LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Keep The Faith), Poll Results, Our New Poll, And Our Sevendust Preview!!

Packed update today, so here's what's on the docket! As it is the 18th of the month, it's time to reveal the final results of last month's SMS poll and launch a brand new poll, and as promised, our Sevendust preview is coming up today as well. But kicking things off today is a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Keep The Faith are coming back to Sault Ontario! Over four months after the self-professed "Quintessential Tribute To Bon Jovi" last played here, they will mark their return to The Canadian Nightclub next weekend to rock the night away! This is actually the second Bon Jovi tribute show in Sault Ontario in the past two months, following a concert by another Toronto-based Bon Jovi tribute band, Crush, on September 18th. But if you've specifically missed Keep The Faith, here's your chance to see them again! Like with their past shows, there's a start time of 10:30 PM and a $5 cover charge. You must be 19 to attend, as this is a bar. Note that Keep The Faith are hyping this concert as a Halloween party, so break out your costumes and enjoy some hair metal classics next Saturday! For more details, visit the band's Facebook group, and a huge thanks to Jay Perron for informing me about this show! If you like Bon Jovi, these guys pull off their sound VERY well, so make sure to head to The Canadian next Saturday if this is up your alley! More as I hear it, including news on a possible Led Zeppelin tribute show, which I'm waiting for extra confirmation on before I announce it here.

Now, to last month's poll results! As you may remember, last month's poll asked this question: "What's your verdict on last month's Kiss concert?" This is a straightforward question, and probably our last major SMS posting about the Kiss show, just in case some of you are Kissed out. We had 21 votes for this question, which is a bit small, but at least the results were telling! As is normal, we'll go in ascending order to say the results. Tied for last place with a vote each were "It was disappointing", "It sucked!", and "I couldn't get a ticket". I'm not too surprised for the former two choices, as I could tell from the crowd reaction that they enjoyed it, but I have to say, I figured more people would have chosen that they couldn't get a ticket. With only about 5,000 people in attendance, I would have assumed more people would be in that camp for the poll. Tied for third with 2 votes each were "It was alright" and "Other". I can't comment on "Other" without the voters' reasons, but I'm not shocked that a few people said it was just alright. I'm sure some fans might have not been blown away, but still had fun, so having a couple here makes sense! And in second place with 6 votes, was "It was awesome!" I had a hunch this would be high in the voting results, and you could definitely see at the Kiss show that the vast majority of fans loved the show! If I was to vote, it'd be for this choice, and with no reservations!

But in first place, with 8 votes, 38% of the total, was "Kiss sucks, I didn't go". Now, I have to admit, I'm not surprised this won the poll, because Kiss can be polarizing, and I know of many people who visibly don't like Kiss and never considered going. I am glad to see that, as a whole, more choices implying people went outnumbered this choice, but I will admit that Kiss aren't universally loved, and this is proof. But aside from that, of the people who did go, the majority said it was awesome, so I'd say that speaks for itself!

So now it's time for our next poll, which will run until November 18th. So what is the question this month? Well, after some thinking, I decided to tackle an aspect of local bands' live shows that can be a point of discussion from fans. Some friends of mine have been vocal on this, others don't mind, but let's see what you think. This month, I pose this question to you guys: "What is your opinion on local bands & cover songs?" The idea of covering other bands in a set or concert is a frequent sight in the twin Saults. Bands like Caveman Morrison and Turner Up are known for sticking to sets largely comprised of covers, among other bands of varying genres. Many others will include covers in setlists that at least have a balance of covers, while some only play originals from the get-go. What do you guys think? Voice your opinion with these choices!

I love covers, they're great!: Many music fans love to hear familiar songs, hits from their favourite bands, and a local band's take on them. Some just want to hear the music, others will enjoy to hear these songs locally because it's easy and convenient to hear them at a nearby bar than at a major venue elsewhere. I even know a couple of people who don't like originals because they want to attend a concert and immediately know every song that will be played. So if you're in the grouping that loves covers without question, vote here!

Covers are OK, but play originals too!: Let's say you like hearing covers, but at the same time, you don't want to hear them all concert long. Many local bands play a balance of both, like Browbeat or Half Past, be it their standard method or as a slow progression to an all originals set, like Garden of Bedlam and Sense of Truth have done. If I was voting, I'd pick this choice, as I like the familiarity of some hits and want to hear the original songwriting from the band members too. What do you think though, is this the choice you'd vote for?

That depends on the band: Vote for this choice if you like hearing covers ONLY if you like the band or their take on certain songs. It's perfectly understandable if you dislike one band's version of a song and wouldn't want to hear it, and like another band's rendition. Or, you just like one band more than another. Straightforward choice, so if you agree, vote for this one!

I don't care, as long as the music's good: Covers, originals, if it doesn't matter to you, this should be your vote! Maybe you go to concerts for the musical talent, the concert atmosphere, and the good times, rather than to hear a specific song. If you prefer the music to the songs being played, then vote here!

Covers are pointless, why bother?: Ah yes, the other end of the spectrum. I know of a number of people who don't get the appeal or point of cover bands or playing sets of mostly covers. Likewise, there are a few notable bands locally that only play original songs, be they for this reason or just evolving from covers. Maybe some of you think that the original songs should only be played by the band, or maybe you just don't want to see bands take up all of their time playing the same old songs over and over. I think there's a place for covers from local bands, and they have a clear appeal, but if you don't enjoy them, you know where to send your vote!

Other: If I missed an opinion or option, feel free to vote "Other"! Nothing much else to say here, I just added this to make sure all bases are covered.

VOTE TODAY!!! You have until November 18th to cast your votes, and then after a couple more new polls, we'll begin our "Best of 2010" polls in January with on the biggest news story, best concert, and maybe best CD release if enough make it out by January 1st. But worry about our current poll right now, cause I'm really interested in what you guys have to say!

And capping things off today is our preview of a major local metal concert taking place TOMORROW, so here's what you should know! Yes, Allstar Promotions is proud to present The Harddrive Live North Americal Tour 2010 at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino tomorrow night, and here's the lineup! Your headliners are Atlanta metal quintet Sevendust, who have sold over two million records, with such hits as "Unraveling", "Driven", "Enemy", and "Angel's Son"! I'm a huge Sevendust fan, and it's great to see them playing in the area, so expect a great night of alternative metal! There will also be three support bands, including Knoxville, Tennessee hard rockers 10 Years (best known for their hits "Wasteland" and "Beautiful), Florida Christian metal band Since October, and Austin Texas hard rockers Anew Revolution. All of these bands are really good, and though 10 Years and Sevendust will be most familiar, don't count out any band from delivering some great hard rock and metal! Note that Oklahoma rock band Aranda (who opened for Papa Roach at Kewadin last year) are NOT scheduled for the show tomorrow night, though they are on certain other Harddrive Live shows this year.

This show will take place TOMORROW NIGHT at 7:00 PM at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino, with Anew Revolution kicking off the concert. Tickets are just $20, which is a fantastic value for the amount of metal you'll get at his show! Now I have heard nothing about this being sold out (there were some early criticisms of the slow sales), so there should still be some tickets available. If you're interested in going and don't already have a ticket, you can pick them up at this location, at the Kewadin Casino box office, or by phone at 1-800-539-2346 (that's 1-800-KEWADIN). And yes, this concert is ALL AGES! As it currently stands, this is the last major metal/hard rock show at a major venue of the year, so be sure to hit this show! I'd go if I had a ticket, I'm a huge fan of Sevendust especially, and hopefully a great crowd shows up! I'll have all the fallout on this show mid-week as it comes in, and for a preview, here's the music video for Sevendust's hit song "Driven"!



That's all for today, but stay tuned likely tomorrow for a post full of assorted news, including the latest from Riverin, Sneaky Pete, possibly that Led Zeppelin tribute if I get confirmation, and more! Stay tuned!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (River Witch), New Videos, And Our Next CD Review!!

Hey there everyone, I have some more local metal news and updates to share on this Tuesday afternoon, including the latest from The Barking Eye, a cool new fan video for a song from a local metal band, the 100% confirmed identity of TOMORROW'S CD review, and kicking things off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! So here's what you need to know!

Sault Michigan modern/classic rockers River Witch have announced two more dates in town for this month! We haven't heard much publically from them since last month, but they finally posted a band update onto their Facebook page detailing their next local shows, which will take place on October 29th and 30th at The Bird! Note that the post mentioning these shows says that the shows are on the 20th & 30th, but the 20th is a Wednesday and wouldn't make sense, so I'm under the assumption that they made a simple typo. They also announced two shows for this coming weekend at Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace, which is outside of our "local" range for SMS coverage, but make note if you're in the St. Ignace area! Apparently, River Witch were at The Bird for a couple of weekends prior as well (band members' Facebook pages confirmed this), but the band never announced them on their page. Still, my apologies for missing them! Looks like the River Witch shows on the 29th and 30th have a 21+ age limit and a 10:00 PM start time, with no announced cover. For more details, click here!

Remember, River Witch are the band made up of most of the former members of Blind Baby, with Aaron Fasel & Chris Gurnoe in place of Tadd Gravelle & Bill Ogston. I'm told that Blind Baby play covers and possibly originals, but I have yet to hear audio of them in this current form. Check out Blind Baby's old material at this location for a possible glimpse at what to expect, and I'll keep you posted as I hear more from River Witch!

Next up, here's a cool discovery I found on YouTube earlier today! I'm sure some of you will be aware of fan-made music videos for songs, where they make up their own visual accompaniment for a song they like, be it band clips, effects, stock footage, or what have you. Well, I found one from YouTube user TheUnlovedEntity that may pique your interest in a local fashion! Under their "company name", Sanctuary Studios Production, they posted their own fan music video for Woods of Ypres' doom ballad "Allure of the Earth" from 2004's "Pursuit of the Sun/Allure of the Earth", and I have to say, it's not bad! TheUnlovedEntity puts their own spin onto the song by adding a lot of video clips that feature or refer to space, astronauts, moon landings, rocket blasts, and so on. I don't know if I'd agree that it's a good lyrical fit, but musically, it flows mostly pretty well! The videos used are pretty cool and can be affecting, with all having filters and effects placed on them, making everything seem like it's shot through thermal heat sensitive cameras. Possible reference to the sun? It is a major topic in "Allure of the Earth", after all.

This video is well edited and put together, and it's nice to see a local band get a video like this, instead of a photo slideshow or something simple. Good song too, it shows Woods of Ypres' musical versatility well! Check it out below, and click here for more Sanctuary Studios videos from other bands!



Thirdly, here's a long overdue look at the latest SMS-relevant article on The Barking Eye, which is Flat Stanley drummer Glen Thomas' great music blog! After a two plus week break from updates, Glen posted a new article on October 1st which was referred to as "The Barking Eye Flashback Attack!" In this first post of this new series, Glen posted three solo demos from local musicians of the scene's past, including the song "Things You're Missing" by '80s rock band Total Stranger (featuring local singer/guitarist Steve McPhail) and "Candy" by The Frank Rodi Project, a pop rock-sounding band that Glen once drummed for locally. However, this makes the SMS cause the last song he posted is definitely of the metal persuasion! It's from former Driver/Hostage frontman Paul Pozzebon, and it's a solo metal track called "In The City"! Not bad, has sort of a Judas Priest vibe, with great riffing and pretty good singing! Glen had said that Paul seemed to drop out of the music scene completely, I wonder what happened? Good song, check it out below, and more from Glen at The Barking Eye at this location, including the newest demos from his old band Wishbone!



And finally, I just wanted to make two SMS notes for tomorrow. First, our next CD review WILL be of Kiss' "The Hottest Show On Earth: Live In Sault Ste. Marie", as I had previously suggested! No other new local metal albums are out as of today, so I will get to reviewing our live album from August's Kiss concert later this evening! Stay tuned for that tomorrow at some point, possibly as soon as midnight! The other note is that a special SMS banner to hype you guys up for next week's Sevendust show at Kewadin Casino will be posted tomorrow as well, and will remain up for the week leading up to the concert. Should be a great one, hopefully you guys have tickets! Stay tuned for those TOMORROW! That's all for now though, but I should have more news Thursday or Friday, along with weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman Morrison & Turner Up), A Band Looking To Play Here, And More!!

Alright, so all of our monthly feature posts are out of the way for September, clearing the way for just news, updates, and concert previews for the rest of the month, and we have lots today, including a band looking to play here, some notes concerning a major show next month, a brand new original song from an area band, and first, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

Firstly, and I REALLY apologize for the short notice of this, but Turner Up will be at Foggy Notions TONIGHT for a show! I'd honestly been wondering if they'd have a show on Friday or not, but I hadn't heard anything until today, thanks to a new Facebook event page. Looks like an impromptu booking, which they're claiming is due to popular demand. Of course, this show is bookended by last night's Gunz N' FN' Rosez show and tomorrow's headlining set at The Rockstar Bar, and the same house rules apply for tonight's Foggy's show, including a 10:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and surprisingly for Foggy Notions concerts, NO COVER! So if you're not seeing 2112 at The Canadian Nightclub tonight and wanna enjoy some classic hard rock, Foggy Notions is the place to be! Again, my apologies for the short notice of this show, check all of the above links for updates! And, as always, see video footage of Turner Up's current lineup by clicking here! Remember, that's 10:00 PM TONIGHT at Foggy's!

Meanwhile, we have two new shows with some advance warning, as local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison return to Foggy Notions in November for their first shows there in two months! Tym and company have sure been ramping up on the bookings lately, and now they have November 19th and 20th reserved for two nights of hard rock and metal classics! Both shows have start times of 10:00 PM, a $3 cover charge is likely, and you must be 19 to enter. These should be fun shows, especially if you love heavy metal classics, cause Caveman Morrison know a ton of them! But if you can't make it in November, they have at least 6 shows lined up before then, including one at the nearby Rockstar Bar next weekend, so you have ample oppurtunities to rock out with them beforehand! For more information, check the above links and the Facebook event page!

Thirdly, we have a band looking for a local booking, so here's what you should know! On Tuesday, I recieved an e-mail from Brandon Khan, a guitarist in the Newmarket, Ontario hardcore band Heritage. He was looking to book some dates for the band, and was wondering if I had anything lined up. Now I'm not a promoter, but I said I'm help him out, and now, I'm opening things up to you guys! Brandon didn't mention anything about a general date range for a local booking, so if you're a promoter, venue staffer, band member who'd like to play with them, or have any general interest, e-mail brandon-khan@live.com if you're at all interested in helping get Heritage a Sault Ste. Marie booking! As for their sound, they have a melodic hardcore style with nice uses of keyboards and clean singing combined with some heavy breakdowns and very moshable sections! As It Stands are probably a fair local comparison style-wise, but check them out and see what you think at their official MySpace page! They're good, here's hoping they get a booking here!

Next up, Brimley hard rockers Half A Man have posted a brand new studio quality original onto their official Facebook page! Yes, the local band featuring ex-members of Lower S.E.S., Bludgeoned, Bent Rollercoaster, and Set To Random have been keeping busy recording some original material, and the first taste of it is their new song entitled "Freedom Ride"! This was actually posted online on September 15th, so I'm admittedly late to the pass on sharing this here, but do check it out! There's actually two versions posted, the full explicit version and a cleaned up radio edit, which is smart in case they get radio play. I can't embed it here, so you'll have to check it out on Facebook, but it'll be worth it, cause it's a nice song! It has a familiar radio hard rock vibe to it, but the guitar solo's nice, and it has sort of a biker essence to it, if that's fair. Erik Rintamaki's vocals are gritty, and though not very rangy, he uses them well to the song's advantage! The band have good chemistry and energy, and I like the constant hard driving riffs and the ominous spoken word section too! Good song, click here to check out "Freedom Ride" and more!

And finally, I have some news concerning the Sevendust concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino on October 19th. Now, does, the prospect of seeing Sevendust, 10 Years, Since October, and Anew Revolution for $20 pique your interest? Well, judging by early ticket reports, it doesn't seem like a lot of people are interested yet. Allstar Promotions, who are the promoters who got this show booked, lamented on their Facebook page that the show wasn't selling very well, only drawing around 200 tickets sold so far. They had mentioned that management might pull the show as a result, with criticism given to how the area is far behind for new music, and that local radio wasn't doing much to promote the show, save for Rock 101's Scott Cook. In the latest posting, Allstar Promotions announced that Sevendust's management wouldn't drop the show, but there's still concerns over a low attendance. Personally, I'm a bit baffled as to the low sales myself. Sevendust are popular enough, you'll hear them and 10 Years here and there on Rock 101, and the tickets are very affordable! I don't agree entirely with us being behind on new music, as the Pop Evil show in February sold out, though to be fair, it had a lot of charitable support & free ticket distribution.

This show should be awesome, and you guys should really consider buying a ticket! I mean, really, these four very talented metal bands for $20? This show can be a success, and it will deliver musically, so BUY YOUR TICKETS A.S.A.P.! You can do so online at this location, at the Kewadin Casino box office, or by calling 1-800-539-2346!

That's all for today, but I have some more news from a few local bands and music-related entities to come this weekend, so stay tuned for that very soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sevendust & Turner Up), Skull Fist Preview, And Woods Of Ypres News!!

Massively packed post tonight, with loads of major updates, including a HUGE concert announcement, and before anyone asks, Kiss news and notes are 100% of the preview post from yesterday and may very well come later today in a second pre-concert post. But yes, it's TONIGHT! Now, this post includes some updates on "Woods V", the long awaited preview of TOMORROW'S Skull Fist show, and kicking things off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!!

On Wednesday, you may remember me mentioning that Sault Michigan concert promoters Allstar Promotions were contemplating bringing a huge modern hard rock package to the area in mid-October. Well, it's confirmed: Atlanta metal band Sevendust are coming to The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino on October 19th! This was confirmed by Allstar Promotions' Facebook page. Known for three gold albums and hit singles like "Unraveling", "Driven", "Enemy", and "Ugly", Sevendust are an awesome modern metal band, very catchy, and they'll be sure to rock Kewadin Casino hard in October! Joining them, as previously announced, are Knoxville, Tennesse hard rockers 10 Years (best known for their hit song "Wasteland"), Florida christian metal quartet Since October, and Austin, Texas metal band Anew Revolution! All have some good songs, check out the above links for more! Sounds like a solid lineup of hard rock, hopefully there's a good turnout! It's likely an all ages concert, it will start at 7:00 PM on October 19th, and tickets will be $20 when they go on sale on August 21 (ONE WEEK FROM SATURDAY) at the Kewadin box office! Note that Kewadin Casino's ticketing page does NOT list this show yet, but give it time, cause it's official! I'll keep you guys posted as I hear more!

Another new concert to share tonight, this time, a short notice return for a local cover band! Turner Up WILL be playing one single show this weekend, on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Fresh off their latest weekend dates at The Nicolet Tavern, the band will hit the stage on Saturday night at 10:30 PM for a night full of rock hits and awesome songs! No announced cover charge, you must be 19 to enter. Confirm your attendance at the official Facebook event page! Once again, I apologize for the short notice of this concert, the event page was only just created today. Should be another fun show, I still need to go out and see them with Brent on vocals though. Click the above links for more, and also, here's another Turner Up related note. Singer Brent Royer e-mailed members of the band's Facebook group on Sunday to ask fans what they'd wanna hear the band play at concerts. Got any suggestions? Contact Turner Up at the above links to share your ideas! Wanna hear more metal, a certain band or song, or something completely random? Let them know!

Now, to our long awaited preview of a concert that has really gotten lost in the shuffle amongst all the Kiss speculation. But don't let it slip you by, cause it's a very promising concert, so here's what you all need to know! Tomorrow night, at 9:30 PM, three prominent Canadian metal bands will hit The Canadian Nightclub for a concert that's sure to start a few pits! Toronto classic heavy metal band Skull Fist will be headlining on the first stop of their Wild Wild West tour of Western Canada! Prepare to get skull fisted by a great 80's metal sound that will definitely get you guys moving tomorrow night! Also joining them are two radically different opening bands that are still quite heavy! One is Toronto instrumental progressive metal trio The Isosceles Project, who'll definitely impress you guys with their proficient musical abilities and hard hitting sound! Who needs vocals anyway, these guys don't, and progressive fans should take note! Rounding out the lineup is North Bay experimental metal band Thekillingfield, who you guys will likely recognize from a few local appearances, most recently in May at Derelict's concert at Foggy Notions! These guys will start the show on the most extreme note possible, and will no doubt set the bar very high! Check all of the above links for more!

You must be 19 to enter, there is a $4 cover charge, and it all starts at 9:30 PM tomorrow night! This is gonna be one awesome show, I've been looking forward to this one for a while now, and I hope people remember this concert amongst all the Kiss hype, cause you're gonna get a lot of bang for your buck tomorrow night! Confirm your attendance at the Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's a 9 minute plus video from Skull Fist's CD release show in Toronto in March!



Finally today, here's some new Woods of Ypres updates of varying types and moods. What do I mean by that? You'll see. Firstly, recording sessions have begun for their fifth (and apparently final) album, currently titled "Woods V", though I figure a subtitle will be tacked on eventually. As I expected, the band are recording the album at Sault Ste. Marie's Stereo Soul Studios once again, same as when they recorded "Woods IV", which has been confirmed by producer Miguel Gauthier on his Facebook page. No word on if Joel Violette will be playing lead guitar on the new disc or not, though I can confirm that both of the Madden brothers will be a part of "Woods V". A new topic on Woods of Ypres' official forum says that "Woods V" will fittingly feature five tracks, so unless they're all insanely long, this could very well be an EP. The first sessions are to record drum tracks with Evan Madden, with Miguel saying the tracks are "Charles Manson type killer", and frontman David Gold says the drums are already "crushing!" I'll of course keep you guys posted on the whole Woods of Ypres situation relating to "Woods V" as I hear more! Note that this image has accompanied all talk of "Woods V" so far, I wonder what it means?

The other Woods of Ypres related note is towards a new Twitter account, which is being used and updated by a "David Yprez", who is the "official Woods of Ypres' gossip columnist", complete with his own e-mail address, davidyprez@gmail.com. Now most of you will likely recognize the profile and background photo on the Twitter page as a clean shaven David Gold in a black and pink shirt, but just listen to what has been tweeted by "David Yprez" (likely pronounced ee-prez, a'la gossip columnist Perez Hilton.) The first few tweets were negative excerpts from a Woods of Ypres CD review, followed by inside tweets from "sources" about the sessions for "Woods V". Now, on the surface, I took these on a humorous level, as I'm sure is intended. David Gold's always had a wit, and it's in force here! But if you read into things a bit more, could this just be another layer of fog onto the whole situation of David's departure from Canada and the apparent shutdown of most Woods of Ypres activities? I dunno, but I've gotten that vibe a bit. This one tweet especially had me wondering: "Apparently "Woods 5" will be the final WOODS OF YPRES album. It is, in fact, officially their fifth album (this has been confirmed)." What say you guys? Another public diversion, a hint towards something unexpected, or just a witty tweet? The questions continue, and likely will for a while yet. I'll of course keep you guys in the loop! Check out David Yprez's Twitter page at this location, and make your own judgment!

That's all for now, but stay tuned this afternoon for one final news post prior to the Kiss concert! I'll have final Kiss updates in the lead-up to the big show, plus updates from Jake Lalonde's Musicians Institute contest, the return of a notable local band, and more! Stay tuned, and remember, a full preview of the Kiss concert is in the post below, with more coming later today!!

Kiss/Garden Of Bedlam Contest, Upcoming Concert Updates, Plus Clownsack & Sevendust News!!

We're back with more news and updates, and this one is packed with some cool news and updates, notably new bands confirmed for a pair of major upcoming outdoor concerts, a really cool contest just announced today that you can enter, and a possible upcoming concert! Let's begin!

Hey metalheads, how would you like a FREE ticket to TUESDAY'S Kiss/Garden of Bedlam concert at The Essar Center? How would you like a bunch of Garden of Bedlam merchandise to go along with it? As their way of giving back to their fans, Garden of Bedlam and The Rad Zone are holding a contest for a Garden of Bedlam prize package including a ticket to the Kiss show on Tuesday, a Garden of Bedlam t-shirt, an autographed photo of the band, a copy of their self-titled debut EP, and your name will be added to the special guest list for the afterparty at The Rockstar Bar after the concert ends! That sounds like an awesome package, but how can you win it? Just head on over to The Rad Zone's Facebook page and reply to the newest post (describing the prizes to be won) by typing your name as a reply. Similar criteria to enter as previous Rad Zone contests, basically. The winner will be drawn on SUNDAY at 6:00 PM, so you guys have a few days left to add your name to enter! If you don't have a Kiss ticket, you want more Garden of Bedlam swag, or both, ENTER THIS CONTEST A.S.A.P.!! Follow the above links to enter, and I'll let you guys know of the winner on Sunday or Monday when he or she is announced!

Secondly today, three new bands have been announced for the August 14th Pauline's Place benefit concert at the skatepark outside of The John Rhodes Center! Two have a metal relevance, the first of which being local horror punk/metal quartet Frightlight, fresh off of their two shows on July 17th at Foggy Notions (They played a second show that night after Rotaryfest wrapped up with The Fury and RedD Monkey, sorry for missing it!) Nice veteran presence from those guys to balance out the younger bands, and expect to hear songs off of Frightlight's forthcoming debut album as well! Also confirmed are that new local death metal band The Bear Hunters, in their live debut! Featuring former members of D.O.T.H., Lorax, and Dark Salvation, bassist Justin Lam told me that they've got lots of originals in store for their first live performance! Make sure to check out their first internet video at this location for your first taste of The Bear Hunters! The final new addition is local indie band The Tenagens, which ensures that all four of the bands from May's Downtown Showdown battle of the bands are a part of this special concert! The new bands join Bring The Fallen, SBD, The Fury, and DJ Spruceau on the lineup, along with tons of other family friendly activities, so click here for more details! I will keep you all posted!

Thirdly, a major Sault Michigan hard rock band has been added to next weekend's Sugar Island Music Festival in Sugar Island, which is just outside of town! Local funk rockers Clownsack will hit the stage not long after they rocked the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival for their third show of the year! They will hit the stage at 6:30 PM for a one hour set on August 13th, the same day as fellow local hard rock bands Nixxon Dixxon and Free Refill! My source for this information is a MySpace event posted by the band. Great to see them back on stage, I can't wait to hear their next album, whenever it comes out! I have got to see them live one of these days too! Also added to the lineup for August 14th is local acoustic band Electric Motor Fish, also fresh off of the Kewadin Festival! Though not metal, Shift drummer Tony Rogers is in the band, so make note of that! Remember, because the organizers of the Sugar Island Music Festival aren't updating fans on the complete lineup on the festival website, I can only confirm what I find online, so this lineup is far from complete, but if anyone else of note is added, I'll let you all know!

Also to note from the Clownsack end of things, their Kewadin Festival performance marked their debut as a five piece, featuring new guitarist Sparxx! According to the band's MySpace page, he's "fresh off the Barnum & Bailey Circus tour"! Haven't heard full audio of the new lineup yet, hopefully we'll get a taste soon! I want to note that in June, Clownsack had announced that they would be looking for a new guitarist (or two) to replace current guitarist Butter Cookie, who was eventually planning to leave the band, but the bulletin they announced that on has since been deleted from MySpace. Is Butter Cookie sticking around? Sounds like it, and if so, I'm glad, cause he added a great dimension onto their first CD "Rotten Candy"! Watch out for the new 5 piece Clownsack EP (with 5 songs) in the coming months, and stay tuned tomorrow for a short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERT concerning Clownsack's return to the stage THIS WEEKEND!

And finally for today, here's another Sault Michigan concert note, this time around a possible major concert for the fall! Allstar Promotions, the group behind many of the newer rock band concerts at The Dreammakers Theater at Kewadin Casino, have announced another possibility for a concert they could book for later this year. The possible show would be headlined by Sevendust, the gold selling metal band from Atlanta (who I'm a big fan of), along with openers Anew Revolution, 10 Years (best known for their song "Wasteland"), and Since October. The concert, if booked, would take place in mid-October, presumably at The Dreammakers Theater. Ticket prices would go for around $22, which is a VERY good deal! Would you go see this concert? I'd seriously consider it if it was booked, but I'm asking you guys. If you'd want to see Sevendust, 10 Years, and more in Sault Michigan in October, then voice your opinion in a reply to Allstar Promotions' latest Facebook status update on their Facebook page! Let's see if we can use popular demand to convince them to book Sevendust here! They're an awesome band, fingers crossed!

That's all for today, but come back tomorrow for previews of this weekend's metal and hard rock shows, including Clownsack's second show of 2010! Stay tuned!