Black Mastiff Concert Preview, New Videos, And Musicians Wanted Facebook Group Updates!!

As promised, let's preview a special Monday night concert today, and to round things out, we also have some new videos from some familiar faces, and some long overdue tidbits from a popular Facebook group. With all of that said, here's what you should know!

If you're looking to blow off some steam and/or celebrate following the election, you have a great outlet to do so TONIGHT, as Edmonton stoner/hard rock trio Black Mastiff will make their local concert debut when they headline at LopLops Lounge! One of the middle stops on their tour in support of their new CD "Loser Delusions", Black Mastiff's alternative rock-tinged take on stoner rock should provide a solid night of original action at LopLops tonight, so give their smooth melodic tunes a listen to see what they bring to the table! The varied opening roster will include local indie-alt rock quartet Man Feelings in their first public concert since the summer, as well as prolific folk punk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore, whose set you may not want to miss, especially if his teased Devil's Night concert doesn't occur. Promoted by the Oh!No Collective, this 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time (note that election polls close at 9:30 PM), and admission is either $10 or "pay what you can."

While the Monday night scheduling won't be optimal for most, this should be a fun concert if you can swing attending, with a nice mix of sounds to take in from the night's three acts. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Black Mastiff live!



Next up, here's another new video from Chase's old Strange Coyotes bandmate Mike Haggith, who shared this clip of him playing "The Nature Of The Times" in his Windsor hometown onto his Facebook page last week! Mike flew home last week for a spell, and he was able to perform there at The Dominion House Tavern at a jam night this past Tuesday, joining in with his old S.C.A.R. bandmate Dylon Rabidoux and fellow area musicians. The 7 minute video showcases a loose and casual take on the "Bridges" opening single, and even a late saxophone(!) solo, and it's worth a watch for fans of his Thompson-era output, so give it a watch below!

Also, here's a new video of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck live at Reggie's West this past weekend! This video was posted onto SaultOnline's Mike Caruso's YouTube channel on Saturday, so I presume it was filmed on Friday. The 8+ minute clip features Soundcheck covering Styx's "Too Much Time On My Hands" and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Runnin' Down A Dream" in succession, with Travis Sharpe singing lead on the former song, and Terry Eaton doing the honours on the latter. The warm lighting isn't to the video's advantage, especially the mobile closer angle, but the covers sound good, like how you'd expect from Soundcheck! Unfortunately, bassist Paul Belair is stuck behind that large pillar that's still on the stage, as old Rosie regulars will recall, but at least he shows up on the closer camera. Give this one a look below, and check out more recent live cover action on Mike's channel linked above!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, all as related to musician searches on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local singer/guitarist and Soo's Got Talent semifinalist Cameron Oliver is looking for a creative bassist and drummer for his new local band project, who will "play mostly country and '80s rock." Of course, he's on guitar and vocals, and while the description isn't necessarily pointed in our direction, remember that he did cover Ozzy Osbourne's "Mama I'm Coming Home" in the second round last month. Click here or message him via his group post from September 29th if you want more details!
• Former Half Past frontman Jordan Rains is looking to start a new local band, who would play hard rock, metal, and alternative music. In this band, he would be playing guitar too, and he is looking for a bassist and drummer. Jordan showed promise in his brief Half Past stint, so if you're interested in working with him, message him at this link or on his group post from August!
• On September 4th, Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie posted on the group to say that he was looking for musicians to join him in a planned Linkin Park tribute band named Bellevue Park for "the upcoming Halloween show", with Mitch himself handling lead vocals and guitar. If he meant J.D. Pearce's annual party, then that ship has sailed, but in the off chance this is still a plan for this month/beyond, message him at this link or above for more info!

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

Don't Look Back Concert Preview, New Video Finds, And More!!

On this Saturday morning, we have some more news and updates to tackle on the SMS, so what's in store here? A relevant video regarding our local OHL team, the latest from a prolific local bassist, and a new posting of a recent album release, but first, here's our remaining weekend concert preview!

Arizona-based Boston tribute band Don't Look Back will make their local concert debut TONIGHT when they headline at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! One of a handful of touring tribute bands to play at the Soo Kewadin's main indoor venue in recent years, this should be the next best thing to seeing Boston on a local stage, which we are a decade removed from as it is. Based on what I've seen from Don't Look Back, they live up to their descriptions with a faithful looking and sounding tribute to the 1970s and '80s hard rock legends and their hits like "More Than A Feeling", so be sure to check this one out for the Boston experience! Tickets for this ALL AGES and 7:00 PM concert still run for a paltry $12.50, and while there are still plenty of seats available from any row, the center section is almost gone! You can get yours at this link, the in person box office, or 1-800-KEWADIN. This should be a fun show for Boston diehards, so check the above links for more details, and here's Don't Look Back delivering their Boston experience live!



Next up, here's some new-ish videos from the Ontario side of the border, starting with the free YouTube posting of local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver's new studio album "Hitting The Fan"! Uploaded to their YouTube channel on Tuesday, this completes their free postings there of their entire studio recording catalog to date, so if you want an hour+ of crusty death/punk action, you know where to look! If you were curious to jump to an individual track, the 10 songs in order are "Evacuation", "Makes Me Sick", "Just Take It", "It Won't Change", "Liverated", "Cirrhosis", "Matt Got Beat Up By Cops", "Livin' In Shit", "Wait", and the album's title track. Yes, two songs are under 15 seconds in length, but if you're a Shit Liver diehard, that fact is nothing new! Of course, if you want to buy "Hitting the Fan" and missed last night's tour kick-off show like me (I have a cold), do so via ordering from the guys, or check The Rad Zone to see if they have any records!

Those who listen to streaming music on YouTube over Spotify or Bandcamp should enjoy this YouTube copy, but definitely consider supporting Shit Liver's work if you can financially! And yes, our review of "Hitting the Fan" is coming this month, hopefully sooner rather than later, but I wish I could have been at The Rednecks Saloon (moved on short notice from The Speak Easy) last night for Shit Liver's local return engagement! Hopefully cameras were rolling, but in the meantime, here's "Hitting the Fan" in full!

Also today, here's the latest from former Haggith/Pillory bassist Jordan Leach-Berube, who indicated last summer that he was "leaving soon" and would need to be replaced in his local bands. That said, he may not be entirely done with the local scene, as he posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last week that he is now recording bass tracks "purely for fun." Just send Jordan a file to add bass to, and he'll record with it, and send it back in WAV format. Former bandmate and collaborator Mike Haggith already expressed interest there, but if you're interested in working with Jordan on a studio track, message him at this link or above! On a related note, Jordan also has a YouTube channel documenting his recent travels in Asia, which may explain why he left his local bands. He has some interesting content there if you like travel channels on YouTube and Asian culture, so give them a look if you're so inclined, but he does have some bass content there to check out!

One video features him playing alongside Lon Granger's "Mr. Harris", but embedded below is a half hour-long video of Jordan trying out a new bass while repeatedly playing alongside an instrumental track from "a current project". It feels very death metal-esque, and while it sounds like it could be a new Pillory song (assuming that he didn't fully leave), note that we have not heard from Pillory publically in over 8 months, and this project may not be local at all beyond his involvement. The video quality is hit and miss, but it's interesting to see Jordan hard at work in this setting, so give his new bass videos a look above and below!



Finally, this is not a new news item in terms of the local metal, hard rock, or punk scenes, but it's very topical for fans of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and their excellent season so far. Fans may remember Julie Farkas' disco-tinged 1980 song "Hound Power", which still gets airplay at games and online, but if you want something with a punk flair, defunct local quartet The Inner City Surfers had you covered! Back in 2008, the guys recorded a 98 second non-album original named "Let's Go Greyhounds" at Insight Recorders in Toronto with producer Simon Head, and drummer Mikey Hawdon re-posted it to his YouTube channel in December, presumably to capitalize on the Hounds' success. This song would work well as a goal song at home games, and it has a lively spirit that preserves The Surfers' punk sound while leaving catchy lyrics for fans to sing/chant along with, so hopefully it gets some deserved extra airplay as the playoff run continues!

Give it a listen below, and good luck to the Soo Greyhounds next week as they continue their second round series with the Owen Sound Attack! You can catch games 3-5, plus 6 & 7 if necessary, on Rock 101 on your FM radio, and on Shaw TV (channel 10 if you have cable), while tickets for game 5 are now on sale at The Essar Center, so get them while you can!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Elements), New Videos, And More Recent Updates!!

With a surprising amount of backlogged news to tackle over the next few days, here's a surprise news post for your Friday night, so what's in store? Some assorted recent updates, a pair of new videos relating to local metal bands, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

Local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will play a rare headlining concert set when they hit The Rockstar Bar on Friday, August 11th! Last seen at this venue on Canada Day, this talented and raucuous quartet will be in ska-mode in two weeks' time, as the Facebook event page confirms that saxophonist Josh Norling will join them as a guest for the first time this year! (This also seemingly gives online public confirmation that he's not a full band member.) Josh always adds a fun "element" to The Elements' live show, and it'll be nice to see him back with the guys next month! Local alternative/hard rock quartet Bizotic will open on the 11th in a rare Rockstar Bar appearance of their own, and they'll be a fine compliment with their own horn instrument-infused originals, so don't be late for their set! This 19+ concert has no announced cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates when & if they arrive!

Next up, here's a pair of new videos, including a new promotional clip for the Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival in nearby Leeburn on September 9th! Posted to co-promoter/AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent's YouTube channel yesterday as his first upload there in three years, the video features assorted muted clips of local musicians (performing at the festival or not), friends of Six, Two, Oh., and other random footage, as interspersed with pan & scan views of the festival poster. The featured audio is of Sudbury punk trio Lightmares' song "The Sweat of a Hero" (will they play it here in September?), and while the video says more visually than vocally, it's a fun way to hype up this ambitious fall festival! I won't spoil the individual content, but it's well put together, if slightly random, so see more on this event above & below, and stay tuned for continued updates as they roll in!



Also, local punk/metal quintet (and Oh!NO Festival performers) Jack Spades' song "Motorwolf" is featured in a new YouTube video from Monday where Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno goes skydiving! Uploaded to Josh's personal YouTube channel (whose content is largely more based on his independent movie studio Spacebag Productions than his bands), the video features Josh and his buddy "Powers" as they prepare, take off for, and execute the skydive at the Niagara Skydive Center in Welland. Solid song choice for this well edited video, which is thrilling & amusing at different parts, though the audio is very quiet, so crank up your dial before you watch below!



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

• Are you wondering who's promoting the Dokken/Firehouse concert at The Essar Center on September 30th? None other than Superior Entertainment (source here), the Sault Michigan agency best known for putting on 2015's P.O.D./Hoobastank and Saving Abel concerts, plus numerous MMA events at Kewadin Casino. This rare cross-border promotional concert could also be seen as redemption for Superior Entertainment, whose Firehouse-headlined Superior Festival last year was cancelled shortly before showtime. It'll be very interesting to see how the promoters do on the Canadian side of the border, so keep that angle in mind!
• Pillory bassist Jordan Leach-Berube announced in a Musicians Wanted Facebook group post on Thursday that he is "leaving soon" and is looking for bass players to take over in his three current bands (not named there beyond genre, but I'm 99.999% sure he means Pillory, improv/jazz trio The Peach Thieves, and ambient/drone trio Pointless.) I'm not sure where Jordan is going, but he's a talented musician that will be missed in the Soo, and be sure to message him at this link or above if you're interested in auditioning with one or more of these bands!
• Sault Michigan metal quartet Stoned Ape Evolution will return to the stage as one of the opening bands at Bay Mills Bands Together's Labour Day Rock & Jock Softball Tournament in Brimley on September 2nd! They'll join fellow new confirmations Strange Brew (an acoustic rock duo) and The Damn Jahnkes (a new band presumably featuring past B.M.B.T. performer Ken Jahnke) at the outdoor fundraiser concert in just over a month. Solid choices, and it's nice to see S.A.E. alive and well, so visit the above links for more current details on this event!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dystraction), Haggith's New Song, And Much More!!

We had originally planned for our look at the new Friday the 13th songs from Werehold Records tonight, but due to one more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, we'll lead off with that, closing a very prolonged spread of hard rock concert previews on this busy weekend! We also have some assorted updates, a new concert video, and a studio track, so here's what you need to know!

Wausau, Wisconsin hard rock trio Dystraction will apparently make their local concert debut TONIGHT at The Merchant's Bar in Sault Michigan! Apologies for the short notice, the show has been announced since January on their own Facebook event page, but it's completely slipped us by. We rarely see a non-Michigan hard rock band playing across the river at a local bar, but Dystraction have an added local tie, as veteran local drummer Paul Burns (formerly of Bent Rollercoaster & Hammerspace) is in their lineup! Nice to see Paul (a.k.a. Dorothy) back in a band after his move from our area, and hopefully his homecoming is a huge hit! I severely apologize again for how late this is, I'd have plugged it in January had I known! I haven't heard a lot from Dystraction beyond some assorted demos, but they have a melodic modern hard rock sound that should fit in at The Merch TONIGHT!

The first hard rock show at The Merchant's Bar that we've heard about since Paul's old band Plastic played there in late 2013 (though I very well may have missed some since), this show has a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. For more details, check the above links, and don't miss Paul's homecoming with Dystraction TONIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, and here's a Dystraction original demo!

Next up, here's a new song from local hard/alternative rock quartet Haggith, as per their YouTube channel last week! To be included on their album "Apocalypse II" (whose recording sessions are still ongoing), the song is called "Immunity", and the band are hyping it as being very different from anything they've ever recorded before. Notably their first released studio recording with new bassist Jordan Leach, the song is more of a straight dramatic ballad with keyboard and orchestration, bearing some similarities with drummer Mike Haggith's recent solo output. I won't critique the song due to Haggith being involved in this month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands still (we'll find out if they're the wild card or not on Wednesday), but check out "Immunity" below, and don't miss 3/4ths of the band on Wednesday with Mike Haggith & The Din and Project 421!



Also today, here's a new video from local goregrind duo Rotopsy, as per label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on Tuesday! This comes from a private gig that they played on March 6th, which served as both a pre-show for the following night's Benighted concert, and a belated birthday party for rapper Jean-Paul "Phat Boii" Archambault, as per this event poster (the event also featured Crucify The Whore, Them, and Mikey Thomas.) Rotopsy's video is of them playing their song "Shovel Packin'", and the lighting isn't that bad given the house party setting, with a nice intimate atmosphere for Tyler and Dylan's grind action! Give it a look below!



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

• Haggith bassist Jordan Leach is looking to form "an all original, inspiring, uplifting, and political band" that would include elements of punk, reggae, and progressive rock that would lift people up. Unique and orchestral instruments would be a plus for this project. Interesting, so message Jordan at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post for more info!
• Following a recent set at their Superior Heights alma mater, local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control will apparently be featured in an upcoming Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie special that will feature performance footage and interviews. It will apparently be a half hour, so look for it on TV or online in the near future! Our source is the band's Facebook page in recent days.
• When promoting his "Rust Orchid" CD release show earlier this week, Telephone & Address frontman Chris Shoust revealed on their Facebook page on Monday that he's starting to finish vocal tracks for new songs that he wrote over the winter, while his planned "Early Tapes" compilation "will be delayed for some time", though he didn't elaborate on why. Next for his local music work is his hyped Red & Black/Orange split release, so keep an eye out for updates on that and more!

That's all for today, but stay tuned (at last) for our look at the newest Werehold Records Friday the 13th song uploads tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Bear Hunters CD Release Party Review!!

Hey guys, it's finally time for our review of Saturday night's Bear Hunters CD release show at The Canadian Nightclub! I was at Toystock all day yesterday, hence the delay, but better late than never, and our Toystock review will follow either tonight or tomorrow! There was an OK turnout on Saturday, though honestly less people than I was expecting, but fans made their presence felt by night's end! As for the Bear Hunters' merchandise, shirts weren't ready, and there was no sign of the mini-posters or stickers from the planned prize draw, but both their new CD "Eternal Hibernation" and the previously released "Collapse The Sun" single seemed to sell briskly! If you're wondering, we will go over the contents and surprises of each CD in a coming news post, but now, to the bands!

Opening on Saturday was local grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith (replacing Destroilet), who had their fourth different bassist in four shows, as the guys unveiled Jordan Leach as the newest "candidate" for the bassist position (so it looks like Caleb Cachagee's return at Sault Band-O-Rama didn't last.) Jordan has been actively looking to join or start a new band recently, so if this sticks, it's big for him! He sounded good, but he needs to work on his stage presence, as he was very stiff and mostly looked off to the side. As for the band as a whole, their set included 6 songs from their upcoming CD "XIV" and two from "Dragon Joy Ride", plus "Hands of Death" from "Apocalypse II", and set-bookending covers of Jethro Tull and Jimi Hendrix, the latter after calls for an encore. Aside from "Locomotive Breath", no real surprises, but the guys sounded good and heavy, keeping with their recent shows! Curtis McKenzie did strain his voice on high notes, and Daniel Horton seemed too serious for much of their set, but solid work all around!

Second was Brampton deathcore quintet Livid & The Bloodthirsty in their local concert debut, and despite a slow early crowd response, the guys made some fans with their energetic hybrid sound! Playing a number of original songs like "Gear Up" and "Senseless Debauchery", their mix of modern hardcore with death metal vocals was fun and well worth checking out, with singer Matt Chepetto a visible ball of energy throughout, including entering the crowd on multiple occasions! I did notice that fan response did start to turn once L.A.T.B. covered Lamb of God's "Laid to Rest" (and opened a second mic to the fans), and by set's end, fans were eating everything up! Joe Baldasio & Sandy Thompson were impressive on guitar in their own right, and while a bass mishap brought an early standstill to their set, the guys filled time well and left a good impression! Hopefully we'll see them up north again!

And of course, your headliners were local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, as it was their CD release show, after all! Playing for an extended length with two sets, their first was comprised of the entire "Eternal Hibernation" album in exact song order, while the shorter second set featured newer songs to be included on their next album "The Dead Testament" (like "The Omen" and "I Fear No God"), and more expected additions. With the lengthy album recording and release process finally at it's end, the guys seemed renewed and happy to just play for a change, and fans responded in kind! Even if there was no new CD, seeing Josh Stephney back with the band for just the third time since he moved to Brampton was great enough, as his rhythm guitar is a missing element from most of The Bear Hunters' recent shows, so we got to hear them as intended on Saturday! The guys all sounded tight, especially Justin Lam on bass, though Nik Deubel's vocals were sometimes hard to hear. Great set, and make sure to buy your copies of their CDs A.S.A.P.!

Very solid concert, and congratulations go out to The Bear Hunters on finally getting this CD out! We'll cover it in greater detail in the coming days, and our review of it will be this month too! Donna Hopper and the SooToday/Local2 crew were on hand for an article/Tuned episode, so be sure to look out for them in short order as well! Our photos from the show can now be seen at our Facebook page, as can our videos, so here's Haggith playing "No Cure For Insanity", Livid & The Bloodthirsty playing "This Scene's Too Preteen", and The Bear Hunters playing their CD's opener "Dominate"!




That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Toystock review, this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, and more news and updates very soon! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage's New Albums, Half Past's New Videos, And Much More!!

Time for some news at the SMS! We have some good stories to share today, including this week's classic video, the final band on a show this week, our first glimpse at a local band's new lineup, and much more, but first, some new albums are now available to stream, so let's begin with that!

Three of Sykotyk Rampage's new albums are now uploaded onto the band's Reverbnation page to stream for free! Their 26th, 28th, and 29th albums "Bucket of Ham", "Space", and "Zombies" are now online to check out, with the 24th, 25th, and 27th albums (the "Genius Mushroom" albums and "Karrs") yet to be uploaded. None of them are currently available to purchase yet, just stream, but we'll of course let you guys know when their store is updated. How does the new crash music sound? I won't divulge too much personally, seeing as I still don't know which one I'm reviewing next, but from what I've heard, their more irreverent material is definitely back, and the songs range from crash fury to amusing experimental songs to ones that are just plain hard to describe. While drummer Paul Becker still sings on most songs, guitarist Dirk Becker gets a lot of lead singing time on these albums, compared to his single appearance on last year's "Bella Disgusta". Also, the "Space" album is similar to "Zombies" in that the title of the album and songs doesn't necessarily mean that there's a consistent concept to be found. It's odd that the albums are out of order, but the rest should be up soon! Check out the 38 new Sykotyk Rampage songs at this location, and stay tuned for details on the rest of the new albums & which one we'll review first!

Next up, did you miss Hempfest and are still curious as to how local hard rockers Half Past sound with new singer Jordan Rains? We can now find out, as a number of videos from this past weekend's debut are now online at the band's Facebook page! I can't embed Facebook videos here, but five videos are up of the band covering Silverchair's instrumental "Madman", Disturbed's "Down With The Sickness", Drowning Pool's "Bodies", Godsmack's "I Stand Alone", and Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", so click each link above to give the videos a look! Nice quality overall, and the band are playing as well as I expected, but how does Jordan sound? Well, I was right on my hypothesis that he'd have a higher singing voice than Half Past's old singers, and on melodic songs where he can show that off, he shows real promise. He doesn't do as well on songs with harsher singing though, at least not from the videos I've seen. His stage presence is a bit stiff too, but it could be first show jitters. I'd like to see how he does on Half Past's originals or on songs with more melodic singing, cause that could be where he's best suited. Good first look though, I think Jordan will prove to be the right choice! Check out much more from Half Past's new lineup at the above links, including photos!

Now to a concert update concerning THIS THURSDAY'S 29th Roosevelt Hotel metal night! The final opening band has been confirmed, and after a month away from playing locally, Desbarats death metal band For All That Is Lost are coming back to town to open for Vancouver death metal band Abriosis on Thursday! Notably, this will be their first concert in Sault Ste. Marie since guitarist Allen Piche left the band last month (which resulted in their last minute dropout from the Titan's Eve show), and as he hasn't been replaced yet, it will be their first concert here as a quartet. Should be interesting to hear the band with only one guitarist, but either way, their death metal speaks for itself, so don't miss them! They'll of course join local hardcore band Changing Waves as openers. Aside from the lineup news, a Facebook event page and poster have been released for the show, as well as news that the show will have a $5 cover charge. That can be expected for metal nights with out of town headliners, though the amount varies. Either way, $5 for 3 quality bands? It's extremely worth it! Stay tuned for more on this show in our weekend concert previews!

Now, here's some assorted shorter stories from the last little while. As always, these are in alphabetical order by band, venue, or site name:

• In case you didn't know, The Roosevelt Hotel has a Facebook page featuring photos, events, updates, and news from the Korah Road bar! Become a fan at this location to stay up to date on all events and happenings at The Rosie!
• I've updated the SMS' YouTube channel to further emphasize our extensive video collection and introduce new playlists that group together full concerts and out of print albums that I've uploaded (or partially uploaded). Click the "Playlists" tab at the link above to see the full albums & concerts we have all in the same spot! Hopefully that proves more convenient!
• What's the status of Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold's "Korea Metal" documentary? It's on hold until the "Woods V" sessions end, then he'll work on it again in the fall, with a projected release next spring. For more details, including quotes from David on the documentary, click here!

And finally, here is this week's classic video! With Frightlight rocking this year's Art In The Parking Lot event on Church Street, I thought it'd be fitting to tie in this week's video to them, and this time, we're going to Fitswitch, the old punk/metal band featuring 3/5ths of Frightlight in their classic lineup! This video comes from one of the band's scattered reunions following their 2007 breakup, as their classic lineup reunited on March 22nd of last year for guitarist Kevin Powe's stag & doe at The Elks Hall! Featuring Kevin, his future Frightlight bandmates J.D. Pearce & Rick White, bassist Andrew MacDonald, and drummer Larry Mousseau (also a former Frightlight member), Fitswitch jammed out a selection of their classics and some covers at this gig, and attendee Krista Kelly filmed a lot of it, some of which is posted on the old Fitswitch YouTube channel! One video that didn't make the jump to YouTube last year is of Fitswitch covering an early version of Frightlight's "She Screams", which sounds mostly similar to the version we now know and love, though the vocals are more reserved in the choruses. Good first performance either way, though the Elks Hall isn't well lit, so things aren't too bright, despite the good video quality.

The original video was uploaded to Facebook in March of last year by guitarist Rick White, and you can see the original version at http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=408246541302. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Krista Kelly and the members of Fitswitch and Frightlight, They did all the hard work! So with that in mind, hopefully you guys enjoy this look at Fitswitch covering Frightlight's "She Screams"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, last month's poll results, and this month's poll very soon! Thanks everyone!

Half Past's New Singer And Some New Local Metal Videos!!!

It's official: This is the busiest month in SMS history! Today marks our 36th post in 30 days, and we will hit 37 tomorrow when we preview this weekend's concerts, so how's that for a packed month of news? Today, we mostly have new videos, including a long awaited tour vlog, new concert footage from a recent major show, and this week's classic video, but first, here's big news concerning one local band's lineup!

Local hard rockers Half Past have announced the addition of singer Jordan Rains to the band, replacing Luke LeBlanc. Though not a widely known singer in local rock circles, Jordan did try out for Half Past during the Fingerbone days before finally making the band in this latest vocalist search. Surprisingly enough, Jordan is actually one of the tenor singers in a local Christian vocal group named NAClamation, which is interesting in itself! Being a tenor, I'd assume his singing voice will be higher in tone, and combined with Half Past's own mention that he has a "great vocal range", we should be looking at some great singing from Jordan in Half Past when they return to the stage! The news was broken on Half Past's Facebook page only two hours ago. I'm curious to see how Jordan does with Half Past, especially given his vocal style, which seems like it will be at least somewhat different from how both Luke & John Barber sang with the band. The NAClamation recordings don't say much for Jordan's singing on it's own, but the guys in Half Past know exactly what they're doing, and Jordan should work out just fine! Fingers crossed for a return to the stage very soon!

Next up are the long awaited Woods of Ypres tour vlogs! After some delays due to upload failures, the first two parts of their first tour vlog in Sault Ste. Marie are now on frontman David Gold's YouTube channel, so here's what you should know! These utilize more on screen titles to identify songs and video segments than last year's had, but the basic theme is the same: Concert footage, road antics, alcohol consumption, and assorted amusing moments from the tour and related excursions! Part 1 features (among other stuff) some shots of their local rehearsal area, Joel Violette's piano skills, why they went to Canadian Tire, the struggles of getting to The Roosevelt Hotel for their concert here on March 10th, some "dancing" to The Bear Hunters & State of Misery during their sets, a local building for sale that David wanted to purchase, and over four minutes of concert footage from that very show! Part 2 is basically just the continuation of the concert footage, and I assume it will conclude in Part 3 when it's uploaded, along with some likely post-show moments. Yes, the footage captured from Woods of Ypres' actual set was from the filming I was doing on one of the band's camcorders, though I noticed that almost no footage from "Camera 2" was used save for a cheering crowd moment. I wonder why not?

I thought my footage was good, but I felt too close to the action at times, especially when filming Joel. I guess I had to be to avoid people obstructing the view, but I'd have liked to have seen the second camera's take! Still, it's good footage, clear audio and video, and it's nice seeing stuff I shot being used like this! I've embedded the first third of the tour vlog below, but check out the above links to view Part 2 (and more), and stay tuned for Part 3!



Thirdly today, how's about some new concert footage from a recent major show? Videos that I've seen on YouTube from March 14th's Buckcherry concert at Kewadin Casino have entirely been from their set, with nothing from Papa Roach or local openers Fallen Heroes...until now! Yesterday, YouTube user suffocation2 uploaded this video of Papa Roach playing their hit "Last Resort" from what appears to be their show earlier this month! Even if it's their 2009 show here, it's 100% at Kewadin, so it still fits here! The video quality's really good for this clip, and the audio's not bad either, though it has some staticy portions with the bass here and there. I was a big fan of Papa Roach's in their early "rap metal" days, but frontman Jacoby Shaddix sounds more tired here than I'm used to. I bet you this was later in the set. Still, this is some of the best footage of any band that I've seen recently from major Kewadin hard rock shows, so definitely give it a look below, and if any more videos pop up online from this concert, I'll have them here!



And finally, here's this week's classic video! For the first time, it's not linked to a performer at an upcoming concert, as I'm low on available non-YouTube videos from the bands/artists that I know are playing this weekend, and I want to spread things out. So this week, I decided to upload a video from a prominent local band that we haven't seen on stage in a few months, and that band is Garden of Bedlam! This video comes from their headlining show on February 27th, 2011 at Foggy Notions, and it's of the band covering Pantera's "Fucking Hostile" with guest singer Andy Chillman of Papa Fogals Chair fame! FYI, Papa Fogals Chair is the inactive London metal quintet featuring Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner, and they opened this concert (along with fellow Londoners Pistols At Dawn) in a rare one-off reunion set! Andy joined Erik "Buzz" Boissineau on lead vocals for this Pantera cover, and it's well performed and chaotic, though you can tell that their voices were slightly shot after playing full sets earlier. Plus, there's a lot of dead air afterwards while the band talks and mingles, so look out for that. Still, it looks like it was fun, I wish I could have been at this show!

This video was shot by attendee Amy Shaw, and later uploaded on Facebook by PFC bassist Mike Bird in the week following this concert. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit belongs to the performers in the video, Amy, and Mike for all their hard work, I'm just showing this off to a bigger and wider audience, especially given the special nature of the performance! The original video can be seen at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=339373697450. So check out this week's classic video below!



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