YouTube Channel Profile Series: AlterWhite's Channel

As expected, it's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly look at 1-3 YouTube channels with at least a 50% concentration of local metal/hard rock concert videos, so fans can discover, read up on, and check out the content on them! Our third straight installment with a single randomly selected channel, this month's profile is courtesy of a prolific and talented local musician who seemed to be on his way to good things in the early 2010s, so read on below for this month's profile!
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AlterWhite's Channel
(http://www.youtube.com/alterwhite)

Owner: Local solo musician & former AlterWhite singer/drummer Mike Matthews

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 10th, 2011; Videos posted from May 2012 through October 2013

Channel Summary: Originally the official YouTube channel for Mike's early 2010s metal project AlterWhite (whose main activity was limited to online song postings), 9 original songs under the AlterWhite banner were posted there through August 2012, with the channel switching to focus on original songs recorded solely by Mike starting that fall. 21 songs were uploaded over the following year, with all but the last four being designated as part of "albums", though none received a paid public release. As well, this channel featured some early AlterWhite originals (including select covers) in 2011, but all were deleted by the following year.

Why Should You Watch: You should give Mike/AlterWhite's channel a look for some solid and developing original material that it'd be interesting to see Mike revisit! While his James Hetfield-reminscent vocals often sound very overdone, he does have guitar and drumming skill on his song postings, and AlterWhite guitarist Kevin McCarthy also contributed well on those early songs. There was work to be done to shore up both projects' sound, but don't let them slip you by! Note however that Mike's uploads are all song postings only, and he hasn't visibly used this channel since last fall.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

AlterWhite - Watch With Eyes Closed: Before transitioning to solo material, Mike's band AlterWhite produced some promising (if incomplete) original songs in their 2012 heyday, with "Watch With Eyes Closed" from that August being possibly the best showcase for their diversity, with slower melodic verses & aggressive choruses. Though the vocals sound forced (especially in the verses), Mike and Kevin have good chemistry, and it'd be interesting to hear this with a fuller lineup and a tighter arrangement! For more from AlterWhite, check out songs like "Taking Back My Life" and "Wolfbane Blooms" via the above links.



Mike Matthews - Too Late: The planned third song on Mike's unreleased debut album named "Connected By Light" from September 2012, "Too Late" is the most viewed song at present on his channel. More of a straightforward metal rocker, his vocals are a stronger fit on this hard hitting original, but the lyrics can be very repetitive, and a guitar solo would have been a nice addition to shake things up. Fans of AlterWhite shouldn't be too worried though, and check out other "Connected By Light" tracks like "When You Left Me" and "Wasted" above for more similar material!



Mike Matthews - Fade Away: Mike's last original postings from last summer saw him diversify his sound a bit to include more softer acoustic material (as seen on songs like "One Week"), with "Fade Away" also showing his quieter side. He has nice command of the guitar on songs like this, and the lyrics fit the tone, but on a song of this style, his singing definitely sounds a bit out of place. Still, Mike was in a good place here, and hopefully he's still working on new music!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! So, what's getting profiled in this series next month? Through completely random selection, I've chosen a single channel for a fourth month in a row, as we'll next be taking a look at prolific local punk/metal musician Rick "Styles" White's YouTube channel, featuring videos from his work with Fitswitch, Frightlight, Redundant, and more, dating back 8 years! That's all for now, but stay tuned for some big news and updates this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & The Thrill Junkies), Plus New Song Uploads!!

Keeping the news rolling on this Friday night, we have some new song postings from a pair of local projects, and starting things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month to cover, so read on below to get up to speed! (Note that if you saw a story on here that's been removed relating to a band's membership search, I've removed it for now as I'm waiting for further confirmation in light of some new info. Stay tuned!)

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill for two more solo acoustic concerts on October 11th & 18th, a.k.a. the next two Fridays! These were confirmed in a recent Facebook conversation with Tym, but given how frequently he plays at this venue, one could assume he'd be back at The Road House this month at least once (of course, he's playing with Caveman Morrison tonight at The Rosie.) Tym's unplugged cover sets have proven to be a steady favourite at The Road House in the past year, and it never hurts to get a softer take on his usual hard rock & metal renditions, so keep his next solo gigs in mind! The show next week doesn't mean anything negative for his Ray Brown benefit set, as that event starts earlier in the day, so he can pull double duty without issue if he plays earlier. For the Road House gigs, admission should be free, you must be 19 to attend, and both have 10:00 PM-ish start times. For more details, check the above links, and stay tuned for updates from Tym's music projects!

Also in new concert announcements, local classic hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies have announced a series of concerts at The Roosevelt Hotel and Docks Riverfront Grill through the end of the year, as per their Facebook page earlier today! The Turner Up successors will apparently return to The Rosie on October 25th & 26th, November 22nd & 23rd, and December 13th & 14th, while the Docks shows will go down on November 8th & 9th and December 20th & 21st, so if you're up for some hard rocking and varied covers, you know where to be to get a thrill from these junkies! Note however that the October 26th show conflicts with J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween Party that night, which moved to The Rosie this year, but there is the possibility that the Thrill Junkies show that day is a matinee. If anything is announced to clarify that or more of the concerts, I'll let you guys know! Each show should have a 10:00 PM-ish start time and a 19+ age limit, and while the Rosie shows shouldn't have a cover, Docks likely has one in the $4 range. For more details, check the above links, and don't miss The Thrill Junkies next at Friday's Ray Brown benefit!

Next up, here's a "new" song from local grunge/alternative rockers Haggith! They finally posted a free streaming copy of the disc-ending bonus track from their most recent album "Deuce" onto their YouTube channel the other day, which wasn't alluded to publically upon release (aside from including it's lyrics on the booklet.) Also named "Deuce", it's a 1:48 acoustic track featuring drummer Mike Haggith & lead singer Curtis McKenzie on vocals along with Daniel Horton on guitar (bassist Caleb Cachagee wasn't featured.) As I remarked in my review of the full CD, it's a neat little track (and it fits with the softer ambiance compared to "Dragon Joy Ride"), but I don't find it really stands on it's own. Give it a listen below though if you haven't heard it yet (or, listen to the end of "75" on your CD copy of  "Deuce"!)



Finally for today, here's a new song upload from AlterWhite mainman Mike Matthews' solo work! Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on Wednesday, this song is entitled "One More Try", and it's remniscent of his heaviest solo and AlterWhite work with solid instrumentation and a heavy groove, but Mike's James Hetfield-esque vocals still sound a bit overdone, and I'd like to see him rein it in a bit. Not bad though, so give Mike's newest song a listen below!



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

Ray Brown Tribute Information, Hydra's Teeth Updates, And Much More!!

Back to the news on this Wednesday morning, so what's in store today? Not the new concerts some may have been expecting (we're saving those to tie in with this weekend's concert previews), but we do have a bunch of recent assorted updates, the latest from a newer local metal band, and leading off, a very special tribute event coming sooner than you may think, so read on below for details!

A benefit/tribute concert has been announced for Saturday, October 12th at The Canadian Nightclub that will be in support of local musician Ray Brown and his family. Ray (who plays drums and has been in heavier local bands in the past) has been battling cancer in the lungs and liver for the past few months, and according to the Facebook event page, it's estimated that he only has two months left to live. As a result, his family and friends are coming together to help Ray and his family out with this event, that will hopefully help cover some of his final expenses. The benefit will feature a pasta dinner, door & raffle prizes, and musical performances from artists to be announced, though all will be donating their time in honour of Ray. The benefit will be held at 7:00 PM that night, tickets will be $25 through administrators of the event or at the door (I assume), while age limits haven't been announced. Check the above links for more details! I don't know Ray personally, but we have a lot of mutual friends, I've heard good things about him as a drummer and person, and no one should have to go through this at just 41 years of age.

It's too early to say if I'll be able to attend, but I definitely wish him and his family the very best at this difficult time, and I hope the event is a huge success for them! In terms of bands, while no one is confirmed, a handful of local musicians (including Obsession's Valerie Powley) are among the event hosts, so keep that in mind just in case. Stay tuned to the SMS for updates as they roll in, including for potential heavier bands!

Next up, here's the latest updates from newer local classic metal band The Hydra's Teeth! The group featuring Late & Loud, Sativa Rose, and Startlefish alumni are hard at work on both their live debut and some studio work as per their Facebook page on Monday, so what should you know? In terms of their first concert, they apparently have a date lined up for later his month at The Canadian Nightclub, and they'll share the bill of local grunge quartet Haggith and a "brand new band" of some kind, though no hints were dropped on their identity. As more official word comes in, we'll have it here! The other news is that The Hydra's Teeth are apparently writing a pile of original material, with 10 songs written and another 10 in the works. From what I can tell, the band is hoping to do studio work very early and get it out to the public A.S.A.P., which isn't entirely foreign, as Brendan Christie & Benn Garside began EP work early in Late & Loud's run also. We'll have to see how this all shakes out, so keep posted here and above!

Finally for today, here's six assorted recent news items, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Have you seen a poster for an event named "Anti-Capitalist TacoFest" on Facebook in the past week that featured acts like Shit Liver, AlgomA, James Watterworth, and ex-Chronic Demonic singer Sabrina Strange? As best as I can tell, that was a private event in Garden River (I think) last month, but I wanted to address it just on the basis of getting an undated poster for it after the fact, let alone one for a private concert. Hopefully it went well though!
• Former Lazer Queen/Apocrytha singer Kate Drew is looking for a drummer and bassist to complete a new "rock/alternative" project she's started, which would practice 1-2 times a week and play covers & originals. Applicants must have professional gear and would apparently play out of town gigs on weekends. Sounds intriguing, and Kate has some heavier experience, so if you're interested, message her at this link or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday!
• AlterWhite mainman Mike Matthews is looking for a rock influenced guitar player for a music project he's working on, though no word yet on if it's to replace Kevin McCarthy in AlterWhite, or for a completely new project. If you're interested in trying out, message Mike at this link or visit his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from August 29th!
• Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison updated fans to the band's current status on their Facebook page on Monday, where he revealed that drummer Jonny Amendola is recovering from surgery to repair a leaking heart valve last month, but he is back playing the drums and is regaining strength every day. In the interim, the band has been writing new original material and hope to record it A.S.A.P., so stay tuned for updates on that & their next concerts, and it's great to hear Jonny's recovering well!
• Defunct local classic/hard rock band Turner Up's Facebook (and only online) page has been deleted in recent weeks. Though a reason hasn't been announced, it's likely to focus on their successor band The Thrill Junkies, who feature 4/5ths of their last lineup. While it is disappointing to lose the page, there was little there beyond some band photos and older event posts, so no Turner Up videos were lost. Keep an eye out for The Thrill Junkies' Soo debut!
• A poster for the Walk & Rock Against Bullying event outside City Hall in Sault Michigan on August 14th is now out, which confirms event sponsors and some non-musical events, but it also lists "...and more!" after the already announced bands. Are more bands being added, or will there just be some special guests? If we hear anything, I'll let you guys know!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Caveman Morrison), Plus Lots Of Other Recent Updates!!

Keeping the news rolling as we end the week, today's post features new song postings from two local hard rock projects involving a singer/guitarist named Mike (including a new "album" of sorts), updates on recent recording sessions, and first, lineup changes for an approaching multi-band concert, so here's what you need to know!

Capping off a weekend of higher-than-normal late notice concert announcements, local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison will play their second ever concert at The Water Tower Pub at 360 Great Northern Road TONIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, as frontman Tym Morrison only just announced this show yesterday. After a successful first gig at this easy to spot venue last month, fans will get an encore gig to enjoy some classic and modern metal covers from Tym and company TONIGHT, so keep this show in mind, and apologies for missing Tym's solo Road House gig on the site itself yesterday! We'll make it up soon, trust me. This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This weekend's been rough in terms of late notice show annoncements, but at least the bands are all talented, and Caveman Morrison should deliver tonight, so don't miss their prolific sound at The Water Tower Pub! For a preview, here's their cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know" a few years back!



Next up, here are the latest updates to the third annual Sewer Swampstravaganza going down this coming Saturday at The Oddfellows Hall! On a disappointing note, two more local bands have dropped off the bill, those being extreme metal quartet Winkstinger and stoner/death metal band Giwakwa. Reasons weren't announced, but for the latter, I assume their exit was due to their lineup vacancies following Josh Stephney & Nolan Rainville's moves out of town. As for Winkstinger (who played each of the past two Swampstravaganzas), I have no idea why they're out, but I'll note that they haven't updated their online pages in almost three months, and their show in May remains their only concert in the past year. I hope there's nothing bad going on in their camp, but if I hear any updates, I'll let you guys know! Unlike the relatively sudden switch from Ashes to Dust to Guy Smith, replacements for Winkstinger & Giwakwa have not been confirmed at present, and their slots in the band order (6:00 & 4:00 PM) are listed as open on the Facebook event page. I've heard no confirmation of a band search at present, but message promoters at the above links if you're interested in playing on short notice on Saturday, and stay tuned for additional updates as I hear them!

Also today, we haven't gotten more into detail on this topic outside of our latest "Where Are The New Albums?" post, but here's the latest from local sludge/stoner metal trio AlgomA's recording plans! We've alluded to this on here before, but we're getting some more word on what exactly this entails via their Facebook page and singer/guitarist Boyd "Darby Wigwaus" Rendell's film company 62nd Chamber Production's website, with the latter confirming that they are in fact working on their debut EP. Recordings appear to have been done in their home recording studio nicknamed "Das Bunker", with a few photos documenting the progress in this photo album. As of July 29th, the sessions apparently wrapped up when vocal recordings were finished (after some power outage related delays), and the songs will be sent off for post-production work in Southern Ontario. This all seems sudden given that they've only played two concerts, but AlgomA have a good and unique thing going, and I'm curious to see where things lead with this EP! Stay tuned as we hear more!

Finally for today, AlterWhite's Mike Matthews posted three new solo songs onto the band's YouTube channel on Wednesday! His first song postings in 6 months, the tracks are unique as they're all acoustic (as each video's picture suggests), and they're entitled "Need To See", "One Week", and (as embedded below) "Fade Away". The songs aren't bad, and they retain the grit of his electric work, but his singing voice seems too aggressive for unplugged material, and it can be a bit jarring for the contrast with the acoustic guitar. Interesting stuff though, so give Mike's song "Fade Away" a listen below, and hear more at the above links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week rolls along, including some more new concert announcements tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Powerslug), Recent Sault Star Hard Rock Interviews, And Much More!!

As promised, here's our first news post of February 2013, so what's on tap? Today, we have a lot of assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, along with a new solo original song, and some catching up on hard rock band interviews from a major local news source, but first, here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT (and check out this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post below this one!)

There are indeed heavier concerts this weekend in the Sault Ste. Marie area, courtesy of Sault Michigan hard rock trio Powerslug! Their second announced concert weekend of the year, the band featuring I.S.O.M., Kilacel, and River Witch alumni are playing at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird) TONIGHT, following a first concert either yesterday or Thursday. When drummer Bob Helsten announced the shows on his personal Facebook page on Thursday, he indicated the first show was that night, but bands in the area generally play Friday first instead of Thursday, so I'm not sure if there's scheduling differences at play, or if it was just a typo. Regardless, I missed the show until now, and I profusely apologize as a result! They could really use an online page to update show information though. As for tonight's gig, Powerslug will bring their hard rock covers to the stage at 10:00 PM, a cover charge wasn't announced, and you must be 21 to attend. If any more details pop up, I'll add them here! These should be good concerts from this talented trio, and with no online media either, take my word for it, and go occupy The Bird for some hard rock this weekend!

Next up, if you're a Sault Star subscriber, you may have noticed an interview last month with Sweet's Steve Priest in advance of their show with April Wine at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next weekend! That alone was worth mentioning, but today, it's just part of a catch-up I wanna do for other recent Kewadin Casino hard rock performer interviews held with The Sault Star since the beginning of last year, so what'd I miss? All conducted & wrote by The Sault Star's Jeffrey Ougler, the recent SMS-suited articles included interviews with Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson (prior to their Kewadin show in August) and members of both of Stryper's opening bands last February (Slaughter bassist Dana Strum & Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch), so click each link above to give them a look! I apologize for the late notice on most of these, but I'm not a Sault Star subscriber, so I miss a lot of their quality articles as a result.

If you're not familiar with Jeffery's concert preview articles/interviews, these all feature general discussions with the band member(s) on their history and recent events, along with promotion of the Kewadin concert, and they're all informative and deserve a look, even late! Check them all out above, and don't miss Sweet with April Wine on February 9th at the Soo Kewadin!

Also today, here's the newest solo track from Alterwhite mainman Mike Matthews! Entitled "Erase Me (Please)", he posted it onto the AlterWhite YouTube channel on Thursday, Mike recorded this for his "album "Something Left Inside", but how is it? The music's good, especially the heavy second half, but Mike really overdoes the clean vocals on the soft first half, and he should have done the first few minutes in a more reserved and less exaggerated style. The second half makes up for it though, so check out "Erase Me (Please)" below!



Finally for today, here's SIX assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, as we've had a bunch of these in the last few days! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or band name:

• Former Skull After Betryal bassist Adam Brett is currently looking to join or form a new local metal/hard rock band, though he aims to play guitar this time around. I know he's been working hard to improve his skills recently, so give him a shout at this location or find his Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting from yesterday for more details!
• Prolific Sault Michigan guitarist Mike Libertoski is back with a new original demo! His first publically available new song since 2011,  this blistering & short technical metal demo is full of promise and shows a skill evolution from his other early 2010s work, so give it a listen at his SoundCloud page, and his solo project is now back in our active Sault Michigan metal band links! (Note that this is credited to himself, not his Galactic Alignment project.)
• Valentine's Day Massacre frontman Steve Rhodes has joined a new band, that being the London, Ontario death/thrash metal band D3athcharg3r! Early reviews are very good, and congratulations to him on this big opportunity! However, he was quick to point out on his personal Facebook page last month that The V.D.M. (who all still live in London) remain alive, and he'll be with them as long as they want him, so fingers crossed we see both of his bands up here soon!
• Last night, Sault Ontario hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings revealed on their Facebook page that they were working on their own debut EP, which should be "ready to go" by the end of the month. Nothing else is publically known yet, but keep an eye out to see how this progresses!
• Also last night, new Sault Ontario metal project Unbound revealed that they plan to make their live debut in March, though extra details (i.e. location, lineup changes, Justin Fratpietro tributes) have yet to be posted. I'm very curious to see how Unbound shapes up after all that's happened, so stay tuned for updates as they roll in!
• Has Jason Ladouceur rejoined Winkstinger? Nothing official has been publicized, but Jason plugged a Thursday night Winkstinger show on "the 11th" at The Rosie in a recent MSN status, which (barring a typo) would likely refer to April 11th. If true, this would mark the band's first show since July, and Jason's return to the band following his exit in May, with Anthony Orazietti replacing him on rhythm guitar last summer. If I here any concrete confirmations or denials, I'll let you guys know!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news at some point this week, as our cache of news slowly grows! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, New Solo Videos, And More Updates!!

After a two day spell based on Queensryche videos and other Sault Michigan updates, today's post is 100% Sault Ontario focused, so what's on tap? We have new solo videos from a pair of local musicians and a bunch of other assorted stories, but first, here's a brand new local band to add to our links on the site!

New local metal band Unbound have finally created a Facebook page, so we officially have a new band to add to our Sault Ontario metal band links! As you may remember, Unbound is the band featuring State of Misery alumni Ray Cowan on guitar, Kevin D'Orazio on bass, and Nick Kainula on drums, alongside the late Justin Fratpietro on vocals, who suddenly passed away on January 3rd. Little is on their Facebook page so far, but here's what we know so far on Unbound: Though heavy, they're far removed from the surviving members' prior death metal work, as indicated in their lone current video for their song "Deep Waters". While yet to be posted on their Facebook page, conversations that I've had with Nick Kainula indicate that he wants to keep Unbound going and honour Justin's memory, with tentative plans and ideas that include song/video postings and potentially a live debut, although nothing's concrete at present. Also, I'm not sure if Unbound's existence means anything negative for Ray Cowan's death metal projects March Into Regression and With Blood Builds Character, neither of which has made a public update since the summer. If I hear anything on either, I'll let you guys know!

I hope the guys keep Unbound alive and do everything they can to make it locally and remember Justin! I didn't know him, but I'd assume he'd want the band to continue. Nick sounded very proud of the Unbound originals they wrote, and the "Deep Waters" video has some metal/hard rock promise, so hopefully we'll hear more from them as 2013 rolls along! Become a fan above, and Unbound are now in our active metal band links on your left!

Next up, here's a few new videos from some local musicians, starting with the latest solo video from Valentine's Day Massacre frontman Steve Rhodes! Yesterday, he uploaded this vocal cover of Suicide Silence's "Unanswered" onto his YouTube channel from his current London homebase, and this is his first video of this type in 3 months, but how does he sound? It's a solid cover, and you can tell he's a big fan of Suicide Silence, but I'd say you'd have to be a huge fan of theirs or this style of hardcore to appreciate it the most. His vocal devastation's on full display though, so check out Steve's newest solo video below!



Also in new videos are the latest two solo originals from AlterWhite's Mike Matthews, who uploaded new songs named "Enough" and (as embedded below) "Something Left Inside" on his/the band's YouTube channel last week! These are reportedly planned to be on an "album" named "Something Left Inside", though I'll note that his announced first two albums still aren't on sale. The evolution from the early AlterWhite tracks is very clear, and there's some catchy and very heavy music here, but I'd like to see Mike diversify the singing more (though there's good steps that direction here, including some harsher yelling.) Check out "Something Left Inside" below, and hear more of Mike's solo songs above!



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

• According to a post on The Rockstar Bar's Facebook group on Saturday, local concert promoter/singer J.D. Pearce is planning a month long battle of the bands to take place there every Wednesday in March. Public details are forthcoming, aside from confirmation that bands who play covers & originals will be welcome. This sounds very intriguing, so keep an eye out for updates as they come in!
• Local old school hardcore/punk quintet Destroilet have launched their own Twitter page! Little is there so far beyond plugs for existing pages and their new album, but follow them on Twitter to stay in the loop on new band updates!
• Sault Ontario hard rock supergroup Skeyes of Seven posted a new update on their Facebook page on Sunday, confirming that they've been busy writing originals and will soon be back on stage, hopefully within a few months. The band memorably debuted at the Anvil show in July, but have offered few updates since, so hopefully 2013 has a lot of activity in store for them! Check the above links for more on Skeyes of Seven!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews a, this month's new "Favourite _____ of 2012" poll, andlast month's poll results over the next few days! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Solo Project & Podcast, Plus New Videos!!

Let's get some more news up on this Friday afternoon, and coincidentally, most of this post revolves around members of Pillory in outside ventures! Today, we have new performance videos, information on a new local metal podcast, and a new solo original track, but first, here's a newly launched Sault Ontario solo project to check out!

We have a brand new local metal act to add to our local metal band links, and it's The Soviet Space Program, a new solo project from prolific local musician Jonathan Tiberi! Already quite busy as the guitarist, bassist, and/or singer in Late & Loud, Pillory, The Daybreak Johnnies, and Lazer Queen, Jon's now got some new solo work on his musical docket, so what should we know so far? Both the name of the project and Jon's home recording studio, the S.S.P. is intended to be a home for new solo compositions and perhaps song ideas for his other bands, though it remains to be seen how similar this will be to his old Last Warrior of Rock solo project. Only one song is posted on The Soviet Space Program's Reverbnation page so far (entitled "Don't Tell"), and it's a solid classic metal track that has a 1970s vibe and some good aggression, and Jon uses his singing well on it! I'm curious to hear more from The Soviet Space Program in the future, so I'd say give them a look above, and they're now in our Sault Ontario metal band links!

Also in the realm of things Jon's been up to, he and Late & Loud/Lazer Queen bandmate Benn Garside recently launched a local metal podcast that they're trying to get off the ground, so I thought I'd highlight it on here! Entitled The Meltdown, it was actually launched in October of last year, but the guys (under the names "Jon Barbarian" & "Benn Striker") only just resumed activity on it last month, uploading the first episode to The Meltdown's SoundCloud page on November 25th. Just under 90 minutes in length, it features around 20 songs from bands like Pantera, Dokken, The Sword, Alice Cooper, and Metallica, among many others. The tracks themselves sound great, but I'd like to hear some longer banter between Jon & Benn, and possibly some more integration of local music. The guys want 60 fans on their Facebook page before recording a second episode, so check out the first episode above to see if you enjoy The Meltdown, visit Facebook as well to vote on what you'd like to see in future episodes, and The Meltdown's now in our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links section!

We'll close this post with videos, starting with a YouTube channel I'm surprised I hadn't heard of before, that being Pillory guitarist Andres Duchesne's YouTube channel! Launched way before he first entered our radar as an original member of The Bear Hunters, Andres has used this channel off & on since 2006, and while the majority of the channel isn't of his musical work, there's a bunch of guitar performance clips to check out! These include covers of Children of Bodom, Exodus, Death, and Slayer material (among assorted other randomness), so check the above links to give them a look, as his talents are visible even way back in the late 2000s! What brought Andres' channel to my attention though is his newest video (and first performance video in over a year), which is of an original guitar passage named "The Stalker". Well played, though I'd like to see him expand on it to give it some variance or higher tones. Still good though, so check out Andres' newest video below, and definitely check out his earlier covers via the above links!



Finally for today, here's the latest solo original track by AlterWhite mainman Mike Matthews! Following his most recent solo song upload last month, his newest song (entitled "My Face To Your Face") was posted on the band's YouTube channel two days ago. Supposed to be a part of his "second album", I like the contrast between the verses & choruses, and the aggressive metal choruses work well, but I think he tries a bit too hard on the softer sections vocally, and the song feels longer than it should be. Solid though, and you can see his improvements from 2011 tracks, so give Mike's newest solo song a listen below!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Another Local Metal Video Showcase, Including A New Album Release!!

After our first off day of November, we're back with news on this Thursday morning, and yes, weekend concert previews are coming tomorrow! For now though, we've got another local metal video showcase, and today, that includes this week's classic video, a new guitar cover, and a new original song, but first, we'll start with another local metal album release, so here's what you need to know!

Keeping with a surprisingly busy two months for album releases, we have another imminent one to note, and it's of local grunge band Haggith's second album "Apocalypse"! Previously forecasted to be their third album after 2013's planned "Deuce", drummer Mike Haggith confirmed on our Facebook page yesterday that it's already completed & available to stream online via the band's YouTube channel! Copies of it will be on sale at their concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center next weekend, which is awesome news (though an mp3 download copy through Bandcamp or any other sites has yet to be posted.) Expected to be their first installment of a planned concept album series, the zombie-themed "Apocalypse" runs 44 minutes long in total with 14 songs (some of which we've heard live), and they were generally composed by Mike and/or guitarist Daniel Horton, with Mike producing & mixing the album at Paperclip Productions, and singing on more songs. The same lineup from "Dragon Joy Ride" is present here, though new bassist Caleb Cachagee features on one song & guest backing singer Taylor Emlaw features on another.

It's great to see Haggith continuing their quickly prolific pace, even if this took us off guard slightly! I have yet to hear the studio tracks yet, but the songs from "Apocalypse" at the Soo Zombie Walk afterparty were encouraging, and hopefully this lives up to the hype! That said, I'll hold another Haggith review until next year to avoid biases (I tentatively have April 2013 lined up for our next Haggith CD review), but definitely stream it below and at the above links, and if you like what you hear, buy it officially one week from Friday at their next show, and hopefully online soon!



Next up, AlterWhite's Mike Matthews has posted another solo metal track onto the band's YouTube channel! Like his "Connected By Life" tracks from September, this is part of what he's calling his "second album" with a planned release next year (note however that "Connected By Life" was never released for sale as an album.) This song is entitled "Save It", which honestly almost borders on a rap metal sound combined with his Metallica-influenced earlier material, but it has welcome aggression, if being a bit repetitive. Solid enough though, so give Mike's new solo track a listen below!



Also new for videos is this cover of Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" by Ashes to Dust guitarist Alex Hemy! A bit light compared to Alex's usual cover repertoire, he uploaded this to his YouTube channel on Tuesday. His playing here is good, and he blends in pretty well with the original backing track, so if you like Bryan Adams or Alex's videos, give this newest cover a look, and stay tuned for more of Alex's guitar covers!



And finally, here's this week's classic video! With Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie playing his first gigs with his newest band The Suicide Kings THIS WEEKEND at The Nicolet Tavern, I thought it'd be fitting to tie this week's video in with one of his older bands, that being inactive local metal quartet Borderline Divine! As you may remember, Mitch played with them for the past 2 years (joining the former Stillbroke on bass in 2010), but their last major activity came in early-mid 2012 following their name change & Mitch's switch to guitar last year. A couple months before their first show as Borderline Divine, a couple of videos were posted on Facebook from a March jam session of two new originals (one being "Ride Of Your Life"), but this week, we'll start with their song "Lie To Me"! The band's final lineup is present here, including singer Jesse Frigault, Mitch on guitar, Skull After Betrayl's Justin Polutanovich on bass, and Sam DeDominicis on drums. Despite poor & dark video quality, this is a quality metal track that showed Borderline Divine's heavier evolution from Stillbroke's sound, and a lot of promise is here that I'd like to see resumed if Jesse ever moved back to the area!

Jesse originally uploaded this to Facebook on March 10th at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150578344527805 and NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Borderline Divine, I'm just trying to share it with a deserving wider audience! It's a nice short metal song with clear talent and nicely developed metal singing, and it's just a shame that the Borderline Divine era didn't last longer! Check out their song "Lie To Me" below!



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

Haggith, Ashes To Dust, And AlterWhite News, And Much More!!

Happy October, everyone! The last quarter of 2012 is upon us, and after our quietest month at the SMS since the spring of 2010, hopefully this news post will be the first of many through Halloween. That said, there's no fallout from the Evans Blue show at Kewadin Casino yet (I expect some stuff to be forthcoming), but today's post does feature new videos and songs from some Sault Ontario hard rock projects, a bunch of assorted news items, and leading off, some Haggith updates, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Ontario grunge quartet Haggith have kept fans updated with more recent uploads and statuses, most recently including the cover of their forthcoming debut album "Dragon Joy Ride"! Seen on your right, it was posted on Facebook yesterday, and while I really like dragon/yin yang design, the font used for the title seems too generic & slapped on. A formal paid release of this album is forthcoming, so stay tuned for updates on that front! In another recent note, drummer/producer Mike Haggith indicated on the Facebook event page for the Soo Zombie Walk's pre-party on October 20th that the band are looking into securing a busking permit so they can play their planned third album "Apocalypse" from front to back outdoors during the zombie walk itself, which would be interesting to see & hear, so hopefully that works out for them! Finally for Haggith news today, they shared this photo on Facebook last month hinting towards a future concert at Algoma University, presumably referring to The Speak Easy. Nothing's been hinted at since, but stay tuned in case we hear more on that and other Haggith developments!

Next up, here's the latest updates from young local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust! We haven't heard much from them since they made their non-Superior Heights debut at the second Sewer Swampstravaganza in July, but they do have some recent news to cover, starting with some lineup changes. At some point recently (I'm guessing last month), the band parted ways with bassist Kyle Breckenridge for unannounced reasons. Disappointing, but I remember that he did need some work on his bass skills, so hopefully he'll come back stronger in a new band down the road! As a result of his departure, singer Noah Morden has taken on bass duties as well in the band, and Ashes To Dust have since enlisted Liam Yeomans as a second guitarist. I'm not familiar with Liam musically, but it'll be interesting to hear how two guitarists impact Ashes To Dust's sound, and hopefully Noah's bass skills work well for them going forward as well!

That said, footage of their new lineup isn't online yet, but some newer videos of their original lineup are, courtesy of their YouTube channel. Uploaded in late August, these include a short blooper video with some cute moments, and as featured below, a new jam session video of Ashes to Dust covering Judas Priest's version of Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust"! Featuring multiple camera angles & some visual effects, it's a solid cover that's familiar from their live concerts, and though it's not quite the best song for Noah's vocal style, the guys had a good handle on it! Check out Ashes To Dust covering "Diamonds & Rust" below, and stay tuned for more updates from them as they come in!



Also in the news, here's the latest updates from local metal project AlterWhite! Last week, singer/drummer Mike Matthews uploaded no less than 12 new original songs onto the band's YouTube channel, though curiously, they're credited under his name and not the AlterWhite banner. I don't know if he's phasing out the name for his original music, but it does look like he might have split with guitarist Kevin McCarthy, judging by the lack of mentions on the new videos and a recent posting on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group, where Mike referred to looking for a drummer for a rock band. I'm to assume (if this is for AlterWhite) that Mike's moving to other instruments in Kevin's absence, but best of luck to Kevin in the future if he is indeed gone, and if you're interested in trying out as Mike's new drummer, message him at this location! That said, Mike/AlterWhite's new songs are entitled "Broken Window", "When You Left Me", "Too Late", "Connected By Light", "What Is Sane?", "Pray", "Consider", "World of You", "Play Still", "That's Rude", "Wasted", and "Don't Cry For Me", so click each link above to check these songs out!

Seemingly grouped in album format (judging by the "Connected By Light" title on each video's image), these songs are showing gradual improvement from past AlterWhite material, and there's some welcome diversity and energy on these songs! Mike's singing is slowly becoming less of a James Hetfield copy, and the songs tend to be fairly heavy with some catchy beats! I'd like to hear these songs (and the older AlterWhite songs) done with a fuller band, but Mike's improving each time we hear his original material, and his stuff is worth a listen, so here's the first song "Broken Window", stream the rest at the above links, and stay tuned for more news from AlterWhite as I hear it!



And finally for today, here's some assorted shorter stories from the last little while! As always, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Sault Michigan hard rockers The Hubbard-Menard Band have announced the addition of Jack Slater to their lineup as their new bassist, as per their Facebook page on Saturday. An alum of bands like 7/47, Unleashed and The Highest of Fives, Jack does have bass talent, and I'm curious to see what kind of chemistry he has with Chris & Dave, especially with what appear to be live concert plans in the future! Stay tuned for more band updates as I hear them!
• Eckerman metal quartet Life's Eclipse have quietly re-emerged with a snippet of a new untitled song on mainman Jason Mills' SoundCloud page, and it has a lot of melodic heavy metal promise packed in it's 57 second length, so it's worth checking out! SoundCloud also alludes to it being in the section "The Dark Kingdom", but is that a possible album name? Time will tell!
• I've moved Sault Ontario industrial metal project Riverin to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The band featuring Dirty Virgin alumni Matt Hicks & Matt Clement have not updated their online pages since May 2011, with the last direct mention on members' personal Facebook pages (that I can find) coming on September 29th of last year. Riverin had a unique sound compared to other local bands, so hopefully the Matts bring Riverin back down the road, and check them out at the above links!

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