Our Recap Of Mike Haggith's Newest Live-Stream!!

Much sooner than last time, here's our extended recap of prolific local/Thompson, Manitoba alternative/hard rock solo musician Mike Haggith's newest live-stream from this past Sunday! Simulcast on both Mike's Facebook page and YouTube channel to commemorate hitting 100 subscribers on that platform (thanks to an upgrade to his StreamYard account), the 100 minute live-stream starts with Mike doing some routine maintenance, setup, and explanations for new viewers, given that YouTube-only fans may not know what these are. Regarding the episode proper, Mike acknowledges his recent marriage and the end of his Ukraine charity drive last month, before bringing in the episode's special guest, namely ex-Shit Liver singer/bassist Mike Kyle, who currently performs acoustic folk music with his solo project Sibling. Be advised that the dreaded webcam halts and pops are very prevalent on Mike Kyle's feed.

The interview starts with Mike Haggith praising Mike Kyle's music, with Mike Kyle discussing his musical background, appreciation for Sault Ste. Marie, artistic influences, recent hobbies and activities, plans for 2022, and there's even a fan question from the chat, which has to be new! After acknowledging a contest for live viewers to win a CD copy of The Din's posthumous live album "Technically Live" (to be reviewed on the SMS this month!), we finally get into some music at around the 25 minute mark, starting with Mike Kyle playing two brief Sibling originals named "Food For Thought" and "Chasing Rabbits". The interview portion of the episode resumes with lengthy discussions about Mike Kyle's evocative lyrics, artistic inspirations, avenues to promote his music, and his current visual art projects, before Mike Haggith finally plays some music of his own.

If you're tuning in for this Mike, he begins 48 minutes in with his new song "Twist of Fate" from his upcoming album "All The Best In All You Do", and unfortunately, the webcam halts and pops are an issue (if less so) on Mike Haggith's feed too. Is this StreamYard's fault, or did Mike change his camera setup from 2021? Afterwards, Mike does reveal that he is thinking about getting merchandise made for his next album beyond albums during the responses to live viewers in the chat, followed by a rendition of his familiar original track "MorningStar". Mike Kyle comes in next with his new (and fittingly named) song "Palindromes", which is the current song he's most proud of, followed with Mike teasing his upcoming musical plans, plus his recent following of local hip hop music, which he has incorporated on some of his Sibling-era originals. Mike Haggith next dives into the share contest for last month, so who had the most engaged share of all?

Ironically, it was Sainte-Marie/Bad Chug guitarist Jacob Quarrell, the guest of honour in the February 2022 episode, and as he had the most engaged social media share of that live-stream, he got to pick Mike Haggith's mandatory cover for last month. Mike Haggith is very coy about what song he was nominated to tackle, and that's because it's "The Birthday Song" by comedian Jon LaJoie (let's just say that the innocent vibe at the start takes a turn!) Next, Mike Haggith asks Mike Kyle again about his future plans, while Mike Haggith did tease that he's going to review one of Mike Kyle's albums in his YouTube album review series. The draw for the winner of the "Technically Live" CD is next, with the winner being ex-Bizotic frontman/No Arrow bassist Brad "Gortium85" Griffith! Mike Haggith also manages to figure out how to get live comments on the feed like on Studio Live Today near the end.

As for Shit Liver, they get the most discussion in the last 10 minutes, and only sparingly come up beforehand, but Mike Kyle does talk positively about the band & their tour runs, and gives some brief insights, with Mike Haggith even plugging the local goregrind scene that peaked in the mid-2010s. While musically a very slight episode (only 6 songs total), and the downgrade in audio quality since 2021 is unfortunate, this is an entertaining episode that lets Mike Haggith stretch his interviewer muscle, and if you haven't followed Mike Kyle's solo pursuits, do so, as he's a very creative artist with a distinct voice! It'll be interesting to see how the April live-stream goes, but give last month's a watch below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums? post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Metal Project & Album, Skeyes Of Seven Updates, And More!!

Before we dive into another weekend's concert previews, here's a new news post on this snowy Wednesday, so what's in store for today? Well, we have some assorted notes regarding three local acts' active statuses, lots of recent updates from a prominent hard rock band, and first, here's a surprise new band and album to take note of!

We have a new local metal solo project to add to our links, and they are Abhorrent Forest, the newest endeavour from ex-Despised Eyes/Death Rise guitarist Will Tholberg! Going by the stage name "Old Man Wyrn" or simply "Wyrn" for this project, Abhorrent Forest launched their Facebook page in October, but only commenced with major public postings this month. Musically, Abhorrent Forest are an instrumental black metal act, and in a surprise reveal just on Monday, their debut album "The End of Life" is already on sale via their Bandcamp page! You can download it free there, but it is available for purchase too via Bandcamp's "name your price" model. It's not every day that you see a new black metal album release in this area, let alone one this abrupt, but kudos to Will for putting this out! Without giving too much away, it's a huge departure from his past public band work, and should appeal to fans of underground minimalist black metal.

As this is a brand new album release available for paid sale, "The End of Life" is very possible for a CD review on the SMS this month, so keep that in mind, and you can also stream the whole album below via Old Man Wyrn's new YouTube channel, so check out Abhorrent Forest above & below!



Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven, who have been busy as of late, so what's new from their camp? First off, the band has finally confirmed the quiet reveal from last fall of a new second guitarist, that being Kyle Sweet, who you may recognize from performing with frontman Cory Murchison during his solo set at March 2014's Medifest fundraiser, and previously with The Sault Ste. Marie Pipe Band. This gives Skeyes of Seven two guitarists for the first time since Alain Fletcher moved to bass in 2014, and Kyle was a good fit in last year's initial cover video with him! The band still has a drummer vacancy though, and be sure to message them above or guitarist Ron Baxter at this link if you're interested in trying out! As for Skeyes of Seven's long-awaited debut EP "Stare at the Sky', we are still awaiting a full paid release, but the whole EP is now online to stream via Skeyes of Seven's YouTube channel, so what should you know?

Confirming a 6 song run-time, "Stare at the Sky" will feature their songs "See The Truth", "Pretend", "Enough", "Fallen Faith", "Cognitive Dissonance", and as embedded below, "Crawling Back Into Reality" (yes, they did delete two of their older studio tracks and re-post them.) No word on if the night sky motif on most videos will be the album cover, or on when that will see it's paid release, but the instrumental "Crawling Back Into Reality" notably differs by having a slideshow of shots from the band's run so far. It includes pictures dating back to their first show, even including ex-members Mike Mannarino & Jonny Amendola in some shots, and closing with outtakes from their introductory video with recent drummer John Mignacca (who drums on the EP.) My biggest problem with this video is that they include never-before-seen clips of Skeyes of Seven jamming and in studio, only to dub them over with the studio track, even ones with Cory visibly singing, despite the song having no vocals.

I wouldn't want the song broken up, but I'm sure fans would want to see these clips on their own, so hopefully they make their way online at some point! Still, it's great to see things finally nearing completion and release for Skeyes of Seven's debut EP, especially given how sporadically they've played live since debuting in 2012, so check out the songs on "Stare At The Sky" above & below, and stay tuned for updates!



Finally, here's some shorter assorted news items from the last while, all via our latest scan of our active band links, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• We have moved local punk supergroup Killer to our inactive band links, as they have not made a public posting of any kind since January 6th of last year. A non-seasonal sister band to Toystock 2015 performers The Rude-Offs, Killer themselves have never played live, despite a strong lineup comprised of Destroilet, Treble Charger, and Stiffler's Mom alumni. For what it's worth, The Rude-Offs dropped out of last year's Toystock, but their lack of activity also coincided with much of Destroilet's year-long stage hiatus, so take those however you want. Hopefully we see Greg, Greig, John, Christian, Adam, and Matt back in some form!
• In a post on his solo project's Facebook page in May of last year, Din frontman Mike Haggith noted that with The Din "making some pretty big waves" in recent months, his next solo album (the "Neighbourhood Watch" re-recording) isn't currently a priority, despite him teasing that album that same February. At least Mike acknowledged why his solo project hasn't been active lately, but hopefully he can complete "Neighbourhood Watch Revisited" at some point, and of course, follow The Din for his high energy current original band work! We'll leave his solo project in our active links until May, unless there's new activity beforehand.
• We have also moved Mourning Wood drummer Glen Thomas' hard rock studio project The Mourning Glory (named before he joined the former) to our inactive band links, as he hasn't posted anything public on that project since his New Year's forecast post on his message board one year ago today. The Mourning Glory had promise, but don't miss Glen and Tony Kajnar in their current active projects The Peace Vibe and Flat Stanley!

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

More New Year's Eve Concert Previews, A New Video, And Much More!!

Barring an extremely late notice concert announcement, this will be our last regular post of 2016, so what's in store? A handful of musician searches to take note of, a recent album trailer video, and to lead things off, previews of two hard rock concerts for your New Year's Eve plans, so here's what you need to know to end the year!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will end 2016 in style by headlining The Rockstar Bar's New Year's Eve bash TOMORROW NIGHT! No word on who's playing there tonight, but this show will mark The Millionaires first live concert appearance in 4 weeks, and if you know The Rockstar Bar well, you'll know you're in for a big party to ring in 2017! Given the special admission fee of $10, expect some extra party accoutrements, and perhaps even refreshments, not to mention some hard rocking cover favourites from this union of Cleveland Steamer, Turner Up, Sneaky Pete, and Wishbone alumni! Note that a previously announced opening set by new punk band A Dire Setback has been dropped from this show for unannounced reasons. This $10 show has a 19+ age limit as usual, and everything is slated to begin at 10:30 PM tomorrow. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live!



Next up, new local classic/hard rock cover trio Nameus (is this their permanent name now?) will rock The Rednecks Saloon TOMORROW NIGHT to send out 2016 themselves! This union of Suicide Kings, Havadder, and Asylum Country alumni are still without an online page or any public media of their concerts, but they're definitely pulling out all the stops to get fans to the former Nicolet Tavern tomorrow, as not only will there be free pizza for attendees, but admission is FREE! Usually, promoted New Year's bashes like this have a higher admission charge, so kudos to Twin City Sound and Nameus for making this more open to the masses! Alongside the free admission, a 10:00 PM start time is in effect tomorrow, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Check the above links for more details, and hopefully some online pages and/or media of Nameus turns up at some point!

Also today, here's a belated trailer for local post-punk quartet Gnaeus' debut CD "Meditations", as uploaded to their YouTube channel late last month! Apologies in our own month's delay in getting this on the site, we didn't know it was online until the past week. The creativity points are high here, as the guys are green screened so that their heads are floating in space, while discussing the band, how to pronounce their name, songs on the album, and more odd topics (plus, did you know that Alex Proulx could fire lasers from his eyes?) My big problem with the trailer is the volume is woefully inconsistent, as the guys are very quiet when talking, yet the music is extremely loud, so I was constantly wrestling with the volume dial so I could hear everything at a normal volume. If you can get past that, this trailer is very fun and a nice (if delayed) promotion for "Meditations", so check it out below!



Finally, here's three assorted shorter stories, all relating to recent musician searches via the Musicians Wanted Facebook group! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name!

• Project 421/Eclipse guitarist Daniel Horton is looking to assemble a new band that would play originals and occasional covers. He's aiming to play hard rock that perhaps veers into pop rock territory, specifically "well structured and tasteful music", while he'd actually only want to play up to 5 times a year, and just wants creatively similar musicians. Daniel noted that "I've got some more free time", but if he has left his recent bands or seen them disband, that hasn't been publically confirmed. Message Daniel at this link or via his Musicians Wanted group post from yesterday for more details!
• A local guitarist named Kyle Foster is getting back into music, and is looking to jam with fellow musicians. His influences include bands like Strung Out, NOFX, and Propagandhi, and he is a songwriter that would be interested in maybe forming a band to play his originals and maybe covers. For reference, he has been playing a guitar borrowed from local punk veteran Lucas "Dr. Sal Velinus' Schmiedendorf lately. Message Kyle at this link or via his Musicians Wanted group post from yesterday if you're interested in jamming with him in the new year!
• In yet another local band search, former Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl guitarist Mike Vincent is looking to join a metal band of any kind (preferably thrash or death metal) as a guitarist and vocalist. If you're interested in jamming with Mike, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted group post from December 20th!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our recap of the news & events in the local metal & punk scenes of 2016 tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

FireHouse & Ripcordz Concert Updates, New Din Videos, And More!!

August is already upon us, so let's keep things rolling with a new news post on this Monday morning! Today, we have some assorted recent notes, new video features from a talented rising band, and lineup shifts for an upcoming show, but first, here's some late major updates for what could be the biggest Sault Michigan-area show of 2016!

We have lots of big updates concerning THIS SATURDAY'S FireHouse-headlined outdoor concert in Sault Michigan, so what's new to report on it? In terms of location, the show has indeed been moved from behind Moloney's Alley to a proper street party locale on Ashmun Street, specifically the stretch between Harmony Health Foods and Zim's between West Portage Avenue and Maple/Ridge Street. Both listed establishments will act as sponsors and contributors for the show as well, with Zim's providing refreshments during the festivities, and hosting an autograph signing & afterparty inside their bar on Saturday at 10:00 PM. No word of if live hard rock bands will return to Zim's in the process, but it's great to see them going all out for the occasion! As for the lineup, Rochester post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris have quietly dropped out for unannounced reasons (for what it's worth, the band hasn't posted on Facebook since May), but the teased battle of the bands is on for this Saturday!

To take place at 3:00 PM as the opening sets for this ALL AGES show, promoters Superior Entertainment have yet to confirm the performing lineup or prizes at all, but might we see past local battle winners Tantrym Tyme back for it, especially given drummer Ethan Twardy's ties to Harmony Health Foods? If/when we hear anything on the battle lineup, we'll let you know, but visit the official Facebook event page for full details on this intriguing show! Updates have been slow to come for this event, but everything seems to be falling into place for the returns of FireHouse and Redburn, so get your tickets for $25 (less for children) at this link A.S.A.P.!

Next up, and staying in the realm of concert lineup updates, the full lineup for the Ripcordz-headlined all ages show on Saturday, August 13th at The Canadian Nightclub is now out, as Sault Ontario classic metal band Project 421 & their sister hard rock group Eclipse will return to the site of their most recent battles of the bands next weekend! Though neither skew to the hardcore punk stylings of The Ripcordz, both bands are very talented, and should set the tone well before Jack Spades and the headliners rock the stage! It should be noted that Project 421 (who were added to the lineup first) are a replacement for local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet, who have quietly withdrew from this concert for unannounced reasons, though note that they haven't played live since (ironically) The Ripcordz' local show last October, due to varying personal matters. Hopefully we see the guys back at it soon, but see above for more on next week's ALL AGES Ripcordz show!

Also today, here's some new features on local alternative hard rock trio The Din from two prominent local news video sources! One is the newest episode of SooToday's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper, as posted online yesterday, so what should you know on it? Filmed at Rotaryfest's Stage 2 last month (where The Din opened the day's lineup), Donna interviewed all three band members about their formation, musical evolution, upcoming debut CD and release concert, their songwriting process, and frontman Mike Haggith's extensive solo discography, with clips from their set interspersed within as usual. In terms of scoops, the Tuned episode does give some extra info on Pretoria Hill Productions (where their CD was largely recorded), while drummer Brandan Glew did note that they hope to work with Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios again on future projects. Solid episode that covers a lot of ground, so give it a look at the above links!

As SooToday's video host doesn't allow external embedding, we can't feature it here, but this one is embedded below, courtesy of Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie's YouTube channel on Friday! Filmed at a jam session with interview segments in their van (Id Iota's Christian Lemay conducted it but isn't heard on camera), it treads some of the same ground as the Tuned episode, but it features extra insights on why they dropped "Mike Haggith &" from their name, the band's fast rise, The Din's efforts to involve the crowd in their sets, and their social media presence. Another solid feature that touches on their personalities well, so give it a look below too, especially if you missed it on channel 10 last month!



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

• In case you haven't noticed lately, Facebook has unveiled a new streamlined look and design for pages (including ours), which includes easier tab access and more of a vertical layout. It takes some adjusting, but it seems to address some problems with the earlier layout, so just a heads up on the update, which you can get more info on at this link! It wasn't my call, other Facebook pages should look the same on your computer!
• Local post-punk quartet Gnaeus were spotlighted in this SooToday article from Donna Hopper on Saturday, where they discussed how they began working on their debut CD "Meditations" (out THIS FRIDAY) and their songwriting process, while also noting the spots where you can buy it, including one surprise spot: M&M Food Market, as bassist Matt Fronzi's parents own the frozen food shop chain's local branches, so if you buy groceries there, add "Meditations" to your shopping list! Solid read, so check it out above, along with 7 black & white photos from their LopLops show on July 22nd! Sadly, none of Long Shot's set are included.
• This is probably late to the party, but I thought I'd acknowledge it. Local musician Kyle Derasp is looking for people to jam with at his place, which has a full set-up with drums. He has "beers & beats" every weekend, and requests those interested to not ask him to bring his drum kit to you. If you're interested in jamming with Kyle, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Strange Coyotes, Griphook, And Banned), And More!!

For a second straight day, we have a short notice second post on the site, as like yesterday, there's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for tonight that is linked to a public show from yesterday and is getting a fair amount of Facebook advertising! Also read on for full public LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend and some more assorted notes, so here's what you need to know, and check out lots of VM Radio updates (and the new Tuned episode) in the post below this one! (Updated at 9:24 PM)

Remember how Blood Shed Productions & Heavy North Entertainment hosted a publically advertised house party concert last night on Weldon Avenue? Well, that show was reportedly cut short due to a Foggy's-esque noise complaint and police visit, which cancelled plans for a Strange Coyotes headlining set and forced Rotopsy to only play one song. With that in mind, promoters are giving a short notice second try at this show TONIGHT at a different location, though still centrally located! Once scheduled to be held at an Oakbine Avenue location, the show was moved back to it's original 110 Pentagon Boulevard location for unannounced reasons on very short notice. Hopefully things go smoother for everyone tonight, despite the location jumbling! All performers except Telephone & Address and Mikey Thomas are back for tonight, which will definitely see The Strange Coyotes headlining in their first announced show since confirming their reunion, with Rotopsy, Crucify The Whore, Brutaly Fatal, and a "surprise special guest appearance" also teased.

The Facebook event page has current details for this show, which is ALL AGES, will start at 8:00 PM tonight, and will have no announced cover. Don't miss out if you love the Blood Shed, and hopefully they don't have similar issues tonight! For a preview, here's The Strange Coyotes live in January!

Next up, Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned have announced a surprise show for this Thursday, as they'll make their first ever advertised appearance at The Raber Bay Bar 'N Restaurant in nearby Goetzville! Our source is Banned's Facebook page yesterday, which added the show to their existing fall calendar. We've never plugged a show in Goetzville before, so in case you didn't know, Goetzville is a small Chippewa County community that's roughly an hour southeast of the Soo and 24 minutes east of Cedarville, and was among the areas of the E.U.P. added when we expanded our coverage range on the site two years ago. Given the Thursday setting, I'm unsure on if there's a special occasion to cause the booking, but it adds to a busy weekend for them, as Banned will be at The Runway Bar in Hessel (a half hour west of Goetzville) over the next two nights. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect on Thursday, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. See above for more info, and stay tuned for updates on their Raber Bay Bar show!

Also in new show announcements, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Griphook will apparently return to the stage this Friday at The Rednecks Saloon! Though the band has yet to confirm this show online, the marquee board outside of the former Nicolet Tavern has advertised it for at least the last few days, and that has proven to be a reliable source for accurate show dates in the past. If this booking is still on, this will be Griphook's first concert set of the fall, and their first outside of Rotaryfest since playing at Rednecks in April, so if you've been missing Joel, Brian, Dan, and Tony in recent months, you'll want to mark this Friday's show down for a night of entertaining and often heavy covers! No word on why they're not playing on Saturday though, but the marquee at the saloon didn't list that day's entertainment. There's no announced cover charge on Friday, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a likely 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the above links, and if we hear any changes, we'll let you know!

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

• A new instrumental song by the aforementioned Crucify The Whore was uploaded to their new Bandcamp page earlier this week, which fans will want to check out, but due to a name that some readers may find offensive, we won't post it here. Give it a listen if you want, and note that their other demos can also be streamed there!
• I've removed The Guitar Studio from our "Other Sault Michigan Links" section due to the expiry of their website and only substantial online page. Featuring prolific local guitarist Joey Beairl among it's staff, The Guitar Studio was notable for providing both music lessons and a summer rock camp that spawned real youth rock bands such as Tantrym Tyme, but online updates have been slow in recent years. If a new link turns up, we'll re-add them to our listings!
• Our congratulations go out to Sailor's Tongue frontman Kyle McKey, who will be inducted into the Great Northern Opry of the Northern Ontario Country Music Association tonight during their annual awards ceremony! Kyle joins fellow hard rock alum Ric Datson (That's Chester) among the dozens of regional country notables in the opry. If you've followed all of Kyle's music work in the area, you'll know this is very deserving, so congratulations once again, and click here for more info!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2014 Video Showcase (Part 1)

Like in past years, Sault Online (formerly Local2) correspondent Mike Caruso was on hand to film some great quality videos of the bands that played at Clergue Park for Rotaryfest, so we're going to feature the hard rock and metal covers from this year's event in two special posts this week! Luckily, Mike filmed every single advertised band this year, which is a slight change from previous years where one or two wasn't shot (including Fusion in consecutive years, oddly.) We'll focus on videos from this past Friday (and one from Saturday afternoon) today, and cover the remainder of the Saturday videos in the second post, so let's get this rolling! We'll first acknowledge the videos that Mike shot last Thursday, and they include Crossroad covering Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues", The Bob Jenkins Band playing a jazz instrumental (title unannounced, but it reminds me of a Vince Guaraldi composition), The Jaztecs covering "The Girl From Ipanema", and Coverfly covering The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'", so click each link to see those performances!

First for the hard rock videos on Friday is this cover of Aerosmith's "Back In The Saddle" by local cover quartet KT, Kyle, and The Pocket, who we only tend to see at Rotaryfest. It turns out that singer KT Antler and bassist Kyle McKey (who've recently lived in Pembroke) and drummer Ed Young (who moved to Prince Edward Island last year) all came home for the event, which is nice to see on all accounts, especially knowing their talents! This cover (also featuring Kyle's Sailor's Tongue bandmate Blake Jackson on guitar) is probably more reminiscent of KT & Kyle's brief run with the original Turner Up than the rest of The Pocket's set, but it's well performed, and KT's got a great voice! I presume this will be the closest we'll get to a Sailor's Tongue set this year too, as that band only has reunited to play the Second Stage in the early 2010s, and we know that didn't return last weekend. Nicely filmed from great angles though, so give KT, Kyle, and The Pocket's Aerosmith cover a look below!



Next up on Friday was local hard rock quartet Beaumont Avenue (formerly The Suicide Kings), and while that obvious difference paired with the lack of a guest bassist were changes from last year, their talents and chemistry remained the same! Mike filmed the guys covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" at Rotaryfest, which turned out pretty well, though Mike Gaetano's vocals can be an odd tone on the verses on a first listen. Solid as expected, so check out Beaumont Avenue at Rotaryfest below!



Lastly for the hard rock covers filmed on Friday was local hard rock veterans Stiffler's Mom's rendition of Golden Earring's "Radar Love", which also got the job done in their usual fashion, with Mike Davies' guitar standing out, and Greg Simpson's vocals being a great match on this classic hard rock standard! Nice chemistry also, but after how long these guys have played together, that's a given. Check out Stiffler's Mom's Golden Earring cover below!



The other Friday performances shot include classic rockers Mustang Heart covering Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" and country favourites Thin Ice covering Blackberry Smoke's "Like I Am", so check those out via the linked titles! Among the footage Mike shot on Saturday afternoon, he filmed R&B veterans The Reptiles covering Crowbar's "Oh What A Feeling (What A Rush)", as well as a surprise cover of Neil Diamond's "Play Me" by Rotaryfest stage MC (and Q104 DJ) Jeff McNeice in between bands. I didn't know he had that in him, very solid for the genre! The first of five filmed hard rock covers on Saturday was of the new all-female rock band Domina, whose creative description in the Rotaryfest program didn't tell us much on them, so what do we know? Well, their singer is Obsession's Valerie Powley, so they have absolutely nothing to worry about vocally! Their lineup also includes Shirley Kominos (Spyder's Web) & Patricia Palarchio on guitar, Mid Life Crysis' Lori Reinholtz on bass, and Boogie Fever alum Tracey Hilderley on drums, all of which were credited under stage names in the program.

Domina's cover was of The Headpins' "Don't It Make Ya Feel", which is definitely a hard rock song, and with the vocals Valerie is putting out here, how could it not be? There was a girl power theme for sure on Saturday afternoon (we'll cover The Danger Cats in our second Rotaryfest video feature), and Domina have the talent to make some noise if this is more than a one-off gig, though I'm curious to see if they're essentially an all-female Obsession, and if not, how they'll deviate in sound. Check out Domina below!



The rest of Mike Caruso's videos from Rotaryfest will be touched on either tomorrow or on Friday, and we'll feature hard rock covers from the aforementioned Danger Cats & Obsession, plus Griphook and headliners Michael White & The White, and we'll also link you guys to the other four covers that Mike filmed on Saturday. Give everything a look above, and stay tuned for more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Who Made Who), New YouTube Uploads, And Some Musician Searches!!

Happy President's Day to our American readers, and if you count it as a Canadian holiday, happy Family Day! Today's post is full of some recent stories that we couldn't fit in recent posts due to the glut of weekend concert previews last week, including local musician searches, a new cover, a new song posting, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you need to know!

After two years away from the Soo, Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who will return to our area on Friday, March 28th for a show at The Rockstar Bar! My source for the above date is their official website's tour calendar. Canada's only AC/DC tribute act that tours the country full time, their accurate and hard hitting sound is sure to give a high voltage dose of rock n' roll to fans at The Rockstar Bar next month during the early stretch of their current tour, so don't miss the return of Who Made Who next month! No word on potential local openers yet, but for reference, their older local dates at The Canadian didn't have any that I remember. Though the venue has yet to confirm this show, I would assume a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:00 PM start time will be in effect on March 28th, and for more details, check the above links! Sounds like a good time for you AC/DC fans, and I enjoyed them when they played here, so keep Who Made Who's return in mind for next month!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock collective The Highest of Fives have stayed busy by finally releasing some full new material recently, and while we'll touch on their new full video "The U.P. Song" in an upcoming post, a song named "Take My Time" was just posted onto member Devin Anderson's YouTube channel on Thursday. Described as "a tasty jam", it was written by singer Mitch Goetz & features him alongside Devin and guitarist Marcel "Crusty Puck" Grengs. Compared to their material written by fellow member Travis Theel, this is closer to their hard/alternative prior work, but assuming a release of their CD "Bang!" is still forthcoming, I won't comment too much on it. Sounds good though, so give "Take My Time" a listen below!



Also in new videos, Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy's newest cover video is of Stone Sour's "Through Glass", as uploaded to his YouTube channel on Wednesday! A bit of a return to his older covers of heavier bands (albeit sung too like on other recent videos), he handles this softer track well musically, though his vocal range doesn't suit the more dramatic later verses. Solid cover though, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's three recent musician searches that could have metal/hard rock ramifications, as per the Musicians Wanted Facebook group in recent days (specifically, Saturday, Monday, and Friday respectively), so keep them in mind if you need to fill out a lineup! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local pianist Damjan Binda is looking for a drummer to jam with while he's in the Soo, though a specific genre wasn't cited. His solo work has some interesting dramatic qualities, so if you're interested, message him at this link or via the ones above!
• Local bassist Paul Stanghetta (ex-Smeltzer, The Fury) is looking for musicians (preferably female) of any instrument to fill out the lineup of his new band Keep It Lit (yes, the same "secret" band that dropped out of last fall's Viva La Battle.) He's looking for artists who will be committed to and devote time for performances, and genre wise, he described Keep It Lit as a band who "likes to rock really hard and also rap and sing hard poppy hooks." If you're interested, message Paul at this link!
• Former Ashes To Dust bassist Kyle Breckenridge is looking to join a new band (preferably punk, rock, or metal), and he's willing to play bass or rhythm guitar. It'd be nice to see him playing again, so if you're interested in trying Kyle out, message him at this link!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Shit Liver/Royal Red Brigade Concert Preview, The Third Sewer Swampstravaganza, And Much More!!

Hard to believe that yesterday was the first day with no posts on the SMS since February 25th, but we have a packed post today to start hopefully another long run, so what's on tap? We have some recent feature post updates, some assorted updates from the last little while, Woods of Ypres tribute album updates, and the return of a massive all ages concert, but first, we have a concert preview for tomorrow night, so here's what you need to know!

In a relatively light weekend for local metal/hard rock concerts, there is one show of note going down TOMORROW NIGHT, as two heavier-leaning local acts will open for two Western Canada punk bands at The Oddfellows Hall, those being Regina punk quartet The Royal Red Brigade & Edmonton surf punk trio The Rhubarbs! You may recognize The Royal Red Brigade as one of the opening acts at last summer's Weak Ends show, and their classic rock-inspired sound should be fun to have back in town, while The Rhubarbs' energetic and more modern punk stylings should attract a good response too, so don't miss out! As for the local openers, one is local grindcore/death metal trio Shit Liver (replacing new local punk band Crawfather) for their first show in 3 months, and though their sound is a sharp contrast from the rest of the lineup, they'll give a solid metal injection into the proceedings, especially as they haven't played live much lately, so don't miss them! The other opening band is local grunge/lo-fi solo project Telephone & Address in their second gig of the year, and hopefully Chris' acoustic outsider take on alternative hard rock finds a bigger audience tomorrow!

Promoted by AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent's all ages promotion company,  this show will start at 8:00 PM tomorrow with a $5 cover charge and again, it's ALL AGES! For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! Though this concert is admittedly more of a punk-leaning gig, there's some very solid music to go around, including local bands with heavy stuff, so don't miss out on a good old fashioned all ages punk/metal show at The Oddfellows Hall tomorrow night! For a preview, here's Shit Liver playing "(Friendly Old) Uncle Joe" there in 2011!



Next up, The Sewer Swampstravaganza will return to The Oddfellows Hall on Wednesday, August 21st for a third installment! As you may remember, this is the annual all ages concert event promoted & headlined by local classical/punk standouts RedD Monkey, which saw 11 & 10 bands respectively rock The Oddfellows Hall in April 2011 & July 2012, and it'll be great to have another go-around of this all-day onslaught of local talent! Official lineup details are not yet known, but it's a safe assumption that RedD Monkey will again headline the event, in what will be their first announced local date since December, so it'll be fun to hear their new material and their fast & creative older hits! In case you're curious about possible performers, members of The Bear Hunters & Winkstinger (the only other bands who played at both of the past installments) have already expressed interest in playing again in August, while each year saw a radically different lineup. The 2011 show had all metal/hard rock acts (except RedD Monkey & The Tenagens), but last year's event was only half heavy, with punk, folk, rap, blues, and indie rock also well represented. As soon as more concrete lineup info comes out, we'll have it here!

Doors will open at 2:00 PM on August 21st for this concert, which has a $5 entry fee and NO age limits. For more details (and to inquire on if your band can get on the lineup), visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome event, so don't miss it come August, and stay tuned as usual for more on the show and the scheduled performers, including confirmed metal bands!

Thirdly today, here's the latest from the long awaited Woods of Ypres/David Gold tribute CD! Now titled just "Heart of Gold: A Tribute to Woods of Ypres" (no "A" at the start), the announced cover artwork has been edited to render the main title in the Woods of Ypres logo font, as you can see on the right. It looks a little funny to me, but it does distinguish it from official Woods albums, so it works out! It's hoped that CDs will be available to be mailed by June 1st, with digital download links possible any day now, as per postings on the album's Facebook group, but if you want to pre-order anything before public sales begin, send $10 for the mp3 copy (or $20 for it and the physical album) to pkuhr@comcast.net as a Paypal gift with e-mail and/or physical addresses in the notes section. I can't wait for this album to be finished and released, but while we wait, a few more covers from the album were posted on YouTube by their respective performers, including covers of "Allure of the Earth", "Crossing The 45th Parallel", "A Meeting Place & Time", and "Adora Vivos", so check them out above, and stay tuned for tribute album updates!

Also, here's three assorted news and notes from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Valentine's Day Massacre drummer Kyle Umgeher is apparently looking to join a new band, as per a post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group the other night. He's very talented, so give him a shout at this location or at the above links if you're interested in jamming with Kyle! (Also, no word on if this means anything negative for The Valentine's Day Massacre's status.)
• Toast guitarist Mike Libertoski was recently interviewed by Mayur Agarwal of the website Metal Wani about his Galactic Alignment solo project, so click here to read the whole interview! In it, Mike talks about his technical death metal work's originality, influences, songwriting, gear, and future, though the only allusions to his local band work relate to the possibility of expanding Galactic Alignment to a full band. Very nice article all the same, so give it a look above!
• Former Blind Baby frontman Tadd Gravelle is looking for a good guitar player in the Eastern U.P. to work on new original material with, though no word on if he has a full new band in the works yet or not. If you're interested, give Tadd a shout on Facebook at this location, and give Blind Baby's originals a look at the above link! My source is personal Facebook conversations.

Finally for today, here's some more recent updates to our Defunct Local Band Profiles to make them more accurate & up-to-date! Firstly, I updated our Creatures of the Night profile to note alumni Keith Gagnon & Ryan Gray's more prominent band Free Beer's name change (more or less) to Sarah's Valley upon their 2013 return, while I made a similar change to our Losing Ground & Weed profiles. On the former, I replaced Stealing Kisses with members Kevin D'Orazio & Nick Kainula's current band With Blood Build Character, while on the latter, I added references to members Bob Helsten & Tony Rogers' current band Toast. On our No Arrow profile, I added former bassist Dean Scheepmaker to their lineup, as I confirmed a few weeks back that he was a band member for more than just replacement sets. I also made similar Toast-promoting edits to our profile on Shift, while I lastly added a reference to Absolute frontman Donny Newell's current band Full Throttle on their profile. Stay tuned on Friday as we profile Faithless Sin & Cherubic Red, the newest bands inducted into this monthly series!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles tomorrow, and for more news (including Rotaryfest Second Stage updates) hopefully by the weekend! Thanks everyone!

Updates From Bring The Fallen, Browbeat, Turner Up, And Woods Of Ypres!!

In what is shaping up to be our biggest month since last summer on the SMS, we have lots more updates to share today concerning five local bands, including a band's new name & page, the newest video footage of a local band in action, another band's Warped Tour quest, and one more band's departure from an upcoming concert, but leading things off today is some big news from a prominent local classic hard rock band! Here's what you need to know!

Reports of Turner Up's demise have been exaggerated, and I can now confirm that they are still together! Their last lineup did break up, but founding member Robert Brown and drummer Scott McClurg are in fact moving forward under the Turner Up name, with some big changes in place! Scott confirmed the details here with me via e-mail this morning, so there's my source if nothing new shows up on their Facebook pages beforehand. Firstly, the band has parted ways with singer Krista Marshall, guitarist Len Ward, and bassist Jeff Gray. Without public word, I won't state reasons why here, but nothing hinting towards bad blood has came to me over the past few days, so take that for what you will. Best of luck to Krista, Len, and Jeff though, they're all talented performers! With that said, the band has officially added singer KT Antler and guitarist Kyle McKey to the band. KT has made some waves in recent years for her original solo work, and I can vouch that she's a very talented singer! Kyle's well known as Stillbroke's former bassist, but his resume includes everything from Sailor's Tongue to Asylum Country to Rob & Scott's old band Lois Lane, effectively giving Turner Up and Lois Lane the same lineups, minus vocals!

So this officially makes Turner Up a quartet, with Robert moving to bass, though I should note that there will be a lot more instrument flexibility in this lineup than we're used to. Robert and Kyle can both play bass and guitar, while KT, Scott, and Kyle all have singing chops, so make note of that when you go see them next! Speaking of which, all of their prior dates (booked during their last lineup's run) are intact as scheduled, so your first chance to see Turner Up V4.0 will be NEXT WEEKEND on April 1st and 2nd at The Nicolet Tavern (they had this weekend off already prior to the lineup changes.) There is one exception though, as their planned weekend set at The Canadian Nightclub next month has been moved up two weeks from April 22nd-23rd to April 8th-9th. Aside from that, the only differences will be the band's lineup, so check our concert listings on your left for more! So remember, Turner Up have NOT BROKEN UP, but their look and sound will be different next time you see them! Thanks again to Scott for the news, and apologies for any past misinformation. I do my best to make sure things sound correct, but sometimes, multiple sources will have conflicting views on the same topic. I'll work to improve on that!

Next up, here's the latest lineup news for April 9th's massive Sewer Swampstravaganja all ages concert at The Oddfellows Hall! Firstly, here's some good news and bad news. The bad news is that Bring The Fallen have officially dropped out of this concert, which has long been rumoured. The good news is they're not breaking up, as frontman Josh Stephney confirmed on the Facebook event page's wall that they were "taking a break" while they write some new material. At least they're not breaking up, despite the rumours that didn't sound all that promising. Still, if it's true that they're merely laying low to write some new stuff, I can't wait to hear it! With that said, they haven't been replaced on the lineup, and at least at present, the organizers are going with just 11 bands, with a new concert start time of 3:45 PM. As such, the lineup's been amended again, so here's what's changed! Five of the bands were been bumped up one slot on the bill to reflect the new start time, though a couple got better promotions than others. Shit Liver got moved from 5:15 PM to 6:45 PM, while Frightlight catapulted from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM! The start times for Sativa Rose, The Bear Hunters, and RedD Monkey are unchanged, and only one band, Late & Loud, got pushed back in the order (from 6:45 PM to 6:00 PM.) For full current details on this show, click here!

Thirdly today, here's the latest news from local hard rock trio Browbeat, or should I say, Browbeat 101! Yes, they have altered their name by adding "101" to the end (allusion to Rock 101, maybe?) to avoid confusion with the defunct Italian metal band of the same name. I honestly wouldn't think it's a big deal when the other Browbeat is broken up, but at least this way, members won't sue or complain if they catch wind of the local Browbeat! With that said, the newly rechristened Browbeat 101 have launched a brand new MySpace page following the deletion of their old pages, which you can now check out at this location! It's pretty sparse at present, but updates are forthcoming, including audio recordings featuring the full current lineup, so stay tuned for that, and more! I still don't think they needed to delete all their pages, but this isn't a new concept for Browbeat 101 or for their past names, so I'm used to it! Stay tuned for updates!

Finally for today is some more new Woods of Ypres video footage! Two videos from Saturday's concert in Halifax at Coconut Grove were posted on YouTube this past weekend, and you can check them out at YouTube user ImpaledBman's channel! The same user posted videos of the band from a concert in Halifax from May 23rd, 2009 as well, the link above will point you in the right direction to check those out as well! The new videos are of Woods of Ypres playing their songs "Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground" and "A Meeting Place & Time", and they're actually of very good audio quality! Everything's clear, these are some of the best sounding live videos I've seen so far from the current Woods of Ypres tour! The videos are dark, and heavily centered on Joel Violette and Shane Madden due to the filmer's placement, but it's more of a natural lighting. Don't judge the image on the video below before watching, that's auto-brightened by YouTube and it won't look that distorted when watching it. Good stuff, check out the video of "A Meeting Place & Time" below, and get more at the above links!



That's all for now, but I have more news to share very soon, and yes, our next CD review will be up by the end of the week ("Against The Seasons" is the leading candidate!) Thanks everyone!

Woods of Ypres & Browbeat Updates, Plus Bands Looking For Bassists!

First off, I have a minor correction/LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for you guys. Despite what the Facebook event page for it says, Turner Up are playing at The Nicolet Tavern TONIGHT as well as last night. Band members Len Ward and Scott McClurg have both confirmed this on their respective Facebook pages. Same details apply for tonight's concert, 10:30 PM start time, no announced cover, 19+. Hopefully some of you guys can make it out! Now, onto some new updates, including some new videos, songs, and two bands' bassist searches! Let's begin!

Hey Woods of Ypres fans, here's some more videos you guys should enjoy! These are both from their current North American tour, and there's some good stuff here to be watched! Firstly, we have new live footage from their concert last Friday in Ramona, California! This comes from drummer Evan Madden's YouTube channel, and just like his other Woods of Ypres uploads, this is from the "drum cam" angle, so Evan is once again the video's focus! The video is of Woods playing the songs "Shams of Optimism" & "Crossing The 45th Parallel" from the concert, and they sound pretty good! Audio's clear, the songs were awesome already, and they have a nice live energy that you'd expect! Though the angle is mostly of Evan behind the drumkit (he's a great drummer), you can also see frontman David Gold in action at the right! Good stuff, check that out below, along with the other new video: The second entry in the Woods of Ypres tour vlog! David Gold uploaded this video to his YouTube channel, where you can see such mid-tour entertainment as: What car David wants to buy, their map of their tour routing, after-concert parties, the sights of the road, and many clips involving guns or alcohol! Oh, and there may just be a bunch of concert clips too! Good stuff, looks like the tour's going real well! Check both new Woods videos out below!





Next up, local hard rockers Browbeat have uploaded three new songs onto their Reverbnation page! Like with the rest of the songs, the singing and instrumentation is solely done by frontman Dutch Vanderploeg, with one exception. Actually, their page now notes that they're now solely a "one man studio band", insinuating the departure of Rich Moreland and Sean See from the band. That sucks, it looked like the new lineup was gonna work out! Well, in any event, there are three new songs posted, here's what you should know! One is called "Yesterday", a nice fast paced rocker with a nice beat and a good solo! Bass seems kinda low, and the song could use grittier vocals, but it's a good track! "Vampired" is another new song, and it honestly reminds me of early 90s Megadeth in structure and vocals! Nice song, I really like the guitar, and the vocals are used very effectively compared to some other Browbeat material! Definitely a highlight for me! It also features the drum work of former Browbeat drummer Chris Smith (of Wishbone fame), which is cool to see! The other new song, "A Thousand Words" feels like two different songs smushed together, particularly because of the slower vocals not meshing with the instruments. It's well played, but it didn't really click for me as much as the others. Still good though! Check out all of the new Browbeat songs, and more, by clicking here!

Closing today's post are a pair of local hard rock bands that are looking for bassists! Odd that both of their searches were made public yesterday, isn't it? This one really surprises me, as Stillbroke have parted ways with bassist Kyle McKey. Kyle played on the band's debut E.P. "Never Enough", and really added a nice flavour to the band that will be missed! This is the band's second lineup change in six months, following drummer Jenny Hooper's exit in February. No statement has been made from Stillbroke as to why Kyle's out, but frontman Jesse Frigault confirmed that the band was looking for a new bassist in a posting on his local bands support discussion group on Facebook. Jesse says that interested bassists should message him at his Facebook page or by phone at (705) 759-8696. He also added that the ability to provide harmony vocals would be a bonus. Hear that, bassists? Message Jesse A.S.A.P. if you wanna try out for Stillbroke! Kyle's leave might explain why we haven't seen a Stillbroke show since March, and I'd love to see them gigging again, so inquire soon! Sad to see Kyle go, he has a good track record of local bands, like Stillbroke, Sailor's Tongue, and Hat Trik, so hopefully he'll be back gigging at some point!

The other local hard rock band looking for a bassist is local cover band Sneaky Pete, as they have parted ways with bassist Dave Grimaldi. Again, no announced reason as to why, but the band confirmed this in a posting on their Facebook page. Sneaky Pete have yet to play a live concert, but if you wanna check out Dave's bass skills, the band do have audio samples posted on Facebook, so visit their page to hear what they have! Dave wasn't a bad player, I wonder what happened? Well, if you play bass and wanna audition for Sneaky Pete, here's what you should know! You must enjoy entertaining a crowd, and be up for playing classic and new rock. The band have a 40 song setlist and their own P.A. and lighting, and will be ready to play live when you are. You must be able to jam twice a week and play local gigs. If you're at all interested in playing bass for Sneaky Pete, message the band by clicking here! Hopefully they get a new bassist soon, I've been wanting to see Sneaky Pete live for months now! I'll keep you posted on both Stillbroke & Sneaky Pete's bassist searches as they happen!

Before we close, two quick notes: The planned Silver Dream concert tonight is 100% cancelled (Broken House's Franco DiBerardino confirmed that on his Facebook page), so something is definitely up with Silver Dream. If I hear more, I'll let you know! Also, if you've noticed a different layout to the SMS, that's cause I rearranged the link lists, widgets, and sections to better accentuate and promote certain sections! Nothing's missing that's locally relevant, just moved around. If you guys have any problems with a section, list, or widget's placement, e-mail me!

That's all for today, stay tuned for a new news post on Sunday, complete with a Frightlight concert review! I will see you at Coch's Corner TONIGHT, this'll be a good one! Remember, I'll be tweeting LIVE from Coch's Corner during the show, so if something cool or noteworthy comes up, I'll have it for you guys! So follow us on Twitter at this location, or check the Twitter feed widget on the SMS itself between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM for any tweets! Stay tuned!