Heavy Lies The Crown's New Album, Plus Lots Of New Videos!!

I have a new news post for you guys on this Saturday morning, including new videos from an assortment of artists from a few different locations, but leading off, we have details on a new album release (well, on a free streaming service), so here's what you need to know!

As teased over the past week, St. Ignace, Michigan progressive metal band Heavy Lies The Crown released their self-titled full-length album yesterday on Spotify! As best as I can tell, the album is not available on other platforms, so you can't actually buy it outright (at least not yet), but the final product can be streamed on-demand for free! The 12 song album includes re-recordings of all four songs from their 2019 debut EP "Scatter Brain" (with "Thing #1" renamed as "A Hell Bound Heart"), plus the previously posted new tracks "Every Step Of The Way" & "Voices", and six brand new cuts named "Friend", "Interlude", "Princess", "*69", "Dead Teeth", and "A Sold Soul". It is great to finally see "Heavy Lies The Crown" out for public consumption, and while I'll hold comment pending a possible review if the album goes on sale, their prior studio tracks should get fans suitably hyped! Check out all twelve songs for yourself on Spotify!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario for some new videos from local party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty, who have had some lighter content to share on their Facebook page this month, like this video where frontman Paul Stanghetta analyzes similarities between songs by Moneen and Boys Like Girls, and this one where he has a minor mishap with a lighter. Their newest video has Paul & Amanda leaving SaultOnline/ONNtv's offices, with Paul heavily apologizing for them exiting from the wrong door, but wait, what were they doing there? The band proper didn't share the video, but Paul was interviewed about the band yesterday during ONNtv's morning show First Local, and the episode can be streamed on-demand on SaultOnline's YouTube channel! The Apocalypse Afterparty segment begins at the 17:26 mark, with co-host Heidi Ivany interviewing Paul for about 5 minutes.

Here, Paul discusses his musical influences, the connectivity of the local music scene, groups Paul's opened for in his various bands, and his short term goals for The Afterparty. Fun and light interview buoyed with good energy from both Paul and Heidi, so give it (and the whole episode) a look below, especially if you miss Soo-produced local news like this!

Also today, let's check out a couple more YouTube reviews of songs from local/Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's new album "Bridges", as sourced from the many album reviews shared to his Facebook page in recent weeks! First, I forgot to note yesterday that Mike's song "From The 55th Parallel" was reviewed by Thomas Christ for episode #11 of You Rock! as well, this time as the opening song of the episode (ex-Bizotic frontman Brad Griffith also turned up under his solo handles Gortium85 & Coax Chrome). Strong review of this song here, if brief, but Thomas made up for it in the next two! And as a prelude to Mike's interview with Studio Live Today's Pete Johns from earlier this month, Pete closed episode #76 of his similar YouTube series Your Music Live (where the host listens to & give reviews of independent music) with Mike's song "The Nature Of The Times"!

Yes, Brad/Coax Chrome is also featured in this same episode. Pete called the song "a beautiful way to finish off our show here today", and live-stream viewers seemed to agree, so give the whole episode a look below to hear Mike and a lot more international musicians getting some deserved exposure! "An Act Of Strength" and the song "Bridges" also feature in the next two episodes of Your Music Live, viewable here and here.

Finally today, I have a prolific local musician to move to our inactive band links, namely Dafter, Michigan hard rock singer/guitarist Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton. An extremely prolific musician who released dozens of albums in the 2010s, including ten that got reviews on the SMS from 2013-2018, SweetKenny has not posted any music-centric updates on social media since November 2020, meaning we're past our one year cutoff, though Ken is still artistically active as a screenwriter, with his website being redesigned to put his own screenplays ahead of his music. This does flow with his late-period albums all being scores for usage in films and video games, so Ken definitely has an artistic mind being put to use, and he did win Best Script Short at the Accord Cine Fest earlier this month! I hope SweetKenny resumes his music at some point (even if just as scores), as he definitely has talent and a lot of good original ideas!

I did want to end on a seasonal note however, as the last song Ken posted on his Facebook page (as of today) is an original song from last November named "Christmas Snow Is Falling", which he said is "a sad song about a lost love". This is a softer number with just Ken on vocals & guitar, and given the more reserved nature, there's less of an Elvis Presley affect on his singing like you often heard in his heavier pre-score material. Change of pace, but not badly composed, so give it a listen below!

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

New Videos, Plus More Recent News & Notes!!

Sadly, news at this stage of the pandemic remains painfully slow, hence the recent 6 day spans between formal news posts, with features dotted in between to keep our "one post every three days" rule alive. I have cobbled together enough content to keep things relatively active until Thursday,  Today's post is largely comprised of videos (with some assorted topics to end things with), so here's what you need to know!

 

Let's start with new music from Dafter, Michigan hard rock musician Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton, and it's been a long time since we've covered him on here! Ken's once-prolific slate of solo albums and scores quietly dried up in the late 2010s, but he has kept active online, and he uploaded four new videos on his YouTube channel this year. Two relate to his old score work, while the other two are of new music of his, including this remote vocal cover of "Sway" by The Pussycat Dolls(!) with South Korean singer An "Jerry" Sohyeon. Ken jumps in late via a picture-in-picture window. Very atypical of his guitar-heavy original songs and his scores, but An is a good singer, and Ken's accompaniment doesn't take anything away! Embedded below is SweetKenny's brand new original song "What If?", which is about growing old together with someone you love. The video features free-to-use stock footage of couples, which fits the theme well enough.

The lyrics feel a little over-detailed to me, but the song is well paced and melodic, and Ken's vocals work with the song without getting too Elvisy as was common on some of his harder edged material. Hopefully SweetKenny has more music in the works, but give "What If?" a listen below!

 

Next up, here's another new original song from Sault Ontario hard rock musician Tym Morrison's YouTube channel on Thursday! Entitled "Living On Mars", this is a song that he wrote back in high school about colonizing the red planet, but he has amended the lyrics since to be about alternate theories, with lyric video and photos to match. Musically, this is a metal song that lets Tym use his lower register singing well on verses, and it has a solid classic riff with some nice soloing, so fans of his past electric metal work will want to hear this song below, and stay tuned for more!

Also today, here's the newest video from local gore/cybergrind solo project Malignant Neoplasm's Facebook page! Uploaded last month in their first post there in over a year, the video features 16 seconds of a promisingly heavy instrumental track on the computer, with no audible vocals. Tyler hints that there's new material coming soon, but will there be an attached album? Time will tell, but give it a listen below, and stay tuned for more from Malignant Neoplasm and the Blood Shed Productions camp! Yes, the video works, I don't know why the thumbnail is white.

 

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:

 

• Last month, in their first written Facebook page update in well over a year, local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet revealed that they have a new run of official t-shirts coming on sale soon for $20, and to let them know the sizes you want so they can have the right ones ordered. They look good as you'd expect, and it's great to see that the guys are still quietly active during the pandemic!
• I have moved local acoustic hard rock duo Tattoos & Scars to our inactive band links, not having updated their Facebook page since sharing a video from their now-defunct main project Halfway Loaded's page on November 7th of last year. Quietly and sporadically active since the fall of 2018, Tattoos & Scars updates largely tailed off once Justin & Shane formed their current southern hard rock band Fort Creek, so follow that band for their current musical work, including our next post on Thursday!
• The annual Toystock charity concert's Facebook page revealed on November 4th that there is an "announcement coming soon" and that "we finally have something in the works." Details have not followed at press time, but with the pandemic, a normal installment of Toystock IX likely wouldn't be possible. Could this be a virtual concert with Christmas Cheer fundraiser options? Would organizers have 10 bands again (let alone in 10 hours?) Also, the event proper likely would have been on Sunday, November 29th, so will that date mean anything with the likely changes? Stay tuned to the above links for details as they roll in!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on Thursday, barring a massive influx of news! Thanks everyone!

SweetKenny - "Management" CD Review!!

Here's our 113th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's newest paid album, "Management"! Released through Waterfall Records on June 13th, this is the 26th official paid studio album from SweetKenny, as well as the 10th of his that we have reviewed on the SMS dating back to 2012. As has been his primary focus for the past three years, this is yet another instrumental album designed for use as a score in film, TV, or movie productions, with an intended plotline given about a CIA agent named Kenneth (naturally) who must locate and stop a spy in "management" before Russian operatives get the chance. Note that Ken just released another score album named "Monster" to his website earlier this month, but as it's just a free posting at present, I didn't consider it for this album review. Featuring Ken on all instruments, you can buy "Management" on iTunes for $9.99, and you can stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, and his website.

And as recently usual, song names below are linked to their website copies. With 12 tracks running for about 40 minutes in length, let's begin this review with the first song, "Botched Invasion"! A short 96 second composition, this has a grand, American patriotic flavour to it with quick military drum rolls and horn instrument effects. It serves it's purpose as an introduction, but it's not a full "song" in & of itself, and doesn't evoke an invasion of any kind to me.

Second is "Kenneth" (the fictional CIA agent, not SweetKenny himself), which is slightly longer and has more going for it conceptually, with a dark ominous vibe, like Kenneth is covertly on a mission. Simplistic guitars and well timed orchestration help pace things nicely, and the piano at the end is placed effectively too. This felt like it could have been longer, as it felt like it was building to bigger and more dramatic things, but it gets the job done in the story! That's followed by "Management Tower", which goes even more ethereal and spacey with it's instrumentation here, almost as if it should be on Echoes on 98.3 FM on Sunday mornings. Rapid military drumming mid-way through helps disturb the chilled out nature, but the string input adds to the grandiosity. This would be a good song for a long late-night drive, and it's well composed overall, but this doesn't feel all that evocative of it's name.

Next is "Russian Trouble", which immediately takes on a darker and more industrial sound that is far more suited to the theme of the album, and regardless of the enemies' nationality, you know they're making their presence felt! The electronic effects add some zest, but the bassy and deliberate sound keeps things serious and purposeful. I'd have added a subtle Russian music element to enhance the mood, and it does run a little overlong, but so far, this is the best track on "Management"! Then we have "Kenneth's Secrets", which is a piano-driven number that returns to deliberately ominous territory, almost as if the Russian agents are looking for the title secrets at this point. While not as laid back as "Management Tower", this has more ethereal qualities, with isolated piano input and extra effects laid overtop, and while nowhere near as intense as "Russian Trouble", the album is getting better for reflecting the song names!

"The Interrogation" follows next, and this song almost feels like it belongs in a horror movie than a spy thriller, especially with that high pitched eerie note midway through, and as bookended by more ominous and dark performing and effects. If you didn't give me the title, I'd have easily bought this as taking place in a haunted house! Like on the album openers, this doesn't evoke an interrogation room at all, but then again, who knows what kind of "interrogating" is being done. They have to get answers somehow! The second half begins with "Observation", which is more of an electronic number that at times feels like it could be background music in a Super Nintendo game. The higher tempo music somewhat evokes winter and the cold, but it maintains a steady techno rhythm and pace throughout, and has some more industrial machinery tinges late. I don't really get an "observation" vibe here, but for what it is, it gets the job done!

The next two tracks are "Code Name 28 (Arrangement 1)" & "Code Name 28 (Arrangement 2)",  and as you can probably see already, these are different takes on the same song in the score (one assumes 28 is Kenneth's code name.) These continue the electronic path from "Observation", and each has a mid-tempo pacing that eschews most traditional rock elements. "Arrangement 2" differs from the original with harsher and more distorted effects, evoking a more computerized ambiance, but each is the same base composition. Not my favourite song(s) on the album, but techno fans will find something here! I preferred "Arrangement 1" for it's less abrasive sound. Next is "Spies & Dark Women", which is the album's longest track. We return to more ominous and drawn out territory here, with some electronic elements still present, but not nearly as in your face this time. This song seems to go in stages, with things quieting down a bit in the middle before ramping up the drama late, and even returning to SweetKenny's hard rock past for a bit, and I definitely welcome charging guitars here!

This song is a bit of a piecemeal number, but there are enough strong elements (especially late) to make it worthwhile! The penultimate track is a similarly long number named "The Penthouse", which is more up-tempo while still retaining it's predecessor's dramatic qualities, and at this late stage of the score, you know things have ramped up in intensity! The percussion has catchy qualities, especially when it takes center stage, and the tension is there, but this song has more repetition than I'd like, especially compared to how varied it's predecessor was. Not a bad number, but I'd have cut it down some. The album closes with "Management Trailer Theme", presumably what Ken would use in commercials for the movie this score would be used with if it was up to him. Running for an album-low 73 seconds, this reminds me slightly of the Criminal Minds theme music, only with eerier qualities as it builds. For a CIA thriller film, this would be good background music, and I can picture a chase to it, so it works for what it is!

So, what are my final thoughts on SweetKenny's newest paid score album? Well, having now reviewed five of his scores, I'm at least familiar now with how these kinds of albums go, and I can safely say that while this isn't the best of those five (that's still "The Hitman Files"), this has enough positive qualities to deserve a listen! Fans hoping for a full length follow-up to "In Your Face" will want to look elsewhere for new traditional material (namely his recent singles), but for techno-infused rock instrumentals and atmospheric backing tracks, this has enough going for it in those areas as songs alone. When we last reviewed Ken's "The Dogs Are Watching" score, I felt that it's reliance on dark techno was well suited to it's intended storyline about government hackers, but for a CIA spy thriller, I'm not so sure that the same genre fits as well, and even then, the titles of many tracks were not evocative of the song at all, like "Botched Invasion" & "Interrogation". Of course, if you were to license these songs for a score, you could theoretically use them in other ways, but it's just something I noticed.

Fans of SweetKenny's scores will want to take a listen, as there's enough eerie and ominous techno and rock instrumentals here to find something you like, so buy or stream it (and much more) at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and as for next month, I am tentatively planning to review Northwest's new EP "Songs From 2015-2017", which is expected to be released on December 22nd at their LopLops Lounge release concert, which we will cover on the site later this week. That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on Thursday! Thanks everyone!

Local Metal Video Showcase!!

News has been somewhat slow as of late, but I have cobbled together a video-centric post on this Sunday morning, largely on Sault Michigan acts. Alongside some new YouTube song postings and a familiar group from a recent concert, let's start with a new video from local classical/metal band Theatre of Night, who filmed a special televised performance on Grand Rapids-area cable access channel GRTV on Friday! I am not familiar with the channel to know if this was part of a specific program or not, let alone when you can catch it on TV there or online, but we do have a video look at them from that day, as shared to Theatre of Night's Facebook group via bassist Scott Andringa's wife Sara's personal Facebook page. The performance is of the Christmas carol "We Three Kings", and is our first video look at the band with Rachel Mender on vocals for this holiday season. The performance is solid, and while there is muffled audio, the final TV copy will no doubt remedy that.

You also get a brief look at the actual TV camera view late, and you do get a sense of their live concert scale this year, including Scott hitting a big drum for some added percussion dramatics, so one assumes this will be similar to what local fans see next month. In the meantime, give (part of?) Theatre of Night's GRTV performance a look below!



Next up, here's a 40 minute long live-streamed video of a one-off band from The Superior Cafe's Musicians Showcase event over the Halloween weekend! Alongside Project 906 & Raven Griffin, fans that night saw Das Spööky, who are actually a de facto reunion of the final full lineup of the 2013-2014 local alt-hard rock trio Plastic, with Crooked Music owner Zac Crook on vocals & guitar, Matt Williams on bass, and Superior Cafe manager Aaron DePalma on drums (Matt & Aaron have also served as instructors at Crooked Music themselves.) Plastic were a solid band that deserved a longer run, and while I have heard no public word about "Das Spööky" being more than a one-off, it's nice to see the guys back at it! As uploaded to Crooked Music's Facebook page three weeks ago, you'll see the guys covering (in order) The Misfits' "Ghouls Night Out", Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", The Misfits' "London Dungeon", The White Stripes' "Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground",  ...

...The Ramones' "Pet Sematary", The Who's "Boris the Spider", five more Misfits songs ("Return of the Fly", "Teenagers From Mars", "Children in Heat", "Horror Business", and "We Bite"), and an interpretation of Bobby Pickett's "Monster Mash" in almost a slow jazz/Wesley Willis-hybrid style, if you can make sense of that. If you love Danzig-era Misfits, this video will be extra notable, but Das Spooky/Plastic deliver a fun set full of Halloween-alluding covers, and while the vertical camera angle and dark lighting don't help, you should get enjoyment out of this set! Give Das Spooky a look below, and click here to see their White Stripes cover rehearsed that morning!



Also today, let's take a brief detour to Sault Ontario for the long awaited upload of local goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore's half of their "A Couple of Degenerate Bastards" split with Chase Wigmore from earlier this year! This was posted to label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel on November 7th, and it features 11 songs with such names as "Sudafederal Offense", "26", and "Big Boy in a Small Pond". Of course, some titles and lyrics could be seen as offensive by some readers, which is nothing new for C.T.W. original material, but these songs are slightly longer on average than you may expect, as their average length is about 2:35. The music on display here retains the usual minimalist grind hallmarks of Tyler's sound, including pig squeal vocals and noise effects, so this won't win over any prior detractors, but Blood Shed diehards should like the new music, and give it a listen if you want below!



Finally, here's the latest from Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton, who is still our likely CD review topic for this month, but what has he been up to lately? While his album focus as of late has been towards his scores, he has posted five singles online this year that (largely) aren't attached to a credited new studio album, which you can stream at his website. Four are entitled "Pork N' Beans" (featuring guest guitarist Jamie Woodfin Jr.), "American Monster" (a 10 minute long score composition), and "Superhero", while two songs were posted for an intended album named "For The Love Of Funk", namely "Her Mama Put The Funk On Me" & "The Landing of George Funk", the latter about a fictional astronaut. Aside from the funk elements, these retain Ken's usual hard/jam rock hallmarks, albeit with some requisite score-fitting drama, and fans should give them a listen! In the meantime, SweetKenny's YouTube channel has seem some scattered updates this year, so what's new there?

Much of his recent postings there have been towards demonstrating his original material (largely songs I don't recall being released previously) as soundtrack music to outside video footage, often with attractive women in revealing clothing, as you can see in this "Monster" demo reel, this song for a planned video game, and this copy of his "Epic" song "Maddy's March" with a glossy presentation. Hopefully these uploads are getting Ken some attention in the score and soundtrack arena, but here's his "Her Mama Put The Funk On Me" video, and stay tuned for more from SweetKenny when it rolls in!



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

SweetKenny's New Album, A New/Old Treble Charger Interview, And Much More!!

After a quiet weekend, we're back on this Father's Day with a new news post, so what's in store today? Lots of assorted shorter items, including three removals from our active band links, plus a surprise interview of a local punk band from 18 years ago, but first, here's a new album release!

Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton is back with another new score album, so what should you know on it? Quietly released on Wednesday, this album is titled "Management", and is his 26th official solo album and third put out in 2018 alone. Going along with his mid-late 2010s focus on scores intended for use in other media, the intended storyline is about a CIA agent named Kenneth (of course), who finds a spy in "management", and has to find and stop the spy before the Russians do. Definitely a jump in intensity from "Music For The Body", if nothing else! The 12 song score album is available on iTunes for $9.99, but the album is oddly not available yet on SweetKenny's Bandcamp page, similarly to last year's "Music Composed For Film". In any event, you can stream it for free on his website and on Spotify. That all said, is a review of either of SweetKenny's last two albums imminent on The Sault Metal Scene?

Not in June, as it's the last month of our 6 month anti-bias buffer from our review of "The Dogs Are Watching" in January, but next month is entirely possible! Given the intensity, themes, and length, I would go with "Management" over the fitness/aerobics-themed "Music For The Body" for our next SweetKenny album review. Stream or buy these and other albums from this prolific E.U.P. artist at the above links!

Next up, here's a surprise new video find of Sault Ontario/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger, as uploaded by YouTube user Miker Phone yesterday! The channel is best known from commercials and bumpers from children's television channels, and that's perfectly in line with this video, a late 2000 interview with Treble Charger conducted by then-YTV PJ Pat Kelly (now of CBC Radio One's This & That) during their after school programming block The Zone, specifically following a Rugrats episode. After a clip of the "Friend of Mine" music video, the interview proper kicks in with Pat talking to the guys at a playground (remember, YTV) about their then-new album "Wide Awake Bored", though an advertised quiz segment where Pat tested their rock 'n roll acumen has not made this channel... yet? The interview footage here isn't too long, but it's nice and casual, and Greig even name drops the Soo at one point, so give this interview a look below, and don't miss them at Rotaryfest next month!



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

• Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback were added as late openers to The Elements' Rockstar Bar show last night, as per the Facebook event page. Solid choice, hopefully A.D.S. delivered a solid set and helped out before The Elements took the stage! Apologies though for this not making the site beforehand, we admittedly couldn't rush a new post in time to include mention of them being added to the bill.
• We have moved local hardcore quintet As It Stands back to our inactive local band links due to a year's inactivity. After their prior local runs from 2005-2014, the band had reunited last spring to play at the CKY concert on June 8th, 2017, but quietly dropped out beforehand, with no public statements following their exit. It would have been awesome to see As It Stands back on stage after far too long, one-off or not, but hopefully we see Justin, Garrett, Albert, Angelo, and John back together at some point down the line!
• We have also moved local death metal band Exploring Detritus to our inactive band links, as they have not posted a new Facebook page update (a flashback video share aside) since June 1st of last year. Primarily active with a handful of live dates in 2016, nothing much really followed last year, but hopefully Joey, Dan, Jeph, and Kevin resurface at some point, they had a lot of promise! In our band links, they're now listed under their old name Kaepora Gaebora, which their concerts were played as, but if they resurface under the Exploring Detritus name, we'll change it back.
• Local indie/acoustic project The Autumn Roots and indie/prog quartet The Wild Iris have both indicated on their respective Facebook pages that they'll be playing Rotaryfest's Stage 2 this year, expected for Saturday, July 21st at Clergue Park near the Art Gallery. These acts have not been confirmed by Rotaryfest proper at press time, but if accurate, this would seem to indicate that Stage 2 is not going with the band reunion theme like Stage 1 is doing, or at least not as in-depth. We'll keep you posted when more comes out on this year's Second Stage!
• In one more band link alteration, we have removed local punk duo Slow Children Playing from our band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page for unannounced reasons in recent months. Active as a sporadic studio project from 2014-2017, Slow Children Playing had some promise and originality, and while I wish they hadn't deleted their page, hopefully Don and Caleb turn up in this or other projects in the future!
• Reunited classic/hard rock cover veterans That's Chester reformed for the first time in almost two years when they played during drummer Ric Datson's regular jam night event with his current band Mojo at Reggie's West on June 7th, as per That's Chester's Facebook page. Hopefully that was a fun way to shake off the rust in advance of their (otherwise) one-off reunion at Rotaryfest next month!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Banned), Pop Evil Videos, A New Album, And More!!

Here's a Sault Michigan-heavy post for your Friday morning, and it includes videos from a big recent concert, a surprise album release, and even a few Sault Ontario notes, but let's kick things off with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for readers in the E.U.P.!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Runway Bar in Hessel for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Banned only announced the show via their Facebook event page late last night, though the venue's Facebook page has covered it since Tuesday. TONIGHT's show will mark Banned's first gig since taking a road trip to Engadine (outside of our coverage range) last week, and their first in Hessel since a deer season party in November. That said, this concert is also tied to special festivities, as it coincides with the annual Snowsfest in Hessel, with this taking place during the festival's annual Pub Shuffle, so if you like pub crawls and such, click here for full details on participating venues and the favourite bar contest! And in case you're curious, this year's theme is cartoons, hence the cartoon imagery on The Runway Bar's Facebook page when covering this concert, but if there's a hidden meaning behind only using underwater-set cartoons, I don't know it.

TONIGHT'S show at The Runway Bar (I mean, Bikini Bottom?!) has a 9:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, best of luck with Snowsfest and the pub crawl this year, and here's Banned live!



Next up, here's (so far) the only public videos that I've found from the Pop Evil concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Valentine's Day! Uploaded by YouTube user Om G shortly afterward, these videos are of the Muskegon hard rock quintet playing their songs "Boss' Daughter" and, as embedded below, "Ways to Get High". These aren't optimal looks at this concert due to the vertical camera angle, shaky visuals, and muddled audio, but while the vocals come through fine, Leigh's range doesn't hit the heights I'm used to from Pop Evil's studio versions. These work well enough though, so check them out above & below!



Also today, here's a surprise, as Dafter hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton has released yet another studio album to his Bandcamp page! Entitled "Music For The Body", this is officially SweetKenny's 25th official album, and his second of 2018 already, but it does depart from his recent formula of intended scores for other media. Instead, this is an EP-length release featuring 6 instrumental tracks, including his recent song "Bikini", and as it turns out, he's intended "Music For The Body" to be used for fitness purposes, specifically aerobic or Zumba workouts. That's an angle I didn't expect, but hey, it shows his diverse thinking! You can buy this EP at the above links for $7, and can stream it for free there as well. It's great to see SweetKenny release a new non-score album, even if it's a fitness EP, but might we see a review of it on the site? It's possible, but given that we just reviewed "The Dogs Are Watching" last month, it wouldn't be until July at the earliest due to our 6 month anti-bias buffer period.

As well, keep in mind that SweetKenny has released six studio albums since the beginning of 2017, so I'd be shocked if he didn't have anything else put out by July. Given that, a fitness-geared EP likely wouldn't be our optimum choice for a review over a potential full length album (score or otherwise) that follows, but stranger things have happened! Give SweetKenny's new album and more of his extensive back catalog a listen above!

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

• Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback announced on their Facebook page last week that they have begun pre-production for their debut album, and will post updates on it along with "a few surprises." No word on when and where they'll officially begin recording tracks for it, but the guys did note that their planned next concert will be in May. Intriguing, so stay tuned for more from A.D.S. as it rolls in!
• Local indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota and DJ Seith took a road trip to Espanola for rare out of town concerts last Friday and Saturday as part of the Boogie Mountain Night Jam skiing event there, as cited at this link. Hopefully the shows were a hit, and that both Id Iota and Seith made some new fans out east! However, no public word yet on Id Iota's teased new bassist.
• Former Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent posted the first track from his planned second solo album onto his Bandcamp page on Wednesday! Entitled "Apocalypse", this is a well recorded technical death metal instrumental that fans of his other recent solo material should like, so give it a listen above! For what it's worth, Mike still hasn't formally released "Ultimate Chaos" in an formal album packaging on Bandcamp or elsewhere that I've seen, with the songs still only posted as separate single tracks.

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

SweetKenny - "The Dogs Are Watching" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 103rd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're taking a look at Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's recent album "The Dogs Are Watching"! Officially considered his 22nd solo album, this release has been followed up with newer albums named "Assassins" & "Escape of the Desert Rat" at press time, but we chose this album for review due to it being heavier overall. Released on August 18th, 2017 and recorded last year at Waterfall Records, "The Dogs Are Watching" is the ninth of SweetKenny's official solo timeline to serve primary purpose as a score for intended usage in films, television, or video games, rather than a traditional rock album, with Ken himself providing all instrumentation therein. You can buy this album on Bandcamp for $7, on Google Play for $9.49, and on iTunes for $9.90, while single song purchases exist also, and you can stream the entire album for free as well on Bandcamp and through SweetKenny's website. Featuring 10 songs running for over 36 minutes in length, let's begin our fourth review of a SweetKenny score album!

Thematically, Ken intends this album to be about hackers preventing excessive oversight from the government and their watchdogs, but licensees could theoretically adapt songs as they wished. The first song is "Tracking IP Address", which is a techno/keyboard instrumental that has an ominous keyed opening. The two sounds make for an interesting contrast, and I don't hate it! If anything, it's a little repetitive by the end, and while I don't picture piano music during IP tracking, the deliberately paced techno half makes up for that. Not really a rock song, but effective in it's own way! Second is "Oversight Committee", which maintains usage of a keyboard and a techno beat, but the song has a little more in the way of rock instrumentation, so it feels like a fuller composition. There is an odd percussion bit here that sounds like repeatedly spraying an aerosol can, but nothing else comes out of left field. Good track for what is is, with a casual yet serious rhythm to it!

That is followed by "The Dead Sec." ("Secret" or "Secretary", maybe?) This song is more of a soft guitar performance with a dark techno undercurrent, featuring more keyboard input as well. Given the implication of someone/something ending or dying, this song has the requisite downbeat feel, while maintaining the techno elements of songs' past, and it never feels overlong, which is a plus! That said, it won't appeal to fans of SweetKenny's faster and heavier recordings. Fourth is "Hackers Underground", which is a dark techno number that maintains a reserved pace throughout, presumably to be the background music as said hackers did their work. The mood set here is effective, and the song accomplishes what it sets out to do, but to me, earlier songs have more variance to hold my attention. Not badly composed, but it doesn't stand out the same.

The first half concludes with "Alex's Recon" (I assume Alex is a military soldier tracking the hackers?) By far the longest song on "The Dogs Are Watching", this 6½ minute track has a steady marching rhythm and arguably the heaviest sound yet on the album, but given that it's intended to be set in a reconnaissance mission, you know that serious stuff is going down. Even a gun is heard being cocked mid-way through! The dark ambiance is very effective here, and while the song isn't short, it's never boring as it helps set the mood of the intended mission. One of the album's highlights so far! Sixth on the album is "The Creepies", which runs for an album-low 98 seconds. This brings back the dark techno sound, and honestly, the song does sound like it's creeping up on you with how it progresses and introduces it's instrumentation! It sounds like it's building to something big, but ultimately, it's short length is anticlimactic. Effective while it lasts though!

Track #7 is "Hackers", which also runs for a relatively short time, but it packs a lot in with arguably the "heaviest" sound yet, even if it is a full techno number! If "Hackers Underground" from earlier in the album was also of them at work, than things are ramping up three tracks later! There's not a whole lot new to add, but if you like the dark vibe and techno focus, this will be right up your alley, and it does feel like a substantial track despite it's short length! Then we have "Revelation 360", which is the most unique song yet on the album, which has a minimalist sound almost reminiscent of the backing music when you enter an empty hall in a video game, but halfway through it diverts course and welcomes in fuller instrumentation and a bit of techno and guitar input. The song definitely stands out as it's own piece, especially thanks to it's white noise-esque close, and while I appreciate the diversity, I prefer the dark techno of earlier songs just for my own personal preference.

Ninth is "A Job Well Done", presumably signifying that the hackers completed their mission. This is full-on techno, giving the vibe that they're celebrating at a nightclub, though I somehow doubt Ken had that in mind. I miss the darker edge here, but given where this is intended to take place in the score, I understand the upbeat mood. If anything, the repetitive skipping that comes in twice grinds the action to a halt, but it does what it's supposed to do! The sort-of title track "Watch Dogs" closes the album with a return to the dark techno stylings of prior songs, and it has a catchy beat to it's percussion that I like, plus some of the most prominent guitar work yet! The song has the vibe of a credits song, as if you've completed the movie/game, and it works well on that basis to end the album on a high note, even if it runs a little longer than it probably needs to!

So, what are my final thoughts on this recent SweetKenny score album? Overall, it's an interesting chapter in his mid-late 2010s focus on scores, and while it won't satiate some fans desires for a full-length follow-up to "In Your Face", it's effective at what it sets out to do! I feel like I threw around variants of the term "dark techno" throughout the review, and while Ken doesn't cross into Prodigy-levels, that term is apt, as for a score intended to be about government hackers, what would fit better: electronica or hard rock? Some songs had more of a rock base than others, like "Watch Dogs" in particular, while songs that fully embraced the intended sound worked the best, like "Hackers" and "Alex's Recon". The album had it's repetitive moments, and some songs ended a little too soon, but remember that the album is intended to tell one story. Of the four SweetKenny scores that I have reviewed, "The Hitman Files" remains my favourite musically, but this one may have taken second place for it's overarching story and mood, especially compared to "Epic" from last spring.

If you like techno rock and prior SweetKenny scores, give "The Dogs Are Watching" a listen above, whether you're a fan, newcomer, or interested in licensing this for a score! That's all for today, and as for next month's CD review.... I am leaning towards one of Sault Ontario solo musician Mike McCleary's new solo EPs, either "Hourglass" or the brand new "Weight of the Truth", which just came out yesterday, so look for our full write up on that in the coming days also, and for more news and notes too! Thanks everyone!

New Local Solo Album Releases, Shit Liver Updates, And More!!

Things have been somewhat quiet as of late, but we are back with a new news post on this Tuesday morning, featuring a few short new videos from each side of the border, and to kick things off, two new albums from regional hard rock musicians, so here's what you should know!

The newest album from Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton was released as scheduled this past Wednesday! Entitled "Escape of the Desert Rat", this is his eleventh to be themed as a score for use in other media, though Ken visualizes it as a video game score, even giving it a plot outline on his website. If left up to him, the story is about a United States military colonel who leads an elite strike force team, but has to escape capture by Sudanese rebels, but potential licensees could theoretically adapt it as they wished. "Escape of the Desert Rat" is available for $9.99 on his Bandcamp page, and while it is his first new album release of 2018, remember that we will not be reviewing it this month. Instead, we'll be looking at SweetKenny's August score album "The Dogs Are Watching", as it's material is slightly heavier, so look for that review soon!

Also, while his scores remain his current focus, one new traditional original is now on his YouTube channel, so what should you know on it? Entitled "Bikini", it's a rock instrumental with a 1960s British Invasion vibe that fans of his older material should enjoy! However, I have chosen not to embed it here due to it's featured video (borrowed clips from a rap music video and of bikini models suggestively washing a car), as some of the content may be considered inappropriate or objectifying. Give it a listen if you want though!

Next up, here's another new solo hard rock album to take note of from a local musician, that being Sault Ontario's own Mike McCleary, who put out his surprise EP "Hourglass" on January 8th! This is not a renaming of the previously announced "Weight of the Truth", that's coming in the near future, but Mike noted on his Facebook page that he chose to release "Hourglass" first due to "the timeliness of its message." In particular, this five song EP addresses topics like assimilation, gender inequality, racism, and poverty, and how they are handled in reality. All five songs have previously been shared in varying forms on Mike's Soundcloud page, and if you're missing a favourite, watch for follow-up releases. It should be noted that Mike did release a debut album called "In Ruins" to online streaming services last June (before we discovered him for site coverage), but it has since been pulled from iTunes, Spotify, and Deezer, and was never acknowledged on Facebook, so he may intend to rework that album and/or it's songs.

"Hourglass" is available on Bandcamp for $4.95 and is also on iTunes and Spotify, so consider streaming or buying it through those sites to hear Mike's newest (first official?) release! As for when to expect a review of it... next month is very possible, though if teasers regarding "The Weight of the Truth" prove to see it's release in the coming weeks, we could pick that instead. "In Ruins" wouldn't jump ahead in line as it's not a "new" album anymore, and who knows if it's being tinkered with. In any event, February is very possible for our first ever Mike McCleary album review, so stay tuned for updates!

Also today, here's the latest from local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, so what's new from their camp? Well, they will hit the road with a Southern Ontario tour run with Owen Sound sludgecore band Cruel Bloom early next month, which join a previously announced Windsor show in two weeks where they'll help open that city's thrash band Plague's CD release concert. No word on a local concert return yet, but it's great to see the guys keeping busy! Shit Liver have also been seen in a few news Facebook page videos from late last year, including this 2 second video from New Year's Eve featuring Matt Baic drumming while standing up. Ultra brief, but he's definitely in the zone for those 2 seconds! The other video is a proper live clip from their Hamilton concert at Doors in November where they opened for past local headliners Uncle Ray, as shared from attendee Zixuan Chen's page. While it's also brief (37 seconds), at least we get some solid quality footage from a high camera angle, so give it a look below!



Finally for today, here's some brief new videos from Sault Michigan independent label Werehold Records' YouTube channel, though these aren't your standard postings. Instead, these feature label head/Life's Eclipse guitarist Jason Mills testing five microphones across two videos by playing the same heavy guitar riff. You can see the second part (featuring a pair of MXL microphones) at this link, but embedded below is the longer video comparing three. I think the MXL 990 on the second video has the clearest sound, but the SM57 has a scratchier tone that might work better for a punk song. Compare for yourself above and below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on The Sault Metal Scene as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

Concert Previews For This Weekend, A New Album Release, And More!!

Here's another new post for your Thursday morning, and while we're mostly tackling this weekend's final slate of hard rock concert previews for 2017, we also have a new album release and a new video upload to round things out! Note that we are holding our preview of Soundcheck's New Year's Eve concert at The Esquire Club for our next news post due to it's Sunday night placement, so we can cover it closer to showtime. Now, here's what you should know for this weekend's concerts before the 31st!

We'll start with the final regular weekly concerts of 2017 for former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, who will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for another matinee trifecta TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! A continually reliable sight over a fairly quiet weekend to end the year (at least for hard rock shows in the area), Tym's skilled and well-tested brand of acoustic hard rock covers should provide another entertaining weekend of music over the next few evenings! Note that there isn't a Facebook event page for these shows as of this writing, but the shows are advertised on SooToday's event calendar. Also, while Gliss is holding a New Year's party again on Sunday night, the musical performer for that will be The Paul Dellavedova Band for a third straight year, so keep that in mind if you want to end 2017 with the blues! As for Tym's threepeat of unplugged shows from tonight through Saturday, expect 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and no age limit. See above for details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, let's head to the E.U.P. for the final major original hard rock show in the area for 2017, as British Columbia hard rock/post-grunge quartet Theory of a Deadman will return to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Previously seen at this venue with headlining dates in 2012 & 2015, this platinum selling band (alternately known just as Theory in recent materials) are touring in support of their softer new album "Wake Up Call", and with familiar songs like "Lowlife", "Santa Monica", and "Rx (Medicate)", there should be something for fans across their run on Saturday! The openers will be Munising hard rock quartet Infathom (featuring former Soo resident Dillion Semasky on vocals), in their first concert appearance in the E.U.P. since playing in Brimley last March. Huge opportunity for Infathom, and hopefully they make a big impression on the big stage in a couple of nights' time! This show is presented once again by Allstar Promotions, so kudos for getting them back here!

Tickets for this show were $34.50, but the show is advertised as being sold out, so I'd recommend calling 1-800-KEWADIN in case anything opens up in the next few days. The concert proper starts at 7:00 PM on Saturday, and there are no announced age limits. While I'm admittedly not a huge Theory (of a Deadman) fan, I appreciate them taking a risk with a more original sound on this new album, and hopefully it's as big of a hit as the sold-out tickets imply! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Theory live earlier this year!

Also today, here's a surprise new album release, as Dafter hard rock singer/guitarist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton quietly released his 23rd solo album "Assassins" on December 11th! His first solo album since August's "The Dogs Are Watching" (which curiously still isn't on his Bandcamp page), this album is his tenth to primarily function as a score for use in movies, TV, or video games, so fans hoping for a true follow-up to his last traditional album "In Your Face" will have to look to 2018 for the next one, maybe. Ken describes the album as being about the title characters being sent to kill a girl who knows too much about them, and whose father is also a former colleague of theirs, which contrasts the album's peculiar subtitle on Sweetkenny's website ("A Comedy Album"?!) You can buy "Assassins" digitally for $7 on Bandcamp, among other sources for varying prices seen at the above links. I'll hold comments on the album towards a potential album review, but fans of his scores will want to give "Assassins" a listen at the above links!

In terms of a SweetKenny album review... if you're wondering why we didn't review "The Dogs Are Watching" in November given the end of our 6 month anti-bias buffer (post-"Epic"), it's because I honestly forgot about it. To make up for that, I will review a SweetKenny album on the site to start 2017, and I am going to stick with "The Dogs Are Watching", due to it's still recent release, and it being slightly heavier than both "Assassins' & his next album "Escape of the Desert Rat", which can be streamed on his website in advance of it's January 10th release. Stay tuned for more on that album next month, plus our next SweetKenny CD review!

Finally for today, here's a new video from Sault Ontario hard rock solo artist Mike McCleary's YouTube channel, as uploaded last week! A nicely edited music video for his song "Be The One", this features lots of interesting visuals that allude to the lyrics (displayed on screen), this has a gritty yet upbeat sound that showcases his musical diversity well, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Mike's solo project!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our review of last night's Guy Thiffault memorial concert on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), Highway 63 Concert Previews, And More From Sault Michigan!!

Today's post is all-Sault Michigan based, and it includes an upcoming album, new videos from two sources, and the rest of this weekend's concert previews, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know!

Local hard rock quartet Project 906 have one more show taking place this weekend, as they'll play a special acoustic set TODAY at 5:00 PM at Crooked Music during the first day of this year's Sidewalk Sales! Apologies again for the short notice, their involvement was only confirmed via a post on their Facebook page last night, with the Ashmun Street music/record store not announcing a performer lineup publically. We've sporadically covered musical involvement in the annual Sidewalk Sales when bands like Free Refill & Tantrym Tyme signalled in advance that they were playing somewhere along Ashmun, so this isn't new territory, but with grim weather reports for any hopes of outdoor music TODAY, Crooked Music are preparing to move things into the store proper, so don't worry, they aren't being rained out! No word on why this will be an acoustic set from Project 906, or if they'll be playing short-handed, but remember that guitarist Joe Jenkins is an instructor at the former Grooves Music.

Of course, if you want to see Project 906 in full electric glory, head to Moloney's Alley TONIGHT for a more typical concert! Again, a performer lineup at Crooked Music has not been publicized, but Project 906 are headlining at 5:00 PM, and I can see co-owner Zac Crook playing solo somewhere between the 9:00 AM start time & 906's set. Lots of music will be had at Crooked Music TODAY, and this is FREE and ALL AGES as one would expect at the sales, so check the above links for more details, click here for complete non-musical details on the sales and related events this weekend, and here's Project 906 live, sort of!

Next up, here are this weekend's final hard rock concert previews (barring another short notice announcement), as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are scheduled to return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen over a month ago at the same venue, the Monkey's Uncle successors should have a another solid weekend of fan favourite cover selections in store tonight and/or tomorrow, so if you've missed them lately or want another round, you have two chances this weekend! Note that Kewadin's entertainment page does not list these shows in their concert calendar, but Highway 63's Facebook page has publically acknowledged them a few times, most recently in a comment reply on July 22nd. Tonight and tomorrow's shows have 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's some new Highway 63 videos!

Shared to their Facebook page via frontman Henry Switzer's wife/guitarist Nathan Switzer's step-mom Kristina's personal Facebook page late last month, these are practice session videos, including one of Henry singing Styx's "Too Much Time On My Hands" in-studio while testing his sequencer. Embedded below is her video of the guys covering Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", and while only Henry is visible, the rest of the band is there out of frame (why not turn the camera on it's side?) Solid covers from this talented veteran quartet, and a unique look at them playing in studio rather than on stage, so give them a look above & below!

Also today, here's the latest from Dafter hard rock artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton, who has announced that his 22nd official solo album is entitled "The Dogs Are Watching", and it will officially come out on August 18th (two weeks from today!) This is SweetKenny's ninth official album to serve primary intent as an instrumental score for usage in movies, video games, or television, though this one is a return to a score with an conceptual theme, this time about hackers ending excessive oversight from government watchdogs, hence the title. Though it's paid release through Waterfall Records won't occur for two weeks, you can stream all 10 songs via SweetKenny's website. I won't review the album imminently on the site, as we just reviewed Ken's February 2017 album "Epic" in May, but if it fits for a review in November once our 6 month anti-bias buffer clears, you could see it or another newer SweetKenny album then, so keep that timeframe in mind!

While this may not thrill fans hoping for a true follow-up to SweetKenny's most recent traditional hard rock album "In Your Face", this score should be another interesting listen for fans (and potential clients) of his scores, so give it a listen at the above links, and stay tuned for details on it's formal release later this month!

Finally for today, we'll come full circle with some new videos from the aforementioned Crooked Music's Facebook page, as co-owner (and Half Stupid/Plastic alum) Zac Crook is featured testing out new stock at the store by jamming some classic rock in these videos from July 28th. One video features Zac jamming Frank Zappa on a new guitar and amplifier, but embedded below is Zac playing Led Zeppelin's "Over the Hills & Far Away" on a new Martin 12 string guitar. These short videos showcase this talented local musician in fine form, and this is good press for their new gear, so give his videos a look above & below, and stay tuned for more news and notes on The Sault Metal Scene soon! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Band, SweetKenny's New Albums, And New Facebook Videos!!

Before we dive into this weekend's concert previews, we have a new news post for your Wednesday afternoon, so what's on tap? A pair of new videos from bands you'll be seeing on local stages this weekend, overdue coverage of recent album releases, and leading off, a new addition to our active Sault Ontario band links, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local band to add to our listings on The Sault Metal Scene, and they are Halfway Loaded, a hard rock group from Sault Ontario! Publically launching under a different name in October, their lineup is comprised of musicians I'm largely not familiar with from prior local bands, including singer Justin Grayson, guitarists Shane Biron and Ryan Mazzapica, bassist Jesse Gottwald, and former Mustang Sally drummer Dylan Newman. So far, Halfway Loaded have only publically acknowledged concert sets at private events and at Coch's Corner open mic nights, but they have a surprising amount of videos online to check out already! Their Facebook page features acoustic videos of Justin and Shane covering Thriving Ivory, Slipknot, Oasis, and Lynyrd Skynyrd songs (plus two shorter clips, including one of Shane using a talkbox), while Shane's YouTube channel also features a number of Halfway Loaded clips, and a few solo covers we'll touch on in a future post.

Early jam clips from December 2015 and mid-2016 featured Justin, Shane, and Ryan covering the same Thriving Ivory, Slipknot, and Lynyrd Skynyrd songs (plus Theory of a Deadman & Seether), while newer postings feature renditions of Saving Abel, Seven Mary Three, and as embedded below, Monster Truck's "Don't Tell Me How To Live", though note that virtually all of these videos have at least one band member missing (Ryan in this case.) I can't make a full judgement on their full lineup yet, but they show a lot of promise on these videos so far, with Justin showcasing a solid voice, and Shane's got clear guitar talent too! Check out more from Halfway Loaded above & below, and I hope to hear more soon!

Next up, here's our belated acknowledgement and coverage of the two new solo albums from Dafter, Michigan hard rock guitarist Kenneth "SweetKenny" Sutton! Apologies for the delay in getting a formal write-up on the site outside of our review of the former album late last month. Released on February 28th and May 26th via Waterfall Records and considered his 20th & 21st official solo albums, they are entitled "Epic" & "Music Composed For Film", and as the latter's name would imply, these are intended for use as scores with movies, shows, or video games. Remember, score albums have been SweetKenny's focus in the past two years ("In Your Face" aside), so if you're familiar with his music, this won't be as surprising to know. I reviewed "Epic" last month due to it's heavier material, but neither contain a conceptual theme for one intended work like his prior score albums have tended to contain, and in the case of "Epic", there's even an alternate version of one song and isolated tracks from another, if you're so inclined.

These albums are available for around $10 each on Google Play and iTunes (though curiously not Bandcamp), and can be streamed for free at Ken's website linked above. Personally, I prefer SweetKenny's older thematic score albums to these, which are more varied and experimental, but he's continuing to showcase his musical range and talents with these releases, and hopefully they do get licensed for use in or as scores! Give them a listen and/or buy them at the above links!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with a newly discovered live concert clip from Sault Ontario alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback! Live streamed from Live705's Easter Bash at The Rockstar Bar in April by attendee John MacLean for his personal Facebook page, this was only just shared publically on A.D.S.' Facebook page yesterday. The video features the guys playing their original song "Kicking & Screaming" (well, most of it), and it's filmed from a high and far angle, capturing a somewhat unique angle of the band and fans on the floor with solid audio to boot, so definitely give it a look below, and don't miss them TOMORROW NIGHT with CKY!



Finally, here's a new video from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's Facebook page to hype up their concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT with Handsome Sandwich and Eclipse at The Rockstar Bar! The short clip features Mike Haggith parodying Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali's promo video for the now cancelled Machine Shop concert in March (which The Din were to have opened), and while I won't pass judgement on the original video or the protracted issues regarding that intended concert, it is a cute parody, if a little obscure for fans who didn't see Frankie's clip. Give it a look below, and stay tuned for our full preview of this concert tomorrow!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews (including CKY) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!