SweetKenny's New Album, A New/Old Treble Charger Interview, And Much More!!

After a quiet weekend, we're back on this Father's Day with a new news post, so what's in store today? Lots of assorted shorter items, including three removals from our active band links, plus a surprise interview of a local punk band from 18 years ago, but first, here's a new album release!

Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton is back with another new score album, so what should you know on it? Quietly released on Wednesday, this album is titled "Management", and is his 26th official solo album and third put out in 2018 alone. Going along with his mid-late 2010s focus on scores intended for use in other media, the intended storyline is about a CIA agent named Kenneth (of course), who finds a spy in "management", and has to find and stop the spy before the Russians do. Definitely a jump in intensity from "Music For The Body", if nothing else! The 12 song score album is available on iTunes for $9.99, but the album is oddly not available yet on SweetKenny's Bandcamp page, similarly to last year's "Music Composed For Film". In any event, you can stream it for free on his website and on Spotify. That all said, is a review of either of SweetKenny's last two albums imminent on The Sault Metal Scene?

Not in June, as it's the last month of our 6 month anti-bias buffer from our review of "The Dogs Are Watching" in January, but next month is entirely possible! Given the intensity, themes, and length, I would go with "Management" over the fitness/aerobics-themed "Music For The Body" for our next SweetKenny album review. Stream or buy these and other albums from this prolific E.U.P. artist at the above links!

Next up, here's a surprise new video find of Sault Ontario/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger, as uploaded by YouTube user Miker Phone yesterday! The channel is best known from commercials and bumpers from children's television channels, and that's perfectly in line with this video, a late 2000 interview with Treble Charger conducted by then-YTV PJ Pat Kelly (now of CBC Radio One's This & That) during their after school programming block The Zone, specifically following a Rugrats episode. After a clip of the "Friend of Mine" music video, the interview proper kicks in with Pat talking to the guys at a playground (remember, YTV) about their then-new album "Wide Awake Bored", though an advertised quiz segment where Pat tested their rock 'n roll acumen has not made this channel... yet? The interview footage here isn't too long, but it's nice and casual, and Greig even name drops the Soo at one point, so give this interview a look below, and don't miss them at Rotaryfest next month!



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

• Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback were added as late openers to The Elements' Rockstar Bar show last night, as per the Facebook event page. Solid choice, hopefully A.D.S. delivered a solid set and helped out before The Elements took the stage! Apologies though for this not making the site beforehand, we admittedly couldn't rush a new post in time to include mention of them being added to the bill.
• We have moved local hardcore quintet As It Stands back to our inactive local band links due to a year's inactivity. After their prior local runs from 2005-2014, the band had reunited last spring to play at the CKY concert on June 8th, 2017, but quietly dropped out beforehand, with no public statements following their exit. It would have been awesome to see As It Stands back on stage after far too long, one-off or not, but hopefully we see Justin, Garrett, Albert, Angelo, and John back together at some point down the line!
• We have also moved local death metal band Exploring Detritus to our inactive band links, as they have not posted a new Facebook page update (a flashback video share aside) since June 1st of last year. Primarily active with a handful of live dates in 2016, nothing much really followed last year, but hopefully Joey, Dan, Jeph, and Kevin resurface at some point, they had a lot of promise! In our band links, they're now listed under their old name Kaepora Gaebora, which their concerts were played as, but if they resurface under the Exploring Detritus name, we'll change it back.
• Local indie/acoustic project The Autumn Roots and indie/prog quartet The Wild Iris have both indicated on their respective Facebook pages that they'll be playing Rotaryfest's Stage 2 this year, expected for Saturday, July 21st at Clergue Park near the Art Gallery. These acts have not been confirmed by Rotaryfest proper at press time, but if accurate, this would seem to indicate that Stage 2 is not going with the band reunion theme like Stage 1 is doing, or at least not as in-depth. We'll keep you posted when more comes out on this year's Second Stage!
• In one more band link alteration, we have removed local punk duo Slow Children Playing from our band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page for unannounced reasons in recent months. Active as a sporadic studio project from 2014-2017, Slow Children Playing had some promise and originality, and while I wish they hadn't deleted their page, hopefully Don and Caleb turn up in this or other projects in the future!
• Reunited classic/hard rock cover veterans That's Chester reformed for the first time in almost two years when they played during drummer Ric Datson's regular jam night event with his current band Mojo at Reggie's West on June 7th, as per That's Chester's Facebook page. Hopefully that was a fun way to shake off the rust in advance of their (otherwise) one-off reunion at Rotaryfest next month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Three New Additions To Our Band Links, Plus New Videos!!

For our final post of January 2017, we have a stacked lineup of stories, including a new solo performance video, and leading off, no less than three new additions to our band links! Two active, one defunct, but there's some talent to be had, including new videos from the two new acts, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

The first of today's new bands to add to our band links is Re:Born, a new quintet that are effectively the successors to defunct classic metal veterans Project 421! Guitarists Blair Burch & Frank McGillivray have returned from that band alongside three new performers, including singer Robert Nevitt (who I'm not familiar with from prior local bands), former Eclipse bassist Fred Dunn, and former Din drummer Brandan Glew. Describing themselves as playing "classic power-rock with modern energy", and as "bringing (a) gen-X attitude into the millennial era", Re:Born publically launched on Monday, but had been in the works since shortly after 421's demise last fall. Note that this band is not related in any way to Re-Born, the 2014 renaming of Brutally Fatal when they briefly played lighter music before their first breakup, so I can't see there being an issue with the new band's similar name. A live concert debut is to be confirmed, but Re:Born have a few videos to check out, so what can be said so far?

Posted to their Facebook page from a recent jam session, the videos include Re:Born covering AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" and Iron Maiden's "Powerslave", while also playing two prior Project 421 originals, namely "Into the Darkness" and (as embedded below) "Running Away". From what I can hear, the guys sound good, and Robert can carry a solid tune vocally with a good edge! Of course, Blair and Frank have pre-existing chemistry, which certainly doesn't hurt either! Not an optimal look at Re:Born yet due to the guys' placement for the session, and the audio's a little muffled, but so far so good, and check our Re:Born above & below!



Next up, here's that other new-ish band, namely Slow Children Playing, a two man punk band that launched their Facebook page back in May 2016, but had previously formed back in 2014! Profuse apologies for missing this band for coverage on here at the time, but as they've never played a known public concert, it was easy for them to stay hidden. While their identities are not listed on their Facebook page beyond the nicknames "Floppy" & "Sloppy", their newest video for "The Christmas Song" gives credits at the end, confirming that their singer/guitarist is Mayadevi alum Don Henderson, and their drummer is Caleb Pitaro, formerly of RXN (more on them in a bit.) Three audio recordings are posted as Facebook videos to check out, namely of the songs  "Vimy Ridge", "Slow Children", and "Gypsy Road", but their newest track "The Christmas Song" (from December) actually has a full video featuring outdoor footage, inverted and monochrome colour filters, and Don walking to a home to jam the end of the song with Caleb.

Also, "The Christmas Song' features a guest performance by Bizotic trumpeter Louise Lamothe, and while she isn't seen in the video proper, it's nice to hear her add a unique element here! Slow Children Playing have potential and a solid punk base, but the audio quality of their older songs is mixed, Don's vocals are after hard to make out if used at all, and a bassist and/or second guitarist would help fill out their sound. Apologies again for missing Slow Children Playing on the site for this long, but hopefully we see them live at some point, and check them out above & below!



Finally for today's new bands is the aforementioned RXN, who I discovered when researching Slow Children Playing, so what can be said on this band? Pronounced "reaction", this band appears to only have been active for a short while in 2009 & 2010, and only appear to have an online presence via this Blogger page, but as they have a full biography there, they just barely have enough content to warrant an addition to our inactive band links. A high school-age hard rock band founded by guitarist Tukker Patry, their lineup was eventually rounded out by singer Shawn Dunn, bassist Josh "J-Sus" McEwen, and the aforementioned Caleb Pitaro on drums, though Josh left before their final public update. RXN had indicated plans to record studio material (with Tukker playing bass) , and had been working to purchase necessary recording equipment, having wrote original songs while in classes, but updates ceased after April 2010, and the band appears to have permanently dissolved by year's end.

As I only know Caleb musically, and as RXN didn't post any known media of their music, I can't comment on how they would have sounded, but there did seem to be clear ambition and goals at last word, and hopefully everyone remains musically active in some form!

Finally for today, here's a new video from former Bring the Fallen guitarist Andrew Chiarello's YouTube channel, marking his first upload there in three years! The video is of a guitar solo played on Andrew's Ibanez Premium RG721FM guitar, and while just being 59 seconds in length, it's a skillful solo with a progressive flourish, and it's a shame that he's not in an active band right now, as he'd be a huge asset! Very solid overall, so give Andrew's new solo video a look below, and hopefully there's more to come!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow to kick off the month! Thanks everyone!