New Facebook Video Postings, Plus More Recent News & Updates!!

After taking the weekend off while seeing family out of town, I'm back with a new news post on this Monday morning, including some assorted recent updates, but first, here's some new Facebook videos, starting with one from local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church! Filmed by an uncredited attendee during their set at Odeno at Sault College for their reunion events on Friday, this video is of their cover of Gary Clark Jr.'s "When My Train Pulls In", and while incomplete and containing no vocals, it captures Spencer, Elijah, and Beau in fine form on this more modern selection! Give their newest video a look below, and stay tuned for more on their upcoming EP!

Next up, here's some interesting "new" videos of local author George Case (Led Zeppelin FAQ, Whole Lotta Zeppelin, etc.) from his Facebook page on Friday, courtesy of the launch party of his book "Arcadia Borealis: Childhood and Youth in Northern Ontario" at LopLops Lounge back in early 2008! That evening, George picked up his guitar to play some songs, including an original named "The Bartender Is My Friend", while he was also joined by future Turner Up guitarist and then-Rad Zone mainstay Len Ward for some covers, like Jimi Hendrix's "Stone Free" and, as embedded below, Kiss' "Hard Luck Woman". These aren't bad, and I like the laid back feel for the book launch, complete with a LopLops stage that's nigh unrecognizable compared to it's state nine years later! It's nice to see Len performing here, and while George's singing voice isn't the rangiest in the world, he makes it work on these performances. Give them a look above & below, and see above for details on his bibliography and how to purchase his books!



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

• After a six month hiatus, local black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest re-emerged with a new single on their Bandcamp page yesterday, entitled "Thorn of Torment". Wyrn says that this won't be on any albums "since I haven't been home in months", and it's been "collecting mildew" while other songs were cut. The song delivers more brutal instrumental death metal action, despite being somewhat repetitive, so give it a listen at the above links!
• I have removed Brian Tremblay Photography from our links of local concert and musician photographers due to the closure of his website, the last remaining substantive link to his work in this field. Brian had indicated prior to December 2016 that he'd left photography to move on to another career, but we left him in our links as he still had an active website at the time. Best of luck to Brian in his current endeavours!
• I've also deleted Joe's Bar & Grill in Rudyard from our listings of Sault Michigan-area concert venues, due to the deletion of it's Facebook (and only online) page at some point earlier this year. As it turns out, Joe's was bought by new owners, and after a period of renovations, it re-opened in June as Huck's Pub & Grill, with concerts booked so far appearing to lean towards country acts. Hopefully Huck's finds continued success, and we'll be sure to cover hard rock and/or metal shows if we hear that they're booked there!
• Former Bear Hunters guitarist & Skull After Betrayl frontman Mike Vincent has revived his solo project (again!) After over a year's hiatus for personal reasons, the Sault Ontario mainstay posted a new instrumental song on his Bandcamp page on Saturday named "Filters of Fire", and while the recording quality isn't perfect, the song isn't bad, and it has a good bite to it, with elements of groove metal with some doomier stretches! Give it a listen above as well, and Mike's back in our active band links!
• Ride For Sight Northern Ontario planning committee chairman Dave Ostrowski-Gallant and his wife Nicole have announced that they are stepping down from organizing the annual blindness motorcycle rally (and related concert), as per the event's Facebook page on Friday. Dave cited their personal lives getting busier and heading "down a different path of good change" for their reasons, but he thanked everyone for helping put on the rally for the past 6 years, and to message him on Facebook if you're interested in taking over as chairman next year. Good luck to Dave & Nicole in their next projects, and hopefully the rally continues on!
• Room 21 co-owner Billy Blackula is looking for artists to play weekends at the new nightclub above Low & Slow on Albert Street West, though he's specifically looking for trios and smaller (possibly due to space concerns or sound limitations.) Best known to our coverage from recent Tym Morrison shows, it'd be nice to see Room 21 expand further with a wide array of artists, but message Billy at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday if you're interested in playing there!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), More Weekend Concert Previews, And Much More!!

As promised, let's round out this weekend's concert previews today, but to complete a full post, we also have some assorted recent notes, and to lead off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman for one night only on Saturday, April 15th! Announced with just enough notice for us to plug this before next week's concert previews, this will mark this talented band's first show out in the Strongs area of 2017, and will see the guys return to the stage after taking this weekend off. Project 906 have been a steady sight in the past year+, and it's nice to see them bring some familiar hard rock out to Eckerman again next week, so don't miss out on this show if you're in that area! A 9:00 PM start time is advertised for this 21+ concert, and there are no announced cover charges. For more details in advance of next weekend's concert previews, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more from Project 906 soon!

Next up, let's finish this weekend's publically known hard rock concert previews, starting with the return of Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TONIGHT! After over 2 years away from the local stage, this veteran tribute act will deliver some high voltage rock 'n roll for the first time in the Soo since November 2014, so if you've missed Who Made Who's faithful looking and sounding take on AC/DC, don't miss out tonight at The Rockstar Bar! Note that Who Made Who are not the AC/DC tribute band that dropped out of two Rockstar Bar dates last year, that band is Hells Bells, who have yet to reschedule from their most recent postponement. Tickets are reportedly almost sold out for tonight's concert, but as of this writing, you can still get them for $10 at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, and no word on if door admission (if possible) would be higher. This is a 19+ event starting at 9:00 PM, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Who Made Who live!

Lastly for this weekend's concert previews, we'll head back to Michigan for the return of Traverse City classic metal trio Peril to The Northern Pines Lounge at The Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Continuing their more selective concert schedule of recent years (sticking primarily to Kewadin branches and The Sportsman Bar in Boyne City), these will be Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' first gigs under the Peril banner since rocking St. Ignace two months ago, as part of what's largely been a bi-monthly schedule of late. Scarkazm has been much of the focus lately, but don't miss out on Peril's hard hitting and fan favourite covers tonight or tomorrow either, especially if you want some live hard rock action in the E.U.P. this weekend! As usual, you can catch Peril's Northern Pines Lounge gigs at 9:00 PM both nights, these are 21+ events, and neither has an announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, and here's Peril live!



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

• We have added Mike McWatters Photography to our listings of local band and concert photographers in the Sault Ste. Marie area, as Mike has uploaded a number of photos from The Din's CD release concert last summer to his new Facebook page, and had been plugging The Din's involvement in the postponed Quiet Riot show (would he have been on hand?) Mike got some very nice shots at The Tech in August, so give them a look at the above links, and hopefully we'll see him back at more concerts!
• A Facebook page has been launched that hints at plans to host a concert festival at The Machine Shop on Sunday, June 18th named the Rock The Border Music Fest, with the announcement of "a music lineup like no other" scheduled for April 18th. Though not explicitly stated there, the festival's listed phone number is also given on pages for Sudbury promoters CSA International, so is this an expanded rescheduling of the Quiet Riot concert, or something completely different? Stay tuned for updates when they come in!
• Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will take a road trip east to Spanish TOMORROW to compete at this year's Rock 'N Roar Battle of the Bands, joining 9 other bands competing for 4 spots at the annual concert festival in August, where they would open for either The Killer Dwarfs or Triumph guitarist Rik Emmett. Soundcheck are the first local band to compete in this battle since The Elements in 2015, and this will give drummer Steven Flint another chance at advancing to the festival proper, having placed with The Suicide Kings in 2014. Best of luck in Spanish tomorrow!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERS (Searchmont Skateapalooza & Fishbowl Festival), New Videos, And More!!

With our Sault Michigan-heavy stretch on the site seemingly past for now, we're currently in the midst of a strong run of posts with key features about Gnaeus and The Din, which speaks to how busy they've been as of late for show bookings and updates! To round things out, we have some new Facebook videos from another band and a long overdue look at a new face in the realm of band photography, but let's start with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Just over a month removed from their joint LopLops Lounge concert on Boxing Day, fans can see post-punk quartet Gnaeus, alt-hard rock trio The Din, and indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. together again on February 4th (one week from Saturday) when they headline the first ever Searchmont Skateapalooza event at the Searchmont Resort! A spiritual northern sequel to last year's Go Skateboarding Day and Gnar-BQ events from promoters Tidal Records, this rare punk/hard rock show at Searchmont is part of a full day of events starting at 1:00 PM on the 4th, where local skateboarders will demonstrate their skills at the Searchmont Community Center's skate sanctuary (734 Highway 532), with games, tips, and prizes available for those inclined to get involved. The concert proper takes place at 8:00 PM over at the resort (103 Searchmont Resort Road), rather than during the skateboarding, but the nighttime setting will prove fitting to cap things off! 

No word on if the bands will be playing indoors or outdoors, but it would be neat if the latter was the case, I love the concept of outdoor winter concerts. Both the skateboarding and concert are FREE & ALL AGES, but given the potential difficulties of travelling from Searchmont, Tidal Records are providing a return bus from the resort where fans can come home at 12:00 AM at a charge of $10. This is an intriguing event that should give a unique locale to the extreme sports and music action next weekend, especially with these talented & familiar bands, so check the above links for more details, and message contact@tidalrecords.ca to reserve a seat on the return bus!

Next up, the aforementioned Din will return to The Gore Street Cafe on Friday, March 10th when they headline one of the last events of this year's second annual Fishbowl Festival! Yes, the laundromat is bringing back the month-long arts festival from early February-early March (timed with the Pisces astrological sign's duration), with an assortment of community, music, and culture events once again planned throughout the month, and it's great to see Nicole and company bring the festival back! With all the difficulties that The Gore Street Cafe had last year, this can only be a positive sign, and hopefully they see a great turnout throughout! The Din toplined an acoustic show last year (which resulted in their debut live CD), and while it's unclear if their March show will be similarly formatted, note that this venue typically hosts acoustic acts. As of this writing, no openers are confirmed, but the festival's Facebook event page notes that ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus and folk musician/promoter Jackson Reed were once planned to open.

No word yet on potential other concerts with SMS-covered bands (there were three total last year), nor on admission details, but for reference, last year saw $5 general admission for each event, or $25 for a full festival pass. The laundromat is typically ALL AGES, and shows tended to start at 7:00 PM. This should be another fun and varied arts festival on Gore Street, and there's more events to be announced, so check the above links for more on The Din's show and currently announced events, and for details on how to perform at or host your own, message gorestreetcafe@gmail.com!

Also today, we have a trio of new videos (albeit incomplete) from new local alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback's co-headlining set at last week's January Jam at The Canadian Nightclub! Filmed by uncredited attendees beside the stage, these are all under 2 minutes long, and include their original songs "Catastrophe", "Nightmares", and as embedded below, a song whose name I can't verify (currently posted A.D.S. songs with titles don't match.) Larry Babic's vocals can be hard to make out, and the vertical angle on "Catastrophe" is unfortunate, but these are solid videos of this promising newer band in action, so give them a look above & below!



Finally, I wanted to give a belated but very deserving acknowledgement of a relatively new face in the local photography community, namely Josh Pace, who you may have seen taking some great pictures at a few recent concerts! As far as public photos through the Josh Pace Photography Facebook page, we first were alerted to his work at last month's Guy Thiffault benefit concert at The Rockstar Bar, where Josh photographed the aforementioned A Dire Setback (pictured), Stegadeth, and AlgomA in both colour and black & white, though he sadly didn't shoot the final bands. However, Josh actually started posting concert photos in late 2015, typically of shows with AlgomA, such as that fall's Sabrina Pelchat benefit. Most recently, Josh was on hand for the aforementioned January Jam event, where he got great pictures of every band except headliners Gnaeus, but despite their absence, his photos are awesome!

Using shadows, colour, and angles very well, his work is very professional and crisp, and he looks to be a very promising addition to the local band photography circle! Also note that one shot from last weekend features A Dire Setback being interviewed by Shaw TV, so look for a feature with that in the coming weeks. Josh is planning to sell limited edition prints of the above A.D.S. photo at their next concert, and is looking to do promotional photography with bands, so visit the above links for more from Josh Pace, and his photography page is now linked in that section on the SMS! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Toystock 2014 Fallout, Coverage, And Media!!

As hinted over the past week, here at last is our first fallout post from the third annual Toystock fundraiser concert at The Canadian Nightclub this past Sunday! We'll start with some local news coverage, as SooToday's Donna Hopper was among the attendees at the annual Christmas Cheer benefit, posting this article later that night that both outlined the saga of the Kraft Dinner box and the concert at hand. Donna couldn't stay long though, with her photos split between Lorrie Lynn & The Sinners' set and Toystock attendees during and around Santa Claus' arrival. Solid pictures all around though (and in colour), so give them a look above! If you're looking for photos of more of the day's bands, local photographer Roy Iachetta will have you covered, as his Facebook page features a few dozen shots of every act (including Killabeatz) that you can see at this link and here, but I'll give the caveat that the photos are not in chronological order, and are spread out between the two albums linked above. Great photos though, and kudos to Roy for sticking around all day!

In terms of videos, Sault Online's Mike Caruso was also on hand all day to film each band, just like he does each year at Rotaryfest! Note that he didn't get a video of Killabeatz, but to be fair, his mini-sets weren't advertised in advance. His videos were largely uploaded to his YouTube channel over the past week, starting with this news piece that begins with a brief interview by Mike with Toystock co-promoter/Bone Yard frontman Greg Simpson, so what's discussed there? In the interview portion, Greg talks about the event's theme and purpose, how it began, and the charitable causes behind everything, and while it's short, it's informative! The rest of the video features abbreviated clips of all 10 of from Mike's full performance videos, so if you prefer to watch the full videos, this will admittedly be redundant save for the interview. Give it a look below!



To avoid an extremely long post, we won't feature all of the videos that Mike shot in this post, but we'll outline the first few chronologically so you know what happened in the early hours of Toystock III! I'll note off the bat though that Mike's videos are generally of each band's first song, they all look auto-brightened, and they all use multiple camera angles. They're well edited and capture the bands nicely, but on occasion, the audio quality jumps when the camera angle changes. Mike's videos led off with local country/bluegrass act The Stumpy Coldwater Trio covering The Steeldrivers' "Guitars, Whiskey, Guns, and Knives", Mike Case's Junior All Stars covering Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight", Lorrie Lynn & The Sinners playing her original "Swear When I Pray", and first for hard rock videos, The Pixo Control playing their original song "Land of the Moles"! One of the guys' more familiar tracks, it was well performed here, and has a well-aged spirit to it, so give it a look below!



Mike's next Toystock videos were of country veterans Thin Ice covering Jason Aldean's "The Only Way That I Know", as well as his own version of all-female classic rockers Domina covering Pat Benatar's "All Fired Up", but we'll close things for today with his video of local alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 covering The Cult's "Wild Flower". Definitely better in quality than our video of this song (and of "All Fired Up" too), though Ed's vocals could be a bit more forceful and loud in the mix. We'll recap Mourning Wood, Mannapool, and Bone Yard's videos, plus extra fallout in an upcoming post, so stay tuned for that, and now, here's Lucky 13 on Sunday!



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

Concert Lineup Additions, What You Don't Know About Concert Photography, And New Videos!!

I've got some more news and notes for this cooler Wednesday afternoon, so here's what's on tap! Today, we have new videos from a pair of talented local guitarists, an interesing article on the truths of major concert photography from a prominent local journalist, and some new bands on a pair of summer all ages shows, so read on below for these latest stories!

Let's start with lineup additions to two upcoming all ages concerts with metal bands at The Oddfellows Hall this summer! First, a new out of town band has been added to the June 20th Weak Ends-headlined punk/metal show, and they are the Regina garage/punk quartet The Royal Red Brigade! Promoter/Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie quietly added them to the lineup on the Facebook event page this afternoon. The Royal Red Brigade have a fairly unique blend of genres while still unleashing some solid punk riffs and aggression, and make sure to not miss them on June 20th as part of a two pronged Saskatchewan punk onslaught! Nothing else new is out yet, so tickets aren't yet on sale, but I'll keep you guys posted on this show (also featuring Frightlight & Redundant) as news comes in! The other new band on an upcoming all ages Oddfellows Hall show is Desbarats death metal quartet Inhuman Methods (pictured), who were quietly confirmed recently as the 8th band for the Sewer Swampstravaganja II concert on July 13th! This will be both their Oddfellows Hall debut and their first gig with new singer Anthony Tverdal, who replaced Curtis Moir in the band late last month. No idea how he sounds yet, but hopefully he does well, and best of luck to Curtis in the future for sure! Stay tuned for more news on these and other concerts as they roll in!

Next up, I wanted to give some deserved attention to a new blog posting by SooToday journalist and photographer Donna Hopper. Her official photography website (which I've just changed her link to in our "Other Local Metal Links") now featured a post entitled "What you think you know, but don’t", which outlines many of the realities and truths about being a concert photographer at major concert events (Essar Center & Kewadin Casino mainly) and what you may not realize about what she does. Some people are known to criticize her SooToday photo albums for their size, content, or angles, but from what Donna writes, this is mostly out of her hands. I won't detail every point she makes, but I encourage you guys to read the article at this link, as it's interesting to see what photographers have to go through and sign off on to be allowed to take professional shots at concerts. Let's just say Bret Michaels sounds much cooler about concert photography than Bryan Adams does. Photojournalism sounds rewarding, and Donna's great at what she does, but some artists are too restrictive and particular in many cases, and legal hangups can prevent some great photos from reaching a wider audience or from being taken at all.

Personally, I'm fine taking pictures from the crowd, as it gives the feeling that that's what a fan would see, but professional photography has a place and shouldn't be as tied down. On the same token, readers and fans shouldn't be shocked or annoyed that Donna and photographers like her can only get so many photos of certain bands, from certain angles. You've gotta play the game in many cases, and she's not just taking the photos she does to irk anyone. Very interesting read, I highly recommend it!

We'll close with some new videos, starting with this new performance video of Trail's End guitarist Chris Hubbard! Yes, he's back on guitar here, and he's showing off his new OLP Eddie Van Halen signature Music Man guitar with over 7 minutes of solo riffing and soloing. Posted on his YouTube channel on Sunday, Chris' immense talents are on display here, and his love for Van Halen is as clear as ever throughout (gotta love the Frankenstrat-painted stool), so definitely give his new video a look below, and stay tuned for more solo (and band?) clips from Chris as they come in!



Finally, a new recording of ex-Browbeat frontman Dutch Vanderploeg's original song "Brighter Day" was uploaded to his YouTube channel yesterday! Featuring former bandmate James White (now of Redundant & Caveman Morrison) on bass and production, it's still fairly soft compared to Dutch's usual original output, but it's well performed and has a heavier riff & a nice guitar solo late laid in with his lighter singing! Interesting contrast, but it all works well, so check out thsi new recording of "Brighter Day" below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews, last month's poll results, this month's new poll, this week's classic video, and more shortly! Thanks everyone!

News On Garden Of Bedlam's New CD And More, Plus Another Christmas Suprise!!

Here's another post to start your Wednesday off right with, and it's a mix of news and a Christmas surprise, including today's new holiday song upload, some updates to links featured on the SMS, details on a local photographer with some metal ties, and leading things off, details on an upcoming local metal CD release, so here's what you need to know!

I'd like to officially announce that our final CD review of 2011 at The Sault Metal Scene will indeed be of Garden of Bedlam's upcoming full length album "Everything Will Die"! There was a chance it'd have to wait until January due to my being out of town when the CD release show at The Canadian takes place on Monday, but drummer Derek Turner was kind enough to drop an advance copy off for me yesterday, so by New Year's Eve, there will definitely be a review of the CD on the SMS! That said, while I'll hold from commenting formally on the music yet (wait for the review), I'll tell you guys a few things to look for concerning the album. This preview image floating around on band pages is indeed the cover of "Everything Will Die" (sans the release date) while the album features 10 tracks clocking in at around 45 minutes in total length. We've heard almost all of them live before, ranging from "Against The Grain" to "Your Disgrace", but there is one new track entitled "2012" as well. I won't spoil anything, but I'll say it's unlike the rest of the featured songs. And yes, lyrics are present for each song in the "Everything Will Die" booklet, along with some nice photography throughout by Andrea Gosselin, so definitely check all of that out when you get your copy of the CD!

The album booklet also confirms that the CD was mastered at Silverbirch Productions in Toronto by Andy Krehm (same as on their debut EP) with artwork supplied by Derek's old Papa Fogals Chair bandmate Adam Chillman. I'll say right now that everything looks and is presented nicely, and the quality of the recording is top notch, but for anything else, you'll wanna stay tuned for my review of "Everything Will Die", which is coming next week! Stay tuned, and be at The Canadian on Monday night to get your copies of the album when they go on sale!

While we're on the subject, let's talk about Andrea Gosselin, the local photographer who took the shots of Garden of Bedlam for their new album's booklet. Her work is awesome, but I wasn't aware of her work before recently, and now, she deserves some long overdue exposure! Her website features a nice portfolio of her photograph work ranging from maternity photos to nature photography, but she has two sections in her gallery with a musical slant. One is of band promo shots, and in that gallery, there's 5 photos from the "Everything Will Die" photo shoot (one of each band member & one full band shot.) Very nice work, and I like the fire elements, so if you want to see them, click here, highlight "Gallery", click "Band Promo Shots", and check out the last 5 photos there! Aside from those (and there's much more from the shoot in the booklet), Andrea has a lot of other local metal photos in the "Live Shows" section, including shots from the Motley Crue & Heaven and Hell/Megadeth concerts at The Essar Center, and from a number of Sense of Truth concerts in 2008 & 2009, among others, so check the above links to give these photos a look! I wish we could see these photos bigger, but overall, Andrea's work is excellent, and hopefully she keeps up her great photography talents in music areas & beyond! Check everything out, and Andrea's website is now in our Other Local Metal Links on your left!

Now, before we get to our next Christmas song uploads, here's three assorted stories related to links featured on the SMS, specifically changes and additions concerning them. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, studio, or company name:

• I've added the defunct local recording studio Lucky Limb Studio to our Other Local Metal Links on your left. This is the studio where local hardcore quintet As It Stands recorded their second EP "Kill The Music, Save The Children" in 2007, but I know little else about this studio, which didn't appear to last too long. Check their MySpace page out above, which also features "Bush Raids" from that As It Stands EP!
  
• I've moved Sault Michigan metal project Traces to our inactive band links due to their likely breakup. Featuring Swayze Train & Hoist The Sails members in their lineup, Traces were last visibly active on December 23rd, 2010, when they last logged into their MySpace page, and their Facebook page was also deleted this year, so I assume they've disbanded. Disappointing news, but the members are sure to have great stuff in the works!
• I've removed local concert booking agency Unsalted Records from our Other Local Metal Links due to the closure of their website (likely from an expired domain name) and a lack of alternate links. Ran by Free Beer guitarist Dustin Goodall, they booked a couple concerts with metal supporting acts in 2009, but I haven't heard much from Unsalted Records specifically in years. Disappointing, but hopefully Dustin returns to booking at some point!

And finally, here's today's Christmas surprise for you guys as we inch closer to December 25th, and it's a song I'm returning to the internet from defunct Sault Michigan metal quartet Nixxon Dixxon! During their local run from 2006-2010, you're bound to remember Nixxon Dixxon's proficient covers and originals at concerts big and small alike, and around 2008 & 2009, they posted some clearer recordings of a few songs they played live onto their MySpace page. I remember that they uploaded covers of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite" at one point, then pulled both in lieu of a recording of their original "High Life", which itself was later deleted without explanation. Now, my foresight is admittedly bad, so I didn't get all of these songs before they were taken down, and I'd love to get copies of them down the road (any help?), but I did snag one when I had the chance! I do have Nixxon Dixxon's cover of "Paranoid", which I uploaded onto our YouTube channel earlier today, and it definitely shows the band's talents well! Brandon Carr's singing fits nicely, and the rest of the band (now of Trail's End & Splitshot) are on fire as I'd expect, especially Chris Hubbard on guitar!

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED WITH THIS UPLOAD!!! All credit for this song goes to the former members of Nixxon Dixxon, I'm just trying to spread the posthumous word and restore this song to the internet for fans to enjoy! Remember, this song has been deleted from the internet for possibly 2 years, you can't hear their cover of "Paranoid" anywhere else! It's a solid cover, so definitely check it out below, and stay tuned for updates on the members' next musical moves!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Christmas surprises, news and notes, and concert previews over the next while, along with our next YouTube Channel Profiles on Thursday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Garden of Bedlam), Plus Lots Of Assorted News!!

The news keeps rolling in, but before I mention that, just a reminder that we will shut down our current poll on Monday and unveil our new monthly poll that same day. It's no secret what the topic will be, if you've followed us over the last couple years, as July is typically for the poll on best concert of the first half of the year, so get speculating! Now to the news, as we have a new song from a local solo artist, some new Woods of Ypres articles, a cool photo series from a local photographer, and lots more, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

It's finally happening: Garden of Bedlam are playing a Roosevelt Hotel metal night! The high profile local metal quartet will make their first ever appearance at The Rosie on Thursday as the headliners for what should be an awesome night of metal! Believe it or not, this will be Garden of Bedlam's first local show at a venue outside of The Rockstar Bar since they opened for Kiss in August, but a change of scenery is never bad! The co-headliners were originally supposed to be Saskatoon hardcore quintet Harmful Effects, but they can no longer make this concert. I'll note that their MySpace page indicates they're playing a show in Toronto on Thursday, so that could be why. Still, they're a solid band, hopefully they come here in the future! In their place will be The Bear Hunters, once again returning to The Rosie to deliver a brutal set of melodic death metal! Opening will be Winkstinger, the extreme quintet who always deliver an intense and chaotic blast of metal whenever they take the stage, so they'll fit right in on Thursday! As is usual, there will be no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM-ish start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This will be an awesome concert, and I will absolutely be there to rock out and have a great time! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's some long overdue Woods of Ypres-related articles I've been waiting to share with you guys! Firstly, an interesting interview with frontman David Gold was posted onto the blog Musical Immigrant on June 26th, where the blog's creator asks David a series of questions on his musical tastes, purchases, and influences! The interview, which is part of a series called "Press Play >", doesn't delve into too much Woods of Ypres discussion (save for his opinions on the band's albums for one question), but it's a cool look into David's diverse musical tastes, so check it out at the above links! The same man who interviewed David there also posted a short article on May 21st detailing his CBC work in Windsor, and how he was instrumental in Woods of Ypres' appearance in this 2003 CBC Television report! Very interesting, give that a look too at this location! Finally, correspondent Kirk Maltais of the Virginia-based Magazine 33 interviewed David via e-mail before their June 9th show in Richmond, Virgina, and you can check out the review at this location as well! Posted on July 1st, the interview features David talking about how the Pain & Piss tour was going, their Earache Records signing, the sounds of "Woods IV", what to expect with "Woods V", the meaning of their name, and much more! Another nice interview, well worded and thought out, definitely check it out (along with the rest) at the above links!

Thirdly today, here's a brand new original song from Sault Ontario solo artist Mike Cliffe! Entitled "Thaule Birth", it's an instrumental rock song that seems to mix a slower classic rock vibe with oriental synthesizer sounds, which is an odd combination, but well played! It gets repetitive after a while, but it's a nice soft number that shows Mike's diverse musical range, even if it's not heavy! If you want heavy, you'll get your fill at his Reverbnation page, where "Thuale Birth" is now featured (check the bottom of his total song list.) He also uploaded the song to his YouTube channel on Monday, accompanied by video footage of a bike ride he took down the local hub trail and some of the recent fireworks from the holiday weekend. Irrelevant, but relaxing, so check out Mike's newest song "Thuale Birth" below, and at the above links!



Fourthly, here's a cool note from a local photographer we haven't featured much on here. I'm talking about the talented Brian Tremblay, who's one of the best known photographers in Sault Ontario. Why mention him here though? Well, aside from some scattered band photography, including a nice shoot with Turner Up's Brent Royer-fronted lineup last year, he did a series called "So You Want To Be A Rock N' Roll Star" last summer, which featured solo photographs of various prominent local musicians! The photos are all in a stylized black & white colour scheme, featuring numerous musicians and band members by themselves with their instruments, and the shots are great! But are there hard rock musicians? Indeed there are! The two albums in the series include (among many others) Full Circle frontwoman KT Antler & drummer Scott McClurg, Late & Loud guitarist Brendan Christie, That's Chester drummer Ric Datson, and former Driver guitarist Joel Poluck (now of Mora Lee Sound), just to name a few. Outstanding work, they (and the rest of the talented artists shot) look great, and hopefully Brian does more work like this with other musicians! Check the above links for much more, including this link to see the photos on Facebook! And yes, Brian's now in our "Other Local Metal Links", he's long overdue!

And finally, here's some assorted shorter stories from the last little while, in alphabetical order by band or site name:

• Local progressive rock quartet Machines Dream have been added to "The Sinister Stage" TONIGHT at Foggy Notions! They're actually replacing RedD Monkey on the lineup, who were briefly reported as being on the show last night before dropping out. The official poster has been updated to reflect the addition, so go see Frightlight, Greg Callaghan, and Machines Dream TONIGHT at Foggy's, which is just seconds from the Tenaris Second Stage!
• If you didn't notice, we've resumed using custom banners on The Sault Metal Scene's main page itself! With more room to work with now, it made sense, so I started by adapting Gates of Winter's album "Lux Aeterna" to the banner, while incorporating our current logo in a blended sort of way. Hopefully it looks good! My plan is to update it weekly, so stay tuned, and give me feedback if you have any cool ideas!
• Sault Michigan metal project Traces (fronted by Swayze Train drummer Tyler Tidwell) have a Facebook page too! It's barely updated, and hasn't been touched since September, but become a fan at this location, cause you never know when Traces could re-emerge!
  

That's all for today, but I have some big stuff on the horizon, including our "favourite shows of the first half of 2011" poll on Monday, the debut of our YouTube Channel Profile Series on Friday, two concert reviews next week, and the likely reveal of which CD we're reviewing this month, so stay tuned for all of that, plus news as it happens! Thanks everyone!

News From End Of Existence, Shaw TV, And More!!

It's time for some more assorted news, including this week's classic video, an interesting note about a local photographer, and some news concerning a local TV station, but first, here's the latest from a notable local metal band!

Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids epic metal band End of Existence have announced the addition of bassist Bryan Kindel (second from the right) to the band, adding the last piece of the puzzle for their now-full lineup! I'm not familiar with Bryan's past music work at all (I don't think he was in any bands with the other EOE members before), but I know they've been searching far and wide for the right bassist, and hopefully Bryan works well! With that said, End of Existence have posted their first song featuring both Bryan and keyboardist Craig Harrison onto their various internet pages, entitled "In The Distance"! It's nice to hear an overall fuller sound, and both Craig and Bryan contribute well, though I'll be curious to see how they're integrated into older songs. Fans of Bob Helsten's growling may be disappointed, as he sings clean the whole way through, but the song has a nice pacing, a heavy sound, and some solid guitar (and i-Pad?!) work from Steve Giles! Definitely has more of an epic feel than some earlier EOE songs, which isn't bad, though if you want death metal, you'll likely prefer other songs. Check out their Reverbnation page and related pages to hear this song (and more), but you can also check out "In The Distance" straight from End of Existence's YouTube channel below!



Next up, you know how Shaw TV (channel 10 for Shaw Cable subscribers) has been featuring a few local music-related interviews on their rotation in recent months? Well, did you know that the local Shaw TV station has a website where you can watch the past week's videos and check out programming and correspondent information! They do, and you can check it out at this location! Commercials are running for the local affiliate's site, but this is only a recent discovery for me. The site features 8 interview & news pieces that aired on half hour rotation in the previous week, and the videos change weekly. The site also features info on how you can contribute to Shaw TV, but why bring it up here? Because the Dismembertainment interview that aired last week is now there to stream! I don't know when it leaves the site, but it will only leave when the full week runs out and the next week's video cycle comes up. So if you missed it on Shaw TV, check the above links to watch it, and when it disappears from there, who knows, I may have a new YouTube upload for you guys! Stay tuned!

Thirdly today, here's an interesting note concerning a local photographer's entry in a major contest from a major hard rock band! Grunge legends Soundgarden have been running a photography contest to find 17 talented photographers to professionally capture one of their 17 shows on their current North American tour (their first since reuniting), and one of the winners was actually local photographer Chris Cartwright! For this contest, Chris submitted a photo from a Police concert he attended, and eventually got enough votes (most overall, no less) to be picked by Soundgarden as one of the 17 winners! He chose the band's concert on July 3rd at The John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario to shoot (complete with a guest photo pass), and a few photos from the show can be seen on Local2's article about Chris' Soundgarden contest experience! (Remember, Local2 is the successor to the now-defunct SooNews.ca.) The rest of his photos are also online via his personal Facebook page, though they're all watermarked. Awesome work, I'd love to see Chris keep this concert photography work up, especially given this highlight of his career, and hopefully he'll be up there with Donna Hopper, Brian Tremblay, & Curt O'Neil before you know it! Congratulations again to Chris!

And finally, here is this week's classic video! With Rotaryfest approaching fast, it made perfect sense to tie in this week's video with a band or performer at this year's event, and I went outside the box a bit this time. The opening band on this year's Tenaris Second Stage on Friday will be local rock quartet Wishbone, who aren't metal, but are the heaviest Second Stage band this year in my opinion. You may recognize guitarist Tony Kajnar & drummer Glen Thomas as mainstays in the local progressive rock band Flat Stanley, who are also very talented, and they have been known to occasionally cover hard rock songs live! We featured their cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" on here before, but this video comes from a November 2007 concert at Docks Riverfront Grill where the band covered Wolfmother's "Joker & The Thief"! Featuring their classic lineup (including bassist Mark Brandow & then-frontman Jim O'Leary), the band sound pretty good here, though the video isn't high quality. The audio works well though, and Jim's range is evident as he hits higher notes in the verses! Very nice performance overall, proof that us "Flat Heads" can get some hard rocking here and there when Flat Stanley play live!

The original video was uploaded by Glen Thomas onto his personal Facebook page not long after this concert, and the original video can be seen at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=14109780474. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! Glen hadn't brought this video to his own YouTube channel yet, and I thought a solid performance like this deserves a wider audience, so I obviously mean no harm! Hopefully you guys like this video, and stay tuned for another video from the past next week!



That's all for today, but we have lots more news to get to very soon (including hopefully news on this week's Rosie metal night), plus weekend concert previews and much more! Stay tuned!

Assorted News From Sativa Rose, Mike Haggith, Grady, and Energy Rock Radio!!

Well guys, we have a busy patch of posts coming up this weekend, including our next Defunct Local Band Profile, our next poll, and previews of this weekend's concerts, but first, here are some more assorted news stories from the last little while! There's some big stuff to share today, so let's get right to it with a new local concert video!

Firstly today is the newest concert footage of local metal cover trio Sativa Rose! This comes from their September 18th concert at GLOW Nightclub (which has news on it's apparent demise I wanna share in the next little while), and it's a video of their cover of the Dokken song "Dream Warriors"! Horror fans may recognize that song from the third Nightmare on Elm Street movie, and it's cool to see a local band giving Dokken some love! This was filmed by bassist Adam Veale's dad John, who now has seven live videos of Sativa Rose in action on his YouTube channel! Good quality video and audio here, and the band sound tight and proficient as ever! Andrew Angelic's guitar work especially stands out, but like with past Sativa Rose videos I've came across featuring no guests, the vocals need work. Adam's tone's alright, but I don't think the range is all there. Still, this is another promising glimpse of Sativa Rose in action, and you can check it out immediately below, or at the above links!



Next up, here's some more news from local solo artist Mike Haggith! Fresh off the surprise release of "Laps In A Lake Of Fire", there's more news to get to from his solo project, so here's what you need to know! Firstly, Mike announced the release of his first ever live album, "Live At The Outback" (artwork pictured), on his Facebook discography on Friday. It features all four tracks from his 13 minute set at the Sault College bar/concert spot on December 1st during their weekly open mic night. Mike says the set was well recieved, and it's nice to see it get recorded, but as of today, I haven't seen any noticeable trace of the recordings online for streaming or purchase. When they do get posted on any of his pages, I'll let you know, but keep this in mind if you're following his recent local work! The other new update is that he has posted a preview video for his 44th album, "The Blue Album" onto Facebook as well! It features the instrumental take of his new song "Hot Summer Sun", which will be featured with vocals on the new album slated for an April release. Not too heavy, but it has a nice consistent groove! Time will tell how it will sound in full, but look out for more coverage on "The Blue Album" as I hear it! For now though, click here for the "Hot Summer Sun" video, and look out on Tuesday, when we profile Mike's Windsor metal band S.C.A.R. in our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series!

Thirdly, here is the latest news from local internet rock radio station Energy Rock Radio! After a period of not a lot of news from the crew at ERR, founder Ryan Kaarlela (a.k.a. Ryan McQueen or DJ Ryeman) filled me in recently on some of the new updates with thr only local internet radio station for us metalheads! The 24/7 server for the station is back online after a bit of a break, and you can tune in any time of the day once again at their official website or at this location to tune in through your favourite media players! Note that the site has yet another new logo, interesting to see the chameleon-like nature of their designs! With member totals growing, Ryan's hoping to throw a major all-day party soon through the server, website, and possibly through live chat to celebrate hitting 1,000 members, hopefully by the end of 2010! Sounds good to me! With a diverse and always listenable selection of metal and hard rock tunes on 24/7 rotation, Energy Rock Radio is not to be missed if you desire internet radio, with an extra local kick! Keep an eye on Energy Rock Radio through 2011, for what will hopefully be their biggest year ever! Check the above links to hear what's going on!

And finally, remember how on November 19th, a photograph of Grady frontman Gordie Johnson with double guitar in hand was SooToday's "Friday Hot Shot" that week? Well, aside from that, we hadn't seen any pictures of the Austin, Texas country metal trio in action from their November 16th show at The Grand Theater elsewhere... until Monday! That's when SooToday's own Donna Hopper finally posted her pictures from this concert onto her photography Facebook page! Note that no pictures of openers The Motorleague are included, though I believe I remember seeing Donna get pictures of their set. As usual, Donna's professionalism shows with these high quality shots, which are as good as any we see from her attended concerts! There are some interesting closeups of drummer Nina Singh's face in strange positions too, but other than that, it's just high quality concert pictures that are well worth giving a look! We may not have gotten a SooToday review of the show, but we'll take what we can get! Click here to view all of Donna's posted pictures from this concert, and keep an eye out for her at future local concerts!

That's all for now, but stay tuned TONIGHT for previews of this weekend's scheduled local metal and hard rock concerts! That and much more are on the imminent horizon, so be on the lookout! Thanks everyone!