LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Half Past), A New Local Band, The Damn Truth Preview, And More!!

Today's post is full of big news and notes, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a mid-week concert preview, and a high profile new cover video, but let's lead off with a kinda sorta new local metal band, so here's what you should know on them on this Monday night!

We have a new-ish band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are local "progressive tech death" metal quartet Bardo! I say "new-ish" because they're kind of a renaming and a replacement band all at once. Initial advertising for the Selias-headlined concert at Soo Blaster on September 28th had promoter Tyler St. Amour's mid-2010s death metal band Them returning after a seven year hiatus on this night, but it has since been confirmed on Facebook that they'll instead be going by the name Bardo, and a separate Facebook page was launched to reflect the new-ish band. Given everything, I'm treating Them and Bardo as separate bands (with Them back in our inactive links), especially given the gap since 2017 and that Bardo are not a duo and are playing more technical material, so there has been a clear evolution! No word on what Bardo means, for the record. Tyler aside (who is on vocals and bass), who else is in this group?

The lineup is not given in writing on social media yet, but it looks like two of Tyler's old March Into Regression bandmates are in this group, namely his brother Travis St. Amour (best known from Bring The Fallen) on drums and Christopher Neveau on guitar, but I have yet to identify who the second guitarist is. We'll let you know when things are confirmed publically! Two videos have been shared to Bardo's Facebook page so far, and while both have them short-handed (only one guitarist in the newer clip, and Tyler isn't playing bass in either), but these point to a brutal and more refined sound than Them were known for, and they should turn heads at Soo Blaster! Check out their first original "Blood Moon" below!

Next up, here's that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local hard rock quartet Half Past will return to Soo Blaster on Saturday, October 12th for a big headlining date! The reunited foursome will actually debut there at the aformenetioned Selias-headlined concert, but they will be the topline attraction next month, in their first headlining gig since rocking Shooters early last month. As far as I can tell, there's no frills or raison d'etre for this show beyond playing some hard rocking tunes live, so don't miss out on Jordan, Alain, Arthur, and Jonny's encore at Soo Blaster two weeks after the Selias concert! Half Past will have an opening act next month as well, namely Bullet Train frontman Cory Murchison, who will break out his acoustic guitar for the occasion. Promotional materials credit him as "Cory Daniel", which is the handle used when he opened for Fort Creek in 2022, despite playing shows since where his last name was used in advertising.

Fans of Half Past's original 2008-2012 run will recall that Cory was active then fronting Sense Of Truth (and he played with Jonny in Skeyes Of Seven afterwards), so they're well acquainted, and it should be a fun atmosphere! Given the large upscale venue, this is a ticketed event, so admission will be $10 in advance at this link (physical tickets are available through the performers and at Soo Blaster), and the door price will jump to $12. This will be an ALL AGES event, and Cory kicks off the night at 8:00 PM. Hard rock fans will get their fill on this night, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on all of the action next month!

Also, here's a special Tuesday night concert preview, as Montreal classic/hard rock quartet The Damn Truth will headline at the aformentioned Soo Blaster in their local debut TOMORROW NIGHT! This retro-styled band have been getting some good local press attention this week, getting a brief write-up by Brian Kelly for The Sault Star (at this link) and some high praise on The Borderline's website, so you know that this female-fronted group will deliver a solid night of 1960s-inspired melodic rock originals, and no less than Bob Rock produced their new material, so you know they're on the up & up! A varied local opening roster includes local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (in their second show of 2024 and first in Sault Ste. Marie city limits in over a year) and alternative rock trio The Haze (née Skinbox) in their first show since they added an unspecified new band member, so find out who is joining Steve, Jordan, and Brad in The Haze tomorrow!

Another show promoted locally by Mikhal Muto, tomorrow's concert has advance tickets running for $20 at this link and presumably at the venue, with the door price jumping to $25. Like the Half Past show next month, the music starts at 8:00 PM, though it was not stated if there will be a 19+ age limit here or not. The Damn Truth should turn heads tomorrow, especially with Lee-La's distinctive Janis Joplin-esque vocals, so don't miss out if you can swing this work/school night event! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Damn Truth live!

Finally for today, here's song #13 in local punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke's 30th anniversary series of remotely filmed covers of Green Day's breakthrough album "Dookie"! Posted to their YouTube channel last week, this video came just two weeks after the previous cover of "Emenius Sleepius", in the quickest turnaround in covers for this series since song #7 ("Basket Case") went up in March, which is good to see! In the penultimate credited song on offer, Mikey & crew tackled the thirteenth track on "Dookie", namely the short deep cut "In The End". As always, Bookclub frontman Mikey Hawdon is on guitar and (initially) ukelele, with Goldfinger alum Darren Pfieffer back as the house drummer for the "Dookie" covers, complete with another hockey jersey. Vocals here are provided by Authority Zero frontman Jason Devore, while Buck-O-Nine bassist Andy Plafoot returns for his seventh turn on the low end in the "Dookie" series

Aside from Jason putting on a mask during his footage, there's no major frills to note from the filming locations and activity, but it's well edited as you'd expect, and the performance is strong, with Jason's vocals fitting well with the experienced musical hands on offer! Unless they tackle the bonus unadvertised song "All By Myself", the "Dookie" cover series will wrap up with "F.O.D.", which could arrive at any point up to October 21st based on past release timeframes (the current average would be September 27th). Check out "In The End" for yourselves below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Selias & Wax Mannequin!!)

Now that we have escaped four posts of weekend concert previews and gotten this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up on schedule, let's start playing catch-up for the items that lapsed during the past few days and beyond, and we'll start with two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on this Sunday afternoon!

Eighteen days after their well received local return at "Adrian's House", Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to the Soo on their way back home when they headline at The Whisky Barrel on Sunday, August 25th! It's been a while since we've heard about a concert at the Gore Street nightclub, let alone one with a touring band, but stay tuned for an even bigger outlier there in an upcoming post! Chris Adeney's creative and genre-fluid originals got a solid reception in their relocated return date this past Wednesday, and now setting up shop at a proper downtown venue again, hopefully there's a good crowd to see Wax Mannequin in action once again in two weeks, in spite of also being on a work/school night! Yes, promoters Piecing It Together Shows did post photos from the show on Wednesday on Facebook, albeit solely as "Stories", so they are impossible to share here.

What I saw pointed to a well laid out locale in this downtown backyard with string lighting, but alas, "Stories" can only be viewed once or twice before vanishing forever, and I really have never seen the point of the conceit. Wax Mannequin's return has a 19+ age limit, no cover (thought tips are welcome), and an 8:00 PM start time. It's not unheard of, but certainly not common, to see out-of-town musicians play the Soo going both directions on tour, so if you enjoyed Wax Mannequin on Wednesday or are sad that you missed out, take advantage of the encore! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this concert!

Next up, a big extreme metal show was announced last week that was announced as we was beginning that busy stretch of weekend concert previews, so what should you know here? On Saturday, September 28th, Toronto melodic death metal quintet Selias will make their local concert debut when they headline at Soo Blaster! A relatively new band, Selias (named for guitarist Steve Elias) do feature two familiar faces, as Spades GT bassist & drummer James Roy Daley & Tyler Reiner are in their ranks, so if you've missed them locally since the Josey Scott show last summer, keep this in mind! Granted, Selias are much heavier with harsh vocals and an assortment of extreme metal influences, and they'll definitely get the pit opened up next month! Note that Spades guitarist Daniel Horton guested on bass for a recent Selias gig in Toronto too, and yes, we will have more on recent Spades GT news soon.

Joining Selias on tour are Barrie blackened death metal trio Out Of Spite in their own local debut, and while also relatively new to the GTA metal scene, their intense and distorted brand of in-your-face death metal should be welcomed by local metalheads with open arms! A healthy & diverse roster of local openers includes alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (in their second Soo Blaster show in under two weeks), hard rock quartet Half Past (in their Soo Blaster debut and their first multi-band concert since Hempfest in 2011), new & online page-less hardcore quintet The Sault Side Squad (as seen in Leeburn last month), and grindcore solo project Crucify The Whore, who have only been seen sparingly at public concerts post-pandemic, so it'll be good for old Blood Shed diehards to see Tyler back at a formal public stage! Also returning next month are local death metal/punk band Them in their first public concert set in over seven years!

Singer/guitarist Tyler St. Amour (who is promoting this concert in his first full booking since relaunching his agency Heavy North Entertainment) had announced last month that Them had reunited with a four-piece lineup and "a list of brutal original works", but they have yet to reveal who is joining Tyler in the new lineup. For reference, current HeadFirst drummer Anthony Boudreau was a constant during their original 2014-2017 run, and while they did have stints as a four-piece band, they were best known at the time as a duo. It's great to see Tyler back as a promoter and musician after seven years away, so stay tuned for more on Them 2.0, and they're back in our active band links! The other band playing next month is Without Compromise, the rap metal project formerly known as Less Than Zero, In The Sun, and Failure To Remain, as continuously led by former Winkstinger guitarist Jason Ladouceur.

It's been way too long since we've talked about Jason's current project on the SMS, so look for more on them on the site soon, as he has been quite busy, but it will be neat to see him back on a concert stage, though in what form? This ALL AGES show has doors opening at 5:00 PM, and admission will be $15, though they are on sale for $10 online on Eventbrite right now, so click here to buy yours in advance! No word on if the price would be hiked at the door. If you have missed a very Oddfellowsy night of extreme metal and local talent, this show should fill the void very nicely, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Sykotyk Rampage's New Album, Plus Three Inactive Band Notes!!

Today's news post revolves around four bands shifting places in our active and inactive band links (one's moving up, three are unfortunately moving down.) However, the band moving up has some big news attached to their return to activity, so here's what you should know!

Remember how local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage quietly posted a new album cover on their Facebook page last month with no context? Well, it turns out that the dormant crash band did indeed release a new album on their Reverbnation page on April 27th! Apologies for the delay in this making the SMS, I need to pay more attention to that site. Entitled "Live At The Paris Hilton", this contains 22 songs (some more familiar than others) in a faux-live setting, a'la their old "Live Upper Rubber Boot Saskatchewan" album, but the inclusion of covers of bands like The Beatles, Motorhead, and Black Sabbath is a change from their past pace! This is Sykotyk Rampage's first album-format release since "Sanctuarium" in late 2016, but more surprisingly, this is their first paid album that you can actually buy a full sale copy of since 2011, which means that we could very well review "Live At The Paris Hilton" on the SMS this year! You can buy it at the above links for $9.99, or stream individual songs for free.

I don't know to what extent Sykotyk Rampage are active in 2018 (their Facebook postings remain sporadic, they haven't played live since the 2016 Zombie Walk, and guitarist Shane Kokis has since moved out of town), plus it's hard to determine how "new" these recordings are. However, it's great to see the Beckers, Shane, and Tony back with new material, and hopefully there's more on the horizon in some form or another! Give their new album (and much, much, much more) a listen at the above links, and Sykotyk Rampage are back in our active band links!

Next up, we have three local bands to move to our inactive band links today, starting with local indie/hard rock band Vol., who announced that they had disbanded on their Facebook page on June 12th. Frontman Steve Edwards cited "lineup changes and other obstacles" for their demise, though he did thank fans for their support online, and he noted that he's "currently working with other projects" and is "looking forward to other musical opportunities in the future." Spiritual successors to the mid-2015 Pixo Control lineup, Vol. (pronounced "volume") debuted last summer and quickly made a name for themselves opening for bands like Zaum, Dirtfight, and Johnny 2 Fingers & The Deformities through the fall, as well as playing a set at the first Oh!No festival, but teased "rad things" in 2018 never occurred following the departures of half of their lineup, with Steve and keyboardist Mikaela Murtonen seen more recently in the acoustic rock duo Mik & Steve.

I unfortunately did not get a chance to see Vol. live, but their old school indie-influenced sound seemed to help them carve their own identity well, while also harbouring lots of aggression and heavy themes at the same time, and Steve acclimated well as a frontman in this role! Vol. seemed primed for big things locally last year, but best of luck to Steve, Shane, Mikaela, and Matthew in the future, and hopefully we see everyone musically again soon!

Also being moved out of our active band links today is local death metal/punk duo Them, who have not issued a public update or played live since opening for Uncle Ray at The New American Pub one year ago yesterday. Debuting in late 2014 as the de facto successors to Social Suicide, Them were primarily seen at house party concerts in the ensuing years, often ones affiliated with Blood Shed Productions, though they did play select public concert venues, notably opening for both of Bookakee's concerts at The Oddfellows Hall. Their lineup fluctuated between a duo and a quartet, but frontman Tyler St. Amour and drummer Anthony Boudreau were constants throughout their run. Despite the almost-too-common band name, Them were a fine fit in the Blood Shed house party era with their aggressive sound, and Tyler never sounded better as a metal frontman during their peak! Sadly, plans to release a debut EP never visibly reached their intended conclusion.

It would have been nice to see Them as a more frequent presence on metal concerts of the era, and their sound was definitely fuller and better realized when they had more than two members, but Them delivered some entertaining originals for extreme metal fans, Hopefully we hear more from Tyler, Anthony, and other former members down the road!

Finally for today's post, I am reluctantly moving local indie/hard rock quartet Bizotic to our inactive band links as well. While we are not at our 1 year threshold for public inactivity, keytarist B.J. Swire confirmed in an e-mail conversation last week that the band is "pretty much done", and he has since joined a new band that is planning to debut later this summer, and if that band's genre fits our primary coverage, we'll let you know! In any event, Bizotic proper have not posted on their Facebook page at all in 2018, and have not played a live concert since opening for Dany Laj & The Looks at LopLops in November, which can't be a good sign regardless. This union of No Arrow, Bring the Fallen, and Sounds From The Green Room alumni became a fan favourite sight following their December 2016 debut via sets opening for the likes of K-Man & The 45s, Garbageface, and The OM Sound, while also kicking off The Din's "Suburban Sendoff", and playing in Wawa, among other events.

Any band with a trumpet and a keytar in their repertoire will immediately turn heads, and Bizotic did just that, and their varied and creative originals were always an entertaining element at local concerts, with some jam rock touches and a harder edge where needed! Hopefully this isn't it for Bizotic and their unique stage show, but best of luck to Brad, B.J., Louise, Travis, and Kevin in the future, all would be assets in any band that they're in! That's all for today, but stay tuned for this weekend's concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

More Weekend Concert Previews, Plus A New Halfway Loaded Video!!

Now, let's round out this weekend's concert previews with the remaining hard rock concerts that we couldn't fit into yesterday's post! To fill out the post, there's also a new video from a new local band to check out, but here's what you should know for remaining hard rock concerts this weekend in loose chronological order!

We'll start this preview post at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace, where Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will return for a pair of shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of their De Tour Village gig this past weekend, this will be the Monkey's Uncle successors' first concert weekend within an hour of the Soo since April at the St. Ignace Kewadin, having taken the last two months off "to update some music and find some new music to keep interest alive in the band", as per their Facebook page in May. If this lines up with projections, expect some new setlist selections at The Northern Pines Lounge this weekend, and hopefully Highway 63 deliver strongly in their return from their spring break! As usual for Highway 63's Kewadin stops, expect 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Next up, let's head back to Sault Ontario for a LopLops Lounge concert taking place TOMORROW NIGHT, wherein local alternative hard rock groups The Din and Bizotic will open for Hamilton space rock quartet SIANspheric in their local debut! The first of four July shows from The Din during their "Summer of Din", this will be their first LopLops stop since their short-handed (and short notice) acoustic gig last month, while this will be Bizotic's first LopLops stop in around 4 months, and the second show in as many nights for the Sounds From The Green Room successors, having also opened for Vaultry tonight at The Canadian. Solid and fast-rising bands, so don't miss out on either tomorrow at LopLops! As for SIANspheric, while I wouldn't consider them a "hard rock" band, they have been making waves with their ambient drone & experimental originals over the past two decades, and they should be a unique attraction for fans at LopLops tomorrow, so don't overlook them!

Note that The Din teased the launch of their new "Dinsider" mailing list for exclusive offers, early media access, and news on the Facebook event page (you can be among the first to sign up tomorrow), while the band may be debuting one or two new songs with this set, so keep these nuggets in mind! A $5 cover charge is in effect tomorrow night for this 19+ concert, which has a 9:00 PM start time. Whether you want creative space rock or new alt-hard rock originals, you have options tomorrow at LopLops, so see above for more details, and here's The Din live!

Lastly for this weekend's concert previews (barring something on extremely short notice), we'll head to The New American Pub, where Windsor grindcore quartet Uncle Ray will make their local concert debut THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! Bringing their live-tested brand of "grinding power violence" to the Soo, Uncle Ray's fast and ferocious originals should deliver nicely for fans craving some extreme metal action this weekend, so give them a listen in advance of Sunday's concert! Local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA will co-headline in their second show of the summer and first New A stop in over 3 months, and fans will surely be out for their crushing and slow blend of heavy metal on Sunday! Opening the show are local grind/punk duo Them in their first public concert appearance of the year, and hopefully Tyler & Anthony can set the tone nicely in a rare set of theirs!

Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this concert has a $7 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. In a busy concert weekend, this is (pound for pound) the heaviest show of all in the Soo, so don't miss out on the brutality at The New A on Sunday night, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Uncle Ray live!



Finally, here's a new cover video from newer local hard rock quintet Halfway Loaded! After almost a month off from public updates, this new video of the guys covering Pop Evil's "100 in a 55" was posted to their Facebook page on Tuesday, so what should you know? An acoustic rendition sans bassist Justin Gottwald & drummer Dylan Newman, the sub-2 minute clip isn't badly done, and has a nice casual feel, almost as if you'd expect a campfire betweem them. Justin's melodic singing fits well, and Shane & Ryan have the guitar down nicely, so give this new Halfway Loaded video a look below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Uncle Ray & Gianni Gagoots), And Still More Alter Bridge Concert Videos!!

After a quiet Monday, we are back with a new news post this morning featuring more recent concert videos to check out, and leading off, a pair of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this year, so here's what you need to know!

Windsor grindcore quartet Uncle Ray will make their local concert debut on Sunday, July 9th when they headline at The New American Pub! Specializing in ferocious yet short original songs, Uncle Ray's brand of "grinding power violence" has left a good impression on Southern Ontario fans, and hopefully they bring the same intensity to The New A later this summer, so give them a listen! Local support will include local doom metal trio AlgomA in their second local show since the end of their European tour run. With a very intriguing new album in the works from AlgomA with another notable band (more on that shortly), the second half of 2016 should be very eventful for them, so stay tuned! The other opening act will be local death metal duo Them, in their first publically announced concert of the year, not having played live publically since opening for Dumpster Mummy last fall (apologies for missing that show in previous references to their stage hiatus.)

Solid choice, and hopefully Tyler and Anthony can pick up where the left off in seven weeks' time when they open for Uncle Ray at The New A! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh., this concert has a $7 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for potential updates as they roll in!

Next up, local funk/improv/hard rock quintet Gianni Gagoots' second show under their Like Ten Productions promotional banner will take place on Saturday, September 2nd when they open for Montreal jazz/rap/funk trio The OM Sound at The New American Pub once again! Fans may remember seeing the Gagoots open for this band at The New A back on December 30th during Six, Two, Oh.'s Holiday Funk Show, and it's clear that The OM Sound left an impression on attendees with their "hip-hop/electro/jazz funk" stylings, so if you like said genres and want another sampling, here's your Labour Day weekend booking, with some harder edged instrumental jams from the local openers to kick things off! More details may be forthcoming (the show isn't for over 3 months, after all), but expect a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more details in the interim!

Finally for today, we actually have a few more videos from last week's Alter Bridge concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino to acknowledge on here! Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! Five come from Infathom manager Michael Cole's YouTube channel, as he belatedly followed Wednesday's "My Champion" video with five more clips uploaded yesterday. Five day delay or not, it's great to see these! Michael's new videos are of the Orlando hard rock quartet playing their songs "The Writing On The Wall", "Come To Life", "Farther Than The Sun", "Addicted To Pain", and as embedded below, "Ghost Of Days Gone By". Filmed at a similar angle and quality as seen previously from Michael, these videos have a great angle of the band, but slightly muffled audio. Check them out above & below, and if more videos turn up on YouTube, we'll try to acknowledge them!



Lastly, promoters Allstar Promotions's Facebook page shared two videos from owner Dave Atkinson's personal Facebook page last week that feature Alter Bridge doing their soundcheck before the show proper began! The sub-2 minute clips (one linked here) feature instrumental performances before doors officially opened, though gathered onlookers do applaud and cheer after songs wrapped up.  This is a very unique way to view this concert, especially when you combine the empty seats and lack of vocals, and diehard fans will definitely want to check these out above & below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soo Art Rocks), Plus Din & Apocalypse Afterparty Updates!!

Here's a surprise second post for your Thursday, as one of the stories relates to a private event going down tonight! Today, we have a new video and promotion for an upcoming show, an apparently impending EP release (finally), and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for an ambitious concert in two weeks time, so here's what you need to know, and check out this weekend's concert previews in the post below this one!

Live705's next promoted concert goes down at The Canadian Nightclub on Friday, May 12th, as they host "Soo Art Rocks", a hybrid concert event and local art exhibition! If you were wondering what the teased "interesting twist" was, now you know! Returning to their most frequent venue after this month's Rockstar Bar trip, Live705 have enlisted their biggest music lineup yet, and it includes local alternative/hard rock quartet Id Iota (in their Live705 debut), fellow alt-rock standouts The Din (more on them in a second),  Live705's own punk quartet A Dire Setback, newer alternative quartet Bizotic, death metal/punk duo Them (in their first public concert appearance in over a year), Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci's current acoustic solo project (which finally has a Facebook page), and unidentified performers from the Soo York City rap collective, which has boasted familiar faces like Conika and DJ Seith in the past. As for the art side of things, what should you know?

Credited artists will include photographers Josh Pace (of recent A.D.S. events) and Chandra Barnett (who snapped pictures like this at the Fishbowl Festival's garage show), plus art from Aaron Knight and Lion Ride/Detroit alum Brenton Ellis, who will all be displaying and, in some cases, selling their wares on May 12th. Very intriguing, it will be interesting to see if the art angle is a hit! There will be a door prize as well, strongly hinted to be a print of one of Josh's concert photos. A 19+ show with doors opening at the conveniently specific time of 7:05 PM (get it?), this show is the third straight from Live705 to have a straight ticket & admission price ($10) with obtainable $2 off vouchers instead of $8 advance tickets, so this must be a working formula for the promoters if they've stuck with this experiment this long. If you're so inclined, you can get your vouchers from performers, and tickets are on sale at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk. For more details on Soo Art Rocks, visit the official Facebook event page!

From the art show angle to the wide ranging genre lineup to the continued voucher usage, Live705 aren't afraid to try new things and push boundaries with their events, so whether you're in it for the music or the art, there's a little something for everyone! Check the above links for much more on Soo Art Rocks, and stay tuned for updates if they come in!

Next up, it appears to be happening at last: The Apocalypse Afterparty's debut EP "Bufflesnort" will finally have it's initial soft release TONIGHT at a private concert at Mellow D's Underground! Their sister band The Noochin' Lanterns will reportedly have copies for sale at this show, which will have an open mic block too, and while there's no other confirmation of performers, I don't think The A.A. proper are on the band lineup. As per their Facebook page on Sunday, The Apocalypse Afterparty will have "Bufflesnort" available on USB thumb drives and a to be announced "variety of other media" (CDs not among them), with plans to unveil vendors tomorrow where you can buy your own copies. If things line up as planned, then it's great to finally see "Bufflesnort" released, as the EP has been teased to come out for months now, and has been in the works in varying forms for well over 2 years. Assuming it does come out as scheduled, look for our review of "Bufflesnort" this weekend, and inquire above if you want to check out the action at Mellow D's tonight!

Finally, here's some updates from the aforementioned Din, and yes, we will touch on their recent full concert video in the coming days as well! Today's updates all relate to their set at next week's second annual Sky's The Limit mental health fundraiser concert at The Tech, starting with a pair of new lineup confirmations, both returnees from last year who successfully auditioned again last week. One is Electric Church, the rising young blues/hard rock trio who first came onto our radar at last year's event (stay tuned soon for a new video of theirs as well), and Christian rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow, who performed as White Noize last year. Great to see both back for year #2 and the causes it supports! No word yet on the other performers, but remember that promoters never publically unveiled a performer lineup last year. As for The Din, they posted this new video onto their Facebook page on Tuesday, so what should you know on it?

The video features The Din hyping the show and what you should know as attendees, before realizing that Tristan is also there unannounced. The video ends with a parody "endorsement" from a public figure, and while I won't turn the site political over it, I'll say that it's funny, though not a perfect impersonation. Give it a look below, see above for info on how to attend The Sky's The Limit II at The Tech, and stay tuned for that full Din concert video!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review soon! Thanks everyone!

Noochin' Lanterns & Them Updates, Mellow D's Next Private Concert, And More!!

On this Saturday afternoon, we have some news and updates to touch on, largely focusing on a newer local concert site and videos from bands that recently played there, but we also have some shorter assorted items to round things out. Now, here's what you should know!

Here's some new videos of bands at new local private concert venue Mellow D's Underground, which returns for it's (at least) fourth event tonight! Just in terms of that event, it'll take place tonight at 7:00 PM, have "an underground whiskey bar", and at least three bands, including newer local power punk quintet The Noochin' Lanterns. For what it's worth, a shared post notes that "The Apocalypse Afterparty invite you to come join us" tonight, implying that they'll end their 2 year concert hiatus for this event, but that hasn't been referenced elsewhere. Message promoters and the involved bands above to inquire about the address and extra details! As for the videos, The Apocalypse Afterparty shared this Noochin' Lanterns video from frontman Paul Stanghetta's personal Facebook page on Wednesday where the band (sans Amber McKay) sit around on a front step listening to the first mix of an original song of theirs, implied to be via Dustin Jones at Mission Control Studios.

There has been no public confirmation yet on if The Noochin' Lanterns are working on a debut CD (we're still waiting on "Bufflesnort" release info), but it's a nice sample, and uniquely framed, so check it out above! The remaining new videos were all filmed by Them frontman Tyler St. Amour and posted to Mellow D's Facebook page on Wednesday, though these may actually be delayed uploads from their March 1st private gig, given the lack of Amber or new guitarist Tyler Gibson. Three videos (titles unclear) were filmed from this set, linked here, here, and below, and while they were all unfortunately filmed in portrait orientiation, these capture vibrant and energetic originals that Paul, Matthew, and Amanda handle pretty well! And yes, they have their pajamas on here too! Also, the setup reminds me a tiny bit of Sykotyk Rampage's "Cave" that they hold jam sessions in, just with brighter lighting. Give these new Noochin' Lanterns videos a look!



Next up, the aforementioned Them have some new videos of their own, courtesy of their set at the Mellow D's Underground private show on February 24th (unless they played a later one without a public acknowledgement!) Posted to the grind/punk duo's Facebook page on Wednesday as well, these constitute the band's first promotion of a concert set since opening for Gorod at The Oddfellows Hall almost one year ago, so it's great to see that Tyler and Anthony are back at it, albeit at a private venue! One video can be seen at this link, while the longer clip is embedded below. Unfortunately filmed at a vertical camera angle again (though it does work better for a two man band), these capture Them at a good ferocity and energy level, but Tyler could be clearer on the mic, and announcements of song names would have helped. It's great to see Them alive and well, and hopefully they return to a public stage sooner or later, but give their Mellow D's clips a look above & below, and keep tonight's event in mind if you're curious!

 

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

• We have updated the link on the SMS for Castlegar, British Columbia internet radio station Energy Rock Radio (which broadcasted locally from 2008-2011), as their old "Radio Last Call" domain is no longer active, in favour of the more expected www.energyrockradio.com. Now that's accurately linked again, and check out Ryan and the Brew Crew's original programming and metal playlist there for an alternative radio option with local roots!
• Have you been wondering why we didn't cover Tuesday's announced lineup reveal for June 18th's Rock The Border Music Fest? Assuming there's hard rock or punk on the bill, we would have, but the lineup announcement was postponed to yesterday as promoters CSA International were "waiting on one more contract", but yesterday's new deadline has came & went too. This event still has promise, especially as what looks like a larger scope rebound from CSA's postponed Quiet Riot concert, so stay tuned to the Facebook event page for updates! For what it's worth, the lineup will reportedly have an American, Canadian, and Australian band.
• I have reluctantly removed former local recording studio Stereo Soul Studios from our "Other Local Metal Links" section due to the apparent expiry of their website's domain name, and I can't find a comparable replacement for our links. Best known for producing albums from bands like Gates of Winter and Woods of Ypres throughout the late 2000s, studio head Miguel Gauthier has since found success in photography and film in Los Angeles. Hopefully he keeps up the great work, and he's definitely been missed up here!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Band Camp Rejects) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

We have another busy weekend of concerts ahead at the SMS, so here's what you should know regarding this weekend's concert previews. Due to the amount of shows covered here, and their scheduling distance from these, we're covering Sunday's Bay Mills Bands Together and Tuesday's Pop Evil shows in an upcoming news post, coming either Saturday night or Sunday morning, though the former could be expedited if a late notice confirmation hits the newsdesk. In any event, this is a busy weekend, so let's begin our weekend concert previews with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local hard/alternative rock cover quartet The Band Camp Rejects will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via it's Facebook event page earlier this week. After a month and half away from the local stage, this online page-less unit will be making just their second appearance at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar, last having played there in November. This union of Suicide Kings, Issues, Havadder, and Under the Influence alumni should be in fine form for another weekend of hard rocking covers, so don't miss out on SATURDAY! Also, bassist Ryan Bell noted on the event page that singer Elly McWatters will be making a guest appearance during the show, and while I'm unfamiliar with her, this should be interesting, so keep watch to see how she does! Note as well that this is a one nighter due to tomorrow's previously announced Bone Yard concert.

As usual for Rockstar Bar concerts from local covers-centric bands, SATURDAY's show has no announced cover charge, a 10:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the above links, and here's The Band Camp Rejects live!

Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts with the latest acoustic solo gigs from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, who will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Wrapping up another month of his long-term arrangement at The Quality Inn's restaurant, Tym's unplugged hard rock covers should again find a good audience over these two nights, so don't miss out on the acoustic solo action this weekend, and we'll confirm his March gigs once announced on Facebook! Note that Tym's personal Facebook page indicated that he has five shows at the end of this month, but as of this writing, the two Gliss shows are it for public announcements, so the other three are either private or don't have an event page yet. Tym's Gliss weekend gigs have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no advertised age limit, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next, we'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, starting with the latest shows from Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E, who will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After kicking off 2017 last month at the St. Ignace Kewadin, this will be the former Hubbard-Menard Band's first Sault Ste. Marie weekend of the year, last playing at The Rapids Lounge in September. This should be another solid pair of gigs for Dave, Chris, Mitch, and Tony, so if you've missed them in Sault Michigan in the past 5 months, keep tomorrow and/or Saturday's shows in mind! As usual for 415E's Kewadin gigs, expect these to be shows with no cover charges, 21+ age limits, and 9:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, and here they are live!



Finally, I wanted to acknowledge not one, but two house party concerts taking place this weekend that are publically advertised, but do not have a public address, so prospective attendees must request it from promoters or performers. One is the previously announced Fishbowl Festival-linked "garage show" which has been moved for unannounced reasons from March 4th to this Saturday.  Despite no longer conflicting with any festival events at The Gore Street Cafe, this remains a garage show at a residence requiring an RSVP, but there's a talented lineup on hand, including local alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota, ex-Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus, and folk musician/promoter Jackson Reed. Suggested admission is in the $10-$15 range, this is all ages, and doors open at 7:00 PM. The other address-concealed event this weekend sees local death metal duo Them and new local pop rock trio The Noochy Lanterns (featuring Apocalypse Afterparty "songwriters") and unspecified "surprise guests" rocking out tomorrow night, so what should you know on that?

Though being held at a venue that requires requesting the address, this is the debut show at Mellow D's Underground, which is described as "a licensed and dimly lit wormhole to a dimension of rock & roll, cheap drinks, and few rules." Most of 80 planned tickets have already been sold for $5 (less in certain cases), but if you're up for a unique venue with a new local band and some minimalist metal, message the above links for details, and be there at 8:00 PM tomorrow! That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Pop Evil & Red Sun Rising previews and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril & Highway 63), And New Videos!!

Keeping our steady stream of news coming to start 2017, here's our first mostly-Sault Michigan post of the year! There is one Sault Ontario video below, but we're mostly heading across the river to look at a new performance clip from a prominent guitarist, and first, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from two frequently seen bands, so here's what you need to know!

Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril will be back in our area for 2017, with returns to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino scheduled for January 13th & 14th (next week!), followed by shows on March 10th & 11th! With Kewadin's entertainment page not yet updated for lounge shows in 2017, our source is this concert calendar that sister band Scarkazm shared on their Facebook page on Wednesday. Nothing yet for 2017 regarding Sault Kewadin gigs for Peril, or anything in the E.U.P. from Scarkazm, but hopefully we hear more soon! Next week's shows will mark Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' first shows in our area since rocking St. Ignace in November, and curiously, their only shows anywhere in the first quarter of 2017. Definitely consider checking Peril out over these upcoming concert weekends for some classic metal cover action! All four shows are 21+ affairs with no announced cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Peril and/or Scarkazm when it comes in!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 announced their first gigs for 2017 via their Facebook page yesterday! Despite some earlier uncertainty about when they'd be back at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino, the Monkey's Uncle successors will kick off the year there on February 17th & 18th, but as of this writing, those are their only scheduled gigs there in 2017. The remaining announced weekends will maintain Highway 63's one-weekend-a-month schedule from last year (save an apparent May-June break), with Northern Pines Lounge gigs at the St. Ignace Kewadin scheduled for March 31st & April 1st, April 21st-22nd, July 7th-8th, August 4th-5th, September 8th-9th, October 6th-7th, November 10th-11th, and December 21st-22nd.

Hopefully there's more gigs to fill in, particularly in the Soo, as Highway 63 are a talented band with a solid base of songs! Like with the above Peril gigs, expect 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the above links!

Also today, let's take a brief detour to Sault Ontario for the latest updates from local death metal/punk duo Them! After a four month public break following their set opening for Dumpster Mummy in September, the project from singer/guitarist Tyler St. Amour & drummer Anthony Boudreau acknowledged on Wednesday that they haven't jammed too much lately, but they do have one new video to share, courtesy of their Facebook page on Wednesday. This is of a new song currently titled "Forty Oz. Friend", and it's from a recent jam session, though they are promising heavier material in the future. This only captures Tyler from below, with no effort to capture Anthony in frame, which is a shame, as he sounds like he's unloading on the drums! The song itself is more punk-based than some prior Them originals, with Tyler forgoing growling vocals, and it has promise, but for a song like this, it does cry out for a full band like Them used to be comprised of. Give Them's new video a look below!



Finally, we'll head back to Sault Michigan for the latest solo performance video from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard's YouTube channel! His first video upload in four months, this is of Chris playing an instrumental on his Peavey Wolfgang guitar with a custom Steinberger-routed body with the TransTrem guitar vibrato system installed. As the comments on the video imply, Chris demonstrates this setup nicely, but if you're a fan of his local band work or his older videos, you'll know the quality he always delivers! Check out Chris' new video below, and see more above!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dumpster Mummy), Apocalypse Afterparty Updates, And New Banned Videos!!

At last, we're rounding out another weekend of concert previews with a delayed SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but to round out this post, we have big updates from a band and their upcoming debut CD, and some new concert videos! Note that this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post is absolutely coming tomorrow, recent regular posts and personal commitments have forced it's delay, just in case you were curious. Now, here's what you should know for this Labour Day weekend post!

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia metal quartet Dumpster Mummy will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they headline at The New American Pub! Apologies for the short notice, the show was only publically announced earlier this week via it's official Facebook event page. Notably marking the return of promoters Heavy North Entertainment for the first time since last September's Fuck the Facts show, it's great to see Tyler St. Amour promoting again after a year's hiatus, albeit not at The Oddfellows Hall, but hopefully this isn't a one-off! Dumpster Mummy's aggressive sound combines death, thrash, and groove metal influences to very solid effect, and they should devastate The New A TOMORROW NIGHT, so don't miss out during this stop on their Canadian tour! A stacked local opening lineup will include classic metal quintet Project 421, goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore, groove/death metal duo Them (last seen opening for Gorod in May), and modern hard rock quartet Eclipse to kick things off.

Note that punk/metal favourites Jack Spades were originally slated to open as well, but were replaced by both Eclipse & Them due to a family emergency, and our thoughts are absolutely with them at this time! This 19+ concert begins at 9:00 PM TOMORROW, and while a $4 cover charge is listed, promoters also list that you can also "pay what you can", so keep that in mind in case this is accurate. Despite the relative late notice, this should be a fun concert for metalheads, so keep this one in mind for TOMORROW, especially with the Labour Day holiday on Monday! See above for more details, and here's Dumpster Mummy live!



Next up, here's the latest from recently dormant local rap/metal project The Apocalypse Afterparty, as their long gestating debut EP "Bufflesnort" is progressing towards release! In their first music-related posts on their Facebook page since March, the 2015 VM Radio Battle finalists unveiled five different covers for the EP (this one is their profile photo, if nothing else) that all feature a minimalist hockey motif. The band followed that by posting their cover of Saul Williams' "List of Demands (Reparations)", under the title "Better Than The Hives Did It" onto their Reverbnation page, joining their older studio recording of "The Crowd", though no word on if the latter has since been re-recorded. The EP itself was recorded locally at Tidal Records and mixed by Fairmounts guitarist Simon Head at Insight Recorders, who have worked with the likes of The Boot Hill Crooners and Jesse Merineau in the past. Note that The Apocalypse Afterparty have indicated that their new song will be taken down before they "prep for a hard release", so listen while you can!

An earlier post also hinted that a member of defunct Saskatchewan hardcore band The Holly Springs Disaster (a favourite touring act from Oddfellows Hall shows in the 2000s) would be making a guest appearance on the EP, but the band hasn't elaborated on that since. It should be noted that "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta (a.k.a. Puablos Stancu) posted on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group yesterday regarding a search for a new drummer, noting that they aren't necessarily looking for someone with a high skill level, just a high fun level, and that they want to jam 2 or 3 times a week and play live. While The Apocalypse Afterparty still only credit band members by stage names, I hope it's not contraband to note that the band had briefly enlisted Amber McKay as their drummer after Steve Mozarowski left last year, as per personal conversations, but she appears to have departed as well.

Though The Apocalypse Afterparty have only played a handful of live concerts, their creative stage show and masked personas definitely help them stand out among the crowd, and aspiring drummers should definitely give Paul a shout via his Musicians Wanted group post above or at this link if you want in! "Bufflesnort" seems to be shaping up well, and it should be an intriguing EP when it's formally released! Stay tuned for updates, and here's the Facebook video copy of "Better Than The Hives Did It"/"Reparations"!

Finally for today, here's some overdue new videos from Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned, mostly from their show at McNeil's Hotel & Bar in Gould City (90 minutes west of the Soo) last week, but one extra video does come from their private gig in Iron River last Friday. All again shared via live streams rather than uploads after the fact (why not advertise them in advance so more fans can watch live?), two were shared via frontman Alex Traynor's personal Facebook page, while the others were uploaded to Banned's Facebook page directly. The new Iron River video has Banned covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", while the Gould City clips include renditions of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World", Journey's "Any Way You Want It", and as embedded below, Guns N' Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine", all with Alex on lead vocals.

Though the band setup at McNeil's is odd (drummer, bassist, and guitarist from left to right?), Banned sound good on these covers, and it's nice to see that their recent footage dips more to older rock, which I've felt suited them better than some of the newer indie rock covers and country material that they've tackled. Solid stuff all around, so check out their newest videos above & below, and don't miss Banned in St. Ignace next weekend!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next, I promise! Thanks everyone!

Gorod/Bookakee Concert Video Showcase!!

As we continue to slowly clear our our backlogged news stories, here's a second post on this Wednesday, so be sure to check out last month's poll results & our newest poll below! This post is otherwise devoted to newly discovered concert videos that were filmed at last month's Gorod/Bookakee concert at The Oddfellows Hall, as filmed by the Montreal Metal Shows YouTube channel! These were only uploaded there on Saturday, hence the obvious delay, but it's better to get them now than never! You may recognize this channel as the one that filmed acts at last year's Benighted/Bookakee concert, so I'd have to deduce that the channel's creator is a member of Bookakee. Unlike last year, they filmed each band at the show, so let's start with the headliners, French progressive death metal quartet Gorod, who were filmed playing their original song "Carved In The Wind".

One of the late-set songs where frontman Julian Deyres' microphone didn't work (he sang anyway without one), this is still a strong video with the filmer getting some nice close angles of the band in action! The venue lighting is a little inconsistent, but if you can get past the microphone failure, it'll live up to Gorod's hype, so give it a look below!



Next up, here's the channel's video of co-headliners Bookakee, specifically the Montreal progressive/theatrical death metal quintet playing their song "Carcass Coffin"! Basically confirming that a Bookakee member is the channel's filmer (as it's at a stationary angle for this video until the very end), this is a later song from their set, after the band shed their masks, and sadly isn't one that includes any of their major theatrical elements. The lighting is such from this angle that only the right half of the video has any form of good lighting, but Bookakee sound brutal here on this lengthy and proficient number, so check it out below!



Moving to the local openers, punk/metal quintet Jack Spades were filmed at the show playing two songs: The shorter "They Live", followed by "Breakneck Speed", so click each link to go to each song directly. This is a solid video, despite generally poor, and Jack Spades are on their usual form on these intense originals, so give them a look below!



We'll close with local death/groove metal duo Them, who were the only band not filmed at last year's Benighted concert via this channel, so this is a nice way to make up for their omission last year! This is of Tyler & Anthony playing their new original "Slaughter House Blues", in a rare concert video of Them from a non-house party event, let alone with vocals, though Tyler's very hard to hear in that regard. The lighting's poor too, but Them have promise in their genre, so give their Oddfellows video a look below!



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

Gorod/Bookakee Concert Review, Plus Winkstinger & Them Lineup Changes!!

Before we get into this concert review post, I wanted to apologize for missing a concert in this weekend's concert previews, as local party hard rock cover trio Stiffler's Mom played a one nighter at The Rockstar Bar last night. The show slipped us by after the band announced it on Wednesday, and while we did plug the show on our Facebook page late last night, missing it on here is a bad error on my part. Profuse apologies, I'll make sure we have a wider eye on Stiffler's Mom's next show! Now, let's tackle our review of Friday's Gorod/Bookakee show at The Oddfellows Hall, which had a solid attendance (especially for Bookakee's set), so let's kick things off with the late-added openers, local grind/thrash metal band Them! This was the first time I've seen them live, their first show of the year, as well as their first since their most recent lineup changes, as they have quietly parted ways (for the second time each) with guitarist Chase Wigmore and bassist Rainey Vincent. Reasons for their departures were not announced online or at the show, but hopefully things are amicable, and that we see Chase and Rainey back on stage at some point soon!

At least at this point, neither have been replaced in the band, so add Them to the increasingly large roster of two man bands in the area, but frontman Tyler St. Amour and drummer Anthony Boudreau compliment each other well, laying down some heavy if minimal metal action on Saturday! Bookending originals like "Moosejaw Boudreau" & "Slaughterhouse Blues" with covers of Green Jelly and (I believe) Red Fang, Them are a work in progress from a live setting, with awkward pauses being a bit too frequent, and Tyler seemed a little nervous and quiet between songs. Musically, they sounded solid and they fit their genres well, but vocals were very hard to hear on most songs (and completely absent on "March Into Regression"), and bass would be a benefit at times. That said, Them have the talent and promise, and hopefully Tyler & Anthony keep at it and play live more often!

The next band was supposed to be reunited local extreme metal band Winkstinger in their first public concert set since opening for Sleep When You're Dead at The Oddfellows Hall in May 2013, but they did not end up playing due to scheduling delays. According to drummer Jonas Gasperas after the show, a band member wasn't off work in time for their planned set after Them, and there wasn't time to slide them into a later timeslot or after Gorod finished. This is disappointing, especially given the near three year wait for Winkstinger to play a public concert again, but hopefully we see them back in the near future! However, as a teaser of what to expect when they do play live next, I can confirm that their new lineup features Jonas and guitarist Jesse Cook alongside Free Beer alum Keith Gagnon on vocals (replacing Alan Wells) and Scary Uncles alum Andrew MacDonald on bass (replacing Jason Bourcier), while the rhythm guitar position is, as far as I can tell, still vacant.

It's great to see Andrew back in a live band again, and while Keith has some singing experience from past bands, how does he stack up as an extreme metal vocalist? Hopefully we'll find out in short order, so stay tuned to the SMS and Winkstinger's Facebook page for future updates!

With that said, the aforementioned Jesse Cook still played next with his punk/metal quintet Jack Spades in their first non-battle of the bands set of the year, and they proceeded to jack the planet (and hall) with a fun set that fans easily took to! Playing originals like "They Live", "Crossroads", and "Motorwolf" alongside Turbonegro and Ripcordz covers, everyone was generally on form from past shows, aside from an aborted attempt at "Fear Corps" late in their set. That aside, my biggest issue was that the vocals were, like with Them, very muffled and quiet, but J.D. Pearce sounded good when you could hear him through the music, and Jesse and Tiffany Stocco were strong as expected on guitar! Good energy from all involved, with J.D. exploring the hall during songs, and a positive fan reception throughout, so hopefully Jack Spades are back soon, and kudos to J.D. for putting this concert on!

Montreal progressive/theatrical death metal quintet Bookakee co-headlined in their second local concert, and you can tell that word of mouth from the Benighted concert last year has paid off, as a huge crowd saw a set you had to see to believe! I could just spend all day talking about their theatrics and stage show, beyond anything you ever typically see at The Oddfellows Hall, with singer Phil Langelier proceeding to filet his face on two occasions, perform on on-stage abortion, murder Donkey Kong(?!) with a chainsaw which showered front row attendees with blood, and even spray everyone with silly string to end their set! If you saw Bookakee last year, you know what to expect, but it was a blast to see all of this live! The band wore costumes and masks (which were shed mid-set), but with or without them, their progressive-tinged death metal stood on it's own even without the theatrics, with SP Gagnon a very talented guitarist, and Jo David was a powerhouse on bass too! Bookakee rocked beyond measure, and if you weren't there, you missed out!

Despite having a tough act to follow, French progressive death metal quintet Gorod delivered a devastating set of their own to close the night! Playing songs spanning their entire career (including from their newest CD "A Maze of Recycled Creeds"), Gorod played with aggression and a solid stage presence, with frontman Julien "Nutz" Deyres showcasing brutal growling and a natural ease and command of the stage, which served him well for their last few songs, after his microphone stopped working. Rather than stop the show or complain, Gorod powered through, with Julien continuing to sing sans-mic, while basically turning from frontman to conductor of the death metal orchestra, never missing a beat. Mathieu Pascal & Nicholas Alberny were solid and very skilled on guitar throughout, and Karol Diers' technical, fast drumming was a perfect compliment! Despite the technical difficulties, fans rightfully called for an encore, a solid capper for Gorod's awesome set!

Overall, this was a great concert with a double-header of brutal headliners and two entertaining local bands, and despite early muffled vocals, Gorod's microphone issues, Winkstinger's lost set, and the unfortunate fate of Donkey Kong, I know fans will be clamoring for Gorod & Bookakee to come back to the Soo in short order, and I concur! You can check out our photos from the show at this link or at our Facebook page, and as for our videos, here's Them playing their instrumental "March Into Regression", Jack Spades playing "Negative Headspace", Bookakee playing "Monarch of the Depraved", and Gorod playing "Celestial Nature"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and our newest poll tomorrow! Thanks everyone!