This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's now time to tackle another weekend of concert previews, straddling the end of one month and beginning of another! With news being slow at the moment, I've opted to include Sunday's Bloody Diamonds show in this post, which would typically be featured separately given that it's three days away, so don't look for it in our next post, it's in this one! And yes, we'll tackle any late notice shows if announced. Now, here's what you need to know in rough chronological order!

We'll start with longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, who will continue his weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with solo headlining dates TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! After rocking both Gliss and The HD Sports Grill (the former Docks) last weekend, Tym will close out September and begin a new month at The Quality Inn's house restaurant for three more matinees, so if you're interested in some hard rocking acoustic covers, head downtown over the coming evenings! As usual for his long-term Gliss run, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down formal restaurant, not a bar. Tym remains a very entertaining and prolific instrumentalist, so come down to Gliss for all of the action tonight or this weekend! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live a few years back!



Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock quartet 415E will rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This union of Nixxon Dixxon, Highest of Fives, and Splitshot alumni will hit the stage for the first time in over a month, and the first time in the Soo since July for this weekend's concerts, and their hard rocking covers should attract another solid audience at The Rapids Lounge both nights! As is typical for Kewadin Casino's lounge concerts, there are no announced cover charges for these 9:00 PM shows, where you must be at least 21 to attend. If you miss this weekend's shows, 415E aren't advertised to return to The Rapids Lounge again this year (they will be in St. Ignace again in a few months though), so don't miss out on 415E's hard hitting shows this weekend! Here they are live in the Soo a few years back!

Also taking place this weekend, hair metal fans in Sault Ontario will want to head to The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT, as Southern Ontario-based Whitesnake tribute band Still of the Night will make their local debut! It's been over 5 years since the real Whitesnake headlined at Kewadin Casino, so if you've been craving more of the David Coverdale-led band's classic hits, Still of the Night should provide the next best thing on Saturday! Their self-description of "Canada's premier Whitesnake tribute" isn't given in vain, as they provide a faithful sounding and looking take on Whitesnake, so don't miss out on all of the action! Yes, I know it's during The Hair Scare, but how about some live hair metal? Tickets are $10 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk (no word on if they'll be pricier at the door), this is a 19+ event, and a 9:00 PM start time is announced. For more details, visit visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates, and here's Still of the Night rocking some Whitesnake live!



Finally for this preview post, Halifax/Toronto dark blues rock quartet Bloody Diamonds will make their local concert debut with a headlining concert at The New American Pub THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! Not to be confused with the more familiar Diemonds (also a female fronted hard rock band from Southern Ontario), Bloody Diamonds are in the midst of their Tough Love Tour of Canada, in support of the EP of the same name, and they should leave a good impression with their bluesy rock originals, so don't bypass them on Sunday! Local alternative hard rock trio The Din will make a rare appearance at The New A as openers, while the official Facebook event page has listed a second opening band as "to be announced" since being first publicized. No word on if there will be two opening acts or not, but this show hasn't gotten a lot of plugs online lately, possibly due to promoters Six, Two, Oh.'s focus on last night's Castle concert. In any event, this 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's Bloody Diamonds live last year in concert!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Still Of The Night & Stiffler's Mom), New Videos, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Saturday afternoon, and while we had planned to put this up tomorrow, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so let's lead off with that! Also today, we have another new show, some new live concert videos, and more assorted notes, so here's what you should know!

Local hard/party rock trio Stiffler's Mom will hit the stage TONIGHT for one night only at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the band only acknowledged the show on their Facebook page this afternoon, and the venue's Facebook group only confirmed the show online today as well. A one-nighter due to last night's show from newer dance rock cover band The Killer Hooks (featuring Gsis Murphy & Midpoint alumni), this will mark Greg, Mike, and Jon's first show together since rocking Rotaryfest's main stage last month, and their first announced Rockstar Bar stop since the spring. Stiffler's Mom should be raring to go with their fan favourite covers and high energy TONIGHT, so don't miss out at The Rockstar Bar on this fairly quiet weekend for hard rock shows! There is no announced cover TONIGHT, you must be 19 or older to attend, and a 10:30 PM start time is likely. See above for more, and here's Stiffler's Mom live!



Next up, here's another new show announcement for The Rockstar Bar, as Southern Ontario-based Whitesnake tribute band Still of the Night will rock Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Saturday, October 1st! Self-described as "Canada's premier Whitesnake tribute", Still of the Night definitely provide a faithful take on the David Coverdale-led band's classic material, and given how well attended The Rockstar Bar's tribute concerts usually are, this one should be in the same vein! Of course, many local fans did see the real Whitesnake in Sault Michigan in August 2011, but if you've missed them in the past 5+ years, this is the next best thing! Like the venue's other tribute shows, there will be advance ticket sales at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk, but prices have not been announced yet (for reference, this year's cancelled Hells Bells show cost $12.) A 9:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ event, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates!

Also today, here's some new live videos of Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned from a private out of town function last night! Uniquely streamed live to their Facebook page during the show, these were filmed at an event for Northwind Services in Iron River, which is in the Western Upper Peninsula. One video is a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues", notably featuring bassist Wayne Lawrence on lead vocals, but embedded below is their cover of Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box" with guitarist Alex Traynor in his regular singing role. Dancing attendees can get in the way of the band at times, and the square dimensions are a little Instagram-ish, but Banned sound reliably good and diverse on these clips, and had I known that the band was experimenting with a live stream, I'd have acknowledged it on here beforehand! Give the videos a look above & below, and best of luck to Banned as they complete their tour run in Gould City tonight!



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

• Stemming from yesterday's YouTube Channel Profile on this band, we have sadly deleted Sault Michigan hard rock trio Division of Sanity from our inactive band links due to the closure of their Facebook page in the past year. Though the band still has an online presence via YouTube and Soundcloud, that was their only formal band page, so I reluctantly had to delete them from our listings. Division of Sanity had promise, and hopefully Caine, Myke, and Gabe return in new projects down the road!
• Sault Ontario goregrind/cybernoise solo project Malignant Neoplasm have resurfaced with a new digital EP! The Tyler Gibson-led studio act hadn't publically surfaced since "Kittens Have Crustys" was released over a year ago, but you can buy their newest 4 song release on a "name your price" model at their Bandcamp page, though note that the cover art and song titles may be seen as offensive. Give it a look if you want, and Malignant Neoplasm are back in our active band links!
• THIS THURSDAY'S SNFU concert at The Rockstar Bar now has in-person ticket sales for $20 at both The Algonquin Hotel's front desk & at The Rad Zone, so if you didn't want to or couldn't buy yours online, keep both of these physical options in mind before next week! Also, promoter J.D. Pearce noted on the Facebook event page that this is the "last show" that he has booked for this year... no Halloween party? We'll keep you posted!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news & notes next week! Thanks everyone!

Merry Christmas From The Sault Metal Scene!!

Merry Christmas, everyone! (or, Happy Holidays if you prefer!) As has been a recent tradition, I've got some Christmas surprises for the occasion, but unlike last years, I've pared them down a bit and put them all on Christmas morning to both accentuate the day and note that there's less SMS-fitting albums at access to post online that aren't already there. For today, we have two archive metal albums to unwrap, along with a look at a fittingly seasonal local metal band, but first, we have a long overdue addition to our band links, just in time for Christmas!

First off today, we're finally welcoming Sault Ontario power trio Stiffler's Mom into our full coverage on the SMS! This was probably very overdue, but I think holding their current material and cover selection as being "lighter" than their old Sin Stereo work was an overstatement to say the least, as they still rock hard in concert! Last seen on stage at Docks Riverfront Grill last weekend, Stiffler's Mom is comprised of singer/drummer Greg Simpson (also of That's Chester, Bone Yard, and Maxx Entertainment), along with guitarist Michael Davies and bassist Jon Ferguson, who have played together (aside from a brief 2011-2012 breakup) since way back in 1998. Stiffler's Mom have played a number of big events during their run (including opening for INXS at The Essar Center), recorded at least one CD, and have been instrumental in the recent Toystock fundraiser concerts for Christmas Cheer, and their blend of old school covers (many with a heavier edge) are always a good time!

Though they're only just now getting full attention on the site, I've enjoyed Stiffler's Mom since even before the SMS was a thought in my mind, having seen them at a dance at Bawating Collegiate & Vocational School circa 2004. They're talented, have a lot of fun, and always engage the crowd, so hopefully we hear much more from Stiffler's Mom into 2014, and here they are pumping out heavier renditions of Johnny Cash and Golden Earring songs at last year's Toystock!

Next for our Christmas surprises, I uploaded two more local metal albums from the archives onto our YouTube channel, including defunct Sault Ontario classic metal quartet Late & Loud's only EP "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal"! Originally independently released in November 2012 upon their return from their first breakup, the version I uploaded is actually the April 2013 "Still Hard" reissue, which featured two added songs and two re-recordings of the original pressing's bonus tracks, with much higher quality. Released prior to their last set at the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, songs 1 & 6-9 were recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room with producer Dave Pihlaja, while the other 4 were produced by singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's Daybreak Johnnies bandmate Steve Hopkin. Also featuring singer/guitarist Brendan Christie, bassist Benn Garside, and drummer Josh Hatherley, the songs (in order) include "Heavy or Bust", "Trouble", "Live For Excess", "Never Again", "Love Letter Lockdown", "Fast As A Bitch", "Machine Gun Maiden", "Whisper of the Damned", and "Rock N' Roll", so click each link to hear each song!

Note that I didn't include the self-recorded 2012 versions of "Never Again" & "Love Letter Lockdown" from the original pressing, and though I may post them in the future, they are of much lower quality. Late & Loud put in a fun album in both instances, though the lack of a full time singer still was felt, and it's a shame we only got recorded physical material of Late & Loud's at the end of their run. As they're currently inactive (and this EP's out of print), I thought "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" would be nice to have on YouTube in full, so check out the full album before, and here's the first song!



Lastly for "new" album uploads on YouTube is "How Empty I Am", the 1997 album from defunct local metal trio Sulfur! Purchased at Value Village earlier this year (lucky find), this 8 song EP was recorded locally at Satellite Sound Studios, with the featured lineup including singer/guitarist Andy Chillman, bassist Mike Bird, and drummer Derek Turner, who would all find greater success in the London metal band Papa Fogals Chair. In order, the album includes the songs "Flower Girl", "Side Walk", "Empty", "Monkey Spank", "Don't Be So Tamed", "Real Me", "Evaluate", and "Our Glass Universe", with a bonus track of scattered irreverent dialogue following the last song after an extended stretch of silence, so click each link to hear each song! 16 years after it was released, it's nice to hear Sulfur's recorded output, and they do remind me of a more alternative-based shift from the later PFC sound, which expanded in membership and aggression, but Sulfur should entertain fans for sure!

We have yet to review "How Empty I Am" on the site (due to the recent constant flow of new heavier album releases), but I hope to give it a formal look in 2014! Check out the full album above, and here's the first track!



Finally for today, I think it's more than fitting to take another look at arguably the most seasonal metal band in the Twin Saults, that being Sault Michigan classical metal outfit Theatre of Night! As you may remember, their first album was "Christmas Night", a 2010 collection of metal versions of carols and Christmas standards, though it has seen a 2011 re-release and plans for both a brand new version and a new all-original album, both with German soprano singer Gaby Koss providing lead vocals. Though recent fundraising campaigns and optimistic plans haven't found a public resolution yet, their older Christmas songs and select newer recordings with Gaby are online for streaming and purchase, so there's no better way to enjoy the season and local talent in equal measure! Coming off a partial live performance in Sault Michigan in July as well, Theatre of Night (featuring I.S.O.M. and End of Existence alumni) have a lot of talent and ambition, and hopefully their next big plans will be realized soon!

Buy and stream their material at their Reverbnation page, and also check out their YouTube channel for videos, songs, and slideshows for their Christmas, American patriotic, and general renditions and originals! Check out their most recent slideshow (featuring their version of "What Child Is This?" with Gaby on vocals) below, and have a wonderful Christmas night no matter what!



Once again, Merry Christmas to all, and I hope you guys get lots of family time, good food, and of course, lots of presents! We'll be back TOMORROW MORNING with previews of an intriguing slate of post-Christmas concerts with metal/hard rock bands, so watch out for that then! Thanks everyone!

Late & Loud - "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal: Still Hard" Review!!

In a special early post, here's this month's CD review, and it's of the expanded re-release of Late & Loud's debut EP "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal"! Subtitled "Still Hard", it was released on April 24th during the band's set at the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals, and it's the second pressing of this disc (originally put out in November 2012), though it now features two re-recorded tracks & two new songs to go along with the main 5 from last year's copies. Those 5 carried-over songs were recorded early last year at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio with producer Dave Pihlaja, while the 4 new recordings were done earlier this year with producer/Daybreak Johnnies guitarist Steve Hopkin. All 9 songs (clocking in at around 38 minutes in length) feature the band's classic lineup, including singer/guitarists Jonathan Tiberi & Brendan Christie, bassist Benn Garside, and singer/drummer Josh Hatherley. Copies were on sale for $5 last week, though it's unclear if they'll be available at potential future concerts or be re-pressed at all, but contact the band on Facebook just in case! Also, the 5 returning songs can be streamed at Late & Loud's Reverbnation page.

Just on an advisory note, be wary of playing "HRHM: Still Hard" in slot-loading CD drives, as I think the psychedelic custom art actually helped it jam in my computer, but tray-loading drives played it without issue. Like with our past reviews of albums that featured re-released material (i.e. Destroilet's newest CD), we'll only be giving an in-depth review of the new recordings, and covering older tracks with just some summative thoughts, but of course, if you want to read my full review of the 5 returning songs, check out my initial review of "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" at this location! Now, let's begin this review with looks at the aforementioned carried-over tracks!

Tracks 1 and 6-9 are the returning songs from Late & Loud's original recording sessions for "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal", albeit in a new order, and they're "Heavy or Bust", "Fast As a Bitch", "Machine Gun Maiden", "Whisper of the Damned", and "Rock N' Roll". Like last year, I find these five tracks to be a solid and fun sample of Late & Loud's classic metal setlist, and all four members show their collective musical talent well on them! I'm partial to "Heavy or Bust" and "Whisper of the Damned" of these five, and the new order helps spread these songs out more then they had been. As was the case last year, their chemistry and feel was always there, and Dave Pihlaja's production was an asset, but my main issues are the continuing lack of a full time singer, and that (on my copy, at least), "Rock N' Roll" cuts off a few seconds early, a problem that didn't affect the song on the original EP. Still, these are 5 very nice and energetic songs, and they give a nice glimpse into Late & Loud at their peak, so give these songs a listen (and read my full review on them) at the above links!

As for the new recordings, songs 2 & 3 are the brand new tracks that weren't on the November release in any form, starting with (by far) the EP's longest song, "Trouble"! What struck me right away was that this song does seem to be played at a slower tempo than it is live, but it's still heavy & faithful to their talents, and the guitar work is a standout! Jon Tiberi's vocals are what I expected, though I'd like to see a bit more grit and less melody on the choruses, and some of the gang vocals are messy mid-way through. If anything, I think "Trouble" lends itself more to live shows, as it's length and nature fits a more carefree jamming style with a faster pace, but it works as a studio track, and never feels too long! It's followed by "Live For Excess", which I'm glad to see included despite not being played at their most recent gigs! It has a fun up-tempo pace and nice guitar riffing, along with solid bass & a quality guitar solo, plus it shows Brendan Christie's best vocal performance on an L&L original! However, the song is relatively short, and the chorus is a bit more minimal and more falsetto-focused than in live concerts, but it's still a ripping track and a welcome addition!

As for tracks #4 & 5, these are the Steve Hopkin-supervised re-recordings of "Never Again" & "Love Letter Lockdown", the self-recorded bonus tracks from the original "HRHM" pressing last fall. I've already looked at both last year, but the recording quality is much better, with vocals much easier to hear, and the individual instruments much clearer in the mix, so Steve deserves kudos for his production! "Never Again" still isn't a highlight of the 9 songs, as it's not overly aggressive or energetic, but it's well performed, and the late jam break helps the song end well! It just doesn't live up to the classic metal intensity of most of it's companions. The improved version of "Love Letter Lockdown" is really welcomed though, as it's another heavy and catchy number, if short, but the drumming works nicely, as does the extended guitar solo! The big issue here is the vocals, which don't have the punch I get from this song live, but at least they don't get slowly quieter like before. If you were disappointed by these songs on last year's pressing, try to upgrade & hear these songs more like they should be heard!

So, what's my final word on "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal: Still Hard"? Well, considering it's expanded and partially re-recorded nature, it's a definite improvement on the original pressing, and I'd say the new songs justify buying a new copy! Like before, we have a lot of very solid and heavy original tracks from this cohesive & talented quartet, with Jon Tiberi & Brendan Christie's guitar work driving each, while Benn Garside's bass work and Josh Hatherley's drumming also tended to stand out and compliment everything else! This is what Late & Loud should have released all along in November, and as it was sold on a $1 discount from the original pressing, it's a win-win! However, for both production & musical quality, the original 5 songs from last fall are probably the best for my own preferences and for audio clarity, but Steve's work & improvements are really appreciated, and don't take anything away from the disc! My main issues are minor, like "Rock N' Roll" being clipped at the end, the lack of some older originals, and as I've always said, the need for a permanent singer (though the guys make the most of what they have.)

I don't know if this will end up being Late & Loud's last gift to the local scene (what with Jon moving & the band's own scattered activity in the past year and all), but "Still Hard" is a great sampling of the Late & Loud experience, and even if there's no imminent shows on the horizon, this should be the next best thing, as it's a very fun and well performed disc, even with it's independent production! Pick it up if you can at the above links, and fingers crossed that this isn't the last that Loudmouths will get to see of Late & Loud! Barring any unforeseen delays, next month's CD review at the SMS will very likely be of local grunge quartet Haggith's third studio album "Deuce" (as it's heavier than their last album "Apocalypse"), so if it comes out as expected on Friday, watch out for our review of it in early June! That's all for today, but stay tuned for a likely new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Major Announcements On New Johnny Pints Concerts, Plus Late & Loud's New EP!!

Before we review last night's Garden of Bedlam show (videos should be posted on Facebook in the next couple of hours), we have a new news post covering many recent stories, so what's on tap? Mostly news concerning local concert promoter (and prolific metal/punk singer) J.D. Pearce, who has even more big news coming for 2013 concerts, so that will lead off, but also watch for news on lineup additions for a previously announced gig, another one being moved, and a recent EP re-release. Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

The aforementioned J.D. Pearce (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) is going to try promoting a metal/punk festival this fall that he's calling Heavy North! Planned to be held at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center at 50 Pim Street, the aim appears for this to be a multi-day event starting on September 27th, and it will likely feature out of town headliners and local acts, though full details have yet to be announced (i.e. bands, ticket availability, age restrictions, other ground rules.) Most local music festivals that we have in town are either geared towards more mainstream genres (i.e. Rotaryfest) or one-off (like many charitable events), so if this is a success, it could be huge and encourage this to become an annual event! Of course, that was the aim of last year's Ypres Metal Fest. I think J.D. has the drive and resources to pull this off and see if it will be successful, but given the Heavy North branding, I'd like to see an emphasis on local/Northern Ontario bands and non-regional acts with former Saultites in their lineup. I'm sure things will fall into place as we get into the summer, so stay tuned for updates, and message the above links if you want in on Heavy North!

In a possibly related note, the July 8th SNFU/Death By Stereo concert originally planned for the Bushplane Museum was moved to The Canadian Nightclub (who hosted Death By Stereo's last show here in 2009) on Wednesday, as per the Facebook event page. A reason wasn't announced, but could it have been to save the museum for Heavy North? Either way, the SNFU show will be huge, and it still has a huge venue, so click the above links for more details!

Also in new event announcements is The Crusade, a multi-band cancer fundraising concert to be held at The Canadian Nightclub on Monday, May 20th. This is a cause close to J.D., as his mother has survived cancer battles multiple times, so you know this event will be done right! Cancer sucks, I lost my grandmother & step-grandfather to it, so I know full well the importance of an event like this! This ALL AGES event will take place from 12:00 PM to midnight on May 20th, and admission is by donation (or, pay what you can), with a suggested amount of $5. All proceeds will go to The Canadian Cancer Society & The Relay For Life, and while no bands have been announced yet, J.D. emphasized on the Facebook event page that unlike his usual punk/metal/hardcore shows, this is open to everyone! I'd assume some harsher bands will be a part, but expect a wider variance of acts for The Crusade.

If you're interested in playing (all genres are welcome), or would like to donate prizes for likely draws, message J.D. at this location, and get more details above! This sounds like a great event for an awesome cause, so contact the above links to get involved, ad keep an eye out for any SMS-leaning band announcements!

Lastly for updates on J.D.'s upcoming concerts, the local support for the Skeletonwitch-headlined metal show at The Canadian Nightclub on June 3rd is now official, and rather than just one band, we have two, including local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters! Fresh off of their best ever local Battle of the Bands finish from Wednesday night, their concert pace continues to slowly pick up, and this major show will be their first at The Canadian since (I think) opening for Fuck The Facts last May! The other newly confirmed opening band is local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade (featuring Pillory & Inhuman Methods alumni) in their first concert since The Locals Attack at The Canadian in November! Though only sporadically seen with recent lineups, their Death-influenced sound attracted a lot of positive notices last fall, and they've been busy working on a yet-released EP so far this year, so we'll have to see how they sound and perform in their long awaited return! Check the above links for more on this huge concert in June, and I know I'll see you guys there!

Finally, here's what you should know on local classic metal quartet Late & Loud's CD release from their finals appearance at The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals! As in the Saigon Hookers' show in November, Late & Loud sold $5 copies of "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" on Wednesday night for fans & attendees, though this was an expanded version subtitled "Still Hard", featuring 4 new songs! The cover art is on your left, and the disc features the 5 songs from the initial EP release (as recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room with Dave Pihlaja), albeit newly ordered. The other 4 songs include re-recordings of "Never Again" & "Love Letter Lockdown" (last year's bonus tracks), plus two brand new recordings ("Trouble" & "Live For Excess".) The 4 new tracks were produced by singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's Daybreak Johnnies bandmate Steve Hopkin, and without reviewing them yet, the quality is better than on last year's bonus songs! The re-release also includes an expanded booklet (including more band photos), a psychedelic custom design on each disc, and a slimmer jewel case.

I fully plan on reviewing the "HRHM" re-release next month on the site (hopefully sooner rather than later), so there's our May CD review at the SMS! I just hope Wednesday wasn't their last show, and I hope Late & Loud stay alive, even if just for sporadic reunion gigs when Jon comes back north. The off-podium finish for the guys is bound to be disappointing, but to their fans (myself included), it was fun and business as usual, and if it was their last, they went out with a bang! Stay tuned for updates as they come in, and keep an eye out for our review of the EP next month!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for my review of last night's Garden of Bedlam/Skeyes of Seven concert later tonight! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Skeletonwitch), Woods of Ypres/Juno Awards Fallout, And Late & Loud's "New" EP!!

58 days into our posting streak, we have one more update before TONIGHT'S Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals, so what's on tap? Along with news on a surprisingly sudden CD release and plenty of fallout from Woods of Ypres' Juno win this past weekend, we're leading off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for June that should be really exciting for many readers, so here's what you need to know!

Throw another major concert onto local promoter J.D. Pearce's summer concert schedule, but this one may be the most appealing to die-hard metalheads, as Ohio blackened thrash metal quintet Skeletonwitch will headline a huge concert at The Canadian Nightclub on Monday, June 3rd! This hard touring band (and Ozzfest veterans) are bound to be familiar to many fans of modern day thrash bands, and their Arch Enemy-esque sound should be a welcomed injection of brutality onto the summer concert schedule locally! Opening for them on their upcoming Canadian/Northern U.S. tour is Vancouver psychedelic metal quartet Ancients (not to be confused with the Nashville metal band of the same name), and their blend of detailed progressive instrumentation & thrashy mayhem (and even Mikael Akerfeldt-esque clean vocals) should find a solid audience in their local debut! The other out of town band is Toronto groove/thrash quartet Caym, who have a steady intensity and plenty of aggressive & fast songs in store, so don't miss them either come June 3rd! At least one local opening band remains to be announced, and we'll keep you guys posted when they are revealed!

This concert is ALL AGES, and will be held at The Canadian on June 3rd at 9:00 PM, with tickets costing $12 and door charges costing $15. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome night of metal, and if you've missed a full-on metal show with out of town bands like this, don't take it for granted, and go mosh with Skeletonwitch in just over a month! Stay tuned for ticket availability & local opening band details as they come in!

Next up, here's the latest fallout from Woods of Ypres' posthumous Juno Award win from this past weekend! On Sunday, an article entitled "Audience salutes Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold at Juno Awards" from The Sault Star's Michael Purvis was posted onto their website (and presumably featured in Monday's newspaper), and it outlines the defunct local doom metal band's win in the Best Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year category for "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" on Saturday evening. Featuring brief remarks from late frontman David Gold's mother Esther (in a phone interview from Regina) on her acceptance speech & it's reception from attendees, the article also features quotes from guitarist Joel Violette's on-stage remarks, information on the album and David's sudden passing in 2011, and an acknowledgement of fellow local musician Crystal Shawanda's Juno win this weekend as well. It's a nice & respectful article, so give it a look above & in Monday's paper! Now, the article quotes Joel & Esther's acceptance speeches, but the ceremony wasn't televised, so where can you see it?

An attendee of the Juno Awards filmed the speech and posted it onto Dropbox on Sunday, but it's since been deleted for unknown reasons... but not before I could see it and download a reference copy! In the speeches (which run over 2 minutes long), Joel thanked Earache Records & producer Siegfried Meier, and complimented this honour as a "fantastic note for Woods of Ypres to end on", while Esther Gold's remarks (some of which were transcribed in our post on Sunday) include invocations of lyrics from "Adora Vivos", her belief in orbs in photographs being David's energy, and her belief from teaching that if you say something three times, it is yours (which led to the devil horn-raised chant of David's name three times to close their speech.) As the original video's been deleted, I can't share it with you right now, but I may post the acceptance speech video online at some point in the future. I will say that the video is from a sharp angle near the front rows of tables, and it's hard to make Joel & the Gold family out during the speeches, but I imagine it'd be more powerful & emotional on a better angle.

Also, Woods of Ypres were referenced on air during Sunday's televised Juno Awards on CTV along with the other untelevised award winners, and they were actually the last of Saturday's winners acknowledged. Basically, the voice over announcer read the names of the award, album, and band, and the cover of "Woods V" was shown. It's not much, but it's a lot more than I think many people were expecting when it came out last spring! This is still an incredible honour, and it's quite the cap for Woods of Ypres' run in the Canadian music scene! If there's anything that could approach a Juno win, maybe David or Woods of Ypres will come up as a candidate for the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame? You never know!

Finally for today, here's the latest news from Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands finalists Late & Loud, who are apparently very close to releasing a "new" EP! According to new postings on their Facebook page (including photos), a CD release named "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal: Still Hard" is being pressed for a release TONIGHT at The Rockstar Bar during the finals, and it appears to at least be a partial re-recording/expansion of their original EP release from their November 2012 return gig, a'la Destroilet's newest disc. A likely track listing confirms 9 songs (including "Live For Excess" & "Trouble", which weren't on the November release), while a posting by singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi confirms that they're mastering 4 songs (which I assume include re-recordings of last year's bonus tracks "Love Letter Lockdown" & "Never Again".) This appears to be the album cover (as replicated from a Facebook photo of the hard copy), and while the picture of the liner notes is grainy, I believe it indicates that songs recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room last year with producer Dave Pihlaja will be included as is.

This reissued EP will be available for $5 TONIGHT during Late & Loud's finals appearance at The Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, so keep that in mind if you're attending! This is somewhat surprising news given that Late & Loud have already indicated that Jon Tiberi is moving out of town after the battle, and who knows what that means for their status going forward (be it a hiatus, breakup, or member replacement), but if there is a level of finality to their set tonight, at least they're going out with a bang! I hope to buy the EP tomorrow and review it in early May on the site, but above all else, I'm judging them fairly and honestly on their battle set tomorrow, not the bonus of a CD release, so I won't comment on anything else related to the disc until after the battle. That said, will Late & Loud defend last year's Sault Humane Society Battle title TONIGHT, or will The Bear Hunters, Haggith, The Pesto Shirts, or The Suicide Kings claim the top prize instead? Come on down to The Rockstar Bar at 10:00 PM to find out! $10 admission, 19+, and I hope to see you guys there! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Still Of The Night & Frightlight), Plus New Videos & "Woods V" Reviews!!

I wasn't expecting to have another post so soon, but when news hits, you've gotta capitalize on it! Today, we have some more "Woods V" reviews, some new videos from some young local musicians, and starting things today, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows next month and THIS WEEKEND, so here's what you need to know!

We have another concert this weekend that I only just found about today, and if you've missed Whitesnake since their headlining concert at Kewadin Casino last August, then good news, as the next best thing is coming to Sault Ontario THIS SATURDAY! Toronto-based Whitesnake tribute band Still of the Night will rock The Canadian Nightclub on Saturday for a good long night's worth of Whitesnake classics, and even some David Coverdale-era Deep Purple, from what I can tell! I apologize for the late notice on this show, I only just heard about it on a radio ad on Rock 101 this morning, and The Canadian's Facebook group didn't acknowledge this concert until this afternoon. Details on this show aren't too prevalent online, but I believe a 10:00 PM start time is likely, you must be 19 to attend, and I'd expect a cover charge of around $5. Check the above links for more details! Late notice or not, The Canadian is always a good bet for bringing in talented touring Canadian tribute bands, and Still of the Night fit that mold well! Jon Munroe's singing isn't a perfect match for David Coverdale in his prime, but they have the sound down pretty well, and if you love Whitesnake or classic 1980s metal, you'll definitely not wanna miss this show on Saturday night! For a preview, here's a Still of the Night promotional video featuring clips of a few of their Whitesnake renditions!



Also in new concerts, remember last week when I alluded to a planned fundraising concert at The Canadian Nightclub that briefly had a Facebook event page before it was pulled? Well, I don't know what happened then, but it appears to still be a go, so here's the current details! As Frightlight frontman Johnny Pints revealed on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday, the band has scheduled a special all-ages fundraising concert at The Canadian on March 4th to raise money towards a tour vehicle, so Frightlight can do some tour dates and "bring the fright" to other cities. Depending on the number of bands, the show will run until 11:00 PM on that Sunday, with an undetermined start time. Currently confirmed to join Frightlight at this "Dead In The Van" event are local hardcore quintet As It Stands, classic metal rockers Late & Loud, Desbarats metal band Inhuman Methods (nice to see them increasing their local presence!), and Business Suit Trappers guitarist "Evil" Greg Callaghan in a solo set. More bands are to be confirmed, so contact Johnny at the above links for details if your band wants in on this event! Full details are expected to be released next week, so we should hear more on admission prices and times then, but I can confirm that the show will be licensed in addition to the all ages element.

Frightlight (and Fitswitch) have always been good for supporting causes at fundraising events, and they deserve the support to raise some funds towards some tour dates, so hopefully a huge turnout is there in March for this show! Depending on the size, this could be similar to notable concert events like the Rock 2 Roll skatepark fundraiser from the summer of 2008 at The Canadian, but we won't know the full scale of everything until next week. It sounds very promising already though, and you can definitely pencil me in to attend and support Frightlight! Stay tuned for more updates as they roll in!

Thirdly today, here's a recent discovery I came across on YouTube that you guys might be interested in. Yesterday, a YouTube user by the name of adamscovers posted three live cover videos onto his YouTube channel from a recent Hawkplugged (formerly Dunnplugged) performance at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, and two of the videos are hard rock covers! The newly posted videos (which joined a Foster The People cover from last month) are of covers of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Alice In Chains' "Rooster", and (as embedded below) Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown", so click each link to check them out! I don't know the performers in the videos, but there's three likely Superior Heights students playing in this band, and I assume one's name is Adam. They're definitely talented, though I find the verse singing on "Rooster" was a bit forced, and the zoom effects on the videos are well edited to emphasize certain band members! I'm curious to learn and hear more from these guys, so check out these new Hawkplugged performance videos above, and here's their cover of "Communication Breakdown"!



Finally for today, here's a few more reviews of "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" to check out! Last month, "merginator" of the metal blog Headbang or GTFO gave Woods of Ypres' last recorded CD a 4.5 out of 5 in a lengthy review, calling it an "emotional roller coaster" and "definitely fulfilling", while only knocking the song "Career Suicide (Is Not Suicide)" for being boring. It's a nice and well-worded review, so click here to check it out! This past Friday, Rob Liz from the metal site That Devil Music gave an overall favourable review to "Woods V", though the postmortem nature of the review definitely seemed to throw things on a loop. He called the CD "an audio painting full of styles and colours" and termed it "the band's masterpiece", while complimenting the Type O Negative influences and the album's haunting effect. Another solid review with lots of personal reflection, so check it out at this location! Lastly for this chunk of reviews, John Roach from the metal website Xplosive Metal gave "W5" a favourable review of his own last month, calling it a "must-buy" for doom metal fans that was worthy of purchase regardless of David Gold's death, while also complimenting David's vocals & the album's symphonic elements. Definitely another nice review, and it's great to see the first reviews of "Woods V" skewing positively, so check out his review by clicking here, and stay tuned for more "W5" CD reviews soon!

That's all for today, but I should see you guys at The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT for the 42nd Rosie metal night! Thanks everyone!