have launched their own Twitter page, so go follow them there for what will hopefully a new source of frequent band updates! Also, remember that they make their out-of-province debut TOMORROW in Quebec City, and they even have radio interviews planned when out east, so stay tuned for any fallout from the show when we have it!
• If you missed Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's live debut on Memorial Day outside of The Corner Pub, then pictures of their set are now viewable on their Facebook page! There, it appears that drummer Greg Giles was not in town for the show, so his brother Steve and keyboardist Craig Harrison likely played as a duo, but I bet it was a great event all the same, and hopefully Greg will be a part of future shows!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, including this month's Defunct Local Band Profile on Insipid Brutality on Monday! Thanks everyone!

Major Announcements On New Johnny Pints Concerts, Plus Late & Loud's New EP!!

Before we review last night's Garden of Bedlam show (videos should be posted on Facebook in the next couple of hours), we have a new news post covering many recent stories, so what's on tap? Mostly news concerning local concert promoter (and prolific metal/punk singer) J.D. Pearce, who has even more big news coming for 2013 concerts, so that will lead off, but also watch for news on lineup additions for a previously announced gig, another one being moved, and a recent EP re-release. Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

The aforementioned J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) is going to try promoting a metal/punk festival this fall that he's calling Heavy North! Planned to be held at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center at 50 Pim Street, the aim appears for this to be a multi-day event starting on September 27th, and it will likely feature out of town headliners and local acts, though full details have yet to be announced (i.e. bands, ticket availability, age restrictions, other ground rules.) Most local music festivals that we have in town are either geared towards more mainstream genres (i.e. Rotaryfest) or one-off (like many charitable events), so if this is a success, it could be huge and encourage this to become an annual event! Of course, that was the aim of last year's Ypres Metal Fest. I think J.D. has the drive and resources to pull this off and see if it will be successful, but given the Heavy North branding, I'd like to see an emphasis on local/Northern Ontario bands and non-regional acts with former Saultites in their lineup. I'm sure things will fall into place as we get into the summer, so stay tuned for updates, and message the above links if you want in on Heavy North!

In a possibly related note, the July 8th SNFU/Death By Stereo concert originally planned for the Bushplane Museum was moved to The Canadian Nightclub (who hosted Death By Stereo's last show here in 2009) on Wednesday, as per the Facebook event page. A reason wasn't announced, but could it have been to save the museum for Heavy North? Either way, the SNFU show will be huge, and it still has a huge venue, so click the above links for more details!

Also in new event announcements is The Crusade, a multi-band cancer fundraising concert to be held at The Canadian Nightclub on Monday, May 20th. This is a cause close to J.D., as his mother has survived cancer battles multiple times, so you know this event will be done right! Cancer sucks, I lost my grandmother & step-grandfather to it, so I know full well the importance of an event like this! This ALL AGES event will take place from 12:00 PM to midnight on May 20th, and admission is by donation (or, pay what you can), with a suggested amount of $5. All proceeds will go to The Canadian Cancer Society & The Relay For Life, and while no bands have been announced yet, J.D. emphasized on the Facebook event page that unlike his usual punk/metal/hardcore shows, this is open to everyone! I'd assume some harsher bands will be a part, but expect a wider variance of acts for The Crusade.

If you're interested in playing (all genres are welcome), or would like to donate prizes for likely draws, message J.D. at this location, and get more details above! This sounds like a great event for an awesome cause, so contact the above links to get involved, ad keep an eye out for any SMS-leaning band announcements!

Lastly for updates on J.D.'s upcoming concerts, the local support for the Skeletonwitch-headlined metal show at The Canadian Nightclub on June 3rd is now official, and rather than just one band, we have two, including local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters! Fresh off of their best ever local Battle of the Bands finish from Wednesday night, their concert pace continues to slowly pick up, and this major show will be their first at The Canadian since (I think) opening for Fuck The Facts last May! The other newly confirmed opening band is local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade (featuring Pillory & Inhuman Methods alumni) in their first concert since The Locals Attack at The Canadian in November! Though only sporadically seen with recent lineups, their Death-influenced sound attracted a lot of positive notices last fall, and they've been busy working on a yet-released EP so far this year, so we'll have to see how they sound and perform in their long awaited return! Check the above links for more on this huge concert in June, and I know I'll see you guys there!

Finally, here's what you should know on local classic metal quartet Late & Loud's CD release from their finals appearance at The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals! As in the Saigon Hookers' show in November, Late & Loud sold $5 copies of "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" on Wednesday night for fans & attendees, though this was an expanded version subtitled "Still Hard", featuring 4 new songs! The cover art is on your left, and the disc features the 5 songs from the initial EP release (as recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room with Dave Pihlaja), albeit newly ordered. The other 4 songs include re-recordings of "Never Again" & "Love Letter Lockdown" (last year's bonus tracks), plus two brand new recordings ("Trouble" & "Live For Excess".) The 4 new tracks were produced by singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's Daybreak Johnnies bandmate Steve Hopkin, and without reviewing them yet, the quality is better than on last year's bonus songs! The re-release also includes an expanded booklet (including more band photos), a psychedelic custom design on each disc, and a slimmer jewel case.

I fully plan on reviewing the "HRHM" re-release next month on the site (hopefully sooner rather than later), so there's our May CD review at the SMS! I just hope Wednesday wasn't their last show, and I hope Late & Loud stay alive, even if just for sporadic reunion gigs when Jon comes back north. The off-podium finish for the guys is bound to be disappointing, but to their fans (myself included), it was fun and business as usual, and if it was their last, they went out with a bang! Stay tuned for updates as they come in, and keep an eye out for our review of the EP next month!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for my review of last night's Garden of Bedlam/Skeyes of Seven concert later tonight! Thanks everyone!