LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Hellbent), Local Promoter Updates, And Much More News & Notes!!

Before we dive into another round of weekend concert previews, here's a new news post for your Wednesday morning! This covers some some big updates from two local punk-influenced bands, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and related promoter changes to keep note of. Now, with all of that said, here's what you should know!

Hamilton hardcore punk trio Hellbent will make their local concert debut when they headline at The Rockstar Bar on Sunday, October 13th!  A late addition to their 2019 Canadian tour, Hellbent are touring in support of their new EP "Dead on the Floor", and with their brutal, fast-paced, and no-nonsense original attack, they should make lots of new fans in this Thanksgiving weekend bash! Local openers are to be announced, we'll let you know when they are confirmed. Notably, this is the first punk/metal concert to be promoted by the newly-renamed Oh!No Co. following the retirement of the Six, Two, Oh. name earlier this week. Obviously taking the new moniker from the yearly festival in Leeburn, staff are citing having "great ideas" that they think will "fit better under the Oh!No banner" as the reason for the change, though note that the Six, Two, Oh. name at least partially came from inactive filmmaking company 62nd Chamber Productions, as ran by AlgomA guitarist Boyd Rendell, who hasn't visibly been involved with recent company events.

Oh!No Co.'s Facebook page is effectively the Oh!No festival page with slightly new branding (Six, Two, Oh.'s is still up, thankfully), and it gives their launch date as 2017 with the festival's inception, without crediting Six, Two, Oh.'s 2015-2016 run, or prior work as Oh! Right Arm! Productions. There, the company's current staff are given as AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent still, now alongside Oosik Records owner/DJ Al Bjornaa, Slumshine founder/veteran punk musician Brenton Ellis, and Alex Moore. The new name will take some adjusting, but for synergy reasons and to tie in with the festival, I understand the move! The first show promoted under the Oh!No Co. name will be a psychedelic concert at The Whiskey Barrel next week headlined by Poly Trap Super Six, while a gumbo night (a'la the prior "punk rock ramen" event) will be held at the Feeding Your Soul Cafe on White Oak Drive East on October 18th, presumably as the first fundraiser for Oh!No IV.

As for the Hellbent concert (which is definitely advertised to take place upstairs at The Rockstar Bar), expect a 19+ age limit, 10:00 PM start time, and a 9:00 PM start time. With the holiday long weekend, there's all the more reason for hardcore punk fans to make it to this show next month, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and see above for more on Oh!No Co., which is now linked on the SMS, as is the festival proper in that section!

Next up, here's the latest from reunited local ska/hard rock band Tripod the Dog, who still don't have a newly updated online page to promote activity with (their Facebook group was manned by the departed Greg Beharriel), so what's new from their camp? Well, as it turns out, the Mark Oliverio-led band actually played their first advertised concert in five months this past Friday when they made their apparent debut at The Esquire Club. The venue plugged the show the day prior, and Mark himself had posted a Facebook event page on his personal account, but none of this crossed our radar last week. I profusely apologize for missing it on here, but hopefully it was a huge hit, and that we hear more in advance from Tripod the Dog in the future! Based on photos floating around personal accounts, it looks like Mark has enlisted ex-Cherry Crush/Soo Fighters bandmates John & Jonny Amendola as their new bassist and drummer, ostensibly replacing Sean Berlinguette and Brian Egglesfield.

Reasons for the lineup changes haven't been publically announced, but remember that Sean & Brian were only advertised for 2018's Rotaryfest Stage 1 set and never turned up in an online public form regarding their April show at The Rockstar Bar. Father and son Amendola always have good chemistry, and hopefully they fit in well with Tripod the Dog! Personal postings imply that their show on Friday was a hit, but when will we see this veteran band back out there? Stay tuned for more when/if it rolls in!

Finally for today, here's some new updates from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback from earlier this month, starting with the reveal on their Facebook page that they have made official band t-shirts that are now on sale for $25 in all sizes! Designed by Celeste's Art & Photography (Celeste and bassist Matt Quinn pictured), the primary artwork takes more inspiration from tarot cards than traditional punk imagery, though you can easily make a tie to their song "Everlasting Despair", and it's a cool design! As well, A Dire Setback shared this new teaser clip for the studio version of "Kicking & Screaming" to their Facebook page and YouTube channel around that same time, which only runs for 25 seconds, but it shows us more of the song and music video than their prior teaser! The nicely put together video features a longer sample of the song, plus small preview images of the video, seemingly informing us that building vandalism is a running theme and expands beyond hurling a toilet off of the second floor.

We will know very soon how the video and full song have came out, as the final video will apparently be posted online this Saturday, so keep that date in mind. In the interim, t-shirts can be ordered through band members at the links above, and all proceeds will go towards physical printing costs for the CD. Give the video teaser a look below, and stay tuned for updates!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Costanzas), Peril Concert Previews, And More From Rotaryfest!!

Before we kick off this news/weekend concert preview post, I wanted to apologize for a missed show on here, as Tym Morrison was among the live entertainment at the launch of this year's Sault Pridefest outside of the Civic Center on Monday afternoon. Though not publically advertised in advance by organizers, Tym confirmed the set on his personal Facebook page on Sunday, and he's featured in a photo from Darren Taylor's SooToday article on the event. Profuse apologies for missing this set, we'd have covered it here had it gotten advance notice online, but hopefully Tym's set went well, and that Pridefest is another huge hit this week!

Now, today's post features some more Rotaryfest fallout, this weekend's slim pickings for hard rock concert previews, and first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, as Montreal ska/jazz punk quartet The Costanzas will make their Sault Ste. Marie debut as headliners at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, August 4th! With an upbeat, noise-filled blend of punk sub-genres, free spirit, and sense of humour, The Costanzas have a solid and edgy sound that should attract a good crowd next weekend, so don't miss out then! Local punk trio Stegadeth will open in their first show since returning home from Spiderfest, while a second local opener is to be announced. It is worth noting that one of the event hosts is The Killenials, who launched their Facebook page locally last month, but I cannot confirm if they're co-organizers, the planned second opening act, or something else entirely. You may be able to infer who's involved based on Facebook likes, but I won't speculate yet.

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this early stop on The Costanzas' Canadian tour has a $5 cover charge, a 9:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. This should be a fun night of punk rock action, so visit the official Facebook event page for current details, and stay tuned for more on who exactly The Killenials are!

Next up, we have a very quiet weekend for hard rock concerts in the area (even Tym Morrison isn't advertised for a public gig at press time), so for a heavier fix, Sault Michigan is your best bet. There, you can check out Traverse City classic metal trio Peril, who are advertised to return to The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Note that Peril have oddly not plugged these shows on their Facebook page this week, but their Reverbnation page announced them earlier this year, and we'll let you know if their status changes. This weekend's shows are surprisingly their first in Sault Ste. Marie this year, following the cancellation of their April weekend at the same venue, so if you've missed Peril's fan favourite covers attack, head down to the Soo Kewadin this weekend! Expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover, and 21+ age limits both nights. See above for more details, and here's Peril live!

We'll close today with some more fall-out from this year's Rotaryfest musical entertainment, startinw with coverage from The Sault Star, who conducted interviews before the festival with Stampeders frontman Rich Dodson and Stage 2's Thursday headliner Mark "M.D." Dunn, which are both highly worth reading, and they include some new (to me) information, like the makeup of M.D.'s Innocent Weapon Ensemble backing band, and that Rich Dodson's kids are in Parallels, the Toronto electronic band that headlined Stage 2 on Friday! The Sault Star's Brian Kelly was on hand for all three days of the festival, getting scattered pictures from both stages, and you can click here for photos of four bands from the stages on Thursday, here for a photo of Treble Charger's Bill Priddle on Friday night, and here for photos from The Stampeders' set on Saturday. He did tread some of the same ground on Thursday as Donna Hopper did for SooToday, but each batch of photos is worth checking out on their own merits!

SooToday did post one video to their YouTube channel of performers on the Stage 2 (they sponsored it this year, after all.) Unfortunately, it is only 57 seconds long, and it only features three bands from the first two lineups, oddly out of performance order. It starts with The Barn Board Trio's set on Saturday afternoon, before transitioning to Friday co-headliners Id Iota (albeit for just 9 seconds) and closing with The Elements' opening set on Saturday. I wish there was more to this video, but the recording quality is excellent while it lasts, so check it out below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Big Wreck & Bizotic), Plus New Videos!!

At last, here's our first full news post of November 2017, which contains some new videos and a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS featuring returning headline bands, including one we haven't seen in over a decade and a half! Here's what you should know!

A big new Rockstar Bar show will take place Saturday, November 18th, where a few punk/alternative bands will open for Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks in that band's fourth local headlining appearance in the past two years! Last seen in July at The Canadian, Dany and company have proven to be a fan favourite band in their recent local stops, and while not a hard rock band per say, their upbeat and free-flowing originals should get another solid response next month! Local openers will include indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic, alt-punk trio Handsome Sandwich, and former Lion Ride bassist Brenton Ellis' new acoustic solo project Slumshine, who you can check out at this link if you haven't seen or heard yet. Solid choices, with some heavier and punk flourishes for genre fans, so don't miss out on the opening acts! Notably, this show is being co-promoted by photographer Josh Pace and Larry Babic, in the latter's first public show booking since his apparent departure from Live705.

For what it's worth, Live705 no longer list Larry on staff, but there has not been a statement publically on his status as singer with A Dire Setback. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, but stay tuned for potential public announcements on either! Admission for this 9:00 PM & 19+ show is $10 at the door or $8 in advance, though advance ticket sale details are not public yet. This is shaping up to be another entertaining concert, so visit the official Facebook event page for continuing details!

Next up, here's our first hard rock concert announcement of 2018, and it's a big one, as Juno-nominated Toronto/Boston hard rock quartet Big Wreck will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday, February 13th when they headline at The Machine Shop! Familiar sights to fans of Canadian rock dating back to the mid-1990s with hits like "The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted)", "Albatross", and "One Good Piece Of Me", this show will mark Big Wreck's first local stop since (as best as I can tell) October 2001 at Sault College. Not only will fans waiting for the past 16 years be rewarded by their return, but the show will come at the mid-point of Big Wreck's tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album "In Loving Memory Of", so if you love that multi-platinum CD, expect lots of it in February! At press time, potential opening bands (local or otherwise) have not been announced, and unfortunately, this is an 18+ concert.

Tickets for this concert are $35 and go on sale THIS FRIDAY at The Machine Shop's box office, at the community box office at the Station Mall, and online at this link, while there will be VIP passes available with many intriguing perks, so click here for full details on that front as they roll in. It's great to finally see Ian Thornley and company back on a local stage, and I know that many fans will be curious to hear selections from their debut album and other hits in three months' time! Stay tuned for more updates when they roll in!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with the long awaited sixth episode of local promoters Six, Two, Oh.'s in-studio performance webseries Live at Six, Two, Oh.! After a nearly year long hiatus following the Blessed episode in December (with their cancelled online battle of the bands coming in between), the new episode went online on Wednesday via the series' Facebook page, with a potential YouTube channel posting in limbo. At least they're back, hopefully we're not waiting until next fall for episode #8! Like their last episode with Vancouver pop punk band Blessed and their second with Montreal electronic artist Citadel, this episode revolves around a touring act that wasn't playing a local concert when they stopped through to tape live at Six, Two, Oh., and the band in question is Winnipeg death metal quartet Entity. In a slight change in format, the episode was broken into two chunks for it's initial upload, including their songs "Instinct to Exterminate" (embedded below) and "Scaphism".

While it is a shame that Entity didn't get a local concert booking, these Live at Six, Two, Oh. episodes are a great consolation prize, with multiple camera angles capturing their brutal death metal sound, and they have very solid guitar work and clear vocals to boot! Remember, this episode is broken in half, so check out "Scaphism" above, but give the first song a look below, stay tuned for more on future Live at Six, Two, Oh. installments, and hopefully Entity can play here down the road!



Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan area-independent label Werehold Records' YouTube channel, which features label founder/Life's Eclipse guitarist (among other bands) Jason Mills trying out his new nine-string guitar! A rare video for the Werehold channel in a few ways (such as not being on Friday the 13th & featuring Jason talking to the camera), this is a nice demonstration of Jason's new toy, and it'll be interesting to hear it factor in to his future music, so give it a look below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (AlgomA), New Video Finds, And More Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to acknowledge late changes to the K.I.C.K./Elements show at LopLops Lounge on Friday, which did not take place (Saskatoon's Whiskey Jerks played on Friday after all.) The concert was actually scheduled for last night, with K.I.C.K. citing a booking mix-up at the venue for the error, but as they were in Ophir for the Northern Vibe Festival, they missed what was actually the Chicken-Like Birds show, only with The Elements now playing after them in lieu of Sometimes Ange. Hopefully it was a great show from both bands, and apologies on our end for not getting this on the site sooner! Now, for today's post, here's some new videos, assorted updates, and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local doom metal trio AlgomA and local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver are joining forces for an eastern Canada tour next month in honour of the impending release of their "Trading Faces" split tape, and the tour will wrap up with a New American Pub concert here in the Soo on Monday, October 2nd! Marking arguably their largest Canadian tour run yet, this will be AlgomA's first local concert appearance in 3 months, while it will be Shit Liver's first stop in their hometown in about a year & a half, so if you've missed Josh, Mike, and Matt since last spring, don't miss their New A return in October! This show is one of 11 dates scheduled for the two bands this fall, including the tour kick-off in Toronto on September 22nd, a St. Catharine's show on the 25th, a Montreal date on the 28th, and shows in North Bay and Sudbury on the 30th and October 1st as they wrap things in the north, so stay tuned to band pages for details on other tour dates. FYI, the bottom of the poster seemingly confirms a release date of September 17th for "Trading Faces", which hasn't been stated otherwise by either band.

Potential extra bands have not been announced as of this writing, nor has a cover charge or event page, but expect this show to be a 19+ event with a 9:00 PM start time on October 2nd, and I'd be surprised if Six, Two, Oh. weren't promoting, given their obvious AlgomA ties. Despite being a Monday nighter, it's great to see AlgomA and Shit Liver join forces for a tour to match their upcoming split, so stay tuned for the teased early digital release and more on "Trading Faces" as it rolls in, and of course, keep watch for updates on what will be a highly anticipated night of local metal!

Next up, here's a new Jimi Hendrix cover video courtesy of... Shit Liver frontman Josh Penno?! In a cover that sort falls into the void between the aforementioned band and their St. Catharine's-based bluegrass side project Dirtfight, this rendition of "Hear My Train A Comin'" was posted to Josh's YouTube channel earlier this month under the handle "Penno-Cash". The video was produced by his own independent film company Spacebag Productions, and features shots of him walking (I presume) outdoors in St. Catharine's, as intercut with Josh playing acoustically on a plain white backdrop. While Dirtfight opened up a new side to the guys of Shit Liver already, this bluesy unplugged solo number does more of that, and Josh has a very good clean singing voice that fits the track! Give Josh's solo performance a look below, and watch for guest appearances from an AlgomA patch!

Also today, here's a Blood Shed Productions track that I only just discovered when compiling their YouTube channel's feature profile on Friday, one which I thought warranted a belated mention in a post, and it's the label's first rap-rock song! Posted to their channel back in June 2015, the song is "The King of Rhymes & References" by label rapper Jean-Paul "Phat Boii" Archambault, but he has a full band behind him, including Them's Tyler St. Amour on guitar, Rotopsy bassist Tyler Gibson, and his Brutally Fatal bandmate Austin McCrae on drums (not to mention, Jean-Paul was a former bandmate of Tyler's in the defunct Tomgrindy.) The song proper has the instrumentation mixed too low, but Phat Boii's rhymes are amusing and quick while retaining the skill seen in his traditional songs! This is also partly notable as a Blood Shed Productions song with a full band rather than a minimalist solo/duo act, so it's worth a listen on that basis, which you can do below!



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 promoter name:

• Griphook are back! After taking over a year off following their Rotaryfest Stage 1 set last July (largely due to frontman Joel Syrette's college commitments out of town), the hard rock cover quartet announced on their Facebook page on Wednesday that their hiatus has ended, and that they "will be coming at you live real soon". No word yet on their return date, but this is great news from this talented veteran outfit, so stay tuned for Griphook's next shows when announced, and they're back in our active band links!
• A young local guitarist named Rainey Rancourt is looking for a metal and rock-liking drummer who'd be willing to jam with him and an already-found bassist towards some original compositions. If you're interested in more details, message Rainey at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• The aforementioned Six, Two, Oh. have apparently cancelled plans to host an online battle of the bands in December, as per the Facebook event page on Friday, simply saying "Yeah, nah..." in regards to the event. A reason for the online battle's cancellation wasn't announced, but given that band registrations weren't slated to begin until November, I hesitate to immediately blame low band interest. This was shaping up to be an intriguing contest, but hopefully Six, Two, Oh. revive their Live @ series on YouTube in another form, and don't miss their next concerts!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site as the month winds down, including this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Jack Spades & Northwest), A "New" Live @ Six, Two, Oh. Episode, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to acknowledge a short notice show that, while publically announced, is not being covered here due to the nature of the event. Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 are playing tonight at Moloney's Alley as part of the Sault Area High School class of 1997 reunion, but according to the Facebook event page, this is "an outdoor private party" intended for 1997 graduates and guests brought with them. It's great to see Project 906 back after a month off, private event or not, so keep this in mind for tonight if you're in the 1997 grad class of Sault High! Now, here's a new video, some assorted updates, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

At least five local music acts will join forces on Saturday, July 1st (one week from today) for a special Canada Day bash at The Rockstar Bar! Unlike recent years at this venue, the Canada Day event won't feature a single cover band, with Paperclip Productions' Daniel Horton booking this showcase of local talent next week, so who can you look for on Canada Day? In apparent performance order, the last listed band are indie rock quartet K.I.C.K., with hard rock populating the rest of the bill, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their new lineup's third show (including Daniel on guitar), funk/hard rock veterans The Elements (in their second show of the year), Daniel's other hard rock band Eclipse, and that band's frontman Curtis McKenzie in his revived solo project's Rockstar Bar debut. Solid lineup overall, and the Facebook event page implies that more is coming, so stay tuned?

Note that a set by death metal standouts The Bear Hunters was originally listed for this event, but it was quietly removed for unannounced reasons. Hopefully nothing bad happened, they'd have added a brutal component next week! An 8:00 PM start time is listed for this Canada Day concert, which has a 19+ age limit and a $5 cover. Everything is adding up well for this holiday weekend concert, with a nice selection of familiar faces joining forces next week, so visit the above links for current and upcoming updates!

Next up, the aforementioned K.I.C.K. will join indie/punk quintet Northwest for a joint concert at LopLops Lounge on Friday, July 14th! Possibly timed on purpose to coincide with Rotaryfest weekend (stay tuned for the lineup reveals on both stages) and the previous day's Downtown Street Party that K.I.C.K. are also playing, this is part of a busy month for the Keep It Cool Kids, but it will be just the second show of 2017 (and first in almost 2 months) for Northwest. If you haven't seen much of them live in the past year, keep this double bill in mind for LopLops in three weeks time, and hopefully both bands have some material from their recent studio sessions in store! A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for next month's show, and as usual for LopLops, this is a 19+ event with a $5 cover charge. This should be a fun concert for indie and punk fans, so keep it in mind for Rotaryfest weekend, and visit the Facebook event page for more details!

Also today, here's a "new" video of local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA, and in particular, it's the first episode of their studio's YouTube performance series Live @ Six, Two, Oh. to be unveiled on their YouTube channel in six months (and first with a local artist in ten months!) Now, this isn't brand new, as it's actually episode #0 of the webseries, originally filmed in May 2015 for a private upload, presumably as a test or proof of concept before the series proper launched that August. With Live @ Six, Two, Oh. planned to return in full force in December via Six, Two, Oh.'s planned online battle of the bands, this is a nice way to re-introduce fans to the dormant series, even if two years late, so keep it in mind! The episode features AlgomA playing their original songs "Failed Stunt Fatality" (released on their split with Hooded Menace this year) and "Fell Down A Well" from their debut EP, so click each song name to go to that particular track.

Given that this is a 2 year old performance, I'll say that AlgomA sounded brutal and heavy as usual in this video, and I like the multiple camera angles to give an overhead angle of Jamie's drumming to shake things up! The mirror behind him is oddly placed though. Prospective bands interested in Six, Two, Oh.'s online battle may want to watch this episode too so they can get a sense of what to expect if they sign up later this year, so give everything a look for both Live @ Six, Two, Oh. and the battle above & below!



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

• Chronic Demonic are alive! After last posting a public update referencing band activity in 2014, guitarist Kevin Powe updated fans on their Facebook page on Friday that they are still a band, are slowly learning songs, and hope to jam next week with the full band for the first time in over a year. Kevin also left the door open for the death metal quartet to play live for the first time in four years later this summer, and jam photos of Chronic Demonic (sans drummer Jonathan Harvey) were also posted last month. It's very encouraging to hear that Chronic Demonic are still alive & kicking, so see above for more info, and they're back in our active band links!
• Local concert promoters Live705 have announced that both of their Canadian Nightclub concerts next month (Vaultry in two weeks & Project 421 in four weeks) are now ALL AGES! No word on if they're permanently scrapping their brief experiment with 18+ shows as a result, or if this is an experiment of it's own, but it sounds like a positive move to me, as The Canadian has proven to be a solid venue for Live705 and for all ages events from other promoters, so keep the lack of age restrictions in mind for next month! As with the 18+ Live705 events, bracelets will be issued to 19+ attendees.
• A woman named Tiffany Cuthbertson is looking for country or rock bands to play an event of some kind on Sunday, August 6th in nearby Goulais River, Ontario, possibly stemming from her Musicians Wanted group search in May for a then-unidentified event, though I can't confirm if this is it. There's already a fair amount of interest, but if you want more details, read her post from that group last week or message her at this link for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Darsombra), An Online(?!) Battle Of The Bands, And New Videos!!

On this summer solstice, here's a new news post to take in this morning, so what will you find? Updates on a recently re-opened and renamed local business, new videos of a reunited hard rock band, and preliminary details on a battle of the bands unlike any you've seen locally before, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month!!

Baltimore, Maryland psychedelic hard rock duo Darsombra will make their local concert debut when they headline at The New American Pub on Monday, July 17th! One of the most unique bands to hit a local stage this summer, Darsombra unite a guitarist and synth player (no vocals or drums) into an audiovisual experience with a video screen, extended 10 minute+ jams, and a hard to pin down sound that can be heavy, droning, or trippy at a moment's notice. They're hard to describe, so I recommend watching Darsombra videos online to see what they have to offer (don't just listen!) Local openers will include alternative/funk/hard rock quartet Bizotic and new local drone/noise trio Pointless (featuring Treble Charger, Pillory, and Ashes To Dust alumni), and both should compliment things in their own way in just under a month's time! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time and a $7 cover charge.

This promises to be one of the most unique concert bills of 2017, with Darsombra an experience all of their own, Bizotic continuing their upward momentum, and Pointless playing just their second concert that we've heard about, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for full current details, and see above for more on the bands next month!

Next up, here's an intriguing announcement from the aforementioned Six, Two, Oh., courtesy of their Facebook page yesterday, as the local concert promoters will be hosting an online battle of the bands at some point after December 5th! Rather than host a typical battle as part of a live concert, this is actually an online contest, with the aim being to have at least 7 bands enter with $150 entry fees (which is high, but you have over five months to save money if you're interested.) As far as I can tell, competitors will be featured in individual episodes of the label's dormant YouTube series Live @ Six, Two, Oh. in the winter, and after a one-per-person voting period (specific details not yet clear), the winner will earn the chance to record a fully mastered EP of up to 22 minutes in length at Six, Two, Oh.'s studios. The EP will also be released in a limited cassette tape run (a'la AlgomA's upcoming split with Shit Liver) if at least 7 bands sign up for the online battle.

In terms of who can register, Six, Two, Oh. have opened the floodgates to any acts (including rappers) in the Twin Saults, as long as you can make it to their studios to tape the Live @ Six, Two, Oh. episode for your entry. This is definitely a unique idea, and I'm very curious to see how it shapes up come December, especially if some Sault Michigan bands try their hand in it! Entries will start being accepted on November 20th, so if you want in on Six, Two, Oh.'s first online battle of the bands, start saving that $150, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also today, here's the first videos of local hard rock quartet Eclipse post-reunion, courtesy of their Facebook page on Monday! Filmed at their Rockstar Bar set on June 10th, no less than ten videos were posted from the show, apparently comprising their entire set, and before anyone's scared off, these are full concert videos, not audio recordings! The identical image of the band was added in post as a thumbnail, similarly to frontman Curtis McKenzie's recent solo uploads. Covers from the show include System of a Down's "B.Y.O.B." (with Handsome Sandwich frontman Johnny Belanger on guest vocals) and "Lonely Day", Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song", Velvet Revolver's "Slither", Billy Talent's "Fallen Leaves", and Seether's "Remedy", while the other four are of originals or songs taken on from the defunct Haggith & Punch, including two with a pair of songs each. Those include both "Metal Cage" & "Wasted", the newer "Upon the Hills", "Tyranny", and as embedded below, both "Cry Wolf" & "Silver Bullet"

All filmed from a stationary camera amongst the tables at the venue, the quality is mixed on these videos, with solid audio undercut by occasional frame rate drops and attendees standing in front of the camera, sometimes for extended periods. That said, Eclipse sound good compared to their first run, and if you look past the obvious newer touches (Handsome Sandwich's banner, Fred's longer hair), it's like they never broke up at all! Give Eclipse's new videos a look above & below!

Finally, here's the latest from Sault Michigan music store Crooked Music, which re-opened two weeks ago after renovations at the former Grooves Music wrapped up! Now owned by former Half Stupid/Plastic frontman Zac Crook and his wife Christy, the "new" store was profiled in this Sault Evening News article by Nick Nolan, which features interview remarks from the Crooks, so what can we glean from the article? Well, it turns out that Grooves owner Gary Hatch was looking to sell the business (hence the ownership change), Crooked Music is open daily except Sundays, they have expanded their inventory to include vinyl records, band t-shirts, and memorabilia, they explain the meaning behind the new yellow table & chairs in front of the 540 Ashmun Street storefront, and more. I like that Crooked Music is expanding more into record store territory, and hopefully local music CDs are still stocked there to go along with the added vinyl!

Crooked Music are still offering instruments, gear, and lessons, with instructors there now including Zac's former Plastic bandmates Matt Williams (bass) and Aaron DePalma (drums), as well as Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins, who stars in the store's Facebook page's only video so far, where he demonstrates a Fender amplifier that they have on consignment. Nice bluesy performance from this talented local axeslinger, and I'm sure he'll be a quality instructor! Best of luck to Zac, Christy, and staff with Crooked Music, and if you're a musician or music lover in the E.U.P., consider a trip there in the near future! Give Joe's new video a look below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (AlgomA), New Video Postings, And More!!

The month of August is winding down, so let's get at least one more news post in for good measure! Today on the SMS, we have some assorted recent news and notes that tie into our lead stories, plus a pair of new concert video finds from out of town, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this fall, so here's what you need to know! (Yes, I know about THIS SUNDAY'S Dumpster Mummy show, but due to the late notice, we're holding our full preview for Thursday's weekend concert preview post.)

Six, Two, Oh.'s punk rock bingo series will return to The New American Pub on Devil's Night (Sunday, October 30th), and local doom metal trio AlgomA will be among the local openers! Playing their first announced show since next month's Castle concert, this should be another solid avenue for their crushing sludge attack, so don't miss AlgomA at The New A the night before Halloween! The show will be headlined, in another varied genre event from the promoters, by Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan southern rock trio Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities, who are a skilled and energetic band in their own right! Also, note that frontman John Dale actually only has 2 fingers on one hand, but trust me, he plays guitar very well with them! One more local opening band is to be announced, and if some recent Six, Two, Oh. shows have taught us anything, it's that anyone could be signed on, so stay tuned for updates! As a Halloween weekend event, there will also be a costume contest, so come dressed to impress and you may win a prize!

As for the punk rock bingo, this is the fifth installment of that series, and first since April's Black Tremor show, so if you missed this event over the summer (especially after it's removal from July's Cocaine Moustache show), get your dabbers ready for October 30th! Brent Ellis will also return as the caller. A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, which has a 9:00 PM start time, and additional fees are applicable for the bingo cards, though remember that prizes await! For more details, visit the Facebook event page, and stay tuned for more from Six, Two, Oh. at post's end!

Next up, here's a new video of local punk/metal quartet Jack Spades playing at the annual Spiderfest in Meyersburg, Ontario last month! No strangers to this annual punk festival an hour east of Peterborough, this was posted by YouTube user eatmills yesterday as part of their massive slate of uploads from the festival, and it's both the band's most recent concert to date, and if personal Facebook postings are accurate, their last before bassist Justin Lam cut his hair short. The 24 minute video features Jack Spades playing "They Live", "Rise", "Breakneck Speed", "Crossroads", "Motorwolf", their cover of The Ripcordz' "X" (with Paul Gott himself on guest vocals), "To The Left", and "Negative Headspace", so click each link to go to each individual song! Though the video starts with some odd post-production usage of band photos in the titles, and an introduced rendition of "Fear Corps" wasn't played, the video is well shot from a good angle, and fans don't get in the way much thanks to the raised stage!

Jack Spades sound solid as ever, and they make the most of their current one-guitarist sound, so kudos to eatmills for the footage, give it a look below, and don't miss Jack Spades THIS THURSDAY at The Rockstar Bar when they open for SNFU!



Also, here's a new video posting of inactive local/Toronto indie/punk veterans Treble Charger from their set at the annual Koi Music Festival in Kitchener in September 2013! Posted by YouTube user BandAid Babe two weeks ago, this is one of numerous concert videos on her channel, though no word on why this took three years to come online. The video is of Greig, Bill, and company playing their classic song "Red", albeit on a very far angle from the vertical cell phone camera perspective, and for only 58 seconds. If you can get around those elements, the audio is fantastic, and it's nice to see this footage at last, so check it out below!



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

• The aforementioned AlgomA (and Saskatchewan stoner metal band Chronobot) had their split vinyl EP reviewed by Patrick "Dragon" Whitaker of Metal Nexus earlier this month, where he positively critiqued both bands' halves of the split, essentially saying that the two bands aren't for the weak hearted, but are recommended for genre fans. Not a bad little review, if with some reservations, so check it out at this link!
• Remember how it was suggested on Facebook that THIS THURSDAY'S SNFU show would be J.D. Pearce's last promoted show of the year? Well, in a comment on the Facebook event page (linked above) for October 30th's punk rock bingo event, he confirmed that he'll "be hosting a Halloween party that night." If this remains a publically attendable concert like before, it'll be his 12th straight, but the Sunday placement would be atypical compared to past years. We'll keep you guys posted when/if more is announced!
• Along with the punk rock bingo announcement, promoters Six, Two, Oh. have also plugged a show for Friday, October 28th (just three days prior) to be headlined by Gatineau, Quebec doom metal band Norilsk, with AlgomA and a yet-unknown local band opening. With that said, we are awaiting confirmation of a venue before officially calling it on here, but for reference sake, Six, Two, Oh. usually promotes at either The New A, The Oddfellows Hall, The Moose Lodge, or 180 Projects. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and when a venue is confirmed, we'll let you know!

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

qaz

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (K-Man & The 45s, Bloody Diamonds, And Banned), Plus Six, Two, Oh. Show Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed show on here, as local classic/hard rock quartet The 3 Day Millionaires apparently played at The Rockstar Bar on Friday (at least, I can't confirm if they played last night too.) The band and venue never confirmed the shows online publically, and I only heard about Friday's show via drummer Scott McLurg's personal Facebook page yesterday. Hopefully it was a great show, we'd have covered it had we known about it! Now, here's some concert updates, and first, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on both sides of the border! (Updated at 11:49 PM)

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to the annual Sugar Island Music Festival for sets on Friday, August 12th & Saturday, August 13th! No strangers to this annual local music festival after having played there annually in recent years, Banned will up things with two sets this year, which will see them play at 7:45 PM on the 12th and 8:30 PM on the 13th. As usual for the Sugar Island Festival, the lineup at large is comprised of folk and country bands, largely sans online pages, with many repeating from past years, including acts like 3-Zip, All Arms, 3½ Men, 2 ¢, and Frank Kieronski sharing the stage with Banned on both days. For the full schedule for both days (and Sunday the 14th), visit this link! However, note that Banned themselves have yet to confirm their involvement this year. As usual, admission is $10 for the whole weekend (no single day passes) via buttons that you can purchase at Grooves Music in the Soo, or at The Hilltop Bar, Ed's Bayview Store, and the Westshore Convenience Store on Sugar Island, and presumably at the gate.

Kids under 12 get in FREE with adult accompaniment, and click here for details on camping and other fees, plus directions to the festival grounds. It should be fun to see Banned back on familiar summer festival ground next month, so consider the trip east to Sugar Island in two weeks time for all of the action, and see above for full details!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario for a pair of newly announced September concerts from promoters Six, Two, Oh. at The New American Pub, starting with the return of Montreal ska punk favourites K-Man & The 45s, who will return to the Soo on Saturday, September 17th! Making their fourth fall concert appearance in Sault Ste. Marie in as many years, this will be K-Man & The 45s' second local concert at The New American, but this year, it has the added quirk of being in support of their new album! We're well accustomed to this fan friendly quintet's ska punk intensity by now, so make sure to bring extra cash to get your copy, and might we see a Ska-Mones set for good measure? Recently dormant local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will reprise their 2015 role as openers for The 45s on September 17th, but unlike last year, a second local opening band may be added. Like the Bloody Diamonds show on the 2nd, this show has a $5 cover, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. It's great to see K-Man & The 45s back in the Soo once again, so visit the official Facebook event page for full current information on their return!

Six, Two, Oh.'s other newly announced New A show in September will be headlined by Halifax/Toronto dark blues rock quartet Bloody Diamonds on Sunday, October 2nd! Not to be confused with the more locally familiar Diemonds (who are also a female fronted band from Southern Ontario), Bloody Diamonds are coming off the recent release of their "Tough Love" EP, and their catchy yet gloomy blend of blues and hard rock should be the right medicine for many fans at The New A in October! Local alternative hard rock trio The Din will open in one of their first post-CD release concerts (and a rare New A appearance), while at least one additional local band is to be announced. A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ show, which will start at 9:00 PM on October 2nd. This should be a fun night of hard rocking action, so visit the official Facebook event page for current and upcoming details on this show!

Finally for today, here's some local opener details for two more upcoming Six, Two, Oh. shows at The New American Pub that we had announced on the site already, as confirmed on Facebook event pages in the last few days! One is the Debutaunt concert on August 9th (one week from Tuesday), which has quite the eclectic opener lineup to support the Edmonton pop punk band, as rapper Mikey Thomas & stand up comedian Shane McGuigan will open this show! I wouldn't have predicted either (and I'm not familiar with Shane at all), but it'll definitely be interesting to see how this merger of punk, rap, and comedy goes on August 9th! The other lineup addition is for the Big Brother-headlined show on Saturday, August 20th, as the aforementioned Elements will open in their first announced concert in four months, so welcome them back to the stage in three weeks time in their first of two upcoming ska punk shows at The New A! At least one more opener is to be announced for that show, so stay tuned for updates!

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

SweetKenny Album Updates, New Videos, And More Recent Updates!!

We're now into battle week for this month's two battles of the bands just days away from commencing, but before we dive into our previews of each, here's a new news post for your Monday morning! Today, we have some assorted recent updates, new videos from two local bands and some extra notes on both, but first, here's a new album release!

Dafter, Michigan hard rock musician Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton has released his 17th official solo album onto his Bandcamp page on February 5th! Entitled "White Knuckles", it is Ken's fifth straight solo release to be themed as a score for use in films or video games, as has been his focus since last summer, with "White Knuckles" intended as music for a slasher-themed work. It's a relatively short release, but if you're a fan of SweetKenny's film score phase, this should be up your alley, so pick it up at the above links for $7! In terms of when you might see a review of this album or another from SweetKenny, the earliest that one might come would be in July, due to our 6 month buffer from our "Hitman Files" review in January, as to avoid a potential bias, but a review is very possible for July! Now, if you've been missing SweetKenny's regular song output since June's "Fleabag Hotel", a new song named "Blue Jeans" was posted onto Bandcamp today, so what should you know about it?

It's a blues rocker with vocals about a woman in the title clothing, and while it has posted artwork like it's an album of the same name, I can't confirm if it'll be on his next album or not, but official pages have credited titles like "Cartoons", "Epic Music", and (most recently) "In Your Face" for future releases. In any event, look for more from this prolific E.U.P. musician as the year progresses, and check out his release solo output above!

Next up, here's the latest from local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control, so what's been going on with Michael, Dustin, and Keeghan lately? While we await the reveal of their "Scratch" music video on March 25th, the guys shared this photo on their Facebook page yesterday of the guys performing with the caption "Demoing the new record." Did they mean they were practicing songs from December's debut "Probably Not", or is a sophomore album already in the works? We'll let you know if anything's said! In the meantime, The Pixo Control are the fifth band (and third local act) to perform on local concert promoters Six, Two, Oh.'s YouTube performance series "Live At Six, Two, Oh.", with their episode uploaded last week. Within, the guys play their songs "Tall Ships" & "Scratch" from their first CD, complete with a plug for the series in between, and the footage is filmed on multiple camera angles like with prior full-band episodes

This video is well edited and captures strong performances from this fast-rising local trio, so Pixo Control fans should be right at home here, especially as this is arguably their best quality performance clip with Dustin Goodall on bass yet! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from both The Pixo Control and Live At Six, Two, Oh. (which is now in our "Other Local Metal Links" section) in due course!



Also today, here's the latest from local pop punk quartet Stereo North, who as you may remember, will compete in this year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands once again THIS WEDNESDAY at The Canadian Nightclub! Frontman Andrew Pucci ran a contest among his Facebook friends last week to give away tickets to the battle (via liking the band on Facebook and commenting on his contest post), with the winner being decided/revealed in this video courtesy of 20-sided dice. Fun way to decide the winner, and it allows entrants to see it being done fairly! For reference, when we randomly choose feature profiles on the SMS, we use www.random.org. As well, Stereo North were recorded covering A Flock Of Seagulls' "I Ran" by PaperClip Productions at the end of their Fishbowl Festival acoustic set at The Gore Street Cafe this past Friday, as posted online yesterday. While in an intimate unplugged style, Stereo North fans should enjoy it, and it's well recorded, so give it a listen below, and don't miss Stereo North at the battle on Wednesday!



Finally for today, here's some assorted recent notes from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or website name:

• Local glam/power pop trio Caroline Divine will guest as a backing band for local/Toronto indie rock musician Jesse Merineau during his set at THURSDAY'S Speak Easy Battle of the Bands! Jesse confirmed their involvement last monyh via his official Facebook event page for the battle. Though they're technically guests for Jesse's set (where he'll preview tracks for his upcoming debut album), this will be Caroline Divine's first public concert of the year if you count it as their own set. Can they help Jesse come out on top on Thursday at this fan-voted battle? Be there to find out!
• Local musician Peytan Andreola is looking for a bassist "to join in and jam the metal grooves", as per his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week. No word on if this relates to the same band that Peytan was looking for a drummer for last summer, but if you're interested in being the bass slapper for this project, messaege him above or at this link!
• We have added local musician/Gore Street Cafe co-owner Sam Decter's blog The Tinderbox to our "Other Local Metal Links" section, as a number of his articles there cover hard rock and punk artists in varying forms, including via recent Fishbowl Festival coverage and articles with acts like The Pixo Control and Telephone & Address. Sam doesn't post on The Tinderbox all that often, but he has posted a lot of interesting articles on arts and culture there over the past year, so check everything out above!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our preview of night #1 of the VM Radio Battle of the Bands next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lucky 13 & Mourning Wood) Plus New Videos!!

News has been slow lately, but let's help remedy that with a new news post on this snowy Wednesday! We have new videos from two alternative projects to round things out, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for cover bands' seasonal dates to the end the year!

Local alternative hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to The Rednecks Saloon on both Christmas and Boxing Day (or, next Friday & Saturday!) Though the band hasn't confirmed these gigs yet, they were actually promoted via this holiday schedule photo on the venue's Facebook page yesterday. It's fairly rare to see the former Nicolet Tavern give advance advertising of scheduled bands online, so kudos to them! These will come just two weeks after Lucky 13's last shows at Rednecks (this past weekend), and will give the guys a nice avenue to rock out before 2015 wraps up, so consider a trip downtown to see Lucky 13's entertaining covers over the holidays! Like usual, their shows next weekend will be 10:00 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges, though The Rednecks Saloon has special hours over the holidays, so keep them in mind too. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Lucky 13!

Next up, were you wondering who'd be playing at The Rednecks Saloon on New Year's Eve? None other than local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood, who will ring in 2016 with a second straight New Year's Eve concert there on Thursday, December 31st! As revealed via this Facebook event page last Friday, this will be Mourning Wood's last concert of the year (naturally), and unless they have shows to be announced in the interim, their first since Toystock IV last month, so fans of Terry, Steven, Paul, and Glen's often heavy covers will want to take note come the 31st! The event page also mentions that the show will be themed similarly to last year's masquerade ball-themed party, so keep that in mind too. Also, note that we have yet to hear anything regarding if Mourning Wood are playing shows that same Friday and Saturday (January 1st & 2nd), be they at Rednecks or elsewhere, and we'll let you know if we hear anything!

Again, this show has a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit, but given the occasion & party within, this will be a ticketed event, with tickets going for $10, which will get you party favours and access to a poutine bar & champagne to keep the party rolling. Tickets are available at The Rednecks Saloon or through Mourning Wood band members, so check the above links for more details, and keep this show in mind as we wrap up 2015!

We'll close today with new videos, including the third installment of local concert promoters /recording studio Six, Two, Oh.'s video performance series "LIVE @ Six, Two, Oh.", which focuses on local folk/punk solo project Telephone & Address! The first official episode focusing on either a local or punk/metal band (following episodes on out of town acts The Archaics & Citadel), this was posted on the show's YouTube channel on Monday after previously being filmed two weeks ago. Filmed on a black set (instead of the jam room setting of prior episodes), the Chris Shoust-led solo project is filmed here playing an improvised song named "Leave Me Alone" and a cover of his side project The Red & Black's "The Army Song". The latter's repeated singing of "Left! Right!" can be monotonous, but this showcases Chris' musical talent well, especially if you like the folk/punk hybrid sound, and it's nice to see him playing live again! Check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Live @ Six, Two, Oh. in the near future!



Finally, here's the latest from local alternative rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din's Facebook page, so what's new in their camp? Amongst some recording sessions (whether it's just for new songs or something bigger is to be announced), the band has shared two new videos in the past couple of weeks, with the newest video from Monday being of a new song demonstrated by new guitarist Tammy Hill. I won't spoil it yet, but let's say it's not a long preview, and Mike has some amusing input! The more substantial video (from two weeks ago) is of Tammy and frontman Mike Haggith jokingly reflecting on their place in the local music scene's pecking order, compared to other contemporary bands. It's a cute video and not mean-spirited at all, though I imagine The Din will get to bigger heights in due course, they have the talent! Check it out below, and see much more from Mike Haggith & The Din at the above links! (Also, as a trivia note, Mike's former Haggith bandmate Jordan Leach guested with them at their Rockstar Bar show last month. Very good to hear!)



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's concert previews net! Thanks everyone!

Shit Liver's Documentary Teaser, And Much More Recent Updates!!

For our last post of this month (our slowest month on the SMS in almost three years), we're covering some recent news items, including a local band's long awaited first song, a new Tuned episode, and a trailer for a band's new online tour documentary, but we also have an acknowledgement of a stay of operations for one of our recurring series' at post's end. Now, here's what you should know!

Local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver are planning to release a 3 part documentary of their Western Canada tour from part one of their Homeland Debauchery Tour this spring onto their YouTube channel next month, and a trailer from it is was posted there on Friday! Set to the studio version of their song "You're Scared", it features assorted footage from the full videos to come, showcasing concert footage, antics on the road, in cities on tour, and before & after their shows for the first half, before showcasing a brief clip of "a pretty good party", before closing with a 20 second clip from frontman Josh Penno encouraging fans to subscribe to their channel and watch their other videos (somewhat unique to see that from a local band's channel!) This is a very effective teaser, especially by withholding the actual audio so we're not spoiled as to the full content, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for part 1 of the full documentary in the near future!

Next up, the newest episode of Local2's music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper went up on Saturday, and it's actually focused around an interview with local concert promoters/recording studio Six, Two, Oh! Filmed at the K'Man & The 45s concert at The New American Pub three weeks ago (click here for the episode revolving around the headliners), this features Donna interviewing Six, Two, Oh heads (and AlgomA bandmates) Boyd Rendell & Jamie Vincent on what they do as Six, Two, Oh, their work producing local albums, thoughts on that night's concert and how they got it booked, and their ideal bands to bring to Sault Ste. Marie, with footage from the show scattered throughout. I'm surprised they didn't mention punk rock bingo at all, but this is a fun (if short) interview that captures the former Oh! Right Arm's local work in a concise, informative way!  As we can't embed Local2 videos here, give this newest Tuned episode a look at this link!

Also, do you remember Troubled Mind, the newer metal project from ex-Skull After Betrayl bandmates Adam Brett & Mike Vincent? Well, it took nine months, but they finally have a video of them in action so we can check them out! On Saturday, the band uploaded this jam session video to their Facebook page of Adam & Mike playing an original song with the curious title "Richie, Why Are You Being So Fucking Bitchy?", which Mike noted might not be the best quality, may be weird, and won't sound like all of their future material. Featuring Mike on drums & Adam on vocals and guitar, Mike seemed defiant against potential criticism in the video's description, but it's hard to get a bead on Troubled Mind from the scratchy audio quality & lack of video footage after the first 4 seconds. Adam's vocals sound diverse, but I'd want to hear/see higher quality video before really judging. Still, it's nice to see the guys finally back, so give Troubled Mind's first recording a listen below!

Finally for today, I wanted to acknowledge our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Series and the lack of our usual November post to update past entries in it. I've made the decision to put the series on hiatus for a while, mainly as I'm running low on known bands from outside of the area that feature Saultites in their lineup, and a break is be ideal to gather links and restock our future reserves. I guarantee that the series will return in 2016, but when it does, it may not be a monthly feature like it was, depending on how many non-profiled bands come to our attention by that point. To keep things spread out, I plan to move our YouTube Channel Profiles to the 26th of each month until the out of town profiles return. As for our annual post that outlines changes and updates to past profiles in this series, that's coming, but it's been delayed for two reasons: it's ever-increasing length, and my own personal commitments relating to family health matters

I will have that the update post up in due course, I promise, so keep an eye out for that, and thanks for your understanding! I always try to be forthcoming and honest on here, and the series will return! That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more in the coming week! Thanks everyone!