Random Killing & Life Like Fire Concert Video Showcase!!

Today's post is devoted to videos from a pair of recent concerts downtown featuring touring headliners, so let's begin with the Random Killing concert at The Rockstar Bar earlier this month! The all-too-generous Christopher Paci was in attendance for this one, filming 14 videos of the day's three bands, which were posted to his YouTube channel this past Wednesday. Kudos to Chris as usual, he has went above and beyond the call of duty once again! A full 10 of his videos are of the headlining Toronto hardcore punk legends, and while not all are titled, I don't blame Chris at all, as it looks like songs ran into each other to an extent, so a bunch of his begin shortly after the song did. In any event, his videos include their closer "Welcome", "Patios & Beer", "Johnny Was A Punk", "Big Rock Star", the Sesame Street favourite "Twelve", and as embedded below, a 6 minute video with multiple tracks. While not as packed as Hardcore Homecoming was in 2014, the crowd is lively and into each song, which is a definite plus here!

The guys are in their usual chaotic punk form, and Chris has a good angle when fans' heads aren't in the way, but singer/Saultite Andrew "Drool" Kiteley's vocals are somewhat muffled on these recordings. Still, it's great to see so much footage of Random Killing's return after an almost 5 year wait, so give their videos a look above & below!



Next up, Chris filmed a single video of opening punk/metal quintet Jack Spades, who are seen here playing "Breakneck Speed" in the kickoff to their now-complete Ontario tour supporting Random Killing. Similar quality and angle on this performance, aside from a fan's head covering up most of Daniel from this angle, and fans of Jack Spades' hard hitting attack will want to see this performance below as well!

Lastly from this concert, Chris filmed three videos of debuting local punk quartet The Sick Sons, so what can be said about them? Well, Lucas "Dr. Sal Velinus" Schmiedendorf is indeed their singer & guitarist, but I cannot immediately identify the other band members, though they have solid beards and look familiar. The second guitarist does sing lead on the 2:47 video, and while the muffled vocals don't help in identifying the tracks, the shortest video is a cover of The Dayglo Abortions' "Stupid Songs". Time will tell if The Sick Sons have a longer shelf life (and more prominent presence online) than Lucas' last band The HTs, but if you liked Lucas' fondly remembered local band Bankshot, you'll like The Sick Sons! Solid, in-your-face, old school punk rock is always worth a listen, though the guys could stand to loosen up their stage presence. Give their longest video a look below, see more above, and hopefully we hear more information from The Sick Sons sooner or later!



Finally for today, here's a new 30 second video of Calgary hard rock quartet Life Like Fire's headlining set at The New American Pub last Wednesday! This was filmed by Amanda Rosemarie from Ego & Pessimism Records (who helped put on openers The Long Nines' converging tour), and shared onto the Sault Ste. Marie Music Scene Facebook group during their set. Just for disclosure, that group has no relation to this website beyond some common content.  Life Like Fire sound good in this video while it lasts, though the vertical camera angle isn't optimal. That doll(?) sure looks like it had a blast, at the very least! Give Amanda's video a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews (Rotaryfest included) and our latest poll next! Thanks everyone!

Life Like Fire Concert Preview, An Upcoming Live Album, And New Videos!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday night delectation, so what's on tap? New videos, mostly, with one attached to album news from a prominent solo artist, but let's kick things off with a preview of a special Wednesday night concert featuring out of town talent that you can hopefully check out!

Calgary hard rock quartet Life Like Fire will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The New American Pub as part of an all-touring package of bands! This female fronted group have an edgy yet accessible brand of rock n' roll to bring to Soo fans tomorrow, and if you like bands like New Years Day or Halestorm, you might not want to miss this stop on their ongoing It's Too Spicy Tour if you can help it! In fact, this show is a merger of converging tours, with Life Like Fire sharing the New A stage tomorrow with Powassan, Ontario alt-hard rock band The Long Nines, also making their Sault Ste. Marie debut here. Solid, no-frills melodic rock sound from this rising Northern Ontario group, and they should put in a well received set also, especially with their new single "Northlander" now out! Temagami folk/indie rock solo artist James Crate will open as part of his ongoing dates opening for The Long Nines, and he should set the tone well with his reserved material!

Seemingly promoted in-house (albeit with involvement from The Long Nines' label Ego & Pessimism Records), this 19+ concert has an advertised 8:00 PM start time and a 10:00 PM start time. While the Wednesday night scheduling and lack of local openers may not be optimal for many fans, this should be a solid triple bill of performers, with a little something for every heavy music tolerance level, so consider a trip to The New A tomorrow! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Life Like Fire live!

Next up, here's the latest from prolific local alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith, so what's he up to in his current Thompson, Manitoba homebase? You may have caught some of this already in last week's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, but either way,  Mike returned to Thompson's annual Nickel Days summer festival on June 22nd for a second solo set, and like last year, he recorded the set for another live album! Similarly to "From The Nickel Stage" (his first album release since the big move), Mike worked with Thompson's The Music Makers to record his whole headlining set, and while Mike disclosed some difficulty with the single tracking technique therein, he does seem pleased with how everything turned out. A sample video was posted on his Facebook page on June 28th featuring Mike's newer original "Come On Home", and the featured image, presumably the album cover, indicates that the live album will be called "Carnival: A Live Spectacle By Mike Haggith."

As precedence for our monthly CD reviews goes to studio albums, I won't immediately review "Carnival" upon release, due to the (hopefully) impending release of his upcoming CD "Bridges", but I can tell you that the audio recording sounds good, and this will be reminiscent of many of Mike's Thompson-era videos, where many of these songs were already in an acoustic setting. Give the live Nickel Days version of "Come On Home" a listen below, and stay tuned for more on "Carnival" & "Bridges"!



Also today, here's a new video from the Slaughter-headlined concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino last month, courtesy of attendee/Troy's Trail co-organizer Annette Chandler's YouTube channel on Sunday! Like her videos from 2017's Bret Michaels show in Sault Michigan, this is an untitled clip, but it's actually of opening Pasadena hair metal band Autograph playing their song "Send It To Me." Nice and melodic performance that suits their style well, and the house looks nicely packed for this one, so kudos to Annette for filming this one! Check it out if you want below!



Finally for today, here's a new video of Kinross/Mount Pleasant hard rock solo artist Alex Traynor live at Biggby Coffee in Sault Ste. Marie during his two most recent acoustic matinee gigs there! One is from his Independence Day show there on Thursday, where the ex-Banned frontman and an uncredited guest performer are jamming a familiar instrumental piece for the requisite tips and coffee. Short video on a vertical camera angle, but Alex and the guest sound good together, so check it out below! For what it's worth, the new video that wasn't working during Facebook's outages on July 3rd was actually a re-upload of his Stevie Ray Vaughan cover from March.



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Life Like Fire) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Now, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews (late notice possibilities aside), and if you're looking for previews of concerts that had a Friday component, check the post below this one! Today, we're looking at bands who are only playing tomorrow night, but to fill things out, we do have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month to lead things off with! Yes, I am aware of the big rescheduled punk show this fall, stay tuned for more on that in our next proper news post. Now, here's what you should know!

A trifecta of hard rock-centric acts (all local newcomers) are coming to The New American Pub on Wednesday, July 10th, including headlining Calgary hard rock quartet Life Like Fire! Self-described as "a dirty, in your face, female fronted rock n' roll band", Life Like Fire have already attracted some local fans with their heavy hitting yet melodic sound that reminds me somewhat of bands like New Years Day, and if you can make it out for a mid-week concert, L.L.F. would be worth your time next month! Joining them at The New A on this night are Powassan, Ontario alt-hard rock band The Long Nines, who are on a separate Canadian tour, but the two bands' paths cross in the Soo on July 10th, hence the double bill. Ironically also a quartet with a female singer, The Long Nines aren't as heavy as Life Like Fire, but their melodic, to-the-point sound and new single "Northlander" should give them a good base!

The show will be opened by Temagami folk/indie rock solo artist James Crate, who is touring alongside The Long Nines. Much softer launch than you may expect, but James has talent, and he'll set the tone well before things get plugged in on the 10th! Apparently booked in house through The New A (though The Long Nines' label Ego & Pessimism Records will assist in production), this 19+ show has a $10 cover charge and an advertised start time of 8:00 PM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this intriguing Wednesday nighter next month!

Next up, let's continue this busy weekend of hard rock concert previews by tackling three Saturday night-only concerts, starting with a huge (and surprisingly affordable) show at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT, as Las Vegas glam metal quartet Slaughter will play our area for the third time in the past 11 years! After previously opening for Jackyl in Sault Ontario in 2008 and Stryper in Sault Michigan in 2012, it's time for Slaughter to headline with their familiar blend of originals like "Fly to the Angels", "Up All Night", and "The Wild Life". If you Hair Scare loyalists are up for an hour's drive south to St. Ignace, then you should get a great show from Mark, Dana, Blando, and Zoltan tomorrow! Pasadena glam/hard rock quartet Autograph will also head north for this concert, and with "Turn Up The Radio" and other deep cuts in their repetroire, hair metal junkies should be more than excited to see them on a local stage as well, so don't miss either band then!

Presented by Classic Rock: The Bear (which can be picked up easily in St. Ignace on 95.3 FM), this rare major hard rock show at the St. Ignace Kewadin will be an indoor event at their on-site events center. Tickets for this 8:00 PM concert are surprisingly just $10, and lots are still available, so visit this link, the Sault Kewadin's in-person box office, the St. Ignace Kewadin's gift shop, or 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up. At this price, how can glam metal fans in Mackinac Country say no? Slaughter put on a great show in 2008 and 2012, and hopefully there's more of the same tomorrow night, so see above for more details, and here's Slaughter live!



Also TOMORROW NIGHT in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, fans in nearby Eckerman can enjoy Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet Project 906 as they rock The Strongs Tavern! While this venue in the western half of Chippewa County is definitely a known commodity to Project 906 fans (who last saw them there on New Year's Eve), this will be just their second announced concert since taking a four month break earlier this year due to personal life commitments. A search to get a concert booking for tonight too didn't appear to have a public resolution, but fans can still see Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Tommy back at The Strongs Tavern for one night only. Hopefully the guys deliver a "strong" set of their own tomorrow, and that their open dates in August get filled soon! Tomorrow's concert has a likely 9:00 PM start time, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live at the aforementioned Strongs Tavern!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head back north to Sault Ontario, where local power rock quartet Re:Born will headline a special going away concert party TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar in honour of long-time roadie, filmer, and supporter Cory Burch! The son of guitarist Blair Burch, Cory has been a steady presence at Project 421 and Re:Born shows since his dad re-entered the scene as an active performer, but he's moving out of province for work reasons in the very near future, hence this concert being announced, so that Re:Born and fans can give him a proper send-off. Cory's a good guy and he's always been very helpful and useful as a fan and roadie over the years, and hopefully this party sets out to achieve it's aims tomorrow before he flies out west! There will be at least two other bands performing, but Re:Born are staying tight-lipped on their identities, other than to guarantee that "it just got a bit louder and heavier", while a looser jam-night atmosphere is to be expected.

While this is a 19+ event with a 10:00 PM start time, Re:Born are not charging a cover to come down, so if you want some free Saturday night entertainment with a proven band and some mystery performers, you could do a lot worse! This should be a fun time before Canada Day festivities kick in, and hopefully Cory has a great time before the big move, so see above for more details, and here's Re:Born live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news over the long weekend, and this month's CD review by Sunday! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: LikeKissingBricks & Hammerspace

With news piling up, let's get this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles up on the SMS! This monthly feature series spotlights 1 or 2 defunct or inactive metal, hard rock, or punk bands from the Sault Ste. Marie area, in order to spotlight them and their material for current readers, all randomly selected from our inactive band links. With last month's choice only having minimal surviving information, we have rounded things out with a similarly limited band, so here's what you should know for this month's profiles!
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LikeKissingBricks

Genre: Punk/Alternative/Indie Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Andrew "Scary" MacDonald (Fitswitch, The Scary Uncles, Winkstinger), all instruments

Info/Analysis: Originally described as "an instrumental bass/keys/drums project" on his former PureVolume page, Andrew MacDonald had used the LikeKissingBricks moniker for solo pursuits from 2003-2004, complete with a demo cassette EP named "Rainy Days". Andrew revived it in late 2016 as "a rough demo recording project" (sans keyboard) on 4 track tapes, though LikeKissingBricks quietly fell inactive by last year. The demo and 3 newer songs can be streamed on his Bandcamp page, which showcase his bass and drum skills nicely, though the lack of guitar is noticeable sometimes, and the "Rainy Days" demo's recording quality is muddy. There's more of a punk bite to the newer demos, and while they admittedly feel more like songs in progress, LikeKissingBricks had promise, and hopefully Andrew revisits them in the future! Here's "Dunhills & Codeine" from his demo!


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Hammerspace

Genre: Progressive Metal/Hard Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup are in italics)

John Bergeron (Immortal Danish), vocals/keyboard/guitar
Justin Smith (Denaturant), guitar
Denny Breslin (Half A Man), guitar
Tim Podoba (Burn the Day), bass
Paul "Dorothy" Burns (Dystraction, Bent Rollercoaster), drums

Logan Jude Reed, vocals
Kirk Labadie (Great Bodily Harm), vocals

Info/Analysis: Formed in late 2009, Hammerspace quickly became a frequent sight at local concerts over the following year, including a Corner Pub battle of the bands victory in June 2010, as well as a number of headlining sets at Zim's, among other Sault Michigan venues. Amidst vocalist uncertainty, the band dissolved in April 2011 for personal reasons, and later cancelled a reunion set at LemmaFest, before returning that fall with teased studio plans. The group dissolved for good in early 2012, though frontman John Bergeron sporadically updates their Facebook & Reverbnation pages with archive demos. You can hear 13 demos there with both John and Logan singing, and while rough in nature, they show promise with a heavy bite, strong guitar riffs, and quality drumming! The vocals weren't overly polished, but the aggression was there, and it's a shame Hammerspace couldn't sustain their potential in the early 2010s, they were a band to watch at their peak! Here's "Changing of the Guard" with Logan on vocals!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! This series returns on or around September 10th with another two band profile, as the first that we randomly selected has very slim public information nowadays, so we added a second profile to round things out. As we're starting a new 2-1-3-1-2-1 rotation between the Twin Saults, both are Sault Ontario acts, namely former Valentine's Day Massacre guitarist Andrew Angelic's old solo project, and mid-2000s hard rock quartet The Pisstanks! Look for those next month, and stay tuned for more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Deathsticks, Gianni Gagoots, And Tym Morrison), And A New Music Video!!

I was intending today's post to be a video-only feature from Tuesday's Alter Bridge show (yes, we have enough for at least one more), but with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT (plus two more new concerts), I couldn't put this off. Now, alongside a new music video posting, here's what you should know on this Saturday evening!

Former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will play a headlining concert at The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey TONIGHT! Profuse apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via it's official Facebook event page earlier this afternoon, and non-Gliss shows are not listed on his website's calendar. Fresh off of his matinee at Gliss Steak & Seafood TONIGHT, Tym will hit the Queen Street tapas restaurant for (at least) the seventh time with this late notice gig, his first announced there in two weeks, and fans of Tym's unplugged hard rock covers should take to TONIGHT's action, so keep this one in mind just in case! Presumably a 19+ event with no announced cover charge, everything starts at 10:30 PM, so visit the above links for more details, here's Tym live, and apologies again for the late notice, we'd have plugged it sooner had we known about it!

Next up, here's some upcoming shows with advance notice, starting with the next concert from local funk/hard rock jam quintet Gianni Gagoots, who will open for Niagara Falls experimental prog rock quartet The Road Waves in that band's local debut at The New American Pub on Friday, June 23rd! Though not quite crossing over into hard rock or punk territory, The Road Waves will be a nice compliment in the improvised jam arena to Gianni Gagoots, who will be playing their first announced concert since opening for The Hazytones last month. Of note, this is the first show from the sauce masters since announcing that they're now self-promoting concerts under the name Like Ten Productions, though they had previously booked gigs internally without a company name. I'm unsure of the meaning behind "Like Ten", but hopefully they can attain similar heights as contemporary number-named agencies Six, Two, Oh. and Live705!

Doors open at 9:00 PM for this 19+ concert, which has a $5 cover charge. This should be a fun time at The New A for fans of improvised and experimental rock & roll, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more on Like Ten Productions' next announced show in the fall!

Today's other new show comes from the aforementioned Six, Two, Oh., as Whitby, Ontario garage/noise rock duo Deathsticks will finally make their local concert debut when they headline at The New American Pub themselves on Thursday, June 29th! Fans may remember hearing about this band's intended local concerts at The New A in October and at The Gore Street Cafe last month, with the former cancelled due to the work commitments and the latter (promoted through the laundromat) quietly called off without public word, so third time should be the charm next month! Promoters played with Deathsticks during AlgomA's summer touring last year, and they thought highly of Deathsticks' unique brand of "power slop", so don't bypass them! Local alt-hard rock quartet Bizotic will return to the site of their live debut as local openers next month, while an additional opening act may be added too.

As a thank you and show of appreciation for fans who have attended Six, Two, Oh. shows over the last couple of years, this will be a FREE CONCERT, while it is still a 19+ event with a 9:00 PM start time. Hopefully this show goes off without a hitch, as I know the hype Deathsticks have received since last fall, and fingers crossed all goes well for this FREE show at the end of June, so see the above links for updates!

Finally for today, here's a brand new solo music video from Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel! Unlike his past solo dalliances (which were primarily acoustic for live sets), this is a fully electric song named "Asleep At The Wheel", which has a definite Alice In Chains vibe, and wouldn't be out of place with Skeyes of Seven proper! For the record, we haven't heard a public update from them in four months, and no word on if this solo video means anything regarding the band's status, but the description notes that the song "represents an awakening" and "remembering who you used to be." The light hearted video features Cory playing in and performing a silly walk in a cemetery, as mixed in with clips of him playing with (and alongside) his baby daughter, and while the camera angle changes can be a little jarring, this is a fun video overall that shows off Cory's soft side while maintaining a dark grungy edge! Give it a look below!



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

Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews, A New Video, And More Updates!!

Let's wrap up this weekend's concert previews by covering Sault Michigan-area hard rock shows for this final weekend of February, but to round things out, we have a new video from a E.U.P. artist and some assorted recent notes! Now, here's what you should know!

We'll start at the newly re-opened Sault Michigan bar Three One Three on Ashmun (formerly The Back Door), where Kinross classic/hard rockers Banned will hit the stage TONIGHT! This favourite local trio played at 313 Ashmun under it's old identity back when The Back Door experimented with live bands in 2013, but the new ownership look to be more open to hosting live bands, and Banned are the first hard rock-leaning band that we've seen there since the relaunch in a full concert capacity, so definitely consider checking Banned out tonight at the new/old venue! Note that Banned were previously been scheduled to play Manistique's Kewadin Casino tomorrow, so DJ Dan Dunn will be spinning tunes at Three One Three tomorrow instead. A 9:30 PM start time is in effect for this 21+ concert, which doesn't have an announced age limit. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Banned live last year!



Also in the Eastern U.P. this weekend, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will head south to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! After almost two months off, the former Hubbard-Menard Band will return to the stage for the first time in 2016 this weekend, and they should have two more solid nights of Van Halen-inspired hard rock in store for fans in St. Ignace this weekend, so don't miss out on the action if you're in the area! Theyll be back in St. Ignace in two months' time as well, in case you can't make it to this weekend's shows. Like usual for 415E's Kewadin Casino gigs, there's no announced cover charges for these 21+ concerts, which both start at 9:00 M. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's 415E live in the Soo early in their run!



Also today, here's a new solo vocal/guitar cover from former Elipzis bassist/Riot! By Night frontman Ryan Harrison, who posted this rendition of Evans Blue's "Cold (But I'm Still Here)" onto his YouTube channel yesterday! His first solo song in two months (though oddly filmed on a vertical cell phone camera angle), it's a nice version of this modern hard rock song from a band who should be familiar from multiple recent Kewadin Casino gigs, so check it out below, and hopefully more turns up from Ryan soon!



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

• We have moved local/London progressive metal solo project Hiroshima Mutant Mindframe to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The Matt Parr-led solo project hasn't posted a public update since uploading their most recent "Heavytrack" onto their Soundcloud page on February 24th of last year, with other online pages being inactive for band updates longer still. Matt's a talented guitarist, so be sure to follow his continuing band work in London to see what he's now up to!
• In a clarification for the Fishbowl Festival-opening Like A Pisces concert at The Gore Street Cafe earlier this month, musician and festival/venue head Sam Decter revealed on his blog that an additional band named Bass Monster 7L (perhaps linked to the 7L podcast?) performed at the event, while the previously advertised Lauren McClure did indeed play a solo set that night. Still no idea on the identities of Brash Gash or Insoosticide, but hopefully this Nirvana tribute was a blast to kick the festival off!
• In a belated update to our profile of December 2009's Kiss Battle of the Bands, we added a trivia note to reference runners-up Lion Ride's battle runs in Toronto in 2010, where they finished in third place at March 2010's Great Canadian T-Shirt Battle, and were semifinalists in that November's Indie Week competition (won by Toronto dance rockers These Electric Lives, whose last drummer was Lion Ride's Mike Indovina.) And lastly, a reference to competitors Bring The Fallen's win in May 2010's Downtown Showdown is also included. I'm surprised that all wasn't noted before, but now we're reasonably caught up going into next month!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for much more news and features in due course! Thanks everyone!

The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews, Including A New Video!!

Before we get into today's post, here's a note that might be of interest for Iron Maiden fans, as local artist Darren Emond will be demonstrating his art and drawing some work on-site outside of the Sears entrance of The Station Mall tomorrow, and art on display will include pages from his upcoming Iron Maiden comic book. This should be fun to check out if you're able, especially for Maiden and comic fans, so consider supporting Darren's work tomorrow if you're able, as he's a very skilled artist!

Now, let's dive into this weekend's remaining hard rock concert previews (barring anything super late notice), and we'll start in the Eastern Upper Peninsula with a look at Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned's next gigs, which go down TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Fresh off of their Hessel gig this past weekend, this will be Banned's first St. Ignace weekend of the new year, and the Traynors & Wayne should be in fine form as they continue their busy schedule, so consider a trip south to St. Ignace this weekend for some varied and often heavy covers! If you miss them this weekend, remember that they'll be in the Soo next weekend, and back in St. Ignace in April. 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges are in effect, so check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new Banned concert video!

Filmed by the band's friends at Third Cinema Productions, this was uploaded to Banned's YouTube channel on Valentine's Day, and it's of the guys covering Nirvana's "Come As You Are" at last week's I-500 festivities in the tent during the race's annual pub crawl! Featuring opening and closing credits (and a mid-video bug with the YouTube channel URL), this is a strong widescreen performance of this grunge classic, with Alex Traynor handling the vocals well, so give it a look below, and don't miss Banned tonight or tomorrow in St. Ignace!

Meanwhile at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are advertised to return for solo headlining concerts of their own TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of St. Ignace Kewadin gigs this past weekend, these shows continue their 2016 pattern of (generally) monthly gigs at the two E.U.P. Kewadin branches, and should deliver another fun weekend of wide ranging classic favourites for fans in the Soo! Now, it should be noted that the band hasn't publically plugged upcoming concerts on their Facebook page yet this month, but they have updated the page recently, so I wouldn't expect a change in plans regarding this weekend's shows unless stated otherwise. As usual for Highway 63's frequent Kewadin gigs, look for no announced cover, 21+ age limits, and 9:00 PM start times for tonight & tomorrow's concerts, so check above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Finally for this weekend's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario for the opening night of the first annual Fishbowl Festival, where local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control will be a part of the Like A Pisces tribute concert to Nirvana (and 1990s grunge, alternative, & new wave music) TOMORROW NIGHT at The Gore Street Cafe! The first of three hard rock/punk events taking place during this inaugural month long festival (coinciding with the Pisces stretch of the Zodiac calendar), this will be (I think) The Pixo Control's debut at the downtown cafe/laundromat, and coincides with what would have been Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's 46th birthday. What's more mysterious is the apparent headlining band Like A Pisces (referencing lyrics from "Heart Shaped Box"), who may or may not be playing collaboratively with The Pixo Control or separately, but performers were previously listed as including festival promoter/cafe co-owner Sam Decter, Honest Job's Drew Armstrong, and Lauren McClure.

Now, Sam and Drew are credited as "Insoosticide" & "Brash Gash" for unannounced reasons (possibly intended secrecy, or just creative license?), while Drew's bandmate Mister Tahti was once credited as performing with them as well. In any event, there's a lot of talent in store for this Nirvana tribute! Note as well that this event follows the opening ceremonies for the Fishbowl Festival at 5:00 PM, which will include presentations, speeches from organizers (and even the mayor!), and a mystery musical performance at 5:30 PM, though that's not considered part of the Like A Pisces show.The Fishbowl Festival itself has an eclectic lineup of local arts, culture, and awareness events largely taking place at The Gore Street Cafe through March 20th, and the ambitious roster includes everything from concerts, art exhibitions, and workshops to a film premiere, community meals, and a free market, so definitely visit the festival's Facebook event page for full details on all events scheduled for this month long activities, which offer a little something for everyone!

Admission for tomorrow's Like A Pisces concert is $10 (up from $5) unless you buy a $25 pass for all Fishbowl Festival events at the cafe beforehand, and with that, admission will be slashed to $5 tomorrow, and other events will either be discounted or free with said pass. All festival events are ALL AGES, and the concert will start at 7:00 PM, while tomorrow's opening cermonies beforehand also has free admission. For more details, visit the show's Facebook event page! The cafe and the Sault Ste. Marie Indian Friendship Centre have a great idea on their hands here, and hopefully this month's festival is huge, so stay tuned for much more on it, and here's The Pixo Control live last summer!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in due course! Thanks everyone!

Project 421 & Bon Soo Updates, Plus More Updates & Notes!!

We're back with a new news post to kick off this last full week of January, so what's on tap? Some updates to one of our battle of the bands profiles, some assorted recent notes, and the latest from a new local arts podcast, but let's start with some new concert videos!

Local classic metal quintet Project 421 are the subject of some new videos that were uploaded to their Facebook page yesterday, all courtesy of their Rednecks Saloon concert on Friday! Attendee Chris Weber shot three videos at the show (and got lots of photos, albeit made black & white after the fact), and they include renditions of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B.", Kiss' "Cold Gin", and as embedded below, their first original "No One Rides For Free". Shot on a cell phone camera, the audio is scratchy, and the camera angle can be jittery, but these videos are our best look yet at the current Project 421 lineup, and you can definitely sense that they have a good grasp on these songs! The lighting isn't great though, only drummer Chris Thompson is well lit on stage. Give these a look above and below, and don't miss Project 421 at The Rockstar Bar next month!



Next up, the newest episode of the new local music/arts podcast 7L is now online via their Soundcloud page, so what should you know from it? The episode features host Teddy Syrette interviewing Bon Soo general manager Kerrie De Poli about next month's installment of our annual winter carnival, where Kerrie talks about the inception of Bon Soo, the extended 12-day lineup for this year, events to look for, how long Kerrie's been working with the festival, her background before joining Bon Soo, the merger with Passport To Unity, where to get Bon Soo buttons, and more. The episode closes with Kerrie reading a poem about Bon Soo, and Teddy singing likewise, which is a fun way to close the episode! It's good and fun promotion for this year's festival, but what do we learn about Bon Soo's concerts for this year? Only bare basics, with no visible lineup information confirmed for either The Marquee or Passport to Unity, but The Marquee will apparently be a one-night outdoor event again on Friday, February 5th at Mill Market.

The Passport To Unity multicultural festival will be at The Essar Center as usual, but now on Sunday, February 14th rather than May to fit the Bon Soo schedule. We have yet to find lineup information for either event, but when updates come out on both/either, we'll let you know! Give the new 7L episode a listen above, it's informative and worth checking out, but note that the teased acoustic punk segment is not featured, no word on if it's coming for episode #4. Stay tuned though!

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

• If you've seen recent personal Facebook pictures of Havadder playing a recent gig without bassist Travis Sharpe, we can confirm that the show was a private event at The Rankin Arena, and with Travis unable to make the gig, local musician Brett Gottwald filled in for him. There are some videos from the event on Facebook, but unless the band shares them publically, we won't post them here. Brett filled in well though from what I saw, and give them a watch if they pop up on your news feed!
• Local musician Lee Catling is looking for a drummer for a Slayer tribute band that he's working on. He didn't offer any more details, but Slayer fans should be intrigued by this, so message Lee at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday if you're interested! 
• Honest Job bassist Drew Armstrong has been added as a performer with Like a Pisces during the Nirvana tribute concert at The Gore Street Cafe on February 20th during The Fishbowl Festival's opening night, as per the Facebook event page last week. However, it should be noted that the current wording of the performers lumps The Pixo Control in as one of the main acts, rather than as defined openers, so is this going to be a collaborative show with guests coming & going between songs? We'll let you know if there's clarification!

Finally for today, here's some big updates to one of our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles (which return in March!) In our profile of December 2009's Algoma University Battle of the Bands, we noted The Fury's brief 2014 reunion and RedD Monkey's hiatus & posthumous activity in the section on competitors' later work, while we replaced Keep It Lit and Giwakwa with The Apocalypse Afterparty, Infinity Grinder, and Kaepora Gaebora in the section on performers' later bands to keep that more current. Finally, the trivia section now features notes on planned judges Anthony Fabiano & Dustin Jones' later work in battles of the bands (as Griphook's drummer in Spanish and as a VM Radio Battle judge/sponsor respectively), info on how The Apocalypse Afterparty & Infinity Grinder did at the battles in March 2015, and a note on Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's debuting band Keep It Lit, who never played after dropping out of 2013's Viva La Battle. Hopefully that's up to date now, and stay tuned for updates of battles from the early 2010s soon!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Like A Pisces), A New Local Festival, And A New Podcast!!

Today's post has some common threads in the topics, which largely devolve into word on a debuting local festival and a newer local arts podcast, but there are some extra bits to note within, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and a partial band name change! Apologies for any delay in getting these on the site, but let's rectify that now and get this post underway!

Local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control will hit The Gore Street Cafe on Saturday, February 20th as the opening act for an apparent one-off Nirvana tribute band named Like A Pisces! The opening night of the debuting Fishbowl Festival (more on that in a second), this show coincides with what would have been late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's 49th birthday, and will serve as a celebration of Nirvana, 1990s grunge, new wave, and alternative music. If things are what they seem to indicate on the Facebook event page, Like A Pisces (referencing lyrics from "Heart Shaped Box") will be comprised of local musicians Mister Tahti (Honest Job), Sam Decter (Boxes of Boom), and Lauren McClure, though instrument roles aren't listed. The Pixo Control's set will be their second local appearance of the year, and I believe their first at the fast-rising Gore Street venue, so keep them in mind for next month, as they're ideal openers in terms of sound!

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 7:00 PM concert, while there will also be packages available for all Fishbowl Festival events (which we'll get into next), and while there isn't an announced age limit, the early start time of 7:00 PM seems to hint that it may not be 19+. If we get confirmation, we'll let you know! This sounds like an intriguing concert, especially if you're a fan of Nirvana or the Seattle grunge scene, so definitely keep this show in mind as the Fishbowl Festival commences!

Now, just what exactly is The Fishbowl Festival? Announced two weeks ago, it's an intended "mid-winter festival of community, food, art, and culture" at The Gore Street Cafe, with the name likely deriving from it's scheduling from February 20th-March 20th, during stretch of the zodiac where the Pisces (or fish) sign falls. Masterminded by the aforementioned Sam Decter (a co-owner of The Gore Street Cafe), a number of varied events are planned for the month, from concerts to workshops to community meals, and Sam and the cafe/laundromat are also looking for people & artists interested in playing, hosting, or helping out with events during the Fishbowl Festival, so if you want in, click here to voice up! As of this writing, the aforementioned Like A Pisces show is the only fully confirmed event that fits our coverage on the SMS, but there are strong indications that Mike Haggith & The Din may be playing an event during the festival, possibly with Stereo North alongside. 

$25 ticket passes are available at The Gore Street Cafe which will get you free or discounted entry into all festival events, though some are already "pay what you can" deals like the venue usually offers. While this is very ambitious, it sounds like there's some fun and unique events for many different tastes in store for late February and March, with everything from a pajamas & cartoons brunch to another "really really free market" in store, so be sure to follow all of the currently announced Fishbowl Festival events at the above links, and get a hold of promoters A.S.A.P. if you want to play or put on any events of your own!

Next up, here's our long overdue look at a new local arts podcast named 7L! No word on what "7L" means yet, but this podcast was created by Pillory bassist Jordan Leach and local artist/LGBT advocate Teddy Syrette (who serves as the in-studio host), and two episodes were posted on it's Soundcloud page earlier this month, which encourage thinking outside the box as a tagline. The first episode (posted on January 7th) features Teddy talking with the aforementioned Sam Decter (who plugged the Fishbowl Festival and what would become Like A Pisces in the podcast), with an appearance by Honest Job drummer Jason Lloyd. Interesting listen, especially for fans of what Sam has been doing with The Gore Street Cafe and his own music projects, so definitely check it out! The second episode from last week fits our coverage more, as it focuses on an interview with all three members of the aforementioned Mike Haggith & The Din, so what should you know on that?

Well, in the interview, one of the first notes is that the band has officially contracted their name to simply The Din, as they're trying to carve their own identity that is separate from Mike's solo music & his prior work with the defunct band Haggith, while also noting that the simplified name rolls off the tongue easier. Makes sense for distinction and ease, and we've noted the change on the site! After that is noted, Teddy talks to The Din about how long they've been playing for, their beginnings as a looser jam outfit, their current setlist & sound, the late David Bowie's influence on the band, their opinions on the local music scene & it's evolution, where they've played in the Soo, current plans for 2016, and their advice for aspiring musicians. The episode concludes with The Din performing an acoustic version of their new original "Flux", which sounds promising and has good vocal harmonies, but the drums are a little loud in the mix.

Entertaining interview that tells us a lot about The Din's run and plans, and it has a nice loose feel, with Brandan Glew in particular giving some good and well thought answers! Check it out above, and what's in store for episode 3? If this proves to be a weekly series, it might go online tomorrow, and a recent Facebook page tease noted that it'll likely feature "some delicious acoustic punk" (Telephone & Address?) and "an exclusive Bon Soo interview" (The Marquee?) Stay tuned for more on the third episode, 7L is now in our "Other Local Metal Links", and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Dank Fest 2014 Concert Review!!

Finally, it's now time for our review of Saturday night's Dank Fest 2014, and I apologize again for the delay, but the slow video uploads and such pushed it back. Before we get to the bands, just some info on the event itself, including a notable band drop out, as advertised headliners TheKillingField dropped out of the event on short notice due to scheduling conflicts, though members didn't elaborate on that front. Very disappointing, especially as two shots at a local show fell through in a four month span, but they've always been great to the Soo, so hopefully the bad luck ends and they do play here at some point soon again! They were not replaced, so Dank Fest fell to 11 bands from the 14 it was originally intended to have. I had a sinking feeling that the original planned lineup wouldn't hold together, but we still got a huge bang for our buck! The weather mostly co-operated, but the talk of sausages being barbequed behind The Oddfellows Hall didn't come to fruition. The attendance varied as the day went on, but it peaked in the early evening for The Pixo Control and Like Animals' sets, and while I do get the timing of the event for 4:20, competing with the Easter weekend and Record Store Day may have affected the turnout. The fan activity was lively though, and there were some solid pits!

After a 45 minute delay (possibly due to TheKillingField's dropout?), Dank Fest kicked off with the former Like Father Like Son, local/Ottawa indie rock band The North Shore (replacing Viva Emptiness), though returning drummer Felipe Basoalto couldn't make the event, so frontman Jeremy Hannah and new guitarist Chase Wigmore played as a duo. Though clear outliers compared to the death metal and hard rock to come, Jeremy's a former local hardcore singer and promoter, and Chase brought a bit of the aggression for their set, which really struck me as a clash of two styles. While Jeremy was playing to his recent strengths in unplugged indie material, Chase's guitar work seemed like it belonged with a different heavier band, and it was an interesting contrast. Once you got past that though, The North Shore provided a nice softer beginning for this show, and they definitely seemed happy to be there, so hopefully we see more of them in the future, especially given how sporadic Jeremy's local gigs have been lately!

Second on Saturday were local all-female hard rockers The Danger Cats, and though the rumours of them dropping out were false, they also played short-handed due to guitarist Paula Panther being away on vacation. With her absence, their set seemed a bit more deliberate and not as lively, though I'm sure part of that was due to playing in the late afternoon. A mix of originals like "Call Me" and covers of bands like The Misfits, The Offspring, and L7 populated their 8 song set, and while the energy of their full quartet sets wasn't fully there, the talent was, with Kate Kougar's singing effective when audible (she was often low in the mix though), and Jamie Jaguar's bass flowed well also! That said, they're most effective with two guitarists, so be sure to catch the Die Mannequin show they're opening in June for the full Danger Cats experience!

Third was supposed to be the return of local funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes, but bassist James Watterworth couldn't make the event (if they have a new drummer yet, he didn't play either), so frontman Chase Wigmore played a solo set in their place. That said, he didn't stick to just his solo material though, performing a lot of harsh metal songs that probably would have been indicative of The Strange Coyotes's set had they played this show! Included within were some surprising acoustic covers of Megadeth songs (and even Del Shannon's "Runaway") along with some band and solo originals, and Chase definitely held our attention with his high energy and creativity, even almost looking possessed at points during his set! It was nice to see Chase back on stage, even if the rest of the band was absent, but his entertaining solo work got a lot of people going, even inciting the day's first mosh pit, which is impressive for acoustic material!

Due to having to get back on the road early, Orillia metal trio Like Animals swapped spots with The Pixo Control to play the earlier fourth slot at Dank Fest, and 3 years after dropping out of a show at The Rosie, they definitely made up for lost time with an impressive progressive metal set! Is it surprising that they were the first band on Saturday with no absent members? Playing to some of the day's best crowd numbers, Like Animals tore through a technical and aggressive blend of progressive and hardcore metal, and fans definitely seemed to enjoy everything! Playing a number of impressive songs (including songs from their new EP "The Wild"), I enjoyed Jamie Haffenden's guitar ability and singing range, and Myke Caouette's bass work and enthusiasm was a constant, but Jamie could show some more liveliness to match their songs. Impressive first stop in the Soo though, hopefully they come back down the road!

Following them was the Oddfellows Hall debut of local alternative/hard rock trio The Pixo Control (our newest addition to our band links on the site), and after a successful Record Store Day set outside of The Rad Zone, the guys amped up the heaviness and left a solid impression on attendees! I was familiar with some of their YouTube postings and frontman Michael Mikus' past work with The Fever Tops, but The Pixo Control definitely benefit from a live setting for their grungy alt-rock sound, which had a solid passion, and they can be very heavy on the right song, including tracks like "Land of the Moles" and "Tall Ships". Michael seemed to channel Kurt Cobain at parts in their set, while Steve Edwards showed some solid bass skill, and Keeghan Rosso's drumming fit right in as well, and though they did have some rough moments, they're young and will definitely shore up those areas. I'm curious to see where The Pixo Control go from here, but if you love bands like Haggith and No Arrow, don't sleep on these guys!

Local hardcore/grunge duo Bad Back returned to The Oddfellows Hall as the night's middle band, and they were back to their usual tricks with an intense and well received set of original material, complete with a very surprising closing cover of Weezer's "Buddy Holly"! Originals like "Lung Bucket", "Breeding Weak", and "No. 1 Single" also made the rounds, and like at earlier gigs of theirs, the two-man assault got a very enthusiastic reception! They still don't really sound like a duo, their sound works that well, and Jamie Vincent (a.k.a. AlgomA drummer Geezer D'Artagnan) continues to develop a very solid presence as a hardcore singer and frontman! Nathan Sauve's drumming and backup vocals also fit as well as ever on this very heavy hybrid material! If anything, I'd like to see Jamie loosen up a bit on stage, but Bad Back powered through another brutal set, and hopefully we see them on stage again soon!

Local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore (replacing Brutaly Fatal & Re-Born) took the stage next, and while still polarizing for fans not accustomed to this style or the lyrical content, Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson handled things well for an unapologetic and very heavy set of original material! Like before, his set saw him on pig squeal vocals & lead guitar with a drum machine to handle backing rhythm, and despite the minimalistic nature, he has a solid command of the audience, and loyal fans of Blood Shed Productions were out in full force to mosh and headbang along to originals like "Orthostatic Hypertension", "People These Days", and the ultra-brief "Batch Cones". Tyler's music definitely fits live better than it ever has in studio, and while I do think he'd rise faster locally if he had a full band to support this material, he's doing what he wants for fans who love it no matter what, and it'll be interesting to hear what comes next, including the forthcoming C.T.W. album "Welcome To Earth"!

Local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA made their Oddfellows Hall debut next, and their slow and crushing original sound definitely got a great reaction from fans who stayed into the night! Lengthy and uncompromising songs like "Extinct Volcanoes" and "Bedsores" impressed on musical and heavy levels, and I like the added interaction with the audience and less aloof feel than they had at early gigs, though I'll admit that 180 Projects is probably the optimal place to see them, thanks to the video projector (they even used 3D glasses for it at the Skynet show!) Darby Wigwaus & Marty Chase's trade-off vocals and proficiently deliberate instrumentation kept things to a doomy premium, and their set definitely went by quicker than it was (the long songs help with that.) No word was announced at Dank Fest relating to their upcoming debut album, but their set should put in motion a lot of optimism for it's release!

Third last at Dank Fest were the de facto headliners following TheKillingField's exit, as North Bay death metal trio Buried Out Back made their second local appearance on Saturday night, after previously rocking The Canadian in mid-2012! Once again featuring a number of songs based around murderers (as to be seen on their upcoming album) like "The Prostitute" and "The Recluse", Buried Out Back brutalized attendees with a straight forward and gritty (yet melodic) death metal assault that was at least equal to their last trip here! Frontman Dave Strba (of Empyrean Plague fame) retains a brutal yet clear growl, and Kevin Lachance's drum work was excellent throughout their set, though I think they were hoping for more of a crowd reaction and reception throughout. Awesome set though, and fingers crossed we get more North Bay metal action around here soon!

The home stretch of this marathon show kicked off with local classic metal quintet Project 421, who were surprisingly the only band out of 11 at Dank Fest with more than 3 members! Coincidentally, the biggest band also seemingly got the biggest set, as they rocked out 13 songs, including their original "No One Rides For Free", covers of everyone from Black Sabbath to Dokken, and even some surprise Ronnie James Dio tracks that really showed off Curtis McKenzie's vocal range, which was particularly impressive early on (perhaps the best he's sounded live yet), but while "The Mob Rules" was great, his voice tired considerably by the time they tackled "Rainbow In The Dark". Aside from a hang-up where guitarist Blair Burch had to fix a guitar string (they added a surprise cover of "Smokin' In The Boys Room" in the interim), the guys made full use of their time and the space, with Daniel Horton really adding to his height with some mid-song climbs up the stage equipment! Everyone was on fire, and they delivered a solid late punch to the show!

Unfortunately, the length of Project 421's set may have impaired the closing set for local goregrind duo Rotopsy, who initially announced that they couldn't play, despite being the effective release show for their demo. I heard that both time constraints and a mosh pit injury of some type may have been the reason, but things worked out, as Rotopsy were apparently able to play 2 of their 5 planned songs to cap off the night! That said, I had no idea that they would manage to play anyway, so I'd actually left before that announcement, but at least we got to see singer Dylan Taylor provide guest vocals on one of Crucify The Whore's songs! We'll of course share any media from their brief set if and when it makes it online. Overall, despite the length and my own sore feet by the last few bands, this was a fun concert, and a nice primer for the Swampstravaganza next month (another marathon concert at The Oddfellows Hall that Rotopsy are playing), and despite the band dropouts, I think promoters and fans had a good time!

I got 10 photos of each band (minus Rotopsy, I'll make it up to you guys next month!), so check them out at this link or at our Facebook page! As for videos, they're embedded below (albeit smaller to avoid making this post far too long), but click here to see them in normal resolution. In order, here's The North Shore playing their song "Evening Strolls", The Danger Cats covering The Misfits' "Fiend Club", Chase Wigmore covering Megadeth's "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!", Like Animals playing their song "No Avail", The Pixo Control playing their song "The Great Salute to Radio Edits", Bad Back playing "Drum My Way Home", Crucify The Whore playing their short song "Seshing In June Bugs" followed by a new untitled track, AlgomA playing "The Electric Fence", Buried Out Back playing "The Intruder", and Project 421 covering Judas Priest's "Living After Midnight", so check them out above & below!







That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles tomorrow, plus more news soon, including all the info on Jack Spades' newly released EP! Thanks everyone!

Dank Fest 2014 Concert Preview!!

(Updated at 2:03 AM) A massive and well anticipated all ages concert will go down TOMORROW at The Oddfellows Hall, and it is Dank Fest 2014, as 12 mostly metal bands will descend for a day full of intense music, so here's our extended preview! Easily the biggest event so far to be put on by Tyler St. Amour since he launched his concert promotion agency Heavy North Entertainment, the event will be headlined by what amounts to a makeup date for North Bay extreme metal bands Thekillingfield & Buried Out Back, who were both snowed out of their planned headlining gig for H.N.E. in January at the same venue. With better weather and a far larger lineup, things are looking far more promising this time around, so be sure to welcome these guys back to the Soo, especially TheKillingField, who haven't been seen in town since the fall of 2011! Though the headline bands, they're not last on the lineup tomorrow, with Blood Shed Productions goregrind duo Rotopsy slated to go on last at 12:30 AM, fresh off of today's self-titled demo EP release, so pick it up tomorrow for $3 if you want! Local classic metal quintet Project 421 are second last at Dank Fest with a set at 11:45 PM, while TheKillingField & Buried Out Back will play at 10:30 & 9:30 PM respectively.

Local thrashers Pillory were slated to play at 8:45 PM, but were quietly removed from the lineup last night for unannounced reasons, though they've been quiet since the aforementioned Tyler St. Amour left the band last month. With the short notice, no band has been added to replace them, but the preceding two bands on the lineup have later start times. Now, local sludge/doom metal trio AlgomA will make their Oddfellows Hall debut at 8:30 PM, while local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore (who returned to the lineup to replace the new Brutaly Fatal) will take the stage at 7:30 PM, and grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back will retain the 6:30 PM slot in their first Oddfellows gig since last summer. Another out of town band (Orillia progressive metal trio Like Animals) will make their local debut at 5:30 PM, three years after dropping out of TheKillingField's 2011 show at The Roosevelt Hotel, so watch out for their brutal technicality as well!

Newer local alternative rock trio The Pixo Control (featuring Fever Tops & Social Suicide alumni) will make their Oddfellows Hall debut tomorrow as well at 4:45 PM, and they've shown some aggressive touches, so keep an eye on them, as I've heard very good things! Local funk/metal trio The Strange Coyotes will make their first live concert appearance since the departure of drummer Mike Haggith tomorrow night at 4:00 PM, and while I'd assume his replacement will be unveiled then, remember that Chase & James play solo gigs often without the need for a drummer. All female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats are slated to play at 3:15 PM, though I'll admit having heard talk that they might not be able to play. Again, if anything comes out, we'll have it here! Opening the show at 2:30 PM (and replacing the yet-to-launch Viva Emptiness) is the local/Ottawa indie trio formerly known as Like Father Like Son, as they recently changed their name to The North Shore for unannounced reasons.

This will also be their first gig since replacing guitarist Nathan Bouliane with The Strange Coyotes' Chase Wigmore, and since drummer Felipe Basoalto returned to replace keyboardist Julien Desormeaux, so how will the new lineup sound tomorrow? Be there to find out! Also in terms of lineup notes, remember that local punk/grunge duo Re-Born (the original Brutaly Fatal) have long since been replaced on the lineup, and we await finite word on their active status. Tickets for Dank Fest are $10 in advance through Tyler or Blood Shed Productions-affiliated bands (the price jumps to $13 at the door), though if you show your ticket from the January show that the headliners couldn't come for, you'll save $5! Given the extended length of this show, there are plans to cook sausages for fans behind the venue, though I will note that the current weather forecast calls for a few showers tomorrow. This is absolutely an ALL AGES show, and The North Shore open things at 2:30 PM, so for more current details, visit the Facebook event page and the above links!

I applaud the ambition of this massive concert (which had 14 bands at one point, let alone 12), and I sincerely hope everything goes off without a hitch, so fingers crossed this becomes a huge highlight of the 2014 local concert calendar! That's all for today, but I'll definitely be there tomorrow night, and I hope you guys are too, so stay tuned in case there's any late updates (and for our post-show coverage), and for a preview, here's TheKillingField playing a few songs live in Alberta! Thanks everyone!