LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Highway 63 & The Wyld Stallyns!!)

Before we begin today's post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali, who passed away earlier today at the age of 68, after a year+ long battle with pancreatic cancer. The longest serving member of the pioneering Los Angeles metal band, and the face of the group since their 2010 reunion, Frankie drummed on all but Quiet Riot's first two albums, and was behind the kit for their platinum selling LPs "Metal Health" & "Condition Critical". Local fans will recall seeing Frankie & Quiet Riot with Dokken & Skid Row at The Dreammaker's Theatre at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in October 2005, and perhaps earlier still, though I won't get into everything surrounding their cancelled March 2017 Sault Ontario date. Frankie was a skilled drummer who fought cancer bravely, and Quiet Riot's role in metal's commercial explosion in the 1980s cannot be understated. R.I.P. Frankie, you will be missed!

Now, today's news post deals with (believe it or not) LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on each side of the border, one a SHORT NOTICE one for this weekend, and one coming next week from a familiar group we've only seen in videos as of late! With all of that said, here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will end their local run with one final public concert set on SUNDAY outside of frontman Henry Switzer's own business Hank's Body Shop! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via the band's Facebook page on Monday. After an over 6 year run on the local scene, Highway 63 are reportedly disbanding due to guitarist Nathan Switzer (Henry's son) moving out of town, so this event will serve as a send-off party for him. This "farewell jam" will be Highway 63's first live set as a band since the pandemic shutdowns, and this is absolutely a public event despite the non-traditional locale. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, refreshments are strictly on a "bring your own beer/food" model, but admission is free, and a 12:00 PM start time is advertised. This show is weather permitting, and while a lot can change before then, note that 9&10 News is calling for scattered thunderstorms that day.

For curious attendees in the E.U.P., Hank's Body Shop (who fix, buy, and sell used vehicles) is located at 3757 South Mackinac Trail, just down the road from Dondee Lanes, and the band will be set up behind the shop. Now, what does Nathan's big move mean for his St. Ignace-based progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown? I don't expect it will change a lot, honestly, as personal Facebook postings indicate that he's moving downstate to Holland, where drummer Cale Krist already lives. H.L.T.C. have never been a regular sight on local stages, and so far, they've managed to run just fine with Cale not living up here. However, Nathan's move will definitely take adjusting for local fans familiar with his cover repertoire with his dad, not to mention his original output in prior solo and band projects. He's a talented guitarist, and I know he'll be a musical asset wherever the road takes him!

Note that Nathan was never a member of Highway 63's side project Mackinaw Trail, who also promoted this event on Facebook, but will Henry, George, and Ron continue forward in that band? Time will tell, but Highway 63 had a good run locally and achieved a solid fan base with their hard rocking covers, and hopefully the weather cooperates to give Nathan a strong send-off THIS SUNDAY! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Highway 63 live in Sault Ste. Marie last fall!



Finally for today, here's that other new concert, as Sault Ontario acoustic hard rock quartet The Wyld Stallyns will end their live concert drought with a one night only event on Friday, August 28th at The Rockstar Bar! After 5 months without live bands at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub, they are starting to bring back live music this weekend with jam-encouraged solo shows by ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer (details here), but next Friday's show will be their first with a band. The Stallyns have not played a Rockstar Bar show since 2019, with a February date there called off due to a band member falling ill, so if you've been waiting to see the Speers', Jesse, and Jonas together in person for the first time post-shutdown, next Friday is your next chance! Venue advertising does not blatantly outline the bar's social distancing rules for this event, but it's safe to assume that face masks are mandatory to enter the building.

I would imagine that they'll be operating at reduced capacity given the ongoing pandemic, and of course, please use common sense if you are thinking about attending. Hopefully Jason's shows and next weekend's will be a good harbinger of things to come at The Rockstar Bar! Otherwise, expect a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:00 PM-ish start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Ruptured Birth Concert Preview, A Unique Drum Cover Video, Upcoming Concert Notes, And More!!

For the first time in a week, we have a post that's primarily about news and updates at the SMS! Yes, there is one concert preview for an impending metal concert, but also, we have some assorted recent updates, perhaps some bad news for an upcoming concert, and a new drum cover video, so here's what you should know! (Updated on Sunday at 12:20 PM)

Heavy North Entertainment are back for their first concert of the year, and it will see the return of two Northern Ontario extreme metal bands to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT at The Oddfellows Hall to cap off their Grime Life mini-tour of Northern Ontario! The featured headliners are Sudbury death metal quartet Ruptured Birth in their first Soo stop since opening for Vesperia at The Algonquin Pub in 2015, and with many brutal sci-fi inspired originals in their repertoire, prepare for a face melting good time tomorrow! North Bay extreme metal trio Thekillingfield will make their long awaited local return tomorrow as co-headliners, marking their first local appearance since 2011, with a pair of 2014 sets cancelled in the interim. It's hard to believe we've been waiting over five years for Thekillingfield to hit the local stage again, so welcome them back with open arms and horned fists as well! Local opening acts will include the return of local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters in their first concert of 2017, so how will they sound after their 7 month stage hiatus? Find out tomorrow!

Online page-less death metal duo Twistory will round out the lineup in their first public concert set in almost a year, while a planned opening set by Crucify the Whore has been cancelled due to equipment difficulties, as per the Facebook event page, and they have not been visibly replaced. This ALL AGES show has an 8:00 PM start time (with doors opening at 6:30 PM), and there will be a $6 cover charge at the door. Death metal fans should be very excited by this show, including a number of long awaited returns to the local stage, particularly Thekillingfield's progressive-tinged explosion, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Ruptured Birth live!



Next up, here's a pair of new videos, starting with this unique clip of As It Stands drummer John Mignacca beating the electric drumskins all over Sault Ste. Marie! Uploaded to his new "Flo McNasty" YouTube channel on Tuesday, the video (filmed by John's former A.I.S. bandmate Nathan Bouliane) features John drumming along to his old band Skeyes of Seven's original "Cognitive Dissonance" in various locations, including outside of the "Algoma's Friendliest City" sign, the International Bridge, the Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and inside the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center. Very creative and well shot, this is well worth checking out for fans of local landmarks, John's drumming, and Skeyes of Seven, though after watching, I was also thinking of other places he could drum for a sequel! One outside of concert venues might be interesting, particularly ones John played at frequently. Give it a look below, and don't miss As It Stands return at The Canadian on THURSDAY!



Also today, here's some recent clarifications and updates regarding a teased concert event for later this month. Though there has been no formal confirmation, numerous postings on it's Facebook event page have indicated that the Rock The Border Music Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on June 18th is no longer taking place. Pessimism and unconfirmed personal reports don't paint a good picture, especially as this show was promoted by some of the same organizers behind the called-off Quiet Riot show (CSA branding or not), and while the ticket sale page is still online, there haven't been any public updates to this event from organizers since May 7th. Based on available reports, I'm reluctantly inclined to remove the show from our links, but if there's any official confirmation that it's still on in some form, we will redact this! If true, this is all very disappointing, especially given the hype and the chance to make up for the Quiet Riot concert, but if it's off, hopefully ticket buyers get full refunds promptly!

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

• The Sault Star's Brian Kelly interviewed CKY drummer Jess Margera for this article that went in the newspaper and on their website on Monday in advance of THIS THURSDAY'S headlining show at The Canadian Nightclub.Within, Jess discussed the band's move to a three-piece lineup following Deron Miller's departure, their recent collaboration with Mastodon's Brent Hinds for their new single, fan response in their recent tours, why you won't hear much from their last album "Carver City", and more, and it's a solid read in advance of this highly anticipated show, so check everything out above!
• The previously announced CureCon festival from new local company Ma Lady Menace on August 12th will reportedly not be taking place at The Royal Canadian Legion hall on Great Northern Road, as per the venue's Facebook page earlier today. The Legion apparently has had "NO dealings" with the promoters, and while I won't get into the online rumous and mixed feelings within, note that Ma Lady Menace have not updated their Facebook page in two weeks, when they acknowledged website maintenance. We'll remove CureCon from our concert calendar due to the lack of venue, but if it's still held elsewhere, we'll let you know!
• The Machine Shop confirmed via this press release last week that March's postponed Quiet Riot concert is now officially cancelled, citing a "breach of contract" between the headliners and promoters CSA International, and told people where to get refunds for tickets if they had yet to do so. This story resurfaced because the originally planned rescheduling was for May 26th, but CSA had previously redacted that on their own. The discussion about the promoters and refund process has sparked more pessimistic online debate, but all I'll add here is that I hope everyone still looking for a ticket refund gets theirs soon, if they haven't already.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news as the month of June progresses! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: FRANKIE BANALI & Amanda Brown

With a slow news patch and a forecasted quiet concert weekend ahead, I expect to do some condensing this week, so let's keep the site active with this month's YouTube Channel Profiles a day early! Our monthly spotlight of 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels with at least 50% local metal, hard rock, and/or punk content has taken us to two channels this month, including one unfortunate video hyping a show that didn't happen, but more still from a unique local band who we haven't seen nearly enough of on stage. Here's what you need to know!
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FRANKIE BANALI (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBO9pKFVZd0rB-EtNqiwwbg)

Owner: Unknown (the channel is named for Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali, but I don't think he'd launch a YouTube channel solely to advertise a single concert.)

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 29th, 2013; Only video uploaded on March 13th, 2017

Channel Summary: Posted two weeks out from their planned headlining concert at The Machine Shop on March 30th, this short video features Frankie Banali hyping up Quiet Riot's intended local return show, as well as noting that tickets were selling fast. This video felt slightly rushed, but it was solid promotion for this show, straight from the metal legends' longest serving member! It's too bad that promoters CSA International indefinitely postponed the concert due to "reasons beyond our control", and it's not clear if the show will ever be re-booked, so keep that in mind when viewing this clip. Also, this channel has not been publically used otherwise.


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Amanda Brown (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBO9pKFVZd0rB-EtNqiwwbg)

Owner: Noochin' Lanterns drummer, Apocalypse Afterparty songwriter, and Smokin' Heroines co-founder Amanda Brown, a.k.a. Apocalypse Afterparty MPC sample player "z"

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 23rd, 2014; Videos posted from that August through December 2016

Channel Summary: Ostensibly a personal use channel, Amanda has devoted five of her six videos to early performances and songwriting by her band The Apocalypse Afterparty, though all of these videos precede the debut of "z" in their lineup. Her only other video is of her and boyfriend/bandmate Paul Stanghetta touring their new house this past December, and is not otherwise music related.

Why You Should Watch: You should give Amanda's channel a look primarily as a source for early footage of The Apocalypse Afterparty, before their public concert debut and expansion beyond two man sets, so if you're curious to see this elusive band in action, this is a good spot! However, this channel doesn't feature any content from The Apocalypse Afterparty's public concerts or later quartet lineups, nor does it feature footage of The Noochin' Lanterns, though Amanda's last noticeable usage of her channel isn't that long ago, so newer videos could easily turn up.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

The Apocalypse Afterparty- The Crowd: Four of Amanda's five Apocalypse Afterparty videos come from their set at Six, Two, Oh.'s private concert festival Das Bunkerfest in Garden River back in August 2014, where The A.A.'s initial duo lineup were among the openers for The Archaics. Featuring founding singer/bassist "Z" & former drummer "X" (a.k.a. Paul Stanghetta & ex-Smeltzer bandmate Steve Mozarowski), they're seen here playing two untitled songs (linked here & here), as well as a cover of Lorde's "Glory & Gore" and, in Amanda's most popular video, a rendition of "The Crowd" from Paul's old band The Fury. Solid crowd reception here for this masked twosome, complete with a British accent & a dress, and these videos capture The Apocalypse Afterparty's unique rap/metal hybrid sound in it's minimalist early months! FYI, their public concert debut occured the following month.



New song!: Shortly after her Das Bunkerfest uploads, Amanda posted this video of her and Paul working on a new song for The Apocalypse Afterparty, with Paul rapping and playing the piano one-handed, and both handling percussion. The song doesn't sound familiar to the four tracks that made the cut for their 2017 debut EP "Bufflesnort", but it has a lively sound for fans of The A.A.'s more hip-hop-based material, and Paul does handle the drums and piano fairly well given that he's doing them simultaneously!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll again be looking at multiple profiles, as our next random selection gave us a channel with a single video, so we randomly chose one more channel with two distinct video types to round things out. That said, we'll look at YouTube user lukera81's channel (featuring a video from Kiss' Kewadin Casino concert in 2007) and local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements' official YouTube channel (featuring videos from two October 2015 concerts) next month, so look for these then, and stay tuned for more news and concert previews soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Tym Morrison) And Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

This is a busy weekend for concerts in the Soo area to send out March and ring in April, so we're breaking up our previews by border, with Sault Michigan area shows (and potential late notice gigs) coming either tonight or early tomorrow, so look for them then! Now, let's dive into this weekend's currently known Sault Ontario previews, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! (Updated at 12:35 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will once again rock The Rockstar Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page earlier this week, and the band still doesn't have an online page to plug shows with. Marking their fourth straight weekend concert at a downtown venue (three of which being at The Rockstar Bar), the band could partially be picking up Mourning Wood's slack during their drummer search, but the former Nameus are continuing to carve their own name, so don't miss out TOMORROW! Also, keep in mind that at the stroke of midnight during showtime, singer/guitarists Terry Eaton & Travis Sharpe will both celebrate their birthday, so be sure to give them sufficient greetings for the occasion! As recently usual, this is a one-night-only event for Soundcheck, this time because of the The Rockstar Bar's participation in the annual Bunny Hop pub crawl, with live DJs performing on Saturday for it. 

As usual for Soundcheck's Rockstar Bar gigs, expect a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Check the above links for more details, and in lieu of a public video of Soundcheck, watch their Billy Idol cover at Rednecks on personal Facebook accounts if you can!

Next up, prolific hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey for a fifth time THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, joining his regular weekly matinee gigs at Gliss Steak & Seafood TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Apologies again for the short notice on the Barrelhouse show, it was only announced via it's Facebook event page yesterday. The newly announced nighttime show on SATURDAY will be Tym's second straight weekly gig at the downtown tapas restaurant, fourth in the past five weeks, and sixth total, but no finite word yet on if he has a new weekly concert arrangement there or not. He'll of course bring his acoustic rock covers back to Gliss tomorrow & Saturday evening, as previously announced, so if you want an earlier and more initimate setting, head down to The Quality Inn's restaurant! And yes, we'll touch on his April gigs on here when announced publically, almost certainly in time for next week's concert previews.

As usual for Tym's gigs at these venues, expect no cover at any event, with the Gliss shows being 6:00 PM gigs with no age limit (though keep in mind the locale), and SATURDAY'S Barrelhouse concert being at 10:30 PM with a 19+ age limit. For more details, click here and visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Tym live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, we originally previewed TONIGHT'S Quiet Riot-headlined concert at The Machine Shop, but it broke this morning that the Los Angeles metal legends had to drop out of the show, forcing the event to be postponed to Thursday, May 25th. Rock 101's Scott Cook was the first source for many to hear this news, while promoters CSA International revealed on the Facebook event page that "reasons beyond our control" forced today's cancellation, though they nor the band have elaborated further as of this writing. Hopefully nothing bad happened, as I know how anticipated this show was, but make sure to circle May 25th on your calendars, as that's less than two months away! No word on if Sudbury's The Wring and locals The Din will still be able to open in eight weeks, but hopefully they're still available. Also, no word yet on the process to get ticket refunds if desired, but hopefully you can get refunds at point of purchase.

While I know that there are some jokes online regarding yet another lineup departure being the cause, at least the show has been rescheduled for May 25th, so keep the rescheduled date in mind whether you're a current ticket holder or want to try again for a couple of months from now! Stay tuned for updates on the postponement and new date when and if they come in!

Finally for today's previews, we'll head to The New American Pub TONIGHT, where local doom metal trio AlgomA and death metal trio Pillory will join forces for one night only! Positioned in advertising as an alternative to the now-postponed Quiet Riot show (complete with a Sex Pistols-inspired poster), this concert will serve as AlgomA's first of the year, and their kick-off show before heading to Europe for their first ever international gigs, even though the band hasn't publically plugged them on their Facebook page, but members' personal Facebook accounts note at least two overseas festivals for the band. Very exciting, hopefully the trip is a huge success! This will also serve as the de facto release party for AlgomA's split vinyl single with Hooded Menace, which finally arrived in physical stock locally two weeks ago, so bring a $20 if you want to pick up your own copy before the trip! While we've seen Pillory often recently, this will be their New A debut as far as I know, so don't be late!

You can take in this double whammy of extreme metal tonight at a start time of 10:00 PM at The New A, with a $5 cover charge and 19+ age limit advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, here's AlgomA live last year, and good luck on tour!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews and more next! Thanks everyone! 

415E Concert Previews, Unsalted Audio Updates, And Much More!!

Let's round out this weekend's hard rock concert previews today, but also, we have some more recent updates to touch on, including some assorted recent updates from a few different sources, a new hype video for a big upcoming concert, and some news and notes regarding a fast-rising local recording studio. Now, here's what you should know!

Firstly, we'll close this weekend's announced hard rock concert previews with the return of Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E to The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in nearby St. Ignace TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen during the Pop Evil concert weekend in the Soo last month, tonight's concert will of course give you a chance to partake in St. Patrick's Day potent potables tonight, so keep that and potential holiday promotions in mind if you're not planning to go elsewhere! As for tomorrow's show, 415E have hyped on their Facebook page that "a very special wedding anniversary" will be celebrated that night, so keep that angle in mind if you plan on coming Saturday (congratulations to the couple!) 415E aren't advertised to play anywhere next month, so if you can't wait until their May weekend in Sault Ste. Marie, prepare for 21+ age limits, no cover charge, and 9:00 PM start times tonight & tomorrow, as usual for their Kewadin gigs.

Check the above links for more details, don't miss 415E's hard rocking & Van Halen inspired covers tonight & tomorrow, and here they are live!



Next up, we can add Id Iota guitarist/Mike Mikus bassist Dustin Goodall's recording studio Unsalted Audio to our "Other Local Metal Links" section, as he's finally launched a website for the company! Ambitiously calling the studio "the future of music production in Northern Ontario", the website extensively lists the production equipment he uses for recordings, and outlines his goals and ambitions to provide artists (local or otherwise) with "world-class audio quality at affordable rates", while emphasizing that "mediocrity is the enemy" and aiming to establish emotional connections between artists and their intended audiences. So far, you'll have heard Dustin's production for Id Iota's debut EP, The Pixo Control's only CD, and Mike Mikus' debut single, while he also mixed and mastered AlgomA's half of their split with Chronobot, Inner City Surfers bassist Brad Example's 2015 solo single, and Jack Spades' third of their "Fed Up!" split CD.

In terms of upcoming projects, he has finished producing Mike's yet-released solo CD, while the website finally confirms that Id Iota are indeed recording their second CD currently and first full length album, and he's currently in pre-production for local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's second CD and a solo EP from Winkstinger frontman Keith Gagnon (though I have no idea what his solo music will sound like.) The website's a little wordy, but Dustin talks a big game and backs it up with his production quality so far, so be sure to contact him at goodalldustin@gmail.com or via the above links for quotes or information if you want to work with him on some studio music!

Also, here's a new YouTube video from this past Monday where Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali hypes up their show at The Machine Shop on Thursday, March 30th! This is a short video that does feel slightly rushed, but it's good promotion straight from Quiet Riot's longest serving member, and he's right, tickets are going fast, with half of available seats now sold out. Give it a look below, and click here to get your tickets A.S.A.P.!



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

• Rising Tide frontman and Tidal Records head Dustin Jones is featured in the cover photo of this week's issue of Sault This Week, where he's seen entertaining his son Jaycee through a puppet theatre at the Best Start Hub program at Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School last week. Cute photo, and it's nice to see Dustin back on a local stage of sorts, so look for the photo in the latest issue of the weekly free newspaper!
• Are local hard rock quartet Eclipse reuniting? Four months after their very messy breakup in early November, the band noted on their Facebook page that "we will be performing April 1st", while prior past tenses regarding their status have quietly been removed as well. I'm not going to jump to conclusions just yet, as this is April Fool's Day after all, but in case this is a legitimate reunion, stay tuned for updates!
• Local concert promoters Live705 have revealed on their Facebook page on Wednesday that their next concert will be an Easter holiday weekend event on Saturday, April 15th, breaking their pattern of one show every two months. A Facebook event page is forthcoming, alongside games and giveaways of some description, so be sure to stay tuned for details on those, not to mention the concert's venue, bands, and more!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, Quiet Riot Concert Updates, And Much More!!

It's time for another new news post at the SMS, as we continue to clear out a recent backlog, so what will you find below? Some assorted recent news and updates, big updates to a major upcoming concert, and both an addition and removal to our active Sault Ontario band links, so let's start with the former!

We have a new local band to add to our band links, and they are The Noochy Lanterns, the new project from "songwriters" of The Apocalypse Afterparty! Also named The Noochin' Lanters in some postings, their Facebook page self-describes them as a "pop band" who are bringing "a fresh, hard spin" to the local scene. Featuring former The Fury singer/bassist Paul Stanghetta alongside guitarist Matthew Forster and Paul's girlfriend Amanda Brown on the drums, the band shares some musical similarities with The Fury, only with a guitarist present and more of a hard edged alternative/power pop style. Compared to The Apocalypse Afterparty, The Noochy Lanterns have a more curious name, but arguably have a more accessible sound, so keep that in mind if you're more familiar with The A.A. This newer trio made their live debut on February 10th at the new private venue Mellow D's Underground, but all of their gigs so far have been private or in unlisted locations, with a March 1st private jam being their final gig before a teased "big break", reasons and length both unclear.

The Noochy Lanterns have four videos on their Facebook page, including this 30 minute jam video shared from Paul's Facebook page (which obscures all band members' heads, intentionally or not), while three jam session clips can be seen at this link too, all from the same day, totalling over 12 minutes in length. So far, I like what I'm hearing from The Noochy Lanterns, who have a fun sound, but their sound could be filled out at times (perhaps with a second guitarist or bassist?), and at least in these jam clips, the band could be more animated. Good start overall though, so hopefully the "big break" isn't too long, and check out The Noochy Lanterns above & below!



Next up, here's some updates concerning March 30th's Quiet Riot-headlined concert at The Machine Shop on March 30th, starting with a surprising lineup change for the headlining Los Angeles classic metal quartet, as they parted ways with singer Seann Nicols last week, and replaced him with 2011 American Idol finalist James Durbin, who is one of the few metal/hard rock singers to make a lengthy run on that series. You can read more on the change at this link and via other metal news websites. This is very surprising to hear, especially so soon from showtime, but the show is still on, and James definitely has the pipes to fit in with Quiet Riot, so hopefully he helps fans feel the noise just as well on the 30th! As for the somewhat mysterious Sudbury metal band The Wring that's opening, promoters CSA International Ontario posted this video of a Wring studio track onto the Facebook event page late last month, and while I still don't know much about the band or their lineup, they have a good sound with solid guitar and fittingly raspy vocals, and it's a nice teaser for their set!

There is also a contest ongoing on the event age linked above where you could win tickets to the show, which involves liking and sharing the requisite contest post, and inviting 10 friends to the event page. 2 winners will receive tickets, backstage passes, and meet & greets with Quiet Riot, so enter by Saturday to try your luck! Finally, this video copy of the radio commercial for the show from Rock 101 can be checked out below, as shared to the event page on Saturday, and while the sampled music is exclusively early 1980s hits with that lineup, it's a well made ad, and Scott Cook sells it nicely in the voiceover! Check it out below, and get your tickets A.S.A.P.!

 

Also, we have a band to likely move to our inactive band links, they being young local power pop/glam trio Caroline Divine. While the band has not publically clarified their status, they have not posted any public updates since the end of 2015, last being seen publically as Jesse Merineau's backing band during his Speak Easy Battle of the Bands-winning set one year ago on Friday. Also, frontman Anthony Marcello did move out of town for a time last summer, and when his bandmates backed up Jesse last fall alongside guitarist Mitchell Harris, the Caroline Divine name was not referenced online. Succeeding The Frasiers with a heavier sound upon their debut in mid-2015, Caroline Divine (not to be confused with Stillbroke's late-era name Borderline Divine) showed plenty of promise with sets at Rotaryfest Stage 2, Lopstock, and Go Skateboarding Day, and began recording sessions for a debut album, but updates ground to a halt after opening for Dany Laj and The Looks at LopLops in December 2015, aside from their Jesse Merineau involvement.

Alongside bands like Gnaeus, K.I.C.K., and the now-defunct Pixo Control, Caroline Divine looked like a promising outfit in this new cluster of young alternative and indie rock bands in the Soo, and their retro/modern fusion set them apart to be sure! I have no idea what happened to them, but hopefully Anthony, Brenden, and Devin reunite in the future and pick up where they left off!

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

• In their first Facebook page posting since the surprise release of their debut album "The End of Life" two months ago, new local black metal solo project Abhorrent Forest revealed that they have been writing new material, and in the meantime, posted a cover of "Forests in Fire & Gold" by Ukranian black metal band Drudkh onto their Bandcamp page. This is a quality cover that has a somewhat upbeat yet grim vibe and strong guitar work, though Abhorrent Forest's version does not contain vocals. Check it out above!
• Take this with a grain of salt until there's official verification, but the Wikipedia page for local indie/punk veterans Treble Charger currently notes that Richard D. Mulligan replaced touring drummer Jason Pierce last summer. Now, I can't find anything tying a Richard Mulligan to Treble Charger beyond Wikipedia articles and copies therein (not to mention, the band hasn't posted a public update or played live since mid-2015), but as a rule, we don't treat Wikipedia as a source, as anyone can change most articles and often don't have to include sources there. If there's official word about a drummer change and a resumption of activity, we'll let you know!
• Just in case anyone was awaiting word, it does not appear that there will be a third annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands at The Canadian Nightclub this month (if there was, we'd have long heard about band registrations at this point.) While there's been no public confirmation on the multi-night battle being cancelled or retooled, the drop in competing bands from 11 to 5 last year can't have been a good sign. Hopefully we see a new battle of the bands of any kind in the near future, as they're fun events, and I've been more than happy to volunteer as a judge at them!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Alter Bridge), Recent Concert Videos, And More!!

After a Family Day break, we are back with a new news post on the site on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, and videos from a recent Sault Ontario event, but first, here's a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring that was just announced this morning!

The teased new Sault Michigan concert from Allstar Promotions is now official, as Orlando hard rock quartet Alter Bridge and Swedish death metal veterans In Flames will make their local concert debuts on Tuesday, May 16th at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault's Kewadin Casino! As first announced on Scott & Brian in the Morning on Rock 101 earlier today, this show will see Alter Bridge rock the Soo with their hit singles like "Isolation", "Ghost of Days Gone By", and "Open Your Eyes", and they should deliver a solid night of high impact originals  during this tour date in support of their new CD "The Last Hero"! Note that Alter Bridge feature 3 members of Creed, but they don't play any of that band's songs live. As for In Flames, metalheads will recognize them from fan favourite songs like "Only For The Weak", "Take This Life", and "Cloud Connected", and while their newer alt-metal albums have polarized many fans, they have a lot of classic songs, and it's a very pleasant surprise to see them in our area, let alone at a high profile venue like this!

Tickets go on sale this coming Friday for $38.50, and you can buy them at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and the show itself will begin at 7:00 PM on May 16th, with no age limit advertised. As well, Allstar Promotions' Facebook page notes that if you share the post with the event poster, you could be entered for a chance to attend a meet & greet with Alter Bridge (maybe both bands?), so keep that in mind also. This should be a massive show at the local Kewadin Casino, and will hopefully continue Allstar Promotions' momentum following Pop Evil this weekend, so check the above links for full current details!

Next up, we have some brand new concert videos to share from a recent Sault Ontario event, courtesy of Christopher Paci's YouTube channel once again! Chris has been busy lately in his ongoing solid work filming local concerts, posting a bunch from the Brad Paisley and Brett Kissell shows that country fans will want to check out, but the ones here come from the Gianni Gagoots-headlined concert at LopLops Lounge from this past weekend! It doesn't appear that Chris filmed the debuting Handsome Sandwich, but he got videos of the other two bands, so what can we observe? Two are of the headlining funk/alternative quintet, including this short clip of the band leading fans in a chant of their name (odd as it is, fans are getting behind it!), while embedded below is 9 minutes of their extended improv jamming. The video quality is a little shaky, and fans' heads can get in the way, but it's another fun look at this promising new band's unique stage show, so give these videos a look below & above!



Chris also filmed a song by new local alternative hard rock quartet Bizotic at this show, just their second live appearance total, and it is a different song than the one Bizotic themselves included in their first video, but the title isn't given. Chris has a closer look at the band in action here, and Louise Lamothe's trumpet is better accentuated here than on "Subway Delay", but the angle leaves Kevin Overton completely obscured. Solid song overall, and a little more varied and upbeat while retaining some grit, so give it a look below!



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

• Local doom metal trio AlgomA & Finnish death metal band Hooded Menace have finally posted their full songs on their new split vinyl single onto their respective Bandcamp pages, linked here & here! This is welcome to see for fans waiting for local in-person availability, or don't have a record player, while it also means that the split will absolutely get this month's CD review at the SMS! Look for that in the coming week, and stream both songs above!
• General admission tickets for the Quiet Riot-headlined concert at The Machine Shop on March 30th are now available for $45 at this link! VIP tickets are $60, and the sale page notes that having such a ticket will mean you get a line bypass and balcony overview, so keep both in mind. Act quick to get your tickets to this anticipated concert before they're gone, and if you would rather buy in person, get down to Mill Square A.S.A.P.!
• As per personal Facebook photos in recent days, Havadder frontman Jason Roy made a guest appearance of some type with bandmate Scott McLurg's fellow classic/hard rock cover band The 3 Day Millionaires at The Rockstar Bar this past Friday! I have no idea where Jason (and Havadder) have been since their most recent gig in July, but hopefully this is a sign that we'll see this veteran trio back out there at some point soon!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Quiet Riot & Project 906), Plus Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's round out our previews of this weekend's concerts with those taking place in Sault Michigan, but while we're at it, let's also cover some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one major one for this side of the border, and one SHORT NOTICE ONE for Sault Michigan, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock cover quartet Project 906 will return to The Highland Clan Motorcycle Club's local chapter at 235 Magazine Street for their Cabin Fever Bash TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement in this event on their Facebook page on Tuesday after sharing this picture, and the club proper never confirmed them in their own advertising. Though this may seem like an atypical event for Project 906, remember that they played a Highland Clan party in July that also received a public announcement, while Joe Jenkins & Will Storey's old band Exiled played a handful of local motorcycle club rallies, so this is familiar territory for them. Food and good times will be on hand for this Highland Clan bash TOMORROW, hosted just minutes from The Satisfied Frog, and while the event proper sees the music starting at 7:30 PM, we can't confirm if there's an age limit or cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live!



Next up, the teased major concert at The Machine Shop from Sudbury promoters CS International Ontario has been announced a little early, and it will see Los Angeles metal legends Quiet Riot returning to our area on Thursday, March 30th! Best known for their hit song "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" and iconic Slade covers like "Cum on Feel the Noize",  Quiet Riot will be making their first local concert appearance since headlining at Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan back in October 2005, and they're bringing largely the same lineup from that concert, just with Seann Nicols now singing lead in place of the late Kevin DuBrow (they've had other singers in between too.) Their new CD "Road Rage" is scheduled to come out in April, so might we hear some new material also? Also coming for the show are newer Sudbury metal band The Wring, who we have very little information on, but they apparently have some established veterans from their scene, and they're also opening for Anvil in Sudbury in May. Hopefully we hear more on The Wring before showtime!

The local openers are local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, who aren't a perfect genre match for the old school metal ahead, but they're a very talented group on the rise, and they should set things off on a solid foot! Early bird tickets go on sale online on Sunday night for $35, purchasing link to be announced, but in person tickets for $45 go on sale at The Machine Shop on Tuesday, and $60 VIP tickets (perks not clearly stated yet) will also have limited availability. A 7:30 PM start time is advertised, and while the timing implies this is all ages, there isn't confirmation on that yet either. When we hear more about this show's unknowns, including specifics on The Wring, we will let you know, but this sounds like a fun concert for fans of old school heavy metal! I'm surprised it's taken over 12 years for Quiet Riot to come back to our area, and while there has been some mixed responses online, this is still a big hard rock/metal show with headliners whose hits have been Rock 101 staples for years, so this should get a solid turnout!

Keep watch for tickets going on sale in the coming days, but in the meantime, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and remember, if this show is a hit, it will encourage CS International Ontario (and other promoters) to bring more metal and hard rock bands to The Machine Shop, so keep that in mind! Stay tuned for updates as they come in!

Finally, here's one more concert preview for this weekend, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Making their first concert appearances of the year after taking January off while frontman Henry Switzer recovered from some health issues, the band notes on their Facebook page that this will be their last concert weekend at The Rapids Lounge "for a while", as they "are doing some traveling this year". No word on if there's an unstated issue with the Sault Kewadin or not, but hopefully they play in the Soo more this year, as seeing them monthly there has been a nice reliable sight on the concert calendar! The unspecified traveling will include plenty of St. Ignace Kewadin gigs, so don't worry about The Northern Pines Lounge being neglected, but does it mean they're playing different local venues, or travelling outside of the E.U.P. like Banned occasionally do? Time will tell!

As usual for Highway 63's past Rapids Lounge gigs, there are 9:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits in effect. For more details, visit the above links, here's a video of Highway 63 live, and hopefully we haven't seen the last of them at the Soo Kewadin!

 
That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our new poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!