Sykotyk Rampage - "Live At The Paris Hilton" Album Review!!

Now's a good time for our 111th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at local alternative/blues rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage's newest album "Live At The Paris Hilton"! Quietly released to their Reverbnation page on April 27th, this is canonically the 61st album from "the original crash band", but it's the first to actually be on sale rather than a free posting upon it's initial release since 2011, and likewise, our first review of theirs since 2012. The band has retroactively made their last 31 albums available for purchase there too, so keep that in mind if you want to support Sykotyk Rampage's work! Regarding "Live At The Paris Hilton", this was recorded over the past two years at River Front Recreation Studios with the band's current lineup, including singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarists Dirk Becker and Shane Kokis, and bassist Tony Briglio, with Dirk and Tony each getting a song for lead vocals of their own on here.

You can buy this and other Sykotyk Rampage albums for $9.99 each at this link, or get individual tracks for $1.50, though curious fans can stream these songs for free as well. Also, this album is partially made up of re-recordings, so in those cases, comparisons will be inevitable, but I'll try to keep things focused on the new album. With 22 songs running for over 1 hour and 51 minutes, let's get this review rolling!

This album is a spiritual follow-up to Sykotyk Rampage's 9th album, 2005's "Live Upper Rubber Boot Saskatchewan", in that it's a faux-live record with the band introducing songs to a crowd inserted in post-production, so it's relatively unique on that basis. The album's first song is "Breakdown", which was previously included on 2015's "50 Amazing Tales", compilation, after previously being a live concert staple. After a whimsical sampled opening and a French introduction (remember, live at the Paris Hilton), the song proper kicks in, which is very similar in structure to the 2015 version, if slightly faster. The song has an energetic fast bluesy vibe and effective shouting of the song's name by multiple band members (Tony adds some particular force in this way.) "Breakdown" has been a fan favourite set opener in late-period Sykotyk Rampage concerts, with a punk essence and catchy vibe, and it's an ideal opener to the album!

Second is the album's first brand new track, a cover of The Beatles' "Come Together", which is relatively what you'd expect from a Sykotyk Rampage cover, though the intro before the first verse is extended, and some of the lyrics are altered. Paul adds his distinctive bluesy vocals well to this rendition, and the instrumentation lends itself well to the original, but given Sykotyk Rampage's blend of "blue Chinese metal crash punk", I actually assumed this cover would be more off the wall. Effective overall, but diehard fans may appreciate their original chaos more. That's followed by a new original named "Shitty Love", which is a mid-tempo blues rock song that will have a very familiar sound for Sykotyk Rampage loyalists, with Paul's singing flowing as expected over free-wheeling guitar jams and strong bass work. A bit of a funk aspect to some of the riffs, this is a fun song that perfectly fits Sykotyk Rampage's usual improvisation M.O. in studio, and fans will enjoy it!

After a brief announcement to locate the missing towel folder(!), another new song named "Plastic Bag" is next, which has more of a low-down gritty sound, almost like there's some inspiration from "Jesus Built My Hot Rod" by Ministry. Paul's vocals sound a little over-processed, but on the flip side, the drumming is loud and forceful, so that meshes well! The song as a whole is too down-beat and deliberate for my tastes, though it is well performed. That's followed (fittingly enough) by "Bag On Your Face", which made it's studio debut on 2010's "Bella Disgusta". In this form, the song is overlaid with sampled audio of Paris Hilton (as in, the socialite, not the alleged venue) talking about her personal recommendations for the first half. I get the reference, but this takes away from much of the song! This version of "Bag On Your Face" hews relatively close to the original with it's more lively structure, sing-along chorus, and fun guitar riffs, but the repetition won't be for everyone.

"Bag On Your Face" remains a fun, crowd-engaging song, but the Paris Hilton sound clip takes away from the re-recording, so I'd recommend checking out the 2010 original first. Sixth on the album is "Better We Feel", another apparent new track, which has more of a dream-like ambiance to Paul's vocals while still retaining their usual crash stylings. Tony's bass work is particularly strong here, and the guitarists hold up their end of the bargain, but this song has more of a downbear vibe from the vocals and the more deliberate structure. Hard to explain, but this song doesn't feel better than some of it's contemporaries. Seventh is the oddly titled "Anarchy Nogona Togeth", which runs for an album-long 9:16. The song actually starts with a cover of The Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" featuring Dirk Becker on lead vocals, and while it feels a little slow compared to the original, it's faithfully done, and Dirk's unique snarl was the right pick for this rendition!

Paul takes over lead vocals for the "Nogona Togeth" stretch afterward, which appear to be their own recordings, and likewise are more in the usual Sykotyk wheelhouse, with free-wheeling improvisation, bluesy undertones, and solid chemistry. Nothing about the last two thirds immensely stands out, but they're reliably fun compositions! That said, why lump "Anarchy In The UK" with them for this extra long track, instead of splitting them up? That's followed by "24/7", which is another entry into Sykotyk Rampage's cadre of drinking songs, and this song seems to be better suited to the lyrics and underlying story than some others on the album. The bass is effective, and the song has a solid vibe to it for fans of their blues side, but it's not as aggressive and lively as the songs of theirs that I like the most. Still a well done track!

The next two songs are re-recordings, starting with "9 Days", from their 2008 album of the same name. Compared to the original version, this rendition feels a little slower and more laboured (not helped by the opening with "live" audience chatter), but Tony's backing vocals help give this a heavier edge at times! "9 Days" was an early favourite of mine from when first researching Sykotyk Rampage for the SMS, and the sonic assault remains ever present on this heavier number, in conjunction with solid lyrics, but the original version is more lively and natural. Tenth is "Drinking Problem", another live favourite found on "50 Amazing Tales" (among other releases.) As preceded here by fireworks, this version of the song is slightly abbreviated, but is otherwise faithful in tone and performance. If anything, Paul's singing is more prominent in the mix, but that's not a bad thing on this bluesy drinking number. Fun song with catchy lyrics, this is a live favourite for a reason, but I do prefer their faster and heavier work.

Next is their fan favourite cover of "Fuck You, I'm Drunk" by Bondo (not Flogging Molly, as is commonly stated), which I can't find reference to being on a past album of theirs. Though popularly sang by Shane Kokis in live concerts, Paul handles that aspect on the album, with backing assistance from his brother Dirk on some verses. The vocals here are often muffled, which is a shame, as the performance of this Irish drinking punk song is upbeat and suitably high impact. If you can get past the vocal mix, the cover's solid, but something's lost with how they did the singing here. The album's second half begins with a lengthy new original named "Strange Landscapes", which definitely plays more to Sykotyk Rampage's experimental side with a drawn out structure, trippier effects, and more of a psychedelic undertone, with Paul's distinctive quaver fitting especially well on this track. While not exceedingly heavy, this track gets the job done well!

Another new song follows next, namely "Wolf Among The Sheep", which is a fairly straightforward return to Sykotyk Rampage's crash roots, with everyone playing to their strengths in the band, including a solid near-guitar solo, nicely timed drumming, and a heavy yet steady structure. Paul's vocals are confident and have some soul to them, and fans of Sykotyk Rampage's distinctive sound will eat this one right up! Nothing really to complain about, just a solid track that is a highlight at this stage! Next is a cover of Motorhead's "Killed By Death", and as you would expect, Tony takes over lead vocals on this one. He pulls off his best Lemmy impersonation for the occasion, and while not an exact match, he sounds enough like him to suit the cover! Musically, this song isn't in the usual range for the Becker clan, but they handle Motorhead capably, and it's a solid rendition of a band you don't hear covered locally all that much, so fans should enjoy it on it's own terms!

Four apparently new tracks are next, starting with "Master of Time", which has a trippy yet aggressive sound that combines the best of both worlds, with the guitar particularly shining throughout this extended track. Paul's singing is more of the affected spoken word variety for the first half, and sounds off to me, but his angry yelling as the title character adds a much needed spark to the song and characterization. The music makes this song especially worthwhile from it's free spirited-yet-heavy structure, but the vocals only catch fire when Paul gets aggressive. Then we have "Little Blue Bird", which also opens (and closes) with fireworks before transitioning into a mid-tempo blues rock number that, more than any other song so far, feels like it runs for too long. The song's fine, but it moves at the same trajectory without changing course or theme until the song's almost over, which doesn't help a bluesy track. Solidly performed and structured, but I like my Rampage to be faster and looser overall.

Song #17 is "Room 132, Ordered Egg Salad" (perhaps a reference to being at the Hilton), which begins with some related banter before commencing into Sykotyk Rampage's usual chaos, with some of the more bizarre lyrics of the album. At least we now know that Paul likes egg salad sandwiches! His percussion is particularly effective on this track, and the free-wheeling improvised guitar riffs return in full force to this amusing number. It's not as heavy or fast as some predecessors, but it's a return to form, and is a late highlight on the album! That's followed by "Disagree to Disagree", which has a simpler, more deliberate structure, but is relatively upbeat and consistent in tone. Paul's singing is a little softer and more melodic, while still maintaining the bluesy edge, and I like the guitar melody! That said, this isn't an overly heavy song, but it's fun for what it is!

A pair of Black Sabbath covers come next, starting with "Fairies Wear Boots", which is the third song here to start with fireworks. This is more of a reworking or interpretation of the original, especially regarding how the lyrics are changed, so fans may want to erase the Sabbath version before judging this one. Tony's bass playing is a highlight on this cover, and the melody is faithful while also being "sykotyk", but with the lyric changes and more muddled mix late, this isn't an optimal cover from their repertoire. "Hole In The Sky" keeps the cover action going, and while it's not as structrally altered lyrically, Paul doesn't even tackle the song's choruses (though his voice was straining to hit Ozzy's notes on the verses.) This version has more of an indie grit to it, if that makes sense, and the guitar work is particularly grungy in tone, but the song fades out too abruptly. Interesting adaptation, but Sabbath diehards may have more direct thoughts on how these covers turned out.

"Live At The Paris Hilton" closes with two originals, starting with it's shortest track, "I Was With Her". Despite it's relative length, this is a slower and more progressive track, which definitely serves to showcase Shane and Dirk on guitar in particular. The song flows well throughout, and it has a pleasant yet anarchic vibe, but it's not an aggressive free-wheeling number, comparatively speaking. The closing number is "Mother Goose Tales", which was previously featured on "50 Amazing Tales", but is unrelated to their second album "Mother Goose Lullabites". Suitably long compared to the original, this is basically the same song with minor structural tweaks, and the title is apt, as the lyrics are just Paul putting a bluesy spin on nursery rhymes. It's amusing to hear such innocuous rhymes sung in this fashion, let alone over drawn out alt-rock! The song proper would normally not be my taste given it's meandering instrumentation, but the lyrics alone give it enough entertainment value, and it's a fun closer to the album!

So, what are my final thoughts on "Live At The Paris Hilton"? Well, first off, it's nice to review a new paid Sykotyk Rampage album after far too long, hopefully there will be more now that their 2012-2016 discography is for sale! This is a trickier album to grade, given that it's under the guise of a live album, but on it's own merits, it's an entertaining mash-up of new songs, familiar live standbys, and some surprise covers, and everyone plays their part well! Paul Becker's deep bluesy vocals are welcome to hear, his drumming meshes well with Tony Briglio's rhythmic bass, and Dirk Becker & Shane Kokis keep the free-wheeling, distinctive guitar riffs rolling well throughout this album! Of the new songs, tracks like "Room 132", "Nogona Togeth", and "Strange Landscapes" were particularly entertaining, but there are aspects I would change. Certain covers weren't optimally done, a few too many songs were more along the meandering drawn out side, and I'm surprised we only heard Dirk on lead vocals for one song.

My biggest gripe is that, for a "live" album, it didn't have more live favourites of Sykotyk Rampage's, like "Lowest of the Low", "Called In Dead", and (most glaringly) "Drinking on the Weekend." For such a long release, why not devote it entirely to new originals or what would be a full live set? Overall though, it's great to have Sykotyk Rampage back, if only in studio, and this will whet the appetites of diehard fans, assuming you have your environ-mental suits ready! Hopefully there's more coming in some fashion from the masters of the crash, but stream or buy the whole thing at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and as for next month's, I am 99% sure that we will be reviewing local punk trio Redundant's self-titled debut EP from July! Though they never had a formal release party for it, their first local concert since then will be at the Ten Foot Pole concert on October 25th, that event will be a perfect tie-in for when we finally review their new CD on here. Look for that next month, and stay tuned for news and weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage's New Album, Plus Three Inactive Band Notes!!

Today's news post revolves around four bands shifting places in our active and inactive band links (one's moving up, three are unfortunately moving down.) However, the band moving up has some big news attached to their return to activity, so here's what you should know!

Remember how local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage quietly posted a new album cover on their Facebook page last month with no context? Well, it turns out that the dormant crash band did indeed release a new album on their Reverbnation page on April 27th! Apologies for the delay in this making the SMS, I need to pay more attention to that site. Entitled "Live At The Paris Hilton", this contains 22 songs (some more familiar than others) in a faux-live setting, a'la their old "Live Upper Rubber Boot Saskatchewan" album, but the inclusion of covers of bands like The Beatles, Motorhead, and Black Sabbath is a change from their past pace! This is Sykotyk Rampage's first album-format release since "Sanctuarium" in late 2016, but more surprisingly, this is their first paid album that you can actually buy a full sale copy of since 2011, which means that we could very well review "Live At The Paris Hilton" on the SMS this year! You can buy it at the above links for $9.99, or stream individual songs for free.

I don't know to what extent Sykotyk Rampage are active in 2018 (their Facebook postings remain sporadic, they haven't played live since the 2016 Zombie Walk, and guitarist Shane Kokis has since moved out of town), plus it's hard to determine how "new" these recordings are. However, it's great to see the Beckers, Shane, and Tony back with new material, and hopefully there's more on the horizon in some form or another! Give their new album (and much, much, much more) a listen at the above links, and Sykotyk Rampage are back in our active band links!

Next up, we have three local bands to move to our inactive band links today, starting with local indie/hard rock band Vol., who announced that they had disbanded on their Facebook page on June 12th. Frontman Steve Edwards cited "lineup changes and other obstacles" for their demise, though he did thank fans for their support online, and he noted that he's "currently working with other projects" and is "looking forward to other musical opportunities in the future." Spiritual successors to the mid-2015 Pixo Control lineup, Vol. (pronounced "volume") debuted last summer and quickly made a name for themselves opening for bands like Zaum, Dirtfight, and Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities through the fall, as well as playing a set at the first Oh!No festival, but teased "rad things" in 2018 never occurred following the departures of half of their lineup, with Steve and keyboardist Mikaela Murtonen seen more recently in the acoustic rock duo Mik & Steve.

I unfortunately did not get a chance to see Vol. live, but their old school indie-influenced sound seemed to help them carve their own identity well, while also harbouring lots of aggression and heavy themes at the same time, and Steve acclimated well as a frontman in this role! Vol. seemed primed for big things locally last year, but best of luck to Steve, Shane, Mikaela, and Matthew in the future, and hopefully we see everyone musically again soon!

Also being moved out of our active band links today is local death metal/punk duo Them, who have not issued a public update or played live since opening for Uncle Ray at The New American Pub one year ago yesterday. Debuting in late 2014 as the de facto successors to Social Suicide, Them were primarily seen at house party concerts in the ensuing years, often ones affiliated with Blood Shed Productions, though they did play select public concert venues, notably opening for both of Bookakee's concerts at The Oddfellows Hall. Their lineup fluctuated between a duo and a quartet, but frontman Tyler St. Amour and drummer Anthony Boudreau were constants throughout their run. Despite the almost-too-common band name, Them were a fine fit in the Blood Shed house party era with their aggressive sound, and Tyler never sounded better as a metal frontman during their peak! Sadly, plans to release a debut EP never visibly reached their intended conclusion.

It would have been nice to see Them as a more frequent presence on metal concerts of the era, and their sound was definitely fuller and better realized when they had more than two members, but Them delivered some entertaining originals for extreme metal fans, Hopefully we hear more from Tyler, Anthony, and other former members down the road!

Finally for today's post, I am reluctantly moving local indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic to our inactive band links as well. While we are not at our 1 year threshold for public inactivity, keytarist B.J. Swire confirmed in an e-mail conversation last week that the band is "pretty much done", and he has since joined a new band that is planning to debut later this summer, and if that band's genre fits our primary coverage, we'll let you know! In any event, Bizotic proper have not posted on their Facebook page at all in 2018, and have not played a live concert since opening for Dany Laj & The Looks at LopLops in November, which can't be a good sign regardless. This union of No Arrow, Bring the Fallen, and Sounds From The Green Room alumni became a fan favourite sight following their December 2016 debut via sets opening for the likes of K-Man & The 45s, Garbageface, and The OM Sound, while also kicking off The Din's "Suburban Sendoff", and playing in Wawa, among other events.

Any band with a trumpet and a keytar in their repertoire will immediately turn heads, and Bizotic did just that, and their varied and creative originals were always an entertaining element at local concerts, with some jam rock touches and a harder edge where needed! Hopefully this isn't it for Bizotic and their unique stage show, but best of luck to Brad, B.J., Louise, Travis, and Kevin in the future, all would be assets in any band that they're in! That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (FireHouse, Havadder, and Tym Morrison), And Canada Day Concert Previews!!

For our last post of the month of June 2016, we're tackling concert previews for this Canada Day weekend largely, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, but we also have additional shows for later this month from one act playing this weekend, and enough details on a big August show to call it for our listings, so here's what you should know!

With a new month drawing near, we'll add Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's July slate of acoustic solo concerts at Gliss Steak & Seafood to our concert listings, starting with shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's gigs, we were waiting for public confirmation of the July dates in his ongoing weekly arrangement with Gliss, which came via this weekend's Facebook event page. As usual when approaching this long-term run of shows, we've added Tym's presumed remaining July shows as well, so look for him at The Quality Inn's house restaurant as well on July 10th & 11th, 17th & 18th, and 24th & 25th for three more full weekends of unplugged classics! You can check out Tym's solo matinee concerts each Friday & Saturday this month (including TOMORROW & THIS SATURDAY) at 6:00 PM each, with no announced age limits or cover charges. For more details, see the above links, and here's Tym live!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover trio Havadder will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via the official Facebook event page yesterday. Seen less frequently this year than we have in the past, this will be Jason, Travis, and Scott's first concert in about a month, and just their fourth of the year, all at The Rockstar Bar. Of course we've seen 2/3rds of Havadder recently with The 3 Day Millionaires, but if you miss Havadder's blend of classic and hard rock covers, be at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY! Note that this is a one nighter due to a previously announced Canada Day concert tomorrow by country rock cover band The Ride (formerly The Border City Band), whose current lineup notably features ex-Havadder drummer T.J. Case. Admission for SATURDAY is likely free, there is a 10:30 PM start time in effect, and you must be 19 to attend. See above for more details, and here's Havadder live!



Before we round out this weekend's previews, here's one more new concert announcement, as we now have fuller details regarding Superior Entertainment's previously announced FireHouse concert on Saturday, August 6th in Sault Michigan, so where is it being held? Outdoors, behind Moloney's Alley, the Irish pub at 227 West Portage Avenue, which is just seconds down the road from The Satisfied Frog. Moloney's Alley isn't a frequent sight for hard rock concerts in the area, but it's great of them to host this huge outdoor show! In the event of rain, promoters will apparently "work with Kewadin (Casino) as a back up venue", even though The Dreammaker's Theater has a British Legends tribute show that night, but details would be fleshed out if need be. As for the lineup, North Carolina glam metal veterans FireHouse will of course headline in their third local concert appearance, while Saginaw rap rock band Redburn and Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris will also return to the Soo as featured acts.

The show will apparently be an all-day event starting at 12:00 PM and ending at 8:00 PM, and "many more acts" are to be announced, so we'll let you know when they're confirmed! This Downtown Days event (which isn't being advertised as a sequel to last summer's Superior Festival) will be ALL AGES, and tickets are now available online at this link for $25, while children 14 and under can get in for $15, and babies 2 years and under will get free admission, though I can't confirm if you can get tickets at Moloney's Alley or not. It's great to see a huge summer concert event in Sault Michigan, in what has otherwise been a quiet stretch, so see above, click here, and stay tuned for continued details on this huge show!

Finally for today's previews, here's the biggest show of the Canada Day weekend in Sault Ontario, as Abbotsford, B.C. power pop/punk quartet Hedley will headline at The Yard at 75 Huron Street for a huge outdoor show TOMORROW NIGHT in the first half of the venue's Canada Day Kicker! This will be Hedley's first local concert appearance since headlining at The Essar Center in the fall of 2010, and with hits like "She's So Sorry", "Crazy For You", and "On My Own" in their repertoire, the Juno Award winners' diverse and fan friendly hits should attract a huge audience tomorrow! All-female Toronto indie rock quartet The Beaches are joining them on tour as openers with their poppy and skilled originals, while local/Toronto Celtic punk quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will play their first local concert of 2016 to kick things off, and it'll be great to see them back on a local stage! For what it's worth, Dustin's personal Facebook posts for the show have tagged Mikey Hawdon in them, who is the band's most recent permanent drummer, but hasn't played with the band in their recent shows.

Nothing has been publically confirmed otherwise regarding who'll be behind the kit tomorrow, but be there to find out! Notably the first concert of any kind since The Tech bought The Yard from the Mill Square developers, this half of the Canada Day Kicker will be complimented by Saturday's Kira Isabella show, which should be entertaining for country & pop fans! This ALL AGES event has gates opening at 6:00 PM, with tickets going for $59.89, plus extra VIP & dual show passes from $82,49 & up, so click here to get yours online! Hedley are a huge attraction for pop and punk fans, and this should be a big hit, so see above for more details, and here they are live in the Soo!



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

Superior Festival Video Showcase!!

At last, we have some YouTube videos to share from Friday night's first annual Superior Festival, and that's the focus of today's post, so what should you know? All courtesy of frequent regional concert filmer Christopher Paci's YouTube channel once again, he filmed 10 videos from the show, including every band save for Sault Ontario openers The Elements and Mourning Wood (not sure why, but they were the opening two bands, so if he was running late, that'd explain it.) Oddly, I haven't heard a whole lot from those bands online concerning how their sets went, and I've only found a single photo from Mourning Wood's set, but to be fair, both bands only sporadically update their Facebook pages. There is some big lineup news to note from Mourning Wood though in time for their next shows, so stay tuned for that later this week! And yes, the festival was held inside The Savoy Bar & Nightclub rather than outside for unannounced reasons, despite the lack of rain on Friday. Maybe it was logistically easier?

Six of Chris' ten videos are of the headliners, Mississippi hard rock quintet Saving Abel, whose videos from the show were of their songs "Addicted", "18 Days", "15 Minutes To Fame", "The Sex Is Good", their set-opener "Ready To Burn", and as embedded below, "Drowning (Face Down)", complete with frontman Scott Austin calling fans to come up closer to the stage. It's odd seeing a platinum selling band like this at a venue like The Savoy, but the more intimate environment is great to interact with the fans, and I like how their sound has gotten a bit heavier since Scott took over on vocals! Good audio, and Chris got a nice close angle of the festivities, so give his videos a look above & below!



Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris co-headlined on Friday in their second local concert appearance, and Christopher filmed them playing one of their more melodic originals, "Rochester To Rochester". Not bad for the genre, and it's definitely something different compared to what Sault Michigan shows often get, but their more aggressive material had more of an impact on me than this one. Not bad though, so check it out below!



Chris also got two videos of Sault Michigan metal quartet Tantrym Tyme (with debuting second guitarist Michael McLeod) covering Alter Bridge's "Metalingus" and, as embedded below, The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California". We already featured the band's own clip of the Alter Bridge cover on here yesterday, hence why the Chili Peppers cover is in this post, but I will concede that this song is not a good fit for Tantrym Tyme. They excel on heavier and more melodic songs, and Jacob Hotlen is almost inaudible on vocals here, but their talent still comes through, and give their videos from the Superior Festival a look above and below as well!



Last of Chris' clips from the festival is Muskegon hard rock band Voodoo Theory (in their local concert debut, I believe) covering The Foo Fighters' "Everlong". Not a bad rendition of this Foo Fighters classic, but like above, this cover doesn't fully show their energetic modern hard rock sound seen on their originals. Still solid, so give it a look, and hopefully they're back again!



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

The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews, Including The Superior Festival!!

Now, let's dive into the first of this weekend's concert previews in a fairly busy weekend for hard rock and metal concerts! We'll get into the Diemonds, Banned, and Stiffler's Mom shows, plus potential late notice ones, tomorrow, so stay tuned then for them, but today, we have a big debuting festival and some performers with gigs TONIGHT, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concerts at Gliss Steak & Seafood and The Harp Bar & Grill are expected to continue this weekend, including matinees at Gliss TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, and regular nighttime shows at The Harp TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though yet to be acknowledged on Facebook, his website and SooToday's entertainment page confirm them. Tym's been staying busy in recent months by playing five shows almost every weekend, and it looks like more of the same this week, so if you enjoy his acoustic renditions of hard rock classics, head down to either Gliss or The Harp this weekend for all of his solo action! None of the shows have an announced cover charge (but remember that Gliss is a restaurant), the Harp shows are 19+ and start at 10:00 PM, and the Gliss shows start at 6:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Tym live in Heyden a few years back!

Next up, pageless local classic/hard rock quartet RPM will make their Roberta Bondar Pavilion debut TONIGHT as part of the city's annual Summer Concert Series! Yes, the veteran quartet featuring Lindsay Pugh and alumni of his adult music camp will hit the downtown outdoor stage as the third last of 16 bands this summer, and the only one that we cover on the SMS as playing hard rock in any high quantity. RPM are developing well, and though their announced concerts are sporadic at best, consider a trip down to the Pavilion to see them tonight for some entertaining cover favourites! This is a FREE & ALL AGES event, and they'll be playing for two hours starting at 7:00 PM. For more details, visit this link, and here's RPM live!



We'll close this first preview post with the first annual Superior Festival, which goes down TOMORROW NIGHT! Promoted by Superior Entertainment, this Sault Michigan concert event was originally scheduled to take place two weeks ago at Aune-Osborne Park, but after concerns with possible rain (that barely came, for the record) impacting the outdoor festival, promoters postponed it and moved it 5 minutes up the road to The Savoy Bar & Nightclub where it will be held outdoors a'la the venue's Summerfest events (it would be moved indoors if there was inclement weather, but the festival should beat tomorrow's storm forecast.) Fitting a big debuting summer festival, the headliners are Mississippi Mississippi hard/modern rock quintet Saving Abel, best known for hit songs like "Addicted", "The Sex Is Good", and "Drowning (Face Down)", so if you missed Saving Abel at Kewadin Casino in April, here's your next chance! The co-headliners are Rochester, New York post-hardcore quintet Lights Out Paris, who you may recognize from last month's P.O.D. concert.

Other openers will include young local metal trio Tantrym Tyme in their first publically announced concert of the summer, Muskegon hard rock quartet Voodoo Theory in their local concert debut, and in a bit of a surprise, two Sault Ontario bands, marking rare cross-border appearances by local bands that aren't Touch of Class. Those bands are local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements and classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood, and though neither band has acknowledged their involvement on their own pages, it's great to see them expanding their presence, and hopefully they make some new fans tomorrow! Note that a number of acts were removed from the lineup when the date and venue changed, those being Integrated System of Machines, Power Slug, Retro Troop, Terry Talentino, and Detroit punk trio Heroes of Charlotte, while early coverage of the festival listed Lonestar, Chump Change, and Missy Zenker as tentative acts, so don't expect to see any of them at The Savoy tomorrow night.

Presented by SooToday & sponsored by Kewadin Casino despite not being held there, the Superior Festival tarting TOMORROW at 7:00 PM, tickets are a flat $25, but previously purchased tickets (including the old discount kids rate) will be honoured upon entry. You can buy them at The Savoy, by phone at (906) 430-5242, or at the door, and yes, minors under 21 can attend if accompanied by an adult. For complete festival details, visit the above links! Though original plans didn't fall into place for the Superior Festival, hopefully this is a huge hit to ensure that it comes back next year! If you love hard and modern rock, be at The Savoy TOMORROW, and here's Saving Abel live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more previews and updates shortly! Thanks everyone!

Major Superior Festival Updates, Plus New Sault Michigan Videos!!

Before we dive back into concert previews, here's an all-Sault Michigan post for your Friday afternoon! Along with a pair of videos from local solo artists, we're leading off with huge changes for a hyped debuting concert festival, so here's what you should know!

We have some big updates regarding the first annual Superior Festival in Sault Michigan, which has been postponed, relocated, and downsized all at once. Originally planned to be held tomorrow at Aune-Osborne Park, promoters Superior Entertainment have confirmed that the ambitious festival has been moved ahead two weeks to Friday, August 21st, and will now take place at The Savoy Bar & Nightclub (5 minutes up the road.) According to this new Sault Evening News article, the move in date and location was due to concerns with the weather forecast for Saturday and to avoid the financial hit of cancelling the event if there was rain, with The Savoy being a safe option to safeguard against the weather. If the forecast is good, they can set up outdoors like with their Summerfest series, but if they're calling for rain, they can hold it indoors and still have over 500 fans. Despite the new location, minors under the age of 21 can still attend if accompanied by an adult.

With the changes, the lineup has been downsized from what was previously announced, with planned local openers Integrated System of Machines, Power Slug, Retro Troop, and Terry Talentino, and Detroit punk trio Heroes of Charlotte all now out of the event. Reasons for their individual withdrawals weren't announced, but remember that the festival was postponed two weeks, and the new date may not jive well with many personal schedules. A trio of out of town bands are still on board, including Mississippi hard/modern rock quintet (and recent Kewadin Casino headliners) Saving Abel, Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris (who played last month's P.O.D. show), and Muskegon hard rock quartet Voodoo Theory. Local hard rockers Tantrym Tyme are the only remaining Sault Michigan band, while the last two bands are both from Sault Ontario, including the return of classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood (who had been replaced by Retro Troop initially.)

The only new additions are Sault Ontario funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, marking their Sault Michigan debut and first announced concert since the spring, which is both surprising and nice to see! Also note that SooToday (which Elements frontman Rob Speers works for) are now listed as a presenting sponsor on the poster, but I have yet to see confirmation on SooToday's end regarding their involvement. Everything is later now too, running from 7:00 PM-2:00 AM instead of 12:00-11:00 PM. As best as I can tell, tickets are now a flat $25 with no discount option for kids, but previously purchased tickets will be honoured on August 21st, or can be swapped at point of purchase (though note that Kewadin Casino's ticket page doesn't have a new link for online ticket sales yet.) New tickets can be bought at The Savoy itself or at (906) 430-5242 as well, though no word on if the planned motorcycle giveaway will continue given the festival changes. For full details on the Superior Festival's changes, visit the above links!

I will note that the weather forecast for tomorrow currently calls for partly cloudy conditions and a peak chance of rain at 15% tomorrow afternoon, but for a first year outdoor festival, I can understand promoters playing things safe just in case. Hopefully the Superior Festival is still a huge success in two weeks despite everything, and I'm especially curious to see how the two Sault Ontario bands do on the U.P. stage! Stay tuned when and if more updates roll in, and see above for all of the changes!

We'll close this post with new videos, including a brand new song from local extreme metal solo project The 1,000,000,000's Who Died! Entitled "Execute", it's an unusual posting in that it's the first song posting in over 2 years that doesn't coincide with label Werehold Records' usual Friday the 13th music events from their YouTube channel (the next Friday the 13th is in November.) This short instrumental showcases Life's Eclipse frontman/Werehold founder Jason Mills' brutal metal talents well, but it could use a little variance (or vocals) to break from some monotonous parts. Give The 1,000,000's Who Died's new song a listen below!



Finally, here's a new guitar solo video from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, as uploaded to his YouTube channel yesterday! An attempt at replicating a live guitar solo from recent tour dates by Eddie Van Halen (who Chris is a huge fan of, if you don't follow his solo postings and band work), comments on the video are already lauding Chris' performance here for it's accuracy to EVH himself, and even if you're not familiar with that solo, this is still excellently done! Give Chris' new video a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews in short order, including, yes, possible late notice ones! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Superior Festival) And New Videos!!

Before we dip back into Rotaryfest fallout, let's touch on some non-Rotaryfest updates today before they fall way behind on us, so what's on the bill for this Tuesday morning? New videos from bands on each side of the border, and leading off, a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for early next month, so here's what you should know!

A long teased outdoor concert festival is now official for Sault Michigan on Saturday, August 8th, as Superior Entertainment are bringing us the first annual Superior Festival that day at the Aune-Osborne Campground at 1225 Riverside Drive! As previously revealed but not yet 100% finalized in this Sault Evening News article, the minds behind the P.O.D. concert will bring back Mississippi hard/modern rock quintet Saving Abel as headliners, following their concert at Kewadin Casino in April, while a stacked and varied lineup of regional and out of town talent is also secured, so who else is on board? In listed order, bands will include local epic metal quintet Integrated System of Machines (in their second show since reuniting), Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris (who played the P.O.D. show), Muskegon hard rock quartet Voodoo Theory, young local hard rock trio Tantrym Tyme, and veteran local hard rockers Power Slug.

The lineup is rounded out by young Detroit punk trio Heroes of Charlotte, Chump Change frontman Terry Talentino in a solo set, and in the biggest surprise of all, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood, in a rare cross-border set by a local band (Touch of Class aside.) Very encouraging, hopefully more of this can happen! Note that the above Sault Evening News article listed Nashville country band Lonestar, Chump Change proper, and local country/pop artist Missy Zenker as tentative acts for the lineup, but none are listed on the Facebook event page as of this writing. An ALL AGES event at the campground/park by the waterfront and the East Portage Avenue transition to Riverside, the Superior Festival will start at 12:00 PM and run until 11:00 PM at night, though a full schedule of set times is not public yet. The event will have $25 tickets (great deal!) or $10 for youths 15 and under, though if you're 17 or under, you must be accompanied by an adult (bummer for 16 & 17 year olds though.)

Though not being hosted at Kewadin Casino, their website and the in-person box office will have tickets, so head to either to get hooked up, and check the above links for more details! This sounds like a great event, if very ambitious, but hopefully there's a great turnout and weather to match in just under three weeks! If we couldn't get LemmaFest V this year, the Superior Festival will fill the gap just fine, so stay tuned for updates when & if they come in, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

We'll close today with new videos, including this new concert video from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Ten Kings! Filmed during one of their St. Ignace concerts this past weekend at their Kewadin Casino, this was filmed by attendee Dawn Brown and shared on the band's Facebook page on Sunday. Like most of their videos, this is a short one (77 seconds), and mostly spotlights guitarist Joe Jenkins covering Van Halen's classic instrumental "Eruption" (which I assume segued into "You Really Got Me", but the video cuts off before then.) Strongly done, Joe's a clear talent, so give it a look!



Finally for today, we'll close things back in Sault Ontario with a new video from local alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control, as per their Facebook page last week! Labelled a "Caroline Divine tribute" (complete with members of that band jokingly replying in the comments), it appears to be a short style parody of their sound and live show from Pixo Control members Michael Mikus and Steve Edwards (on drums here), but see what you think below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for the first of our Rotaryfest fallout posts later today! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned) & Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

As previously indicated, today's second post dives into a busy weekend in Sault Michigan and Eastern U.P. hard rock concerts, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next two nights, and a preview of a major six band Kewadin Casino event, but be sure to check out this weekend's Sault Ontario concert previews in the post below this one! Now, here's your hard rock concert previews in Sault Michigan and area for this weekend!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will rock The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were originally announced on Banned's Facebook page last month in a concert schedule posting, but they slipped us by until this week. Usually, the guys play at The Runway Bar when they play in Hessel (including at their most recent regional show on June 13th), so The Islander is an unknown commodity for our coverage, but it's located at 134 South Pickford Avenue, and is actually located in a century-old building that once served Hessel as a general store and ice cream parlor, so there's definitely history with this bar! They do book the occasional live band, so might we see more bands (including Banned) there in the coming months? For reference, Alex, Don, and Wayne also hit the road to play shows in Blaney Park and Curtis since their last Soo-area shows, plus a private party of some kind.

This weekend's Hessel concerts have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charge, so for more details, visit the above links, and if you want to check out Banned's hard rock covers over the holiday weekend, you know where to be! For a preview, here's Banned live last summer!



Next up, here's a preview of one of the biggest major hard rock concerts of the year, as three multi-platinum selling bands will rock The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT! Those three bands are San Diego alternative metal quartet P.O.D. (in their local debut), California hard rockers Hoobastank (last seen opening for Staind here in 2009) and Pennsylvania post-grunge quartet Fuel (who opened for Buckcherry here three years ago), and this stacked lineup is responsible for many huge hits of the past two decades, like "Youth of the Nation", "The Reason", "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)", and many more, so Rock 101 listeners are bound to like at least one of these three headliners! Note as well that Fuel will have a different drummer than they had in 2012, with Shannon Boone in and Ken Schalk out. Openers will include Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris, Saginaw rap/rock quintet Redburn (who opened for Saving Abel earlier this year in the Soo), and the long awaited reunion of local epic metal quintet Integrated System of Machines!

After a 5 or 6 year breakup, the band's new lineup (Orb Hearthstone, Art Dietz, Chris Leask, Bart Rennels, and Jon, last name to be determined) are back in a big way with new material, so don't miss I.S.O.M.'s resurgence TOMORROW! Promoted by new local agency Superior Entertainment, tickets are still available from the third row & back for $38.50 in advance or $42.50 at the door at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. This is ALL AGES, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised. With 12 top 10 Billboard chart songs between P.O.D., Hoobastank, and Fuel, you won't want to miss this one, so be there TOMORROW, and here's P.O.D. live!



Also this weekend, Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm are returning to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of last weekend's Savoy debut in Sault Michigan, the band from Peril's Adam Crawford & Jeff Hudson will be making their first St. Ignace stops in four months this weekend, so if you've missed this popular Northern Michigan band's originals and covers since their last St. Ignace dates (or missed last weekend's shows in the Soo), and if you're not seeing P.O.D. tomorrow, here's a solid option for your weekend concert plans! There is no announced cover charge for either of Scarkazm's concerts this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there's a likely 9:00 PM start time in effect both nights. For more details, check the above links, and definitely keep Scarkazm's return in mind for this weekend! Here's Scarkazm live!



Finally for today, we'll head to the aforementioned Savoy Bar & Nightclub in Sault Michigan, where newer local hard rock quartet Ten Kings will return for Independence Day weekend shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Making their second weekend appearance at The Savoy, this weekend's shows are part of The Savoy's returning Summerfest outdoor concert series, which sees bands playing on an outdoor stage behind the venue (Scarkazm kicked things off last week.) Great to see Ten Kings hopping on board for some live concerts over this popular series, so don't miss this familiar quartet this weekend as you celebrate the Fourth of July! No word yet though on who's playing The Savoy in upcoming Summerfest weekends, and if you were curious, the bar's hosting karaoke inside while the bands rock outside (source here.) There is no announced cover for this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and there are 10:00 PM start times, so check the above links for more details, and here's Ten Kings live!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Emergency Festival), Gatgas Concert Preview, And More!!

Barring a late notice Saturday nighter or extremely late notice show tonight, we're closing out this weekend's concert previews today with a big hardcore punk show tomorrow night, but joining it today are updates for a major upcoming Sault Michigan show, a new video from a rising young band, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for August! Read on below for what you should know, and check out this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile in the post below this one!

Here's some long awaited venue confirmation on this year's second annual Emergency Festival on Saturday, August 15th, so where's the LopLops Lounge-promoted music & arts festival being held? Well, how does Rocky DiPietro Field at The John Rhodes Community Centre sound? Due to the ongoing debate over the future of The Sault Downtown Association and postponement of their outdoor Queen Street events this summer, The Emergency Festival will move to the football field at 260 Elizabeth Street (not far from the skatepark) for it's second year, which sounds like a good location to keep this successful sophomore event going after another "emergency" affecting the summer concert calendar! No word yet on the band setup, including on if there will be multiple stages as was previously intended, but we'll keep you posted. As previously announced, The Emergency Festival will welcome local punk/alternative bands The Pixo Control, Gnaeus, and Northwest alongside a large out-of-town roster of primarily folk, roots, and indie rock artists, so click here for full current lineup details!

Also scheduled to have a special Art In The Park exhibition, The Emergency will again be an ALL AGES event at 12:00 PM on August 15th, with tickets going on sale at LopLops, Case's Music, and Dish Espresso Bar & Cafe at 740 Queen Street East tomorrow. Oddly, tickets will be $25 until July 2nd, then they'll jump $5 a month until August, so there's incentive to get yours early! Students with school ID will get in for $20, and kids under 14 are admitted FREE. Amidst all of the downtown association struggles, it's great to see Stephen and everyone at LopLops keeping The Emergency going, so check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for updates as they come in!

Next up, here's our preview of the fifth installment of Tidal Records & J.D. Pearce's Gonqshow summer concert series, as London hardcore punk quartet Gatgas will headline at The Algonquin Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Featuring Saultites Bob Bromley Jr. & Garry Ingram in their lineup, fans may remember their memorable local debut at last fall's Hardcore Homecoming concert upstairs at The Rockstar Bar, but now they're headlining downstairs and should be up to their usual old school hardcore tricks! Local support will come via two of the local openers from last fall, those being local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and local hardcore/punk sextet Destroilet (in just their third show with two singers), and given the presence of both Gatgas & Destroilet, might we see another Fistmagnet reunion of sorts like we saw at Hardcore Homecoming? It was a crowd pleaser, hopefully there's a reprise of it! Note that the Gonqshow event page still lists newer local metal trio Faceityoureametalband as opening, but they have since been removed from the concert's event page, and are not listed on the show's poster.

A reason for their exit hasn't been announced, but frontman Steve Mozarowski went on a trip to British Columbia this week as per personal Facebook postings, so that could be related. Hopefully we hear from his new band again soon though! Note also that I'm not sure if the presented band order on the poster is accurate (which would see Gatgas sandwiched between the local bands) or if they will indeed be last. This 19+ concert has a $10 cover charge and a 10:00 PM start time, so for more details, visit the above links! It's great to have Gatgas back (and Bob & Garry back home), so keep this show in mind for TOMORROW, and here's Gatgas live earlier this month!



Also today, here's some news concerning the P.O.D./Hoobastank/Fuel concert at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino this coming Friday, including news of a late addition to the lineup, them being Rochester, New York post-hardcore band Lights Out Paris! Our source is co-promoter John Yeubanks on the Facebook event page on Monday. Currently slotted as the third of now six bands, Lights Out Paris have an intense modern hardcore sound that almost sounds like it'd better fit an Oddfellows Hall show, so don't miss them amidst the hard rock action next week! Also, in terms of the returning Integrated System of Machines (who will reunite after a 5 year breakup for this show), their teased new album is reportedly finished mixing, and sounds close to being done entirely according to frontman Orb Hearthstone's personal Facebook page! Remember, I.S.O.M. don't have a new updated online page as of this writing, we'll let you know if one turns up in the future.

Also, a separate personal posting confirms that I.S.O.M.'s new lineup will be a five-piece, with Orb, Chris Leask, Art Dietz, and Bart Rennels joined by a musician with the first name Jon, though I can't confirm a last name or instrument role yet (though process of elimination points to either the guitar or keyboard.) It is great to have Integrated System of Machines back, and hopefully we hear much more from them soon! Stay tuned for details on this huge concert, and get your tickets A.S.A.P. at this link!

Finally for today, here'a a light new video from the aforementioned Gnaeus, courtesy of their YouTube channel on Tuesday! It's of the local post-punk quartet watching their Lopstock II YouTube video on TV via a Playstation 3, so we're literally watching the guys watch themselves, though there is a temporary break late when bassist Matt Fronzi arrives with McDonald's food. Light and amusing, so check out Gnaeus' new video below, and don't miss drummer Brendan Garlick filling in with Long Shot TONIGHT at The Rockstar Bar, as per personal Facebook postings!



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

Rosie Metal Night #17 Review, Plus A Cancellation!!

Well guys, before I get to my review of last night's show and a cancellation, I do want to say that I have only two videos from last night & no photos. Why? Because my camera is officially dead. The reason why my battery drained faster than normal at the Fuck The Facts show was because it wasn't charging at all, and through some multimetre testing, I've proven that the AC adapter and/or charging port on my camera no longer work. So I brought my camera last night strictly to film as much video as I could before it finally drained the last juice on the battery, and as such, it died 1:41 into my attempted As It Stands video. That's not substantial enough to post given their songs' lengths, so I won't upload it, but I'll make it up to them! So I apologize for the lack of photos or an AIS video, but I hope to get a new camera for my birthday, for what that's worth! Now, to the review!

Yes, last night was the seventeenth Roosevelt Hotel metal night, and after a late start, the first band was Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, who I was seeing live for just the first time! I'd heard promising things from them online, but how were they in person? Very impressive! From their opener "Graves of the Ancestors" on, they employed a lot of brutal, fast, and technical death metal that stands up with the best we have in the Soo! Tyler Sperry has really good death metal vocals that have some well needed clarity, though I found that his asking us how we liked certain songs didn't seem very confident. Their music spoke for itself, including some fast proficient drumming from Kameron Nicholson and some really cool guitar and bass work as well! With originals like "The Return of Dionysus", "Viscosity of Blood", and "Blood Law" in store, they shown exactly why they're one of the most promising bands in the Algoma District, and they had a nice chemistry and stage presence to go along with it! I can't wait to see these guys again, hopefully they're back sooner rather than later!

Second were local hardcore quartet Changing Waves, in their second straight metal night appearance! They were the advertised headliners, but they were quietly moved to the middle in the band order. No matter though, they delivered another high energy set that actually happened to take place at the beginning of frontman Benjamin Kallonen's 21st birthday! Luckily, he didn't mail it in due to his birthday being on, and the guys sounded as good as ever, possibly better than last week! Setlist-wise, things weren't much different, with originals like "Tital", "Jung Jung", and "Lockdown" getting some moshpits going in the (thankfully) growing crowd! Terrence Gomes is growing more and more into his role in the band, Mike & Alex Hagerman were as good as expected on guitar and drums, and Ben's stage presence continues to get better and better! Another entertaining set with lots of influences adding to their unique hardcore sound, and just wait til you see them next on June 4th (more in our next post!)

Finally was As It Stands, in what will likely be their last local concert before heading to Mississauga to record their new album! I've seen them a lot this year, but luckily, their talent and chemistry never seems to change between each show, and it was evident again last night! Justin Pregent, in particular, seemed to be on his best game, showing more energy and aggression in his vocals than I remember at their last couple shows! The rest of the band were on form, and as I say often, the sheer amount of movement and energy that Garrett Masters and Angelo Huckson have on-stage is always impressive! Originals like "One Last Chance", "One Less Than Wayne Gretzky", and "Conception" were in store for fans last night, which led to some high level moshing and a lot of entertaining breakdowns and heaviness that we ate up! I can't complain too much about As It Stands' set last night, they've never been better, and I can't wait to hear their album when it comes out!

Good concert overall, I had a fun time, although the camera issues and the delays before & after For All That Is Lost's set did put a dampen on things a tiny bit. Great way to kick off my birthday weekend! Here are the two full videos I got from last night, of For All That Is Lost playing their original "Graves Of The Ancestors" and Changing Waves playing their song "Bingo"! I'll make it up to you guys for the lack of photos & As It Stands video, I promise!





And finally, here's a concert cancellation that you may have heard about already. The planned all ages concert tomorrow night featuring Dancing With Paris, Horizons, and local openers has been cancelled due to the inability to secure a new venue for the show. Promoter/As It Stands drummer John Mignacca confirmed this in an e-mail to Facebook attendees this morning. The concert was originally scheduled for The Oddfellows Hall, but it was announced on Tuesday that it was being moved to a new venue for unannounced reasons. Nothing came of that until he let us know about the cancellation earlier today. I was hoping it'd find a venue, or at least stay at The Oddfellows Hall... I wonder why it was moved in the first place? It's disappointing to see the show cancelled, especially for Dancing With Paris, who've now had two local concerts in the same month called off, including their planned Foggy Notions concert earlier this month with punk and screamo bands. Hopefully they can play here again soon, it sucks to see a bad luck string like this! So the show tomorrow is not happening, sadly, but I have a feeling you'll see these bands around sooner rather than later!

Oh, and I edited yesterday's weekend concert preview post to reflect the cancellation, so we're not falsely previewing a show that's not on. That's all for now, but stay tuned, as we have a HUGE post featuring FIVE LOCAL CONCERT PREVIEWS early tomorrow! Stay tuned for that!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Garden Of Bedlam & Changing Waves) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, we have more news coming today, courtesy of our weekend concert previews! It's a smaller than expected weekend on the metal side of things, though this is partly due to a few cancellations. Full Circle (formerly Turner Up) were supposed to play The Canadian Nightclub this weekend, but the shows were cancelled due to unforseen circumstances (drummer Scott McClurg is my source), while Half A Man tentatively scheduled a show for Sunday night at The Bird, though it's been postponed anyway. There's still shows to get to, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but we have one major new show I don't want to break the previews up with, so let's lead off with that! Here's what you need to know!

Garden of Bedlam are finally returning to stage! The prominent local hard rockers will take the stage at The Rockstar Bar on June 17th for their first concert in seven months, and just their second in ten months! It's been a long time coming for these guys, but with a new album forthcoming later this year and a ton of big stage experiences and lots of great originals under their belts, they'll be sure to melt every face in the building next month! Things should be similar to their Rockstar Bar show in November, as there's no openers, a 11:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! I've been eagerly awaiting Garden of Bedlam's return to the local stage, and you can bet a packed house and a lot of great music will be present, including some surprise new covers! I just hope their's no issues with the venue sound like at the November show. I'll be there, and I hope to see all of you there too for Garden of Bedlam's next local concert! Stay tuned for updates!

Now to the weekend concert previews, and first, here's the SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! My apologies for having this so late, it was actually announced on Tuesday, but my computer and Blogger issues made me bypass it. I can suck and/or be negligent, and I sincerely apologize for this being late. That said, the 17th Roosevelt Hotel metal night is TONIGHT!! Yes, Dismembertainment has another quality package of metal bands tonight, including headliners Changing Waves, in their second straight Thursday night appearance! With a lot of varied and entertaining hardcore originals, and possibly some free demos to give out, they'll be sure to make a big mark tonight! Fellow hardcore outfit As It Stands make their record 9th appearance at a Thursday Rosie metal night as the middle band tonight, in what is being advertised as one of their last shows before they hit the studio at MetalWorks Studios in Mississauga to record their new album! Should be good to see them again tonight, they're constantly improving and ready to throw down! Opening tonight are Desbarats death metal quintet For All That Is Lost, who'll make another roadtrip to rock the Rosie to it's core with their brutal original songs! Check the above links for more on all scheduled bands!

As always, this concert will start at 9:30 PM, there is no cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. Check the above links for more details! I always like to load up on concerts over my birthday weekend (I turn 22 on Tuesday), so you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be at The Rosie tonight! I hope to see you guys there, and for a preview of TONIGHT'S show, here's Changing Waves playing their song "Tital" (also called "State of Emergency" on their setlist) from last Thursday!



Also this weekend is a pair of shows in Sault Michigan, courtesy of local hard rock quartet Monkey's Uncle! This frequently seen band will return to The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino for concerts tomorrow night & Saturday night, as their new lineup (featuring new singer/guitarist Donny Newell) continue to leave an impression on the local scene! Not a lot is known specifically on the show, it seems about normal for their usual Rapids Lounge stops, though their pages aren't updated frequently enough to indicate any differences. So in that event, I imagine these shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Sounds like fun though, and if you're in the mood for some well played hard rock across the river, you'll wanna head to Kewadin Casino this weekend! For more details, check the above links, and for a preview, here's Monkey's Uncle covering Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer"!



(EDIT: Friday, 3:52 PM) The announced all ages concert on Saturday featuring Dancing With Paris, Horizons, and local openers has been cancelled. Promoter/As It Stands drummer John Mignacca confirmed this news in an e-mail to confirmed attendees on Facebook on Friday morning. The show was cancelled due to an inability to secure a new venue for the show, which was moved from The Oddfellows Hall for unexplained reasons on Tuesday. I'll have more on this in a post on Friday, so stay tuned for that, but remember that this show is no longer on for this weekend.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new Woods of Ypres-centric post later tonight (barring another Blogger maintenance issue or a computer problem), and I hope to see you guys tonight at The Rosie! Thanks everyone!