Space Wizards & Slumshine/Rory Taillon Concert Previews, A New Album Release, And More!!

I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing Labour Day! My original plan to follow up yesterday's post with this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post has been slightly interrupted, as I really should preview two mid-week concert previews for shows at the same locale while there's still good time to get the last word out on them! Rounding things out is a new album release and some recent updates from a local metal band, so here's what you should know before school re-opens!

We'll start TOMORROW NIGHT, when local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will make their Soo Blaster debut when they open for Ottawa alt-folk singer/songwriter Rory Taillon! As far as I can gather, this will be the first time that Hails frontman Brenton Ellis has broken out his pink knit ski mask and acoustic guitar for a public Slumshine concert not tied to the Fringe North Festival since 2020. It's good to see Brent back in this guise for an increasingly rare live set, and hopefully a sizeable audience comes to hear his relatable unplugged punk originals despite being on a work/school night! Rory Taillon's headlining set will be his first in the Soo since rocking the former Gore Street Cafe eight years ago, and while not overtly punk influenced, his music does have similarities to Slumshine's in terms of his personal battles. He's a very talented musician, so folk fans won't want to bypass Rory's return tomorrow if able!

Promoted by Brent's Ha!ls bandmate Mikhal Muto, tomorrow's stop on Rory's tour in support of his new album "Now It's Dark" has a 19+ age limit, 8:00 PM start time, and admission price of $10 (tickets at this link) or $15 at the door. Should be a good time for fans of acoustic folk musicians, and Brent will have some punk laid in for his set, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Slumshine live!

Next up, this week's other mid-week Mikhal Muto-promoted concert at Soo Blaster goes down on WEDNESDAY NIGHT, as Montreal psychedelic hard rock trio The Space Wizards will be making their local debut in two days' time! If you like trippy, spacey sounds in your classic-influenced hard rock, you should take to The Space Wizards, who deliver a fun retro sensibility to their entertaining original music, so don't miss this newer touring act if you can help it on Wednesday! Local support will include hard rock quintet HeadFirst in their... first concert since rocking Shooters on Saturday, in what their Facebook page said was "gonna be a different show" as "we've had a lot going on the last little bit". No idea what they were hinting at, let alone if things will be "different" on Wednesday too, but you may find out then! The other advertised opening band is The Spaceship Opening, so who are they?

To be honest, I still don't know. I can only find references to them on social media in the context of them opening on Wednesday, so they may be intentionally staying silent until their public debut. We'll let you know when we hear something! Like the Rory Taillon/Slumshine concert tomorrow, this appears to be a 19+ event, but it has a later start time of 9:00 PM, and admission prices are $5 higher across the board ($15 in advance at this link, $20 at the door). Again, the mid-week scheduling isn't ideal, but fans of creative hard rock with classic flourishes won't want to miss out on the action at Soo Blaster on Wednesday night! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Space Wizards live!

Now to some other recent updates, starting with a brand new album release, as local alternative hard rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage released their 70th studio album yesterday! After three false starts on Bandcamp, "Waerlogas Saga 1: Konfysion Of Fyck" was released two weeks early yesterday (backdated to August 1st), and you can stream it for free on Bandcamp, YouTube, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and yes, even Boomplay. It can be bought on Bandcamp for a whopping $70, which seems steep, but this album has thirty-four songs (if released physically, it'd be a triple CD set), and purchases on Bandcamp do include the accompanying 137 page read-along comic book, which was teased on their Facebook page last month. If you don't like/use Bandcamp, you can buy the comic alone on Lulu for $90, which is noticeably higher, so you may want to take up the Bandcamp offer for the full experience!

Yes, the comic is being printed physically (6.5'' x 10.5'' dimensions), and I have not seen reference to a digital/.pdf version. 70 albums into their local career, you certainly can't fault what the Beckers, Shane, and Tony are doing to shake things up and stay creative! After all, what other local bands have comic books linked to concept albums like this? "Waerlogas Sagas 1" will be this month's CD review on the SMS (whether I have the comic or not is to be determined), but fans of Sykotyk Rampage's distinct and fun brand of "crash music" will definitely want to check everything out at the above links! For now, check out song #1 ("Chapter 1: Astro-Travellers") below!

Finally for today, let's come full circle with a new video from the aforementioned Brent Ellis' current crossover thrash/punk band Hails in concert! Uploaded to their Facebook page yesterday afternoon (after I had posted about them in yesterday's post), this sub-2 minute clip, which is vertical but mercifully not a "Reel", comes from their Carmen-less set at the Humber River Arts & Music Festival in Toronto on August 24th, and sees them playing "Thrashmastertenbillion" from their debut EP "Rock And Rolls". Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that this is the very same song played by Slumshine in the 2019 preview clip embedded above, and I'd never made the connection before that that song originated as an acoustic Slumshine track before Brent's later band adopted it! The camera glare isn't ideal here, and the vertical orientation really isn't ideal (why accentuate the grass where no one's standing?), but the music is nice and clear, capturing the thrash mastery at full force!

Between this Southern Ontario trip and Hails' surprisingly high number of shows in Michigan's Lower Peninsula this year, the guys are definitely putting in the miles to get solid exposure and attention beyond the Soo area, and hopefully they got a strong reception from attendees at Sunnyside Park in Toronto for the Humber River Festival last month! Check out Ha!ls' newest live video below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile hitting the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Devil's Sons, The Space Wizards, And Double Down), Plus More Recent Notes!!

Let's address some more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in this Sunday afternoon post, along with some shorter recent updates, so here's what you should know in chronological order!

Montreal psychedelic hard rock trio The Space Wizards will make their local debut on Wednesday, September 4th when they headline at Soo Blaster! Described as "another short notice show" by promoter Mikhal Muto when plugging it on the Sault Live Music Gig Announcements Facebook group yesterday (even though I only term "short/late notice" here as within the week prior), The Space Wizards are a relatively newer band who have been making increasing waves on tour with their fittingly spacey brand of classic-inspired hard rock, and hopefully they draw a solid crowd in two+ weeks despite the work/school night scheduling! Two local bands will open here, including hard rock quintet HeadFirst (fresh off of their Hilton Beach gig last night) and a mystery group named The Spaceship Opening. I have absolutely no information on them, but if we hear anything tangible in advance of the 4th, we will let you know!

Online ticket sales have not yet begun for this show (when they do, you'll find them here), but advance tickets will run for $15, and you may be able to get them at the venue or perhaps through Mikhal/the local openers. The door charge will jump to $20 for this 19+ concert, which begins at 9:00 PM. Add another intriguing concert with a touring headliner onto the increasingly busy slate for Mikhal's burgeoning slate of promoted concerts, so visit the above links for more details on this event!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartets Double Down and Generations will be among the performers at The Tarentorus Sports Club at 56 Avery Road on Friday, September 20th for a special benefit concert! Entitled "Band Together To Rock Cancer", this event is in support of Mustang Heart guitarist Lorenzo Fabbri, who has been battling cancer throughout this year. I believe this is partially why the classic rock veterans haven't played live in 2024, even missing Rotaryfest, On this night, four bands familiar to the weekend nightclub cover circuit will join forces for the cause, with Double Down and Generations being joined by classic rock veterans RPM, while Mustang Heart will play their first show of the year as headliners, with Lorenzo's Stages bandmate Sam Spadafora and former Double Down guitarist Adam King joining them as special guests for the night

Taking place deep in the west end at the curling rink/multi-purpose hall off of Allens Side Road, tickets are $20 to attend and $15 if you can't come in person but want to support Lorenzo and family in his fight (either way, there will be a door prize). A cash bar and refreshments will also be on hand. Having lost my mother to cancer, I absolutely sympathize with what Lorenzo is going through right now, and hopefully there's a great turnout for this stacked lineup of talented veteran cover rock bands next month in his honour! Visit Mustang Heart's Facebook page for more details, and apologies again to Marci for how things were initially worded.

Also newly announced is another Mikhal Muto-promoted joint, as on Monday, September 30th, Edmonton punk/hard rock quintet The Devil's Sons will make their local debut when they headline at... The Whisky Barrel? Yes, the 113 Gore Street nightclub is going to try hosting a non-acoustic touring band next month, and Mikhal did acknowledge the venue's generosity in having this show there when plugging it on his personal Facebook page, so we'll have to see how things go! It's been too long since there was a venue on Gore that hosted bands this heavy, though in The Devil's Sons' case, they have an interesting hybrid sound that calls to mind a heavier Dropkick Murphys, so if you're up for some rollicking punk n' roll, don't bypass this show next month! While the show is not publically advertised on social media yet that I've seen, The Devil's Sons did confirm it in this poster on their Facebook page for their upcoming tour.

Local metal trio The BAG (don't miss them at Soo Blaster tonight!) will open in their Whisky Barrel debut, and hopefully their hard hitting originals and covers get things off on the right foot! This 19+ show will reportedly have FREE admission and an 8:00 PM start time, though we do await full public advertising for this show locally beyond personal Facebook accounts. It'll be interesting to see how this concert goes, so visit the above links for more on what to expect at The Whisky Barrel next month!

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

 

• Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 did indeed welcome back guest hand drummer Brian Duford for their three most recent gigs in Pickford, Cedarville, and Hessel, as per photos shared on their Facebook page after each concert. As best as I can tell, Brian has not quietly joined 906 full time, as he's not in this band photo promoting their Islander Bar show from August 10th, but the band's "#summerof906" is now over unless they have new bookings that weren't in the batch of concerts announced back in May. We'll let you know when we hear more!
• In their newest Facebook post ("Stories" aside), Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 posted a "Reel" last week of them covering Kenny Loggins' "Footloose" at a private Bass Lake event. As a "Reel", I can't embed it here, but it looks like there was a strong turnout under the tent to dance the night away! The band just played at Winnie's Hometown Festival in White River last night (you may have seen a Facebook "Story" or two from there), and they'll make their public return to the local nightclub circuit in three weeks, so look for more from them in the fall!
  
• I have moved local acoustic hard rock band Tattoos & Scars back to our inactive band links. Featuring Fort Creek bandmates Justin Grayson, Shane Biron, and Bill Brouillard, they had announced their return from a 4+ year hiatus on their Facebook page on August 8th of last year, but nothing has publically followed since. Fort Creek have been busy behind the scenes since they lost their rhythm section last fall, so it's entirely possible that Tattoos & Scars are just on the shelf until they get their sister band back up and running at early 2020s levels, but follow them on social media to see what Fort Creek are currently up to!
   

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

The Bear Hunters' Single Release, Mike Cliffe Videos, And Much More!!

In our first of two posts today (this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles are next), we're mostly clearing out back news stories and updating our band links, so we have new videos, lots of assorted updates, and news concerning a recent single release, so here's what you need to know!

Local death metal quintet The Bear Hunters released their single "Collapse The Sun" on CD format on Thursday, and you can now buy copies of it for just $2 (and tickets to their "Eternal Hibernation" release concert at The Canadian Nightclub on November 29th) at The Rad Zone and through band members! The single features the final studio copy of the title song plus a live version and a 2011 instrumental demo of it, and there are currently just 50 copies of the single pressed, though pending demand, 50 more can be made (but the band are capping the limited run at 100.) This is the full final artwork, as posted on their Facebook page on Thursday, so make use of it if you need it on iTunes or a similar player! A planned lyric video is still in the works, while you can of course hear the full album at month's end upon it's release. I have yet to pick up the "Collapse The Sun" single, but it's great to finally see it out, and it's a positive sign for the pending full CD launch! Stay tuned for updates, and get your copy of "Collapse The Sun" A.S.A.P. for $2!

Next up, Audiofumes podcast host/creator and local solo guitarist Mike Cliffe has posted some new videos onto his YouTube channel in past couple of months, including this test collaborative online jam clip in August (solid listen), and most recently, this play-along video of him covering Robin Trowe's "Little Bit of Sympathy"! Though the camera angle's a little tight, Mike handles this classic rock number with ease, and at times, you do forget that he's playing along with the original recording! Mike doesn't post solo videos as much as he used to, but give his newest video a look below, see more above, and check out his entertaining Audiofumes podcasts as well!



Finally for today, here's nine assorted shorter stories from the last little while, including a number of bands being moved to our inactive band links! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• We've moved Sault Michigan hard rock band All The Dirty Words In One to our inactive band links, as they've passed our one year inactivity threshhold, last updating their Facebook page in October 2013. This band was a work in progress, but had some promise via acoustic cover postings, and hopefully we hear more from Josh, Cody, and Dan in the future!
• While we await their first live concert since December, local country/punk favourites The Billy Bastards confirmed in a comment reply to new jam session photos on their Facebook page in September that they are working on new music. Is a fourth CD in the works, or are The Billys just preparing for their return to the stage? Stay tuned for more from their camp!
• In another inactive band note, we've moved prolific Sault Michigan guitarist Mike Libertoski's tech-metal solo project Galactic Alignment to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. Mike last uploaded their page in October 2013, though he's stayed active since in the cover rock band No Decision. Mike's an extremely talented guitarist, and hopefully we hear more from his solo original output in the coming months!
• We've removed local death metal solo project Gorrifier from our band links due to the deletion of their Reverbnation (and only online) page for unannounced reasons. Led by Pillory/Crimson Crusade guitarist Robert Sartini, Gorrifier joins other recent page deletions for his and Shadowthrone bandmate Sabrina Strange's 2014 band projects, but hopefully everything's alright, and that we hear from both again soon!
• Local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith have been confirmed as the new openers for The Bear Hunters' CD release show at The Canadian Nightclub, replacing Destroilet in the 10:00 PM timeslot. Not a perfect match genre-wise, but Haggith's talent speaks for itself, and they'll have songs to play from their own upcoming CDs, so come early to see them! Remember, this is ALL AGES!
• We've moved local hard rock quintet Sailor's Tongue to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. The band last played live at last July's Rotaryfest Second Stage, and have not made a public posting in the year+ since, though it should be noted that members Kyle & Dean McKey currently live out of town. It's possible the band is just quietly songwriting, so we'll restore them to the active links if we hear that they're alive, but if not, best of luck to Kyle, Blake, Liam, Jeff, and Dean in the future!
• We've also moved ex-Late & Loud frontman Jonathan Tiberi's Soviet Space Program solo project to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, last updating their Facebook page in October when he teased new recording sessions. Jon has stayed musically active since moving out of town, so hopefully we hear more music from him in some form in the near future!
• The full Toystock schedule has been announced via the annual Christmas Cheer fundraising concert's new Facebook event page, and it's near identical to the given order on SooToday's press release, just with The Stumpy Coldwater Trio bumped from the co-headlining slot to opening the day at 12:00 PM. See above for the full schedule for at The Canadian on November 30th, including the confirmation of afternoon performer Lorrie Bolduc's band's full name, Lorrie Lynn & The Sinners!
• The Rednecks Saloon's live band karaoke series Urawk (which featured 3/4ths of Beaumont Avenue and Havadder' T.J. Case as the house band) will end it's 4+ month run this Thursday, as per it's Facebook event page. A reason for the series' end wasn't announced other than to say "all good things must come to an end", so if you want to take the stage to sing with a real band one more time, come out to the former Nicolet on Thursday!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles next! Thanks everyone!

A New BeeFMouTH Video, A Guitarist's Band Search, And Much More!!

Keeping the news rolling on this Monday, we have an assortment of stories to touch on, so what's in store? Some feature profile updates, more assorted topics, and a band search from a promising local metal guitarist, but let's begin with a newly posted reunion video of a familiar band from the turn of the millennium, so here's what you need to know!

First up, here's a surprise video featuring a BeeFMouTH reunion! Yes, the late 1990s noise rock trio (featuring AlgomA's Darby Wigwaus & Marty Chase, a.k.a. Bwaad & MoDez) apparently got back together a couple of years ago around the Christmas holidays for a jam session, which was filmed and finally uploaded to 62nd Chamber Productions' YouTube channel on Saturday. The video is short (just 57 seconds), and rather than titling it by the song's name, it's called "The Falling Coffee", referencing exactly what that implies, so keep an eye out for it! The jam sounds good and heavy, but from what was posted, there are no featured vocals. The timing is curious too, as the upload comes a week out from AlgomA's set at The Big Loonie Bus Show in Echo Bay this coming Saturday, so could this be a hint that a BeeFMouTH reunion will be the concert's "special secret attraction"? I have no clue personally, but it'd be cool to see a return show at any point, as I enjoyed the old videos they posted! Check out this BeeFMouTH reunion jam video below, and GET YOUR TICKETS A.S.A.P. FOR SATURDAY NIGHT!

Next up, we have a new band search and video from a Sault Ontario metal guitarist named Matthew Parr, so what should you know? On the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Thursday, Matt posted that he was a metal rhythm guitarist that was looking for a band or like-minded musicians to work with, and that he's influenced by progressive and death metal bands like Meshuggah and Veil of Maya. He plays seven string guitars and can program drums, and has posted a series of solo recordings under the handle The Hiroshima Mutant Mindframe onto Soundcloud, that you can check out at this link. Even though I wasn't familiar with his music before the other day, I have to give him props, as he's a really talented guitarist with a lot of creative ideas, and I think local bands should give him a serious look, so message him at this location or above if you're interested! As one more sample, he posted this cover of Volumes' "Two-One" onto his YouTube channel last year (oddly, his only performance clip there), and it features Matt playing both guitar parts on the original with videos of each. Really solid, so check out Matt's Volumes cover below!



Also today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or conpany name:

• Are changes afoot concerning local grunge quartet Haggith's lineup? Drummer Mike Haggith posted about a bassist search on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group on Friday, though in a comment reply, he said that current bassist Caleb Cachagee is still around, and they're "just looking at some other options" towards a possible shift in direction. I find Caleb's a good fit with the band, but we'll have to see what comes of this, if anything. Stay tuned!
• In our Sault Ontario links section on the left of the page, I've edited the link to Rockin' Vinyl Records to replace it's now expired website with their Facebook page, just to keep things current and working. In case you forgot, this is the locally owned vinyl record/music collectible store at 415 Northland Road, which has a solid selection of merchandise, so check them out above!
• Ex-Late & Loud singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's solo project The Soviet Space Program (which was launched locally last year before he moved from the Soo) is still alive, as he posted on their Facebook page last night to confirm that he is "working on some new missions." Great to hear, so keep an eye out for Jon's next solo original song postings!

Finally for today, here's some assorted updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles from late 2009 and onward! On multiple profiles relating to these battle competitors, I noted that local rock band Wishbone have been reunited this year by frontman Dennis Duguay (more information on their new lineup and such is forthcoming), while I also noted Sykotyk Rampage's 8 new digital free albums, and edited the genre for two-time battle runners-up The Fury to note that they were essentially a punk band, though I'll note that they hated genre classifications. In the section on the Kiss Battle of the Bands' profile to note competitors' later bands, I replaced Fusion, The Inner City Surfers, The London Gentlemen, Pocketful of Scoundrel, and Zero Hour with 415E, Al Wood & The Woodsmen, The Fairmounts, Havadder, and The Side FX, either to acknowledge newer and more prominent bands, or to remove bands who are either defunct, not as active, or no longer feature battle alumni in their lineups. Finally, I made a similar edit to that section on our Sault College Battle Profile, to replace Zero Hour again with Mike Haggith & The Din, who then-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth joined on saxophone earlier this year. Stay tuned for more updates soon!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this week, along with this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles and this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews! Thanks everyone!

An Upcoming Album Release, Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Updates, And Much More!!

The news keeps on rolling in, and for this 23rd straight day of updates, we have a mix of things, including the latest confirmed band for the next local battle of the bands, the closely nearing deadline for registrations, and a pile of shorter recent news items, but first, here's some information on a new upcoming metal album release, and when we'll be reviewing it on the site!

Dafter, Michigan metal solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton will release his fifth original solo album "Doo Hickey" on March 31st! (Well, his sixth if you count last year's best-of compilation.) As revealed on his various online pages, including the album's page on his website, the album will see Ken teaming up with Detroit-area guitarist Scott Schroen (of The Ugly Radio Rebellion), who he has worked with on past material, but Ken will handle some guitar parts along with all other instruments. Sound-wise, Ken revealed that this will have "the Detroit rock sound", the sound of Sammy Hagar meeting The Doors, and a progressive rock feel, which all sounds intriguing added up! Scheduled to be released through his independent label Waterfall Records in just under two weeks, the full album (which is of EP length with only 6 songs) can be heard for free at this location, but it WILL be available for sale on the 31st through online music sites such as CD Baby, iTunes, and Amazon, presumably for 99¢ a track or $5.94 for the full release.

With a streaming copy available online (and with Ken sending me an advance copy), I'll confirm right now that "Doo Hickey" will be the subject of this month's CD review at the SMS! It'll be our first Sault Michigan review since last summer, and as a result, I've tentatively bumped our review of Woods of Ypres' "Independent Nature 2002-2007" to next month, likely close to the Juno Awards for obvious reasons. Stay tuned by March 31st for our review of SweetKenny's newest album, and for more updates soon!

Next up, here's the latest updates for next month's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Firstly, a fifth band has announced their participation in the battle, that being newer local punk trio The Northern Tragedy, as per their Facebook page last week! No strangers to The Rockstar Bar, they were most recently there on February 1st, but how will they do in their first ever battle? Singer/drummer Terrence Gomes is no stranger to local battles of the bands either, as he competed at the Algoma University Battle in 2009 with Creedon & The Animal Detectives, and at last year's Battle For The Blood with the recently-dormant Changing Waves. Can he build on their finishes with The Northern Tragedy next month? They'll join the previously confirmed Bear Hunters, Giwakwa, Haggith, and Suicide Kings on the lineup, along with four or more bands to be announced, but if your band hasn't registered yet, time is ticking, as the deadline to register is TODAY. There are still limited registration forms available at The Algonquin Hotel/Rockstar Bar and The Rad Zone, so if you've been stalling, undecided, or busy, you have limited hours to register your band! For full details on entry fees, sign-up details, and more, click here, and ENTER A.S.A.P. BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!

Within the next two weeks, full information on the competitors and schedules should be announced, and for attendees, remember that tickets cost $3 a night, $10 for the finals on April 24th, and prizes include studio time, cash, and opening slots at some big summer concerts! Check the above links for more details, and for undecided band members, REGISTER TODAY!!!!!!!

Finally for today, here's NINE recent shorter news stories and updates, which we did on a similar scale in November due to a build-up of smaller news items. As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, artist, group, venue, newspaper, or photographer name:

• Local photographer Brian Tremblay is doing another installment of his "So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star" photo series, and he's looking for local musicians to be featured. Yes, the series has included hard rock artists in the past, including alumni of Late & Loud, Turner Up, and That's Chester, examples of which you can see at this link. If you're interested in taking part, contact Brian at (705) 942-5419!
• A status on Central Algoma death metal band For All That Is Lost's Facebook page that indicated that they'd split with bassist Ben Deslauriers was posted last week, but as far as I can tell, that has since been quietly retracted. I figured I'd mention it in case anyone read the same, but regardless, it's good to know he hasn't left F.A.T.I.L.!
• Local grunge quartet Haggith have announced that they have new t-shirts available to buy through their online store, and to that end, they're hoping fans will be decked out for their Rockstar Battle of the Bands appearance(s) next month! Plus, they're hyping a special set prepared just for the battle, so visit their store above for more information and to buy some new band merchandise!
• A Facebook group named "Juno Beards" was recently started by local photographer Chris Cartwright, with the aim being to grow your beards out until the Juno Awards on April 20th-21st in honour of late Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold, as they're of course nominated for Best Metal/Hard Music Album this year, and David was known for growing giant beards during tours and long band activity. Sounds like a great idea, and I'll take part! Hopefully it picks up steam!
• Local progressive rock quartet Machines Dream (featuring ex-Gates of Winter keyboardist Brian Holmes) are the first confirmed opening band for Toronto alternative hard rock quintet The Rabid Whole's headlining date at The Rosie on April 11th! My source is the show's Facebook event page. This may seem a bit odd at first, but Machines Dream are loaded with talent, and they don't play live much, so don't miss them next month, and stay tuned for more show updates!
• Monkey's Uncle bassist Nathan Switzer uploaded a new guitar riff idea onto his personal Soundcloud page three weeks ago, and it's a very cool 25 second technical snippet that calls to mind his older original projects! No word yet on if this is part of a relaunch of his full solo project, but I'll keep you guys posted, and check out the riff sample above!
• I've changed the link for The Rockstar Bar in our Sault Ontario concert venue links, as their old website was closed at some point (I think) last year, though I'm not sure if it was closed intentionally or had an expired domain name. In it's place, I changed the link to their still-active Facebook group, so join up for updates at bar events & concerts!
• This might just be needless speculation, but last week's issue of the Sault This Week newspaper did not have a Hot Spots section, which is generally where bars & concert spots can advertise events, shows, and specials. It has shrunk in recent years, but I hope they haven't axed it permanently (or I just misplaced a page), as it can be a valuable resource for citing concerts and weekend 19+ events, but we'll have to see if it's in today's issue!
• Prolific local metal musician Jonathan Tiberi's solo project The Soviet Space Program has uploaded a new track to their Reverbnation page! Named "Cold Shot", it's a classic metal instrumental, and it mixes some solid riffs and melodies, but it does feel unfinished, Good stuff though, so give it a look at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews tomorrow, including at least one new show announcement! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Apocalypse: The Musical Updates, And Much More!!

We're back with more news on this Tuesday morning, so what's on tap? Today, we have updates to one of our monthly feature series, the latest Bear Hunters updates, and various updates relating to an upcoming tribute concert, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month (along with possible lineup notes), so here's what you need to know!

Kinross hard rockers Banned will make their Kewadin Casino debut on March 29th & 30th at The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie! Hard to believe that this frequently seen local band haven't played at any of the regional Kewadin branches before (unless they had some that weren't announced), but hopefully these shows will add to Banned's growing local reputation well! These have 9:00 PM start times and 21+ age limits, while cover charges are unlikely. Check the above links for more details! Also to note, while the band hasn't confirmed any lineup changes, a photo album on their Facebook page was updated yesterday with individual photos of members Alex & Don Traynor and Jim Pentland along with two other musicians (a singer named Tara Starr & a guitarist named Denny Smith.) Their Facebook lineup was removed around the same time, so I don't know whether Tara & Denny are replacements for Mike Straw & Alex Schrovenwever, or just documented guest performers. I'll let you guys know if anything's confirmed, but keep that all that in mind next month & this weekend when Banned rock Hessel & Moran!

Next up, there's a big lineup change for the Apocalypse: The Musical tribute band concert on March 1st at The Canadian Nightclub, as planned openers Pillory have dropped out. The local thrash band, who were slated to play a Metallica cover set at what would have been their second concert, pulled out to focus on recording sessions for their planned debut EP "Cringe At The Cross", as per a post by bassist Jonathan Tiberi on the Facebook event page. For potential attendees, this has to be disappointing given their promise from their first gig last year, but hopefully this EP lives up to the early hype and sees a release! That said, the replacement band will be very familiar, as one of Jon's other bands is returning to replace Pillory, that being local classic metal quartet Late & Loud! Slated to be their first show since their EP release gig at The Rockstar Bar in November (and just their third since winning the Humane Society Battle of the Bands in April), they'll be playing a set of Motley Crue covers on March 1st, which should be quite interesting!

It's great to see Late & Loud back together, and hopefully this won't just be a one-off return from their recent sporadic activity! (No word yet on if they'll have EPs on sale on the 1st.) While we're on the subject of this concert, here's a few more notes relating to Jon Tiberi's music projects. First, from what I can tell, his band Xanadu (who are headlining on the 1st) are indeed a reunion of his old metal band from his hometown of Welland, not a new local version, and to that end, guitarist Mike Agostino & drummer Scott Brady from their old lineup are listed as attendees on Facebook. Friends of Jon's should be a bit familiar with Xanadu from personal Facebook photo & video postings, and hopefully they rock the Soo with their Black Sabbath covers for their return in just under 2 weeks! Finally, Jon's solo metal project The Soviet Space Program posted a new song named "Want You Back" onto their Reverbnation page within the past week, and how does it sound? Good, but it does sorta feel unfinished, and the chorus doesn't have the punch I'd expect given it's structure. Check it out though at the above links, and stay tuned for more from Jon's various projects!

Also, here's some assorted recent updates from two prominent heavier Sault Ontario bands! First, local death metal band The Bear Hunters revealed in a Facebook page posting last week that they're "in the process of becoming super active again", which includes guitar recording sessions for their debut album beginning last week, shows being locked in for the next two months, and new songs in the works, possibly to debut next Thursday when they play their first local concert since August at The Roosevelt Hotel! Sounds good to me, as I know local Bear Hunters fans (barring ones who took the trip to Sudbury in December) are starved for substantive updates & news from them! As for the references to shows in March, that at least partly alludes to their next out of town concert date, as they'll return to Sudbury on March 16th for another huge black/death metal show there! As per it's Facebook event page, they'll be among the openers for Norwegian folk metal band Einherjer, along with notable bands like recent local concert favourites Empyrean Plague & Before The Black Gates, and Woods of Ypres tribute show/album performers Panzerfaust.

Sounds like Bear Hunters updates are ramping up, so hopefully this is just the start of a big year for them, and check the above links for more updates, including on how you can attend the Sudbury show on March 16th!

Finally for today, here's the recent updates to our Sault Michigan-based profiles in our YouTube Channel Profile Series! I updated the profile on Cami Hubbard's YouTube channel to reflect her son Chris' new band 415E and the new videos of theirs that she filmed and uploaded there, while also replacing one featured video on the profile (Nixxon Dixxon's cover of "No More Tears") with the video of 415E playing their self-titled original and the Van Halen song "Unchained" at the Soo Kewadin Casino last month. In our profile of Joey Beairl's YouTube channel, I restored the photo of Guitar Studio rock camp alums Unleashed, and updated their info there to reflect guitarist Jack Slater's current bass role in the aforementioned 415E. Finally, on the profile of Banned videographer Ash Traynor's YouTube channel, I restored a photo, referenced sometime filmer Eric Cairns, and noted the privatization of two videos (a Johnny Cash cover and their first live video of their original "Plaid Girl"), the latter of which I had to replace with the newest video of that song.

That's all for new updates to that series, but keep an eye out for more edits and freshening of our other monthly feature series in the coming weeks! We have more news coming this week, so keep an eye out, and thanks again for your continued support!

A New Local Solo Project & Podcast, Plus New Videos!!

Let's get some more news up on this Friday afternoon, and coincidentally, most of this post revolves around members of Pillory in outside ventures! Today, we have new performance videos, information on a new local metal podcast, and a new solo original track, but first, here's a newly launched Sault Ontario solo project to check out!

We have a brand new local metal act to add to our local metal band links, and it's The Soviet Space Program, a new solo project from prolific local musician Jonathan Tiberi! Already quite busy as the guitarist, bassist, and/or singer in Late & Loud, Pillory, The Daybreak Johnnies, and Lazer Queen, Jon's now got some new solo work on his musical docket, so what should we know so far? Both the name of the project and Jon's home recording studio, the S.S.P. is intended to be a home for new solo compositions and perhaps song ideas for his other bands, though it remains to be seen how similar this will be to his old Last Warrior of Rock solo project. Only one song is posted on The Soviet Space Program's Reverbnation page so far (entitled "Don't Tell"), and it's a solid classic metal track that has a 1970s vibe and some good aggression, and Jon uses his singing well on it! I'm curious to hear more from The Soviet Space Program in the future, so I'd say give them a look above, and they're now in our Sault Ontario metal band links!

Also in the realm of things Jon's been up to, he and Late & Loud/Lazer Queen bandmate Benn Garside recently launched a local metal podcast that they're trying to get off the ground, so I thought I'd highlight it on here! Entitled The Meltdown, it was actually launched in October of last year, but the guys (under the names "Jon Barbarian" & "Benn Striker") only just resumed activity on it last month, uploading the first episode to The Meltdown's SoundCloud page on November 25th. Just under 90 minutes in length, it features around 20 songs from bands like Pantera, Dokken, The Sword, Alice Cooper, and Metallica, among many others. The tracks themselves sound great, but I'd like to hear some longer banter between Jon & Benn, and possibly some more integration of local music. The guys want 60 fans on their Facebook page before recording a second episode, so check out the first episode above to see if you enjoy The Meltdown, visit Facebook as well to vote on what you'd like to see in future episodes, and The Meltdown's now in our Other Sault Ontario Metal Links section!

We'll close this post with videos, starting with a YouTube channel I'm surprised I hadn't heard of before, that being Pillory guitarist Andres Duchesne's YouTube channel! Launched way before he first entered our radar as an original member of The Bear Hunters, Andres has used this channel off & on since 2006, and while the majority of the channel isn't of his musical work, there's a bunch of guitar performance clips to check out! These include covers of Children of Bodom, Exodus, Death, and Slayer material (among assorted other randomness), so check the above links to give them a look, as his talents are visible even way back in the late 2000s! What brought Andres' channel to my attention though is his newest video (and first performance video in over a year), which is of an original guitar passage named "The Stalker". Well played, though I'd like to see him expand on it to give it some variance or higher tones. Still good though, so check out Andres' newest video below, and definitely check out his earlier covers via the above links!



Finally for today, here's the latest solo original track by AlterWhite mainman Mike Matthews! Following his most recent solo song upload last month, his newest song (entitled "My Face To Your Face") was posted on the band's YouTube channel two days ago. Supposed to be a part of his "second album", I like the contrast between the verses & choruses, and the aggressive metal choruses work well, but I think he tries a bit too hard on the softer sections vocally, and the song feels longer than it should be. Solid though, and you can see his improvements from 2011 tracks, so give Mike's newest solo song a listen below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Shit Liver), Mike Haggith's Next Album, And Much More!!

Anyone want some more news? I have some new stories from the Sault Ontario side of things today, including a great classic video, an interesting performance from last week, and a newly announced local hard rock album, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

I was waiting for official word from promoters before announcing this show here, but I have verified proof from multiple sources about it, so hopefully it won't hurt to push it now! The sixteenth Roosevelt Hotel metal night appears to be set, and here's what you should know about it! THIS THURSDAY, three more local bands will take the stage for the first all-local Thursday metal show since last month, but who's playing? From the lineups I've seen, grimecore trio Shit Liver are the listed headlining band, in their 6th Thursday night show at The Rosie! Good to see them out there again, they'll be sure to leave an impression! Also scheduled are classic metal quartet Sativa Rose, who'll be rocking out that night in honour of guitarist Anthony Orazietti's 25th birthday! The band even launched a Facebook group & event page in honour of the celebration. Sounds good to me, what better way is there to spend a birthday? The other scheduled band is hardcore quartet Changing Waves, who had also mentioned their involvement on Facebook on Wednesday. They have confirmed the debut of two new songs on Thursday night, and they also plan to distribute a demo of some kind, though details weren't added concerning it.

As always, this show on Thursday should begin at around 9:30 PM, you must be 19 to enter, and there's no cover charge. Check the above links for more details! Nice to see a slightly different band lineup this week, Dismembertainment have done good once again! Pencil me in to attend this concert, and I'll hopefully see you guys there!

Next up, have you been wondering where local solo guitarist Mike Haggith has been in recent months? As you can see on his Facebook page, he's been working on some of his Windsor bands, a contest for free copies of some of his albums, and another open mic night performance at The Outback. Since the release of "Suspended Animation" & the cancellation of his planned "Blue Album", details on new solo material have been scant, but his next studio album has officially been announced! A concept album entitled "Space 82" is now scheduled as his 44th studio album, with a tentative release date of September 1st! The album will feature tracks that all relate to a form of human experience, and will have a "jam" structure with some longer tracks. 4 songs are now confirmed for the album, including the single "Limb Coast" that Mike posted earlier in the year, so recording has technically started for the album's tracks. This should be interesting, and it's good to see Mike's prolific solo project back in the studio! We'll absolutely feature "Space 82" in next month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, and if the release project holds up, a review of the album in the fall should be in the cards! Stay tuned for updates!

We'll close today with two videos, and firstly, here's a very cool upload from a classic local band! You may have seen the videos that CML Productions' Rick DellaVedova has been posting from Garden of Bedlam concerts, but as you may recall, Rick was once a prominent local musician as signer for the defunct classic metal quintet Amethyst, under his stage name Rick Widow! That said, he posted a video onto his YouTube channel in October for a music video he edited together in 2005 for the Amethyst song "Snakeye Strut", from 1994's "Innocent As Hell"! Well edited, and it's a solid metal track for sure, I'd have been at their shows if I was around back then! This is currently the only "video" of Amethyst that's publically viewable (the "Waste of Time" music video from their original cassette was sadly made private), so definitely check it out below and get a blast from the past! Kudos to Rick for the upload!



Finally, here's an interesting video I found online over the weekend that you should get a kick out of! Did anyone notice anything peculiar in the parking lot of The Canadian Nightclub on Wednesday? Well, if you did, was it a guy playing drums on a bouncing drumkit in the back of a truck? Here's what I've found out. If you follow the country/rock scenes in the Victoria, B.C. area, you may have seen a drummer named Charlie Rose at concerts for bands like Varmint & Altered. His unique feature is that, since 2000, he's drummed on a self-made bouncing drumkit made from a converted oil barrel suspended by some heavy duty springs. After lots of practice and live experience, he's developed all the right moves and methods, and now he and his "Boingy Boingy" drumkit are touring eastward to Toronto to appear on the CBC series "Dragon's Den" to pitch the Boingy Boingy on the show! On the way through Ontario, Charlie stopped in the Sault on Wednesday for at least long enough to give a drum solo on the Boingy Boingy for an "ambush" set to a small audience, and the video is below!

Now, I'm aware his musical background isn't metal, but if I wouldn't have said anything, would you have been able to tell? He's really good, especially given the task of having to ride a drumkit that bounces! If I hear in advance that he's playing anymore impromptu gigs in the Sault on the way back from Toronto, I'll let you all know, but here's his drum solo from Wednesday outside of The Canadian!



That's all for now, but stay tuned, as I may have a book review coming up next! Thanks everyone!