New Videos, Atomic MusicFest Updates, And Much More!!

In what may be our last traditional news post of March 2019, we have some big updates on a Northern Ontario festival with a heavy local component, and some assorted recent shorter stories, but we'll lead off with some new videos, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with a newly posted video of defunct local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester live at Rotaryfest 2016! Posted to drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel on Wednesday, this is of their cover of April Wine's "Roller" from their final gig as an active project, which was in memory of late guitarist Eugene Orlando, who passed away suddenly the previous fall. Now, footage of this particular performance is nothing new, as guitarist Gabe Tessaro's channel also has a video of this very cover, but the new video captures the full song on a stationary camera closer to the stage. For this song, former That's Chester singer Richard Fullerton provided sole guest vocals in lieu of Greg Simpson (who does come back at the end to give shout outs), while Dan Belanger filled in for Eugene on guitar. Both Rich and Dan returned as guests for That's Chester's one-off Rotaryfest set last year too.

As in Gabe's video of this performance, That's Chester were on their game here, and Richard fit in fine with his old band, so fans of That's Chester's long local run will defnitely want to see this video, on it's own merits and to compare with the other video of this song! Give it a look below!



Next up, here's a new video from local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide's Facebook page last week, where Dustin (on location at Mission Control Studios) thanks fans for checking our their new "Lost & Found" music video on Facebook and YouTube. He also mentioned that the single can be heard on Spotify, iTunes, and similar services, and he explained some of the inspiration behind the lyrics. Short video, but it's a nice gesture to thank everyone, and hopefully more updates on their new album come out soon! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from The Tide's camp!



Also today, here's the latest concerning local performers at the Atomic MusicFest in Elliot Lake in August, as some more familiar faces are driving 2 hours east for this well anticipated event! Two more metal-leaning bands from the Soo will be featured over the August 10th weekend, namely power rock quintet Re:Born in their out-of-town debut, as well as funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, who will be playing one normal set and separately under their temporary Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band guise! It's worth noting that they are now advertised to be playing under the name Higher Ground rather than Scar Tissue for unannounced reasons. If true, it's an interesting choice, given that "Higher Ground" was a cover of a Stevie Wonder song, not a Chili Peppers original, but it works well enough as a name! As for the previously teased local rappers, they will be Rick E and Kodex, who have performed in Elliot Lake before. Visit the official Facebook event page for complete details on the lineup, including acts from beyond the Soo area!
 
Not everyone will be up for a 2 hour drive for a concert festival of this scale, but if Elliot Lake is a piece of cake to get to, you'll find a full lineup of entertaining music from across Northern Ontario, and hopefully the Atomic MusicFest is a huge hit to encourage an even bigger and better sophomore installment! See above for complete details on how to attend!

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

• The Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Association is looking for bands & solo artists interested in playing at this year's Downtown Street Parties on Queen Street East, as per their Facebook page on Wednesday, and you can get more details at info@saultdowntown.com or at (705) 942-2919. For reference, there were 3 Downtown Street Parties last year from July-September, with SMS-covered acts like Northwest, Soundcheck, and The Wyld Stallyns factoring in two of them. Hopefully this year's parties are huge hits, and contact the S.S.M.D.A. above if you want in!
• Barring a sudden sign of life, I'll be moving local progressive death metal band Gates of Winter back to our inactive band links on Monday. We last heard anything new from their camp via a video of members jamming that circulated on personal Facebook accounts on April 1st of last year, with their Facebook page (which hadn't been posted on since July 2017) quietly being taken down since. I hope this isn't it for Gates of Winter, especially after so much work on the "Perihelion" EP, but best of luck to Lee, Bryan, Steve, and other past members in the future no matter what!
• Pixo Control/Vol. alum Steve Edwards is looking to join an original band in a guitar, bass, drums, or vocal role, and he has jam space with essential gear. He did specify that he does not want to play metal, pop punk, or country, and he noted that he's "looking for a project to work on in between my current one" (I don't believe that references Mik & Steve, whose Facebook page has been taken down.) Whether his hoped for project leans close to his old band work or not, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday for details!

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

New Solo Videos, And Much More Recent News & Notes!!

In what may be our last news post before kicking off Halloween concert previews on Thursday morning, we're covering some assorted recent updates (including the three bumped from Saturday's post), plus some new videos, so let's begin with a new guitar cover from Jack Spades/Stegadeth guitarist Tiffany Stocco's YouTube channel, notably her first posting on there since last year! This is a cover of The Distillers' "Dismantle Me", and while not stated there, this has to be a teaser for her upcoming sets at THIS FRIDAY'S Halloween Party concert at The Algonquin Pub, where she will channel Brody Dalle on guitar and vocals in a one-off Distillers tribute band. For what it's worth, personal Facebook postings indicate that Tiffany will be joined by current bandmate Johnny Belanger on drums, alongside A Dire Setback frontman Chris Nielsen on guitar & Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque, and the four will also serve as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and H.I.M. tributes that same night

This news surprises me, as that's a lot of work to put in for one concert, but everyone here is very talented, and it'll be interesting to see how each tribute set looks and sounds, especially with The Distillers and H.I.M. not being regular cover selections locally. As for Tiffany's Distillers cover video, it's a fine rendition with a good tone, and fans should enjoy her take, but does she have a handle on Brody's singing too? We'll find out on Friday, but give Tiffany's guitar cover a look below!



Next up, veteran local rock drummer Jeff Stuckenbrock is hoping to return to local music and has posted a handful of videos to the Musicians Wanted Facebook group since last month in the hopes of drumming up interest in jamming with like minded performers. Two videos feature him playing on a djembe & cajon, but the other three are of him on a full drumkit, including videos linked here & here, with the longest and most recent one below. Jeff hasn't been involved in local bands in a long while, but he showcases solid skill in the videos he's shared, and it'd be cool to see him back out there in a new project! Click here for more details, and here's Jeff in action this fall!



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

• The all ages Devil's Night concert at The Oddfellows Hall on October 30th (next Tuesday) has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page earlier this month. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but public updates were slow to nonexistent after the event page went online last month. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, I know many fans were eager to see a new Oddfellows metal show again after far too long!
• In their first Facebook page posting since May, local/Toronto Celtic punk veterans Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide revealed that they are recording new material at Mission Control Studios, and that the songs are "guaranteed to put a pep in your step." No word on if this is towards their fourth studio album or not, but recent live drummer Chris Johns is tagged in the attached photo, implying that he's taking over for Mikey Hawdon behind the kit for at least these sessions. It's been over 6 years since the last new Rising Tide CD, so hopefully the new tracks prove to be worth the wait, and see above for more details as they roll in!
• Local power rock quintet Re:Born have parted ways with singer Robert Nevitt, as per their Facebook page on Thursday. The split is 100% amicable, with the band citing "time commitments" for Robert's exit, though the door was left open for him to guest with the band in the future. Re:Born have only played three public concerts to date, but Robert was progressing well as a frontman, and hopefully he turns up in a new band down the line! No word yet on a potential singer search, but fans of their predecessors Project 421 know that guitarist Blair Burch can handle lead vocals if need be.
• Shaw TV Sault Ste. Marie has changed it's name to Shaw Spotlight, which appears to be a nationwide change with the cable provider's local access channels, presumably as an acknowledgement of the stations "spotlighting" their communities. Despite teasers reflecting a new Facebook page, that is for the national Shaw Spotlight networks, and is not geared only to the Soo, so I won't update our link yet. Hopefully some more local music content finds it's way to channel 10 soon, they're a quality resource!
• I have moved local Foo Fighters tribute quartet The Soo Fighters to our inactive band links. A Cherry Crush side project, this band played twice publically last fall, but were primarily formed to play at J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, and have not shown any public sign of life since. The one year mark from their last public update will be on Saturday, and despite launching a Facebook page at the time, it looks more & more apparent that their run was a short term thing for the season. Don't miss Jules & the Amendolas with Cherry Crush, and hopefully we hear more from Jeremey soon also!
• Mik & Steve guitarist/Pixo Control alum Steve Edwards is again looking for a drummer "to form an original band", preferably between 18 and 30-something in age, and who "must be committed to practicing and playing." I don't know whether this it towards an expansion of Mik & Steve, a revival of Vol., or a new band entirely, but Steve's been looking for a while, and hopefully the right drummer comes along soon! Message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday if you're interested in trying out!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And Much More!!

Today's post is half devoted to this weekend's hard rock concert previews (on a fairly quiet weekend overall), including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but we're filling things out with lots of assorted recent news and notes! Here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Rockstar Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was actually announced last Wednesday via it's official Facebook event page, but we couldn't slide it into a post before it got too soon to cover twice. Two months removed from their last stop at this venue, this will be Soundcheck's first public concert appearance of the new year, so if you've missed the Mourning Wood successors as of late, head to The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT to get your fill! Much like in November, this is a one-nighter, due to or resulting in classic rock veterans RPM's concert there on Saturday night (good to see them back out there as well!) As usual for Soundcheck's Rockstar Bar stops, TONIGHT'S show has a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge, and while the event page lists an oddly early start time of 8:00 PM, I wouldn't head there until 10:00 PM or so. See above for more details, and hopefully some public videos of theirs turn up soon!

Next up, here's this weekend's only other announced hard rock concerts in the Sault area, as former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood marches into another weekend with shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Now in week 3 of his bi-annual contraction to twice-a-week bookings, Tym should have another solid couple of nights in store for fans of his unplugged covers, so head to The Quality Inn's house restaurant for more entertaining music action over these next two evenings! While Tym isn't playing at Gliss on Thursdays until July, it's worth noting that he has recently begun playing "online concerts" via his Twitch.tv channel, where he basically plays his usual acoustic show for an online audience from his home, scheduled for each Thursday at 7:00 PM through the end of June. These aren't concerts in a traditional sense, but it's a nice way to check out Tym's covers with no commitments!

As for tonight and tomorrow's Gliss shows, expect no announced cover charge or age limit for these 6:00 PM matinees, but remember that this is a sit-down formal restaurant (and if that scares you off, his Twitch.tv "concerts" are free as well!) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last week or so, and as usual for these short form stories, these are in alphabetical order by artist, festival, or company name:

• In their first public update since announcing their return from hiatus in August, local hard rock cover quartet Griphook shared a concert poster for a metal show in Orlando, Florida next Saturday that they're advertised as opening. The Facebook event page lists Griphook & even includes their exact logo, and the band likewise shared it to their Facebook page. I'm inclined to believe that there's a separate newer Florida band with the same name and no Facebook page, and the Soo's Griphook shared the event jokingly once they were tagged as performing, but in the off chance they booked a Florida show, good luck in Orlando next week!?
• Eight months after announcing the long running marijuana culture/concert festival's demise, Hempfest owner Robert Neron has sold rights to the event to a man named George Bachir, though I can't confirm his background, nor is it public yet what he plans to do with Hempfest. No word on if it'll stay in Moonbeam, come back to Ophir, or move elsewhere, but hopefully he can bring Hempfest back to a successful level this year!
• Local concert promotion/live sound company Live705 announced on their Facebook page on Tuesday that they haven't promoted shows lately because of their recent focus on benefit concerts, and new aims to service the community more than their band A Dire Setback. To that end, they encouraged fans from out of town (especially band contacts) to check out other local companies that support musicians, citing Tidal Records and Mission Control Studios as a start to help "close the gap" between the Soo and the rest of Canada. Hopefully Live705 don't entirely stop putting on shows, but good on them to promote local businesses!
• Local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver announced on their Facebook page yesterday that they are planning to tour Canada in the spring with "a new release" and new merchandise, and are asking fans where they should play during this tour run. One would assume that a Sault Ste. Marie stop is a given, but if you want Shit Liver to play a specific locale out of town, comment at the links above, and stay tuned for more on their new release, perhaps their announced sophomore album "Hitting the Fan"?
• The obituary for late Sault Michigan guitarist & Steve's Music Center owner Steve Pevarnic was belatedly posted in The Sault Evening News on October 21st. You can read it at this link, and it notes that he died just 13 days shy of his 60th birthday, partially due to congestive heart failure, and is survived by his brother, aunts, and extended family. A celebration of life was held at The Savoy Bar on October 15th, with proceeds going to the Chippewa County Animal Shelter. The obituary goes into nice detail on his life and musical career, so give it a look above, and apologies for adding to the delay in this making the site!
• Earlier this week, in their first public postings since 2016, inactive local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage apologized for their recent dormancy and hinted that they'd be back in some form in the future. I'd give more exact wording, but their Facebook page was quietly taken down since, so either plans changed and they'll remain inactive, or their it is being fully relaunched. In any event, their Facebook page wasn't listed in our band links (we used Reverbnation), but hopefully this isn't the absolute end of the line for Sykotyk Rampage!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Incredible Woman), The Faps Concert Preview, And Much More!!

Here's another news post for your Saturday morning reading, so what's contained in this one? A few assorted recent notes, some new videos, and a special Monday night concert preview, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for early next month!

St. John's, Newfoundland post-punk quartet Incredible Woman will make their local concert debut on Saturday, November 4th when they headline at LopLops Lounge! A unique band whose sound ranges from aggressive noise punk to indie and new-wave inspired melodies, these guys should deliver a fun set at LopLops in two weeks, in the second show of their Canadian tour next month, so keep this one mind! No opening bands have been announced at press time, and it's unclear if any will be added. A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for Incredible Woman's local stop early next month, you must be 19 or older to attend, and a $5 cover charge is likely. This should be a solid concert for punk fans to take in, and is it wrong that I detect a Smiths influence on some of their originals? Don't miss out on all of the action as Incredible Woman hits LopLops on November 4th, and stay tuned for potential updates on this concert if they roll in!

Next up, here's our preview of a special post-weekend concert taking place THIS MONDAY NIGHT, as Saskatoon noise/punk duo The Faps will return to our area for a headlining concert at The New American Pub! An unusually quick encore, this show comes just under two weeks after Skyler & Blair opened for K-Man & The 45s here, but this will mark their first local headlining date since their 2014 stop at The New A. Whether you saw The Faps here before or not, they're worth a listen for a blast of minimalist noise, garage, math, and punk intensity, so don't bypass them on Monday if you can help it! Opening bands were quietly confirmed for this concert just over a week ago, and they will include extreme death metal quartet Winkstinger and Destroilet co-lead singer Brenton Ellis' Slumshine project, though the latter still has no public hints as to genre and sound yet online. Come out to The New A on Monday to hear Slumshine for yourself, plus some of Winkstinger's brutal original onslaught for good measure!

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. (who also put on The Faps' two prior local gigs),  this 19+ concert has an early start time of 8:00 PM due to the Monday scheduling, and while the cover charge is listed at $5, a "pay what you can" model is also being advertised. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this stop on The Faps' Good Tour, and here they are live!



Also today, here's the latest from local hard rock band Halfway Loaded, who we have reverted to that name in our band links, as their announced name change to The Twin City Saints has had no public follow-through. If the name does publically change in the future to that or another name, we'll switch it back! After taking September off from public postings on their Facebook page, Halfway Loaded resurfaced with two new videos last week courtesy of guitarist Shane Biron, including this 10 second clip of him playing a pentatonic riff (it's really solid, albeit short!), but embedded below is a longer black & white video of him covering  Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive". Shane and/or the band are "thinking of giving this one a go", and while I'm not a Bon Jovi fan, he plays this one well and with a good tone, even in monochrome! Give Shane's new videos a look above & below, and stay tuned for more from Halfway Loaded when it rolls in!


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

• Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie is looking for production companies or people that can press physical CDs for smaller or local bands, preferably ones in the Sault Ste. Marie area. While one presumes this search is meant for The Bear Hunters' sophomore album "The Dead Testament', Mitch wasn't specific in the posting. If you want to help, message Mitch at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• In another Musicians Wanted group posting from Thursday, Obsession drummer Steve Porco  noted that he's looking for one or two guitarists (preferably one with vocal ability) for a new acoustic band that he's working on, with acts like Bob Seger, Collective Soul, and Kiss cited for covers. Steve has a female lead singer, bassist, and drummer already enlisted, and he doesn't want someone with an ego. No word on if this is an Obsession side project or entirely separate, but if you're interested, message Steve at this link!
• Today's ninth annual Soo Zombie Walk does not appear to be featuring music as a main component for the first time since year #1. While live music of some kind will take place at The Pita Pit mid-walk, the Facebook event page no longer lists music in the pre-walk activities, there's no advertised afterparty again, and the Pita Pit performer(s) have not been announced publically. Disappointing, but hopefully the walk is a hit as usual, and that the zombies get their fill of brains! For what it's worth, Sykotyk Rampage (who played the last 6 Zombie Walks) curiously haven't made a public statement since December of last year.

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more on The Sault Metal Scene over the coming days! Thanks everyone!

R.I.P. Steve Pevarnic

The Sault Metal Scene sends it's deepest condolences out to the family and friends of veteran local rock guitarist Steve Pevarnic, who passed away on Thursday night, according to numerous personal Facebook postings. Details on his final services have not been publicized at press time, so stay tuned to appropriate news sources for word therein. A prominent musician dating back to the 1970s, Steve will likely be most familiar in recent years as the co-owner and namesake of Steve's Music Center at 557 Ashmun Street (now Solomon's Tattoo Parlour) from 2004-2014, winning the Sault Evening News' award as the Best Music Store in the region from 2005-2008. As a guitarist, Steve performed in numerous memorable bands both here and during a run in Colorado in the 1980s (alongside the late Bruce Johnson & Banned's Wayne Lawrence), with his most recent documented band work seeing him replace Nathan Switzer in the classic/hard rock cover quintet Full Throttle (the first version) back in 2013, before moving to Washington state the following year.

I didn't know Steve personally, but from all public accounts, he was a kind person and a very talented guitarist, and I know his work in both performance & instruction affected many colleagues in the E.U.P.! Videos of Steve in concert aren't plentiful, but one of Full Throttle (featuring a lineup not publically documented elsewhere) can be seen on his personal Facebook page courtesy of former singer Jamie Roush, where they covered Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Gimme Three Steps" at the former Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird.) The video quality is mixed, but it's a nice sample of his talents, so seek it out if you can, and stay tuned for more on his services. R.I.P. Steve!

Eclipse/Hazytones Concert Preview, Jack Spades' New Bassist, And Much More!!

Here's another new post for your Friday morning, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, new video footage from a concert this past weekend, and a newly confirmed lineup change in a prominent local band, but first, here's our promised preview of a special concert on Sunday that's nearly an encore of a concert from 8 months back!

Local hard rock quartet Eclipse will return to the stage THIS SUNDAY NIGHT, when they and funk/hard rock jam quintet Gianni Gagoots open for Montreal stoner rock trio The Hazytones at The New American Pub! After nearly 5 months away from the stage, plus a teased April 1st return show that never happened, Eclipse will finally be resurrected after a tumultuous break-up last fall, but how will Curt, Dan, Fred, and Chris fare in their return? Find out on Sunday night! Note that hashtags used in recent Facebook page promotion of the show reference Jimi Hendrix and Rush songs... are they dipping a little older for cover choices? Gianni Gagoots will continue their recent momentum with another set that will surely make some more fan of their creative improvised instrumentals, so keep them in mind as well on Sunday! And yes, the headlining Hazytones will make their second local concert appearance on Sunday, following a well received late notice gig in August at the same venue that Eclipse also opened, though K.I.C.K. were the second openers.

Though not a full "hard rock" band, The Hazytones' psychedelic and retro-styled originals left a solid impression on fans last summer, and they should be up to similar tricks at The New A in a couple of nights, so don't miss them either! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. associate and punk rock bingo caller Brenton Ellis, this 19+ event has a 19+ age limit, and while there is no listed cover charge, note that last August's Hazytones concert had a $5 cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Eclipse live!

Next up, local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades have announced the addition of Talk Shit guitarist Steve Shaw to their lineup as their new bassist, replacing Justin Lam, as per their Facebook page on Wednesday. A reason for Justin's departure hasn't been publically announced, but when ex-drummer (and Bear Hunters bandmate) Johnny Belanger confirmed his own departure from the band in February, he didn't know at the time if Justin was leaving too or not, hence why we didn't call that on the site at the time. Justin has been a skilled component on bass since Jack Spades' 2013 debut, but don't miss him with The Bear Hunters when they return to the stage at Oddzfest in June! As for Steve, he has proven to be a solid addition to the reunited Talk Shit as a guitarist, but how will he do as a bassist with Jack Spades' new lineup? You can find out at the CKY concert in June, so don't miss that show, and stay tuned for the reveal of Jack Spades' new drummer!

Also today, here's some new videos from the aforementioned Gianni Gagoots' headlining concert at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, courtesy of YouTube user Alex Moore's channel! Previously known from posting Stiffler's Mom's demo there, "Mr. Evil Gobi" has struck again with almost 12 minutes of footage from the Gagoots' latest concert, with the longer 9 minute clip featured below (click here for the first shorter video.) Of note, their earlier teasers of having two drummers are even more true on these clips, as "Bergio the IceBurg" has not just the congas, but his own full drum kit beside Frank, so if you've ever wondered what a band with two drummers at once sounded like, here's a sampling! The loose informality is clearly on display here though, as mid-way through the longer video, guitarist Matt Sibilo randomly comes back after not playing in the first portion, and then an uncredited guest shows up to play the congas.

Alex noted that his camera's memory card filled up before this song wrapped up due to it's "intensity & epic-ness", so if an announcement was made regarding the guest conga player's name, it's not recorded. You never know what you'll get with Gianni Gagoots, and they showcase their fun jam/improv style here, so check out their new videos above & below, and don't miss them with The Hazytones & Eclipse on Sunday!



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

• Autumn Roots guitarist Chase Wigmore is looking for musicians to form an industrial band, part of a long-term ambition of his as a musician. He doesn't even mind if he only finds one singer willing to sign on (remember This Is Your Band On Drugs?), but additional musicians would be a bonus. Industrial metal isn't a genre we see a lot of locally, with Riverin one of the few recent examples of note, so message Chase at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday if you're interested!
• According to personal Facebook postings, local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota featured ex-RedD Monkey cellist Pete Mozarowski as a guest performer during their set opening for Windigo at The New American Pub on Monday. That would have been cool to see, and Pete has been missed on local stages in recent months, so hopefully some video footage turns up!
• We have changed the name of the Facebook group for Jack Spades frontman J.D. Pearce's concert promotion agency back to Johnny Pints Presents in our "Other Local Metal Links", as the group's name had been switched back from Tidal Records Presents last month. J.D. is still on positive terms with Tidal Records, but maybe the name was causing confusion between events that Tidal management themselves were putting on? Either way, the link is updated now!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

New Karstens Videos, A New Solo Cover Video, And Much More!!

Today's news post continues our recent increase in Sault Michigan-area coverage, so make that 6 posts in 10 to touch on at least 50% E.U.P. stories! Along with lots of assorted news stories and a new cover video, we have lots of new videos from a recent band discovery, so here's what you should know!

Though still lacking a formal band page, newer Sault Michigan alt-metal group The Karstens have launched their own YouTube channel! Already five videos strong and including our first public glance at original material, it's great to get so much new material so soon, but what's here? The channel includes a cover of The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" live at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley (from the same filmer of their earlier Flipper cover), a guitar-less audio recording of their original "Indian Money", and this amusing clip showcasing The Karstens working "behind the scenes" of music video shoots. Yes, I meant music videos, as they have two posted there, namely "Indian Money" in full, and as embedded below, "Dissatisfaction". The former contrasts the slower & more deliberate song with a light, tongue-in-cheek video featuring the band happily playing instruments in & outdoors, and even tracking a song with a joystick?!

As for "Dissatisfaction", it's more of a lo-fi original (the band jokingly noted that it was "recorded with a potato") and features the core three members playing outside in various locales, even if not always seemingly to the track in question, though this video's filming was the source of the "behind the scenes" clip. The Karstens' originals (as presented here, at least) lack the spontaniety and aggression of their live covers, but they're a nice change of pace and a welcome addition to the Sault Michigan-area scene, so give their new YouTube videos a look above & below!



Next up, here's the newest solo guitar cover video from Stegadeth guitarist Tiffany Stocco's YouTube channel! A cover of "Fate" by SNFU (who she has opened for with Jack Spades), the cover is visibly well performed, but the audio quality isn't great, with her playing sounding tinny through this camera. Check out Tiffany's newest cover below, and don't miss Stegadeth TOMORROW NIGHT at Live705's January Jam at The Canadian!



Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, half from Sault Ontario and half from Sault Michigan! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist, event, or company name:

• Local doom metal trio AlgomA acknowledged on their Facebook page on New Year's Day that their upcoming split vinyl EP with Hooded Menace has been delayed, and while they didn't elaborate on why, they did note that "2017 is going to be savage." The status also plugged an article by the metal website No Clean Singing that same day where contributor "Islander" praised the cover art and the teased songs so far, and it's worth a look in the meantime!
• Inactive Strongs, Michigan metal solo project East Branch is back in our band links! Their Facebook page was quietly de-activated in late 2014, but it was restored and made public again earlier this month, complete with a new post linking to a song posted on YouTube in January of that year. As a result, that's not truly a "new" update, so they'll stay in our inactive band links for now, but might J.R. have some new music up his sleeves? Stay tuned!
• In a minor update to our links section, we have changed the link for local music instruments/lessons store Grooves Music from their website (whose domain name has expired) to their Facebook page. Grooves is the only music instruments store in Sault Michigan, and one of few places there that carry local musicians' CDs, so don't miss it at 540 Ashmun Street! Also, note that Tantrym Tyme's Jacob Hotlen is teaching guitar there again.
• Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 clarified their break from the stage this month on their Facebook page last week, with frontman Henry Switzer (I believe) noting that the break is to allow him to heal up from a heart infarction that he had a few weeks ago. This is the first we've heard about it, but his health comes first, so hopefully he rests up and comes back even stronger next month!
• Gates of Winter bassist Steve Furgiuele is featured in this new SooToday article by Darren Taylor about his growing culinary career and current work in Edmonton as owner of his own cured meat company Fuge Fine Meat. The article also briefly mentions his Gates of Winter work, noting that he and his wife Mariana first met because she was a Gates fan. Great read, and it's awesome to see that Steve has found so much personal success! For what it's worth, he's quoted there noting that he was in Gates of Winter. Does the past tense mean anything?
• A third annual chili cook-off in support of the Ride For Sight blindness charity motorcycle rally will be held at The Garden River Community Centre on February 25th, but this year, Stiffler's Mom will not be the evening's musical performers for the first time. Instead, singer/drummer Greg Simpson's country cover band Bone Yard will step in, but at least Greg is still playing, and hopefully Bone Yard keep things hot like the chili next month! For reference, Redundant frontman Justin Langlois & his wife Monique are back this year among the competitors.

That's all for today, but in case there's not a new post tomorrow, we'll see you guys at The Canadian for The January Jam! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: SykTheMan & paulmichaelbastards's Channels

It's now time for our last monthly feature post of September 2016, as we have this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This regular series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels whose posted content at least has a 50% count of local metal, hard rock, or punk videos, relevant to artists from or shows held here, in order to spotlight them and hopefully garner some attention for the channels! This month's choices cover some familiar faces from concerts around the turn of the 2010s, and while they're not frequently seen nowadays, still have solid followings! Here's what you should know!
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SykTheMan's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/syktheman)

Owner: Former State of Misery singer Steve Errington-Rhodes, also known from his past work with bands like The Valentine's Day Massacre, D3athcharg3r, Bring the Misery, and Saints & Serpents, and currently with the London metal band Skylines

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 2nd, 2012; Videos posted that November and in December 2013

Channel Summary: A personal use channel launched late in his run as a local metal singer, Steve posted two videos there from his last two local bands, including a live performance and a studio demo.

Why You Should Watch: Fans of Steve's local music run should check out this channel to hear some of his latter material before focusing on London-based bands! Though he still uses this channel occasionally for personal use (notably liking videos of his current band Skylines earlier this year), Steve hasn't posted anything there in over 2 years, and the channel never included archival videos of either his pre-2012 bands or D3athcharg3r, though other channels will have you covered for specific footage of them.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

The Valentines Day Massacre - Lovecraft Cthulhu (jam demo): Steve's first and most popular video is a jam session demo of his former local metal band The Valentine's Day Massacre's late original "Lovecraft Cthulhu", shortly after the band relocated to London in mid-2012. Represented here by Steve alongside ex-Sativa Rose bandmates Andrew Angelic (now of London's Rattlesnake Hotel) and Adam Veale on bass & drums, and ex-Chillum drummer Kyle Umgeher, the demo showcases their death /hardcore hybrid sound nicely, as fans of the former View to a Kill will recall! However, vocals can be a little high in the mix.



Saints and Serpents- Vampiric- Live Clip: In 2013, The V.D.M. quietly dissolved and were succeeded by the similar Saints & Serpents, just with Ian Timmermans (now of the London punk/metal band LandSwimmer) on drums in place of Kyle Umgeher, who had moved back to the Soo. Their first of just two announced concerts (both in London) was on Friday, December 13th at The Richmond Tavern, with an attendee filming the new band playing The V.D.M.'s old original "Vampiric". Solid sound quality on this live video, whose dark shadowy lighting actually accentuates the performance, so fans will want to check this out, especially if you've missed the guys since the big move, but follow D3athcharg3r, Skylines, and Rattlesnake Hotel for Steve & Andrew's work in London since!


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paulmichaelbastard's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/paulmichaelbastard)

Owner: Billy Bastards guitarist Paul Michael Stos, also well known from past local band work with groups like Proposition 86, Fallout, Source Code, and Deathoccasion

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 7th, 2012; Videos posted from that day until January 13th

Channel Summary: Paul's YouTube channel features just six videos, all from his local punk/country quintet The Billy Bastards' headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on December 28th, 2011, including renditions of their songs "Back in the Bottle", "Bathe in Whiskey", "Mile 58" (popularly covered by Destroilet), "Liquor to Lick Her", "No Roads Here", and featured below, "Lonesome, On'ry, and Mean", which is the channel's most popular video. Featuring Paul alongside frontman Aaron Gibbs (ex-Harsh Heads), guitarist Greg Beharriel, bassist John Conway (Destroilet), and drummer Charlie Yanni, these are quality videos of The Billys' hybrid sound with a great turnout, though some songs are definitely more country-flavoured than others, and the stationary camera's side-stage angle isn't optimal. Given how infrequently The Billys play live (let alone with Paul taking part), don't take these for granted, as they're some of their best currently available videos!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our latest random selection will take us to Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel, which has lots of guitar performance videos, gear demonstrations, and more to more than sustain a solo profile! Look for that on or around October 26th, and stay tuned for more news and previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Toystock & Pixo Control Concert & Lineup Updates!!

Before we touch on this weekend's concert previews, let's clear out some big recent news on two (well, three) big upcoming concerts, including lineup details for each, and updates on an upcoming CD release! Here's what you should know, and check out this month's poll results below too!

Here's some overdue recent updates concerning the fourth annual Toystock at The Grand Gardens on November 29th, so what should you know now? In terms of the lineup, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Havadder have replaced classic rockers Nikkfitt on the bill, as per the new Facebook event page. A reason for Nikkfitt's withdrawal wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened in their camp, and it'll be nice to see Havadder in their Toystock debut later this month! Moving to the debuting Under The Influence, personal Facebook postings indicate that their lineup features singer/drummer Brent Royer (ex-Wishbone, Turner Up) alongside guitarist Mike Muto and bassist Ryan Bell, neither of whom are immediately familiar from local bands. No word as of yet on their genre(s) or if they have an online page, but we'll stay on top of it as we approach their debut at Toystock! Our source is Brent's personal Facebook page. As for the one-off seasonal punk band The Rude-Offs, we can now confirm their full lineup, so who all's involved? 

Basically a temporary side project from the members of Destroilet, their Facebook page confirms that Christian Foisy, Adam Larocque, and Matt Waples will reprise their guitar, bass, and drum roles from their main band, but in lieu of Mike and John, some special guests will join them on guitar and vocals on the 29th, they being Toystock promoter Greg Simpson (who's already singing with Bone Yard that night), and no less than Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori (you read that right!) This should be a very interesting set, and hopefully The Rude-Offs add some punk edge to this Christmas Cheer fundraiser at month's end! Finally, if you were wondering why Toystock moved from The Canadian Nightclub to The Grand Gardens this year, Greg noted on the Facebook event page that the move is intended "to attract more children and families", going with their yearly intent to "introduce the next generation to live music" (though Matt Waples also noted in a personal conversation with me that size concerns were a factor for the move too.)

This presumably references the clash of holding a family charity concert at a nightclub, which does make sense, but The Canadian felt like a natural host for the event in past years. Hopefully The Grand Gardens succeeds it well this year though! This concert should be a huge event for Christmas Cheer and fans of local music, especially with 10 bands in 10 hours once again, so visit the above links for all current details!

Next up, here's some updates regarding local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control's CD release concerts (remember, there's two) at LopLops Lounge on Saturday, December 12th, so what should you know? First off, their lineup will look very different from what fans saw this summer, as they've apparently parted ways with both bassist Steve Edwards & drummer Matthew Thibert. The band itself hasn't publically commented on any lineup changes, but their departures were indicated in a now-deleted thread on the new Facebook event page that had gotten somewhat heated between those that posted. I just hope that things aren't quite as bad as some of the replies indicated! The Pixo Control themselves haven't publically announced their new bassist or drummer yet either, and we'll let you know if we hear anything. Steve was a solid fit on bass, and I heard good things regarding Matthew at The Emergency Festival, so best of luck to both in the future, they're definitely talented!

Posts on the now-deleted thread also seemed to confirm that Steve recorded the bass parts on The Pixo Control's forthcoming debut CD "Probably Not" before leaving, but nothing concretely confirmed whether Matthew or original drummer Keeghan Rosso (or both?) recorded the drum tracks. As for the CD release party itself, the above Facebook event page confirms that local post-punk quartet Gnaeus are playing the 19+ 9:00 PM concert only, and are not playing at the all ages 2:00 PM concert (Caroline Divine are indeed playing both), so if you're 19 or older and want to see Gnaeus, come for the 9:00 PM show! Postings have also confirmed that "Probably Not" will be available for $10 separately from concert admission, and it's not free with paid entry, so make sure you have cash on hand for both next month! Finally, a 41 second teaser video for "Probably Not" was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel on Sunday, featuring text referencing the release next to footage of frontman Michael Mikus appearing to be reflected through a camcorder lens, plus brief clips of studio recordings from the CD.

Though the quiet lineup changes took me by surprise, I'm just glad to see that the CD is finally getting released next month, and I hope fans can look at the accomplishment of the release! I'm also curious to see who Michael enlisted to round out the new lineup, but the reveal might be intentionally being kept secret until next month. We'll know within the month, so check the above links for more from The Pixo Control's CD release parties on December 12th, and here's their teaser video!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next, including a late notice show that Pixo Control fans might want to pay attention to! Thanks everyone!

Swampstravaganza V Concert Preview!!

Hey guys, here's our extended preview of TOMORROW NIGHT'S fifth annual Swampstravaganza! Yes, the annual ALL AGES alternative music marathon event will return to an early May timeframe for a second straight year, though after 4 years at The Oddfellows Hall, promoter Steve Mozarowski has relocated the event to The Canadian Nightclub for 2015, which should be a great location for this year's Swampfest! There's a stacked lineup once again with 9 acts (four from past years), and despite a later 4:00 PM start time, things end later at 2:00 AM, so things aren't too compressed! So, who all is playing? Headlining at 1:00 AM are local post-punk quartet Gnaeus (in their return to the site of their VM Radio Battle of the Bands victory), with local alternative/blue rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage playing their third straight Swampfest and first concert of 2015 before them at 12:00 AM.

Local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven (featuring Sense of Truth & Half Past alumni) are on third-last at 11:00 PM in their first concert in over two years, just their third concert ever, and their first show with their new quartet lineup, with ex-bassist Mike Mannarino and ex-drummer Jonny Amendola now replaced by prior guitarist Alain Fletcher and new drummer John Mignacca (who played Swampfest in 2011 with As It Stands.) It's great to have them back finally! Promoter Steve Mozarowski will play a solo acoustic set under the "faceityoureametalband" handle at 10:20 PM, following open mic appearances last year and sets with RedD Monkey at this event from 2011-2013, while local indie/punk quintet (and recent CBC Searchlight competitors) Northwest will take the stage at 9:30 PM. Local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters will keep their perfect five year Swampstravaganza streak alive with their 8:30 PM set tomorrow, so kudos to them on that level!

Note that they're not playing later despite being prior Swampfest headliners, as Mitch & Johnny are playing at The Rockstar Bar with Beaumont Avenue later tomorrow night. Local hard rock/grunge quartet Haggith will play their third straight Swampfest tomorrow in their first concert set since the VM Radio Battle and the release of "XIV" tomorrow at 7:30 PM. It will also see the return of former bassist Caleb Cachagee on guitar to replace Daniel Horton, but how will the new lineup sound? Local death metal duo Brutally Fatal (featuring members of Rotopsy and The Revolution from last year) will hit the stage at 6:40 PM in their Canadian Nightclub debut, while new local hard rock/alternative duo Infinity Grinder will play just their second ever concert as tomorrow's first band at 6:00 PM, in what will be drummer Terrence Gomes' third straight Swampfest appearance (with The Northern Tragedy in 2013 and open mic last year.)

Swampstravaganza V will kick off for a second straight year with a 2 hour open mic block at 4:00 PM, so anyone's welcome to perform once again until 6:00! For reference, last year saw open mic sets by Johnny Belanger, Steve Mozarowski, Terrence Gomes & Katie Huckson, Paul Stanghetta, and Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda, but will any of them pop up again? Note that two bands (rap/metal quartet The Apocalypse Afterparty and prog rockers Mannapool) dropped out of the event over the spring for unannounced reasons, with Steve's solo set replacing the former and the open mic night being extended to 2 hours to replace the latter. TOMORROW'S fifth annual Swampstravaganza is ALL AGES, and admission will be $10 at the door, but no word on if we'll see vendors and food sales like last year had. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I haven't missed a Swampstravaganza yet, and with the new location and later start time, hopefully I'll see a great turnout at The Canadian TOMORROW for what should be a great union of local talent! Don't miss out, this will be a fun time, and I will see you guys there! For a preview, here's Gnaeus at The Canadian in March, and stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow before or during the event! Thanks everyone!

Soo Band Roulette Review!!

FINALLY, we can get our review up of Saturday night's Soo Band Roulette at The Rockstar Bar, as the internet connection out of town has finally gotten it's act together, so our videos are now up in full and we can get this rolling! Without wasting any more time, here's what you need to know from this past Saturday's first ever event of this kind!

Though advertising for the event indicated an 8:00 PM start time, it kicked off much later than that, with the first band being announced a couple of hours later. As you may remember, the crux of Soo Band Roulette revolved around band members for each act being randomly drawn before they privately jammed, and promoter Steve Mozarowski and Smokin' Heroines member Amanda Brown drew the names on stage out of 4 hats, one each for singers, guitarists, bassists, and drummers. For the first band, the drawn names were Telephone & Address' Chris Shoust on vocals, ex-Late & Loud bassist Benn Garside, and ex-Winkstinger drummer Jonas Gasperas, while the guitarist was a relative unknown named Tyler Toews (any relation to Jonathan?) It eventually came out that Tyler is a member of the Nelson, B.C. indie/techno hybrid band Tofu Stravinsky, who some of you may remember as a late notice addition to last year's Creepshow concert at the former Roosevelt Hotel. Remember the name Tofu Stravinsky, as it will come up again!

Before their set, however, was the announced open mic set to fill time while the first band rehearsed and jammed out their short set, and while it was announced to be hosted by Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan, he didn't make the event for unannounced reasons and was replaced by the aforementioned Steve Mozarowski. Deja vu from this year's Sewer Swampstravaganza, though unlike at that event, we had less performers on Saturday, with only 3 different musicians (all singers & guitarists) taking the stage. Steve kicked things off playing covers of everyone from Oasis and Radiohead to The Smashing Pumpkins, and handling each in solidly entertaining fashion for fans of his prior solo sets, before handing things over to Patrick Evans, who I'm largely unfamiliar with, but shown some grit and skill on country covers from the likes of Darius Rucker and Uncle Kracker. Bear Hunters drummer Johnny Belanger ended the open mic set with his own acoustic punk covers, including the likes of The Vapors, Biffy Clyro, and Social Distortion, and fans of his recent solo appearances will have liked this too, but his vocals seemed a bit more monotone.

As for the first roulette band, their name was announced as Orgasmatron (presumably after the Motorhead song), and they broke from the norm by playing original alt/punk songs that they jammed, before ending with a cover of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn". For a band operating on under an hour of rehearsal, they sounded pretty good, and though I won't largely nitpick their stage presences given the format, why did Chris face the back wall throughout their set? Under the circumstances, everyone sounded good, and if Orgasmatron theoretically stayed together, I can see these songs working in a live setting with more refinement! After their short set, the next band was drawn, and their lineup would end up featuring Tofu Stravinsky singer Sarah Orton alongside AlgomA bandmates Boyd Rendell (a.k.a. Darby Wigwaus) and Jamie Vincent on drums and guitar respectively. A bassist was also drawn for their set, but they dropped out for unannounced reasons, so Jamie played bass on some songs as well to fill in the void.

Though there was supposed to be a performer before the second band's set, none played. For also unannounced reasons, John Mignacca's Dillinger techno project did not play on Saturday night, while the planned public debut of new rap/metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty also did not occur, In their case, time constraints got in the way, but you can see them live THIS SATURDAY when they open for IDNS at The Oddfellows Hall!  Despite The Apocalypse Afterparty's lack of a set, their Smokin' Heroines supporters were on hand for their public debut, with marshmallow gun in tow, though someone apparently stole the gun before night's end, so hopefully it's found and returned! As for the second roulette band, their announced name was Cat Sass (the placement of the first "S" is important), and they played a short cover set including a rendition of Sublime's "Santeria", and while Jamie & Darby have ready made chemistry, Sarah's smooth lead vocals added an extra dimension, and if this band theoretically stayed together, they'd have a unique sound of their own that'd be worth checking out! Also, given the makeup of the band, would Galgoma be a fitting name?

As for the third band, their lineup was drawn to feature Tofu Stravinsky's Jon Perry on guitar, former No Arrow bassist Brad Griffith on bass (pictured from an older show), The Apocalypse Afterparty's Paul Stanghetta on drums, and.... me on vocals?! See, I had suggested at the sign-up area earlier that if singers were slow to add their names, I could add mine to help out, and I insisted not to add my name early. They added my name early, and I was drawn as "Rob You-Know-Who". I went along with it though, and we all went to the secret jam area to knock out a three song set to end the night, which ended up including Neil Young's "Keep On Rocking In The Free World", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", and Blink-182's "All The Small Things". All things considered, I thought we did alright given the time limits and lack of time to get to know each other, and everyone was very nice and accomodating to each other! The set itself got a good response, and no one lynched me over my singing ability (or lack thereof?), though like with the other two bands, things would no doubt sound better if we had more than a half hour to prepare.

As for our name, I suggested Some Metalhead & The Talents, lightly playing off my lack of band experience and how I was referred to on RedD Monkey's Facebook bio. Also, before our set, DJ Seith played a set of his own DJ and turntable mixes that seemed to go over well, though to be fair, I only caught the last 5 minutes or so of his set. After our set, Steve returned to the stage to announce the winner based on crowd reaction, who would recieve $100, and after a number close calls regarding who got the loudest cheer, the winner was..... CAT SASS! If counted as a "battle of the bands", this was all 3 members' first of recent memory in the Sault, and all the more impressive given that they played as a trio rather than as a quartet, so congratulations to Sarah, Jamie, and Darby! As for my final thoughts on Soo Band Roulette itself, I thought it was a great and unique concept, but there are a lot of bugs to work out, mainly concerning timing and delays. The between-band gaps were often longer than the given half-hour, and the show itself didn't begin until well after the 8:00 PM start time that was announced.

Had things been tighter ran for timeslots, we could have saw bands featuring the likes of Johnny Belanger, James Watterworth, Kevin Campbell, and most of The Danger Cats, among others that signed up, and hopefully for next time, there will be room for 4 or more bands! Also, it'd be nice to see an actual wheel for a roulette to decide bands, and I've offered the services of my own stand-up casino wheel for a second band roulette if need be. Due to my performing involvement with the last band, and largely missing DJ Seith's set, I didn't get any videos of the last two acts, but I have media of everything else, so click here for my photos from Soo Band Roulette, and as for videos, here's a compilation video of the open mic acts (covering New Order, Darius Rucker, and NOFX), Orgasmatron playing an original jam, and Cat Sass covering Sublime!







That's all for now, and I'm just glad to finally get our Soo Band Roulette review online! Also, thanks again to Sarah, Tyler, and Jon from Tofu Stravinsky for participating in the roulette, it was nice to see some out of town flavour, and hopefully fans who enjoyed their talents on Saturday give them a listen! Stay tuned likely tomorrow for weekend concert previews, with some more big news to come soon as well! Thanks everyone, and thanks again for your patience over the last few days!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Jack Spades), Swampstravaganza Updates, And New Videos!!

I know this is late notice, but the Downtown Diversity event from Friday at Passport To Unity featuring local hard rockers The Pixo Control and local pop rock band The Frasiers was rained out and will now take place TODAY at 4:00 PM at The Essar Centre, so if you wanna see that show finally, keep this info in mind! Now, before TONIGHT'S Fuck The Facts show, we have a big news post to get to today, including new promo videos for an upcoming metal album, another local band's video commemoration of a recent milestone, and big lineup changes for an upcoming show, but first, here's a long anticipated LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month!

The long teased Jack Spades EP release show will officially go down on Friday, May 16th at The Rockstar Bar! After seeing it's digital release last month, the local punk/metal quintet's debut disc "The First" will finally get it's physical release that night, with the band also headlining with a set of originals and select covers for their fans, so don't miss this show in a couple of weeks! The only 100% confirmed opening band at the moment is local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet in their first live concert of 2014, but compared to the two year break they came off of last year, this is nothing, so get ready for their chaotic originals and covers at the release party as well! At least one more band is to be announced, but early word of Chronic Demonic or out of town punk rockers The Black Cat Attack playing this show was either premature or fell through in the interim. Admission will be $5, but if you pay $10, you'll get a copy of the EP at the door, so keep that deal in mind! You must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:00 PM start time in effect.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to finally get confirmation of the Jack Spades EP release show after weeks of hints and tentatives, so make sure to be at The Rockstar Bar on May 16th to get your copies and jack the planet in style! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's some lineup updates concerning the fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall THIS SATURDAY, so what should you know? Three bands have dropped out of the show, those being local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust (who also dropped out of last year's installment) and Case's Music girls vocal groups the Neon Stars and the Runaway Voices. Reasons for their exits haven't been announced, but Ashes To Dust haven't issued a public update in 11 months, and the vocal groups never did seem like perfect fits for this style of event. Hopefully things are amicable though! Ashes To Dust have not been replaced on the lineup, and as a result, all of the non-open mic acts (save headliners The Bear Hunters, Sykotyk Rampage, and the Haggith reunion) have been bumped up an hour. The vocal groups's shared timeslot at 3:00 PM was bumped up too to 4:00 PM, but they were replaced by promoter/RedD Monkey frontman Steve Mozarowksi in a solo set! Steve originally was a tentative performer under the name "Faceityoureametalband", and it's nice to see him back for a fourth straight year, even if it's not with Pete and Joe!

Finally, the open mic block hosted by Greg Callaghan will remain at 1:00 PM, but has been lengthened to run until 2:45 PM as a result of the lineup removals (still no word on the performers though.) The dropouts are disappointing, but there will still be 10 artists & the open mic block, and for just $5, this is still a wicked deal with a lot of entertaining bands, so I hope to see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall on Saturday night, and stay tuned for our preview later this week!

We'll close today with new videos, including two clips that commemorate the recent 10 year anniversary of local classic hard rock cover quintet That's Chester! Uploaded to (I believe) drummer Ric Datson's YouTube channel yesterday, the videos compile assorted photos, advertisements, and live concert audio of the band from their 2004 run onward, and there's some creative use of transitions and titles throughout! Note that the audio is just scattered clips from their concerts rather than full songs, but the first clip is a customized intro cover of Saliva's "Ladies & Gentlemen". The first video concerns their 2004-2008 era with original singers Ritch Fullerton & Jim O'Leary, and it includes many rare photos of the band, family members, fans, and even some advertisements from various shows and festivals, including sets at Rotaryfest and even at the OLG Casino back when they were more frequent for band bookings, even confirming a handful of out of town gigs in Thessalon and White River!

The second video covers events since 2009 and the addition of current singer Greg Simpson, and the style is basically the same for featured photos and music, though it kicks off with former local radio DJ James Warner-Smith plugging them on air. Aside from not mentioning their 2012-2013 breakup, the videos cover a lot of solid ground of their run together, and it will be interesting to see where the guys go from here, as they're definitely one of the longest active bands that we cover on the SMS! I'll have to screen capture some of the ads for archival purposes too. Check out the first anniversary video below, and watch them both above!



Finally for today, Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night also posted two linked compilation videos onto their YouTube channel on Friday, though these are promo videos for their still-forthcoming third album (also their first all-original release and first with singer Gaby Koss.) Both videos are comprised of assorted instrumental clips of recordings for the album as accompanied by slideshows of the band and related imagery, with both followed by samples of Gaby's vocals from their yet-released "Christmas Night" reissue with vocals, and very brief video footage of the band's local members (Craig Harrison and the Giles brothers) at a recording session. The videos also confirm that vocals are being recorded, and that the album will be mixed and released at some point this year. It seems like this album has been in progress forever, but it's still in the works, and what I'm hearing sounds promising to go along with their past classical metal renditions! Check out the first video below, and the second video at this link and above!



That's all for today, but I'll hopefully see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall TONIGHT for Fuck The Facts, Empyrean Plague, the return of Shit Liver, and much more! Thanks everyone!