LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Telephone & Address), New Sault Michigan Videos, And More!!

After a couple of slow days, let's get back into the groove with a new news post for your Wednesday morning, which includes some concluding updates (for now) to one of our past feature profiles, some new videos from across the river, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring!

Local acoustic/punk solo project Telephone & Address will be among the local openers at a concert at LopLops Lounge on Thursday, April 21st, when they open for Toronto pop duo Moon King! Off hand, this is the first LopLops show that I can recall from Chris Shoust's solo act, but his punk originals should be a nice mood setter in two months' time, so keep his opening set in mind for then. Some fans may recognize Moon King's members from the defunct indie rock band Spiral Beach, who played here at least twice in the late 2000s, but Moon King's energetic and poppy sound should find an audience of their own next month, so give them a look if their sound is up your alley! Local indie/alternative band Aldous will join Telephone & Address as openers on April 21st as well, with Nick's recent electronic-tinged originals sure to leave their mark once again as well! Promoted by Ears & Eyes Online's Jackson Reed, this 19+ concert has NO COVER, and starts at 9:30 PM.

This should be a solid concert for indie rock fans, and while it definitely leans more that direction than most shows we cover, Telephone & Address will deliver some unplugged punk to start the evening, so whatever your pleasure, keep this show in mind for April 21st, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's some new video finds from Sault Michigan artists, including two new solo videos from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard's YouTube channel, as he has two new multi-instrument covers to take in from Monday! Both featuring Chris on guitar, bass, and drums in separate clips edited together, one is a cover of Van Halen's "Unchained" (joining last week's version of "Light The Sky"), but embedded below is his take on Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine". These are strong covers, especially the extremely faithful "Unchained", but it's interesting to hear his Van Halen-inspired take on GNR, and I wonder how these would sound with vocals? Give them a look!



Also today, here's a video that we recently found from the local cover rock trio Broke On Sunday, who covered Temple of the Dog's "Hunger Strike" at The Merchant's Bar last spring! Uploaded in the fall to singer/guitarist Mark Bowen's YouTube channel, this is the only public video that I've seen from Broke on Sunday, who don't have a known online page, but their lineup includes Mark (formerly seen in The London Gentlemen) alongside Retro Troop/ex-Ten Kings bassist Barney Gravelle, and Chump Change drummer Jason VanLuven, who you may recognize as a former bandmate of Mark's in Bucksaw, and has also recently played with The London Gentlemen. I can't verify a whole lot about Broke On Sunday,  including on if their sets tend to lean heavier, but they do play live a fair amount, were a part of this year's 1-500 Pub Crawl with a set at Moloney's Alley, and I believe they generally play acoustic-only concert sets. On watching this video, Broke On Sunday definitely do a good job on this grunge staple!

Featuring Jason singing the Eddie Vedder parts and Mark handling the Chris Cornell parts (Barney appears to be absent entirely here), it's a nice casual performance with surprisingly accurate takes on the vocals, and while the lighting is very red, it's nice to see this video, and to see something from in The Merch for a change as well! Give this Broke on Sunday clip a look below, and hopefully more from them turns up down the road!



Finally for today, here's our final major updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles before we get into new profiles next month, as we're refreshing and updating our profile of Viva La Battle from November 2013! There, we restored all photos, and in the section on performers' later activity, we updated the details on recent work from winners The Bear Hunters and runners-up Northwest. For the section on performers' later bands, we replaced Haggith, The Sorrow Fields, and Urawk with Eclipse, Heavy Head, and Mourning Wood to get that updated, In the trivia section, we updated references to how third placers Punch's original songs were re-appropriated as Haggith originals during that band's 2014-2015 reunion (with "Road Rash" making their final EP.) Lastly, we added trivia notes concerning Punch members' second place run in 2014's Rock N' Roar Battle with The Suicide Kings, and notes on how The Bear Hunters and Punch alumni did in last March's VM Radio and Speak Easy Battles of the Bands. Hopefully that covers all major updates, and stay tuned for our profiles of last March's battles next!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results and weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Eclipse & Project 906), Another New Local Band, Speak Easy Battle Updates, And More!!

Keeping the news and updates coming on this Sunday morning, we have more updates to one of our past battle of the bands profiles, the latest on one of next month's battles of the bands, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT linked to a new local band, so here's what you should know!

We (thankfully) have a new Sault Michigan hard rock band to add to our links, and they are Project 906, so what should you know on them? Obviously taking their name in part from the E.U.P. area code, they're the new band from guitarist Joe Jenkins & drummer Will Storey, who have recently played together in Ten Kings, The Bottom Line, and the second version of Full Throttle. Their lineup is rounded out by singer Billy Bernier and bassist Dustin Paras, neither of whom I'm familiar with from other local bands. Describing themselves as playing a mixture of blues, classic, and modern rock, Project 906 look to be playing a similar range of songs to what Ten Kings did (if their videos are any indication), and fans will get their first taste of Project 906 when they rock Pickles Bar & Grill in nearby Brimley on Thursday, March 17th for their St. Patrick's Day party! Pickles is largely an unfamiliar venue for our coverage, but you may remember that ex-Half A Man frontman Erik Rintamaki used to host open mic nights there.

The show itself takes place at Pickles (at 11204 West Lakeshore Drive in Brimley) at 10:00 PM on March 17th, with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Joe & Will back in a band again, and hopefully they can enjoy a greater longevity here than their other recent bands have had, but how do Project 906 sound? We can find out via four videos posted to their Facebook page, including videos of Billy & Joe alone covering Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long As I Can See The Light" & Alice In Chains' "Rooster" (albeit only 26 seconds worth), while the other two are of the full band, and include renditions of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and as embedded below, both Van Halen's "Panama" & ZZ Top's "Tush". The guys sound good so far, with Billy showcasing a good melodic voice (even if you can't see him in the full band videos), and Joe & Will's chemistry maintains from their older groups! Check out more from Project 906 above and below, and stay tuned for updates!



Next up, we can now 100% confirm the first band for next month's second Speak Easy Battle of the Bands on March 10th, as local modern hard rock quartet Eclipse will be taking part! Frontman Curtis McKenzie confirmed their involvement on the Facebook event page yesterday, with the venue's Facebook page liking the post afterward. Eclipse had previously signed up for the battle's original November date before it was postponed (and before they'd even played live), but it remains to be seen if The Din, Jesse Merineau, and Pillory are all still on from the original November announcements. While this will be Eclipse's first battle appearance, 3/4ths of the band have played in prior battles with bands like Haggith, Project 421, and The Din, including with the latter two at last year's Speak Easy Battle, but will Eclipse improve on last year's results? (And will they be at the VM Radio Battle too?) At last word, promoters have three band spots still open for next month's battle, so if you want in, message meghan.rix@algomau.ca A.S.A.P.!

As before, this year's Speak Easy Battle has a $5 cover charge, 10:00 PM start time, and 19+ age limit for all but Algoma University students with valid student ID. For competitors, this is again a fan voted battle with 15 minute set times and 5 minutes setup each, with $400, $200, and $100 again awaiting the top 3 bands. This should be another exciting battle, especially coming just a day after night #2 of the VM Radio Battle, so stay tuned for updates on both events, and sign up for both while spots are available!

Finally for today, here's some more updates to one of our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles, namely of our profile of 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands! Therein, we restored all photos, and updated references to the competitors' statuses after the battles, namely The Suicide Kings, Haggith, and The Northern Tragedy falling inactive, and Late & Loud's 2014 reunion gigs. In the section on performers' later bands, we updated it by replacing Caveman Morrison, Changing Lanes, Chronic Demonic, Frightlight, The Hydra's Teeth, and Punch with the more recently active Eclipse, Heavy Head, Infinity Grinder, Jon & His Friends (Late & Loud's Jon Tiberi's current Hamilton band), Mourning Wood, and The Pixo Control, while also referencing The Din's name change & Giwakwa drummer Chris Thompson's addition to Project 421. In the trivia section, we also noted the name changes of competitors The Suicide Kings & The Pesto Shirts (now Beaumont Avenue & The Wild Iris.)

Also new to the trivia section, we have references to this battle's spiritual successor (last year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands), while also noting how The Bear Hunters, Haggith, and their members' then-side projects did in both that battle and last year's Speak Easy Battle.  Finally, we fixed the link to the Giwakwa video that was listed there, and added a "sources/more info section" to include this battle's event page and SooToday coverage. Hopefully that covers everything, so stay tuned for our final updates regarding Viva La Battle soon, and stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

Curtis McKenzie Updates, New Videos, And Battle Of The Bands Profle Updates!!

Before we get into this post, I wanted to acknowledge (albeit late, my apologies) that last Wednesday's planned third installment of punk rock bingo at The New American Pub was cancelled due to inclement weather (ironic given the "die, winter, die" theme.) The punk rock bingos have been cursed a bit, given that three installments have now been called off, but hopefully things work out for next time, as it's a fun event! Had they played, Sam Decter's planned band would have been called "Sammy D & The Morlocks", and had teased a post-punk element in their set. Now, we have some new videos, recent updates, and first, the latest from a talented local frontman, so here's what you should know!

Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie has been busy of late in terms of his solo material, so what's he been up to? As per his solo Facebook page last week, he has announced that he plans to finally release a debut solo album in August 2016, with more details to follow. It's not clear what form this release will take, but note that he has hinted at working with local bassist Jason Morbin in the past, and he once advertised musician searches for a planned band that wouldn't play metal or hard rock, though it's unclear if these are linked. Given the latter, we don't even know if this will be a release that fits our coverage, or when recording will begin, but stay tuned for more! Remember, some originals from his old band Haggith began with earlier bands of his, so you never know if some will re-appear as new solo tracks. On a larger scale, Curtis has thrown his hat into the ring for The Stone Temple Pilots' contest to find a new lead singer, so what should you know on that?

While this is arguably a long shot, Curtis registered on the Indaba Music-hosted contest where the platinum selling hard rock band hopes to find their new lead singer through. To that end, Curt posted an audio track of him singing "Plush" along with the backing track, and he sounds good, as fans of his bands should know! Voting hasn't opened yet, but hear Curtis' version of "Plush" at this link, and stay tuned for when voting opens, as imagine how cool it would be to see him do well in this contest to find The Stone Temple Pilots' new frontman!

Next up, here's some new videos that were uploaded to YouTube in the last few days, including this clip of 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard covering Van Halen's "Light Up The Sky", with him handling guitar, bass, and drums! Uploaded to his YouTube channel yesterday, this showcases the Sault Michigan standout's multi-instrumental skill nicely, with an accurate tone and strong performances (especially on the guitar, as you'd expect), so give his newest solo video a look below!



Also, here's a new video of Sault Ontario solo musician and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe covering Black Sabbath's "Into the Void"! Uploaded to his YouTube channel on Saturday, this has the now clean-shaven Mike covering this Sabbath classic nicely, if a little rough around the edges, complete with an extended intro where he talks about the song and how he's playing it. Not badly done at all, so check it out below, and check out Audiofumes for some strong local and out-of-town original material!

Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind profiles! I have restored photos to our profiles of 2008's Skid Row and Case's Music Battles, and 2009's YMCA & Kiss Battles, as the links for those photos went dead after SooToday's design & layout changes from last month, so we've restored them with their new links. In our profile of 2009's Algoma University Battle of the Bands, we added a reference in the trivia to how current local rap/metal band The Apocalypse Afterparty have taken on originals from "songwriter" Paul Stanghetta's older band The Fury, who finished second in that battle. And for our profile of 2012's Sault Humane Society Battle, I added a link to the official poster to give it a "Sources/More Info" section, as it didn't have one at all before, though it's event pages and sites have all been taken down since. That'll cover things for now, but stay tuned for updates of later battles in due course!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned & 415E), SweetKenny Updates, And More!!

Today's post is largely Sault Michigan-centric, with album updates from a regional artist to touch on, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for two bands in early 2016, but we also have some general updates to one of our feature series to cap things off. Now, here's what you should know!

Kewadin Casino's entertainment page has finally been updated to reflect 2016 concerts, with shows listed for The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin and The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin through late June, and there are new hard rock shows to note there! The Highway 63 shows are already known to us, but we can now confirm five new concert weekends from bands in our range, including hard rock quartet 415E, who will return to The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on February 26th & 27th, and then on April 29th & 30th! Last seen on stage during their New Year's Eve show in St. Ignace, 415E are the only St. Ignace-scheduled band so far that isn't playing at the Sault Kewadin, but if you can head down to The Northern Pines Lounge over these weekends, be ready for some Van Halen-inspired hard rock hits! There's no announced cover charge for these 21+ shows, which start at around 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links, and stay tuned for more from the Hubbard/Menard crew as we hear it!

The other new hard rock confirmations come from Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned, who had announced Kewadin dates through March already via their Facebook page, but the casino confirmed a handful of shows beyond! The Traynors and Wayne will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at in St. Ignace for gigs on April 14th & 15th and then on May 13th & 14th, while they'll return to The Rapids Lounge in the Soo for the first time in three months on June 17th & 18th, so keep those dates in mind as well! Banned always stay busy, and hopefully these shows go as well as their next ones, as fans should know their talent level! Remember, we'll next see Banned within an hour of Sault Ste. Marie when they rock The Runway Bar in Hessel on February 12th, with gigs at Western U.P. Kewadin branches coming beforehand. Like with the new 415E gigs, these are 9:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits. For more details, visit the above links, and stay tuned for more from Banned!

And just for reference, note that other new Kewadin dates belong to classic rockers Touch of Class & The Brooks Band, country artists Hawk Junction & Paul Perry, and Traverse City dance rock quartet Risque, who haven't been recent local regulars that I've seen. Note that there's nothing new from there from the recently dormant Power Slug, nor from Jeff Hudson's Traverse City-area metal bands like Peril & Scarkazm, but if/when we hear more on their next E.U.P. dates, we'll let you know!

Next up, Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock musician Ken Sutton (a.k.a. SweetKenny) has released another new album, so what should you know on it? Entitled "Only Us Left Standing", it was released to his Bandcamp page on January 11th (apologies for the delay), and it's his first album of 2016 & 16th total in his main solo series. Continuing his recent focus since the summer, this SweetKenny album is intended to be a conceptual & instrumental score that could be used in a video game, and similarly to last month's "The Walkers: Rise of the Dead", it's themed after a zombie invasion. On listening, I can confirm that it's darker and more ominous than "The Walkers", which is largely acoustic-based, but both show Ken's range! "Only Us Left Standing" is on sale for $7 via the above links, so definitely consider picking it up, especially if you like video game scores!

Now, as these are part of his main album canon, they are eligible for reviews on the site, and I'd already pencilled in a SweetKenny review for this month, so is one of these next? No, as I usually pick the heaviest album if I have multiple new releases to pick from in a band's discography, and from his most recent four (plus August's "Charlie Hidelburg: Ancient Hunter"), the heaviest is October's "The Hitman Files", which is themed like it could be in a hitman action game or movie. No word on when SweetKenny will release a traditional new solo album (last seen with June's "Fleabag Hotel"), but look for our review of "The Hitman Files" by Sunday!

Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles! In our profile of 2010's Sault College/Scotties Tournament of Heart Battle of the Bands, we restored a photo of third place finishers Sykotyk Rampage, and updated info on their recent activity, but the rest was still good. In our profile of that spring's Downtown Showdown battle, we restored two photos, added notes on runners-up The Fury's brief 2014 reunion and frontman Paul Stanghetta's never-launched successor band Keep It Lit, and clarified info on judge Len Ward. For it's section on performers' later bands, we replaced The Glass Thieves, Keep It Lit, and March Into Regression with The Apocalypse Afterparty, Infinity Grinder, and London's Five Oceans (featuring Tenagens alum Patrick Dal Cin) to keep that more current. Finally, we added references to how performers did in 2015 battles, namely SBD bassist Brad Griffith at the Speak Easy battle with Infinity Grinder, and Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's fourth place run at the VM Radio Battle with The Apocalypse Afterparty.

Hopefully that gets these sufficiently updated, and stay tuned for updates of battles from 2012 and on next, much more news and notes in short order, plus our review of SweetKenny's "The Hitman Files"! Thanks everyone!

Project 421 & Bon Soo Updates, Plus More Updates & Notes!!

We're back with a new news post to kick off this last full week of January, so what's on tap? Some updates to one of our battle of the bands profiles, some assorted recent notes, and the latest from a new local arts podcast, but let's start with some new concert videos!

Local classic metal quintet Project 421 are the subject of some new videos that were uploaded to their Facebook page yesterday, all courtesy of their Rednecks Saloon concert on Friday! Attendee Chris Weber shot three videos at the show (and got lots of photos, albeit made black & white after the fact), and they include renditions of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B.", Kiss' "Cold Gin", and as embedded below, their first original "No One Rides For Free". Shot on a cell phone camera, the audio is scratchy, and the camera angle can be jittery, but these videos are our best look yet at the current Project 421 lineup, and you can definitely sense that they have a good grasp on these songs! The lighting isn't great though, only drummer Chris Thompson is well lit on stage. Give these a look above and below, and don't miss Project 421 at The Rockstar Bar next month!



Next up, the newest episode of the new local music/arts podcast 7L is now online via their Soundcloud page, so what should you know from it? The episode features host Teddy Syrette interviewing Bon Soo general manager Kerrie De Poli about next month's installment of our annual winter carnival, where Kerrie talks about the inception of Bon Soo, the extended 12-day lineup for this year, events to look for, how long Kerrie's been working with the festival, her background before joining Bon Soo, the merger with Passport To Unity, where to get Bon Soo buttons, and more. The episode closes with Kerrie reading a poem about Bon Soo, and Teddy singing likewise, which is a fun way to close the episode! It's good and fun promotion for this year's festival, but what do we learn about Bon Soo's concerts for this year? Only bare basics, with no visible lineup information confirmed for either The Marquee or Passport to Unity, but The Marquee will apparently be a one-night outdoor event again on Friday, February 5th at Mill Market.

The Passport To Unity multicultural festival will be at The Essar Center as usual, but now on Sunday, February 14th rather than May to fit the Bon Soo schedule. We have yet to find lineup information for either event, but when updates come out on both/either, we'll let you know! Give the new 7L episode a listen above, it's informative and worth checking out, but note that the teased acoustic punk segment is not featured, no word on if it's coming for episode #4. Stay tuned though!

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

• If you've seen recent personal Facebook pictures of Havadder playing a recent gig without bassist Travis Sharpe, we can confirm that the show was a private event at The Rankin Arena, and with Travis unable to make the gig, local musician Brett Gottwald filled in for him. There are some videos from the event on Facebook, but unless the band shares them publically, we won't post them here. Brett filled in well though from what I saw, and give them a watch if they pop up on your news feed!
• Local musician Lee Catling is looking for a drummer for a Slayer tribute band that he's working on. He didn't offer any more details, but Slayer fans should be intrigued by this, so message Lee at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday if you're interested! 
• Honest Job bassist Drew Armstrong has been added as a performer with Like a Pisces during the Nirvana tribute concert at The Gore Street Cafe on February 20th during The Fishbowl Festival's opening night, as per the Facebook event page last week. However, it should be noted that the current wording of the performers lumps The Pixo Control in as one of the main acts, rather than as defined openers, so is this going to be a collaborative show with guests coming & going between songs? We'll let you know if there's clarification!

Finally for today, here's some big updates to one of our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles (which return in March!) In our profile of December 2009's Algoma University Battle of the Bands, we noted The Fury's brief 2014 reunion and RedD Monkey's hiatus & posthumous activity in the section on competitors' later work, while we replaced Keep It Lit and Giwakwa with The Apocalypse Afterparty, Infinity Grinder, and Kaepora Gaebora in the section on performers' later bands to keep that more current. Finally, the trivia section now features notes on planned judges Anthony Fabiano & Dustin Jones' later work in battles of the bands (as Griphook's drummer in Spanish and as a VM Radio Battle judge/sponsor respectively), info on how The Apocalypse Afterparty & Infinity Grinder did at the battles in March 2015, and a note on Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's debuting band Keep It Lit, who never played after dropping out of 2013's Viva La Battle. Hopefully that's up to date now, and stay tuned for updates of battles from the early 2010s soon!

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

The Return Of Pillory, Bear Hunters Album Updates, And Much More!!

Before we begin uploading photos and videos from last night's Fuck The Facts concert (it's been way too long since my last show), here's a new news post for your Monday morning, including long overdue updates to some of our past feature profiles, a new jam session video, album updates from another band, and first, a band reunion, so here's what you should know!

Local thrash/death metal band Pillory are back! After quietly breaking up last summer, frontman Robert Sartini and drummer Bret Shuttleworth have reunited the band and have begun work on new material, so what should you know? Lineup wise, guitarist Josh Amendola and bassist Devon Lucier are not back from their last full incarnation, with Pillory apparently enlisting former Haggith bassist Jordan Leach for the new lineup, as per recent updates to their Facebook page. Intriguing to say the least, I wonder how Jordan will do on material this heavy? No word as of yet though on a new second guitarist. As well, Bret shared a Facebook video of him and Robert jamming a new Pillory song named "Angst of Existence" on Tuesday, and while it's a little rough and still needs vocals & bass, it sounds promising and has a bit more of a death metal feel than their older originals had! Give it a look below, stay tuned for more, and they're back in our active band links!

Next up, here's the latest from local death metal veterans The Bear Hunters, who will open for Evilheart in tonight's Gonqshow finale at The Algonquin Pub! After prior teases on personal accounts, the band shared the complete tracklist for their upcoming second album "The Dead Testament" on their Facebook page on Friday, and though the exact order is to be determined, it will have 10 songs. We've heard most of them live, but I don't believe we've heard "For Glory" or the title track in concert as of this writing. Also, a 2015 re-recording of "Deception" and their black metal parody "The Forest of Forests" will be included as bonus tracks, but whether they'll be on all copies of the CD, select copies, or a digital exclusive is to be established. The band followed the post by saying that they'll soon be ready to record the album locally with Tidal Records (presumably at Mission Control Studios, though it's not clear if they're signing with the label itself or not yet.)

It sounds like things are in good hands, and hopefully "The Dead Testament" will have an even crisper and more professional sound than "Eternal Hibernation" had! Note however that earlier postings said that this album would have 11 songs, but the band may consider "The Forest of Forests" to be the eleventh. Stay tuned for updates on "The Dead Testament" as they come in, and for our review of last night's Fuck The Facts show featuring The Bear Hunters later today!

Also, here's a new-ish video shared by another band from last night's Fuck The Facts show, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA! In reality, this video was posted on frontman Boyd Rendell's YouTube channel in May, but for one reason or another, it's unlisted there, only coming to our attention after the band shared it on their Facebook page yesterday. It's of AlgomA jamming their original "Fell Down A Well", and it's a solid version of one of their early songs with an excellent tight angle of the guys in action! The Facebook share of the video indicated that they'd likely kick off their set last night with this song, but as this was written before the show, did they stick to their word? Give the video a look below, and stay tuned for more from AlgomA (and Boyd's channel) soon!

Finally for today, here's some beyond overdue updates to our Battle of the Bands Rewind profiles (We've slacked on updating any of our monthly feature profiles, so it's time to try and rectify that!) Starting with our profile of 2008's Skid Row Battle of the Bands, I've added a note about March's Speak Easy Battle of the Bands (the first battle to take place at the same venue since 2008), and regarding the section on performers' later bands, I added a band page link for Northwest, updated The Pesto Shirts' name to the current Wild Iris, and replaced Nikkfitt (who no longer feature Scary Uncles alum Andrew MacDonald on bass) with Id Iota, the current band from Free Beer's Christian Lemay and Dustin Goodall. And for our profile of 2008's Case's Music Battle of the Bands, I added updated references to the late Mike Case's hosting of the event, and added a note on Fountain of Betrayal frontman Tyler St. Amour once being listed for this year's VM Radio Battle with Them.

Lastly, I replaced The North Shore, Pillory, and Viva Emptiness in the section for members' later bands with London's The Glass Thieves and Five Oceans (both featuring Caddy Street Avenue alumni), and the aforementioned Them to freshen up the section on performers' later bands, especially as the prior 3 bands are either defunct or don't feature alumni of this battle anymore. I hope to update more posts in this series in the near future, so stay tuned, and look for our Fuck The Facts concert review next! Thanks everyone!

Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile Updates (November 2014)

Hey guys, as promised, here's our special update post for our past Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles, as we went back and updated (if necessary) the info, photos, links, and lineups of the 63 bands we've profiled in this series since 2010! This has became an annual break of sorts for the series, but it's a great chance to keep tabs on bands that we don't cover every day, as these bands are all from out of town (they just featured one or more Saultites in one of their lineups.) With that said, read on below for everything that we changed, and each band's name links to their original profile!
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Phatstick: Along with replacing now-deleted band photos and removing their website's expired link, I noted that Phatstick appear to have dissolved again, as they have not posted any online updates since their reunion show in Brantford in October 2013. If they are done, it is disappointing to see them inactive again, especially given their talent, but hopefully Jason, Joe, and the guys reunite again down the road!

Will of the Ancients: The only changes reflect the band's 2014 activity, as they released their new album "To Our Glorious Dead" in February and have toured frequently since, including a well recieved August tour of Eastern Canada with Psychotic Gardening, so be sure to keep an eye on them for more brutal black metal! Also, the band's smaller quartet lineup has remained the same since last year.

Papa Fogals Chair: I noted P.F.C.'s most recent one-off reunion gig, which took place at bassist Mike Bird's stag & doe at The Moose Lodge in May of this year, while also noting frontman Andy Chillman's newest work in the London acoustic/folk band The Bird Stone Revival. Other than those notes, some info clean-up, and a larger band logo, everything else is fine, as the band hasn't fully reunited beyond that one-off show.

The Sexual Vigilantes: Aside from adding to Brent Ellis & Curtis Faux's band work (including adding Destroilet & The Bombed Squad to Brent's info and The Cola Heads & Chainbreaker to Curtis'), there weren't any major changes, as The Sexual Vigilantes have remained inactive since 2009. If you miss the guys though, don't miss Detroit's reunion show next month at The Algonquin Pub, as some of their originals started as SXVGLNTES songs!

Feral Noise: All I updated here was guitarist Tym Morrison's info, as he's largely transitioned to solo concerts in the past couple of years, with his local metal band Caveman Morrison being inactive since Boxing Day last year, along with adding a note on singer Nathalie Boudreau's recent solo work of her own. Feral Noise remain inactive, with members living in many different locations at present.

Sadomasochism: No changes. The Grand Rapids death metal band remains inactive, and their profile needed no photo or video updates, but you can see frontman John Rios play similar material with his current band From Hell!

Levitate: No changes. Levitate have remained inactive in the past year, and while frontman Cory Murchsion remains active with the local hard rock band Skeyes of Seven, they haven't played live in the past year and haven't done enough new stuff to really warrant an edit to this profile. I full expect additions next year though!

Necramyth: Again, no changes. Necramyth have also not reunited in the last year, and haven't shown any sign of life since ex-drummer David Gold's passing, but you can check out frontman Pedro Chae's current band Embloodyment for similar metal action!

Human Disorder: The only edits reflected the inactivity of members Jason Taillefer & Joe LaVergne's later hard rock band Phatstick, who went dormant after last fall's reunion show, as already addressed above. Nothing else needed to be changed, as Human Disorder have been defunct since 2000.

Summon: Aside from restoring dead photo links, all that was added was a note that frontman Chas Schoals can now be seen in Inebriated, a newer death metal band out of Lansing, Michigan. Summon themselves remain inactive, having last properly updated their Facebook pages in 2010.

The Disciples of Rock: Like last year, updates were limited to bassist James White's recent local band work, including acknowledgements of his recent work with The Elements & Haggith, and a downplaying of his cover band Caveman Morrison, who have been inactive since the end of 2013. Everything else is good, as the band has not visibly reunited in the past year.

Violet Fuse: Updates here were mainly to confirm the band's presumed breakup, as they have not posted a known online update since December 2012, so it's likely that they quietly dissolved last year. Disappointing, especially given their talent, but you can catch drummer/Saultite Thom Edwards with his current band The Gypsy Ghosts! We also restored both photos due to dead links, and replaced their Facebook group's link there with their more used Facebook page.

Jar.: Along with a replaced band photo, all that was changed was some condension of their bio, which was overly long. Though Jar. are still active and update their online pages frequently, the guys haven't done a lot of major activity in 2014, but hopefully they have some more concerts and recordings in the works!

Thrawsunblat: I added fiddle player Jeff Mott to their current lineup, while also restoring a band photo, replacing a less used Facebook page with their new Twitter page, and made notes on their recent CD recording sessions. The band remains a studio-only project, but as the spiritual successors to Woods of Ypres, don't bypass them!

Hellhitch: Aside from a shrunk band photo for aesthetic purposes, no changes. Hellhitch remain inactive, and I wasn't able to find any major updates concerning the band or their members' later music.

Kilacel: The only edits reflected former bassist Chris Leask's local band work, mainly to correct the spelling of his current band Power Slug and add their Facebook page's link, now that they actually have an online page. The rest is good, as Kilacel are going on 4 years for their hiatus, but you can still see Luke Ponce & Matt Millering with the similar Nunica hard rock band Coldville!

Fifth Way: I noted guitarist/LSSU grad Zak Stelmaszek's current work with the Milwaukee cover rock band King Kong, though he still rocks with his Detroit-based bandmates in Fifth Way! Nothing else on the write-ups needed a major update (they still play live regularly, and have avoided more bassist changes), but the previously featured video of theirs was privatized for unannounced reasons in the past year, despite it being from their 2010 show opening for Tesla in Sault Michigan. Disappointing, but they have other online videos, and now featured there is this music video for their song "Stomping Ground", which you can also see below!



Mark Rand: Aside from a replaced photo due to a dead link and an allusion to next month's Detroit reunion show, no changes. Mark hasn't revived his solo project in the past year, and has largely focused on his current Peterborough hardcore punk band Cross Dog, so follow them for their guitar-less brutality!

L'anguisette: Updates mostly referenced the status of a release of this former David Gold-featured metal band's unreleased album "Damning The Euphrates", and if you've read the post on their Facebook page in June, prospects for it don't look high despite some optimistic hopes. The only other updates were to restore expired photos.

S.C.A.R.: I restored the profile's photos, altered references to frontman Mike Haggith's local band work (mainly to remove references to the reunited Mike Haggith & The Din's inactivity), and I also noted that S.C.A.R. teased recording a new album last year as well. S.C.A.R. have remained inactive throughout 2014, but keep an eye out in case Mike & Dylon jam again over the holidays!

The Northern Ontario Black Metal Preservation Society: No changes. The N.O.B.M.P.S. has remained inactive since David Gold's passing in 2011, and I haven't heard of any new music work from Aaron Palmer since, but if anything turns up by next year, we'll let you know!

Maximum RNR: Most of the edits referenced the departure of singer Brenton Ellis (a.k.a. Diamond Brent Panther) a few months ago, and while the Toronto hardcore punk band hasn't updated any of their online pages since to confirm that, Brent confirmed he left the band in a personal conversation. Hopefully we hear more from RNR soon, they're a solid band! Other updates included Brent and fellow Saultite Curtis Faux's recent band work with Destroilet, The Cola Heads, and Chainbreaker, plus a restored band photo.

Buster Cherry: All that was edited was references to members/Saultites Terry Eaton & Vinnie Milosevich's recent band work, as Terry's local country band 2 Buck Beers has disbanded and he's since formed the heavier Mourning Wood, while Vinnie has played with bands like Knee Deep & Curse The Witch in recent years. The rest is good, but I did replace the redundant second photo there with a shot of Terry playing live with Asylum Country.

The Heatseeking Moisture Missiles: Aside from some light references to 2014 activity and two restored band photos, no changes. T.H.S.M.M. are still active and played live in April, but have been on a break since then due to personal commitments, so keep an eye out for their return!

Gravity Crash: No changes. Gravity Crash remain defunct, and the profile needed no full edits or changes, but be sure to give guitarist/Saultite Paul Melanson a look with his current Metallica tribute band Damage Inc.!

Jeff Nisbet: Aside from a restored photo, no changes, as Jeff hasn't updated his solo pages since 2011, and I've heard nothing concerning newer music work from him in any capacity in the past year.

NeanderTHRALL: Aside from the addition of their Twitter page's link and a restored band photo, no changes. NeanderTHRALL were active as recently as June, but haven't done a lot outside of some studio work this year, so the biography info doesn't need an imminent change... yet.

Infathom: The only updates were photo restorations and a minor edit to their recent activity level, as they still play often in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and still play a Sault Michigan-area date at least twice a year. Dillion and company are good bets to come back east for shows in 2015, so don't miss out when/if they do!

Paricide: One change referenced drummer Adam Veen's later band work, as Daillers appear to have broken up, but he's still active with the Oil Springs rock band The Mudd Buttons. As well, Sault native/ex-Sue Inside frontman Shane Fraser's recent work, as he most recently played in the Thunder Bay rock band Ostrich for a few months this year, though the band is now named Eleven Seventeen. The rest is good, as Paricide are pushing a decade since their breakup.

The Lust Boys: Sadly, the Victoria, B.C. sleaze rock quartet amicably broke up following a farewell concert in February, so that's the main cause for updates to their profile, aside from photo replacements and the removal of their now closed website. Disappointing, especially as they never got a chance to play a local make-up date from their cancelled 2012 set, but you can see members Tommy Thrust & Doc Sxdryv in the new Victoria hard rock band Hell Camino!

Repetitions: Aside from restored band photos, no changes. Repetitions remain defunct since their 2012 dissolution, but Saultite Ash Richtig can still be seen alongside Repetitions bandmate Jay Buston with the similar Line Drawn, so give them a listen for the next best thing!

Age of Days: For their lineup, I added rhythm guitarist Dean Hartsell to their current lineup (replacing Mike Diesel), as he's featured in their current band photos, and played songwriting roles on their newest album "Radioactivity". I also updated their Twitter page to reflect their name's spelling change, but other than that, everything's good for their bio for now. Hopefully their tour dates with Buckcherry go well in January!

Mothership:The only updates (save for photo replacements) acknowledged their continued existence after their reunion last fall, which has been steadily similar to their original run. If you love Led Zeppelin, keep this tribute band in mind if you're in the Ottawa area!

Constructed Apocalypse:Updates were limited to a photo restoration, the deletion of their closed Facebook & Webs pages, and some updates to former singer Jeremy Hannah's local music work of the past year, including with The North Shore (formerly Like Father Like Son) and his new company Pure Sonic Audio. Everything else is fine, as the band remains defunct.

Winter of Silence: Aside from a restored photo, no changes, as Winter of Silence have not visibly been revived in the past year, but hopefully Ryan's still active in music!

Azriahl: I restored a photo there and added some notes on their current status, mainly that singer Sarah Mourning is hoping to revive Azriahl with a new lineup in the coming months, but until that happens (if at all), we'll leave their last full lineup in place on their page again. Hopefully they come back!

RedStone Riot: Though I restored a photo, updated their lineup to reflect the addition of Dexx Brown as their new rhythm guitarist earlier this year (replacing Ryan Fluharty), and noted their return to the stage in July after singer Rachel Kiger's recovery from recent health setbacks, she actually left R.S.R. in August, which briefly led the band to announce their breakup. At last word, they're "down, but not out", but like with Azriahl, we'll list their last full lineup until they do formally come back, if ever. Best of luck all around!

Under Earth: No changes, except for restored photos. This project has not been revived in the past year, but if you crave new music from Ash Richtig, he's got plenty of other bands you can follow!

The Georgian Skull: No changes. The band formerly known as Mister Bones is long since defunct, and nothing on the profile was screaming for an update, but you can see members Al Petrovich & Adam Saitti with the similar sludge metal band Gypsy Chief Goliath!

Beyond Haven: Though Beyond Haven are still very much active, their profile didn't need any major updates beyond photo restorations, as they still play live frequently and have been working on new songs. Give them a look for some entertaining modern hard rock!

Genocya: Lineup-wise, the Lansing black metal band brought former drummer Tim "Speedbag" Sever back to the fold in February (replacing Erik Stroude due to personal commitments), but everything else is good (save for restored photos), as Genocya still play live frequently, so keep an eye out for them in the Lower Peninsula!

The Dyadics: Aside from photo restorations, our only change here was to note that the London hard rock duo are currently working on a new album, so be on guard for updates on Kevin & Matt's next music!

Bury Your Demons: Photo restorations aside, all that was changed here was confirmations that the band is indeed defunct now, having not updated their online pages since April of last year, but hopefully the guys all stay active in music, as they had a good thing going!

The Line Drawn: I added the link to their YouTube channel, restored both photos, and amended some of our thoughts on them, as they're no longer a new band with little media online. Still active and gigging, look for a big 2015 from Ash and company!

Brynhildr: Sadly, this depressive black metal project are now defunct, as proven by the deletion of all of their online pages, so updates related to both that and photo restorations. Hopefully Ryan stays active in music, as he had talent and drive!

Flint: Though still active and busy, there wasn't a lot to really add to the profile beyond adding the band's first bassist Frank Pirker to their lineup info, though I also restored one photo. Keep an eye out for more from Flint!

Lead The Dead: No changes. Lead The Dead have not reunited since their 2011 dissolution, though you can see former guitarists Chris Page with local death metallers Giwakwa and Andre Fetchison with London's Mulletcorpse!

Caste of Shadows: I added Marcell Puurveen to their lineup information as their new bassist (replacing Saultite Paul Melanson), while also restoring both photos and noting that the band returned after a year's hiatus this fall with new gigs, so we'll have to see where things go from here for them!

D3athcharg3r: In terms of their lineup, we've added Zach Guest to their past members, as he briefly joined D3athcharg3r earlier this year to replace Brad Coughlin (who left the band himself in the spring), though at last word, the band is operating as a quartet. As a result, we replaced one band photos to reflect the guitarist departures, though the rest of the info was good otherwise, and hopefully Steve & Andrew bring the band home!

Cross Dog: I restored a photo and made some minor references to their 2014 output and concerts, but the profile as a whole didn't need major updates. Hopefully Mark and crew take a jaunt back north for a show next year!

Damage Inc.: Some references to recent concerts and activity was cleaned up and made more current, along with a photo replacement and the addition of guitarist Oleg Usykov's nickname "Ole Gus". The rest is good, and if you're out west, keep a look out for this Metallica tribute band!

Life In Shadow: No changes, beyond a photo restoration. Life In Shadow have not issued a public updates since 2012, but hopefully the guys all stay active in music going forward!

The Lumbermen: Photos were restored there, and a link was added to their "Ego" music video, but The Lumbermen haven't been as active in 2014 for new additions, so the profile remains mostly as is. 2015 should be a big year though, so follow along to see what's next!

Curse The Witch: Aside from restored photos, the only major edits were to downplay references to the non-Leventic members of their listed lineup, as bassist James Farquhar and drummer/Saultite Vinnie Milosevich have not been referenced on Curse The Witch's online pages in recent months, which were also hyping musician searches this summer. The band played live as recently as September, but have not publicized their other members, if they're not just touring musicians. Hopefully we'll hear more soon!

Chainbreaker: Updates were mostly to refresh bassist/Saultite Curtis Faux' other band work (including his other active band The Cola Heads), and to add mentions of their 2014 concert slate, which saw them play alongside notable bands like IDNS and Bat, though we also restored the photos. Chainbreaker's thrash attack would be more than welcome up here, so hopefully they get the chance for a trip up north!

The Howling Bullets: No changes, save for photo restorations. The Toronto horror punk band haven't deviated far from what was written about them for their SMS profile in March, but there should be some exciting news ahead!

The Merves: Like above, no changes save for reviving a photo. The Merves keep plugging away with Ramones/Joan Jett tribute shows in Southern Ontario, and look for a likely local return next year!

Alpha Trion: Restored photos aside, all that was added was a note on guitarist Curtis Wells' newest solo video that was shared on Alpha Trion's Facebook page in June, which (if you count it) is their only sign of life since last fall. It'd be great to see the band back at it in full though!

Gatgas: For their lineup, I noted the departure of guitarist Corey Shipp (who left prior to Hardcore Homecoming for unannounced reasons), and at least as of yet, he has not been replaced. Other info updates related mainly to Gatgas' recent activity, including a show opening for The Ripcordz this year, but I did revive a photo & replace the video there, as we only had a slideshow with no actual video footage there previously. Instead, here's Gatgas playing "Back To The Asylum" at The Rockstar Bar in September!



Public Animal: No changes, besides a photo restoration. The Toronto hard rock band remains active and gigging with no major public changes in the past few months, but hopefully they try again to play a show here!

The Fairmounts: Same as above, as The Fairmounts are still working on new originals and playing assorted Southern Ontario concerts, but hopefully Mikey brings the guys back home soon!

Random Killing: No changes at all. The profile's still good and accurate from what I can determine, and hopefully Drew and company have another hardcore homecoming in the works!

The Labour Of...: Aside from the addition of guitarist Curtis Faux's Toronto thrash band Chainbreaker to his other band info, no changes. The Labour Of... remain defunct, but you can see Curt and frontman Jules Swift in their current band The Cola Heads!
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I hope you guys liked this look at the changes (or lack thereof) to our past Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profiles! Given that we'll have 74 profiles to update at this point next year, I may explore a change to how we update this series' entries, but that's for another time to worry about. For now, I'll confirm that our next regular profile in this series (likely on Boxing Day) will be on Knee Deep, the Southern Ontario cover hard rock band featuring former Hollow drummer Vinnie Milosevich! Look for that then, and stay tuned for more news, previews, and more soon! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, Swampstravaganza Updates, And Much More!!

Though we have a slow metal/hard rock concert weekend in terms of show amount (barring any late notice confirmations), we're breaking the three known heavier shows up into two posts due to the immense size of Saturday night's Dank Fest at The Oddfellows Hall, which has 13 advertised bands, so look for a full-post extended preview of it tomorrow! Today, we also have updates for another upcoming all ages marathon show, recent feature profile updates, and more assorted notes, but let's kick things off with the first of our weekend previews, and an attached new video find! (Updated on Friday at 11:08 PM)

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Bar & Grill hits it's 20th straight week with another solo acoustic event TOMORROW NIGHT, though unlike the last two weeks, not this Saturday. Like usual, Tym will be hosting an open mic night (and performing as usual) tomorrow, but Saturday's planned solo acoustic concert has been preempted for an Easter weekend show by prolific local musician and Case's Music owner Jay Case and friends, as per The Harp's Facebook page. Tym's double weekend bookings at this Pine Plaza venue should return next weekend, so keep that in mind, and hopefully Jay's show goes awesome! Be at The Harp for Tym's entertaining hard rock cover action & possible open mic performers tomorrow at 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charges, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, don't miss Tym's newest weekend at The Harp, and for a preview, here's a new video discovery of his from a recent solo gig!

Uploaded to the YouTube channel of user SundayFoggyNotions (who had previously posted a clip of Tym covering Eric Clapton at the former Foggy Notions in 2010), this likely comes from Tym's second weekly gig at The Harp on December 14th, and though the video isn't labelled to credit Tym, it looks & sounds like him despite the dark video quality. Tym covers Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" in the video, and he sounds good, though the song does sound a bit off in an acoustic format. Judge for yourself below, and don't miss Tym at The Harp this weekend!



Next up, we have some new details on next month's fourth annual Sewer Swampstravaganza at The Oddfellows Hall courtesy of the new event poster by Ye Olde Mold Pickers frontwoman Rihkee Strapp, so what should you know? In terms of full performers, no one else has changed, but the poster confirms a long rumored addition to the start of the event, as Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan will be hosting an hour of open mic performers at 1:00 PM before the formal bands begin playing, marking the first time a Swampstravaganza has had an open mic block. Greg already does weekly open mic nights at Coch's Corner on Wednesdays, so this should be in good hands, but slots will be given in a pre-show sign up on the Facebook event page. If you're interested in performing then, head there A.S.A.P.! Beyond that, we still don't have a full schedule for the bands, we'll let you know when one is announced. The poster also confirms that this year's Swampstravaganza is being held with support from The Arts Council of Sault Ste. Marie, and that food will be sold on May 10th, as prepared by a master chef named "Swamp" (identity unclear) and "Rihkee's Pack Sack People Emporium".

Like at this Saturday's Dank Fest, the food angle's a great idea, as the Swampstravaganza runs from the afternoon through to the night, so if it's an incentive for people to stay and not leave for a meal, then capitalize on it! While not confirmed on the poster, I'd be shocked if Rihkee and collaborators didn't sell art and poetry items on site this year again, so look out for that, and stay tuned for more updates on this year's Swampstravaganza soon!

Also today, here's three assorted recent shorter items to cover, and like usual, these are in alphabetical order by band, venue, or event name:

• I've changed the link for Sault Ontario concert venue The Grand Theatre in our venue listings on the SMS from their now-expired official website to their Facebook group (which is inactive, but currently the best we have.) Hopefully things are more up to date there now!
• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades have posted two of the songs from their upcoming debut EP ("Rise" & their cover of The Ripcordz' "X") onto their Reverbnation page! As we hope to review the full disc on the site, I won't detail my thoughts too heavily, but the production's great, and fans should enjoy these recordings, so check them out at this link! (Note that a Facebook comment thread on the song postings hints towards a new song named "Fear Corps" also being in the works.)
• In a similar update, I've altered two links in our listing of Sault Michigan concert festivals, notably replacing the Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival's now expired page on their website with their still-alive blog, while also removing 2012's Sault Riverview Music Festival due to both a continued lack of an online page and the fact that it never came back for a second installment. If we hear of any more link updates soon, we'll let you guys know!

Finally, here's likely our last updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles before we look at last year's Rockstar Bar Battle next week! On our profile of the Humane Society Battle in April 2012, I added notes to reflect that fourth placers The Valentine's Day Massacre were succeeded by the London/local deathcore band Saints & Serpents last year, while also replacing the defunct Lazer Queen with them in the section on performers' later bands. On the same profile, I also noted that winners Late & Loud held a one-off reunion this past February, and I also added judge and ex-Browbeat frontman Dutch Vanderploeg's real first name (Randy, as per this link) when crediting the judges. Finally, I added a trivia note to cover the second place success of Bear Hunters guitarist Mitch Sirie and then-Wishbone bassist Steven Flint at the Rock N' Roar Battle of the Bands in Spanish with their band The Suicide Kings, though the current Wishbone lineup didn't place on the same night. Hopefully things are up to date for a while now, and stay tuned as we profile last year's Humane Society Battle one week from today!

That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for our extended preview of Saturday night's Dank Fest, plus the closure of this month's poll and the launch of our new one! Thanks everyone!

Pillory, Banned, and Mike Haggith & The Din News, Plus Recent Profile Updates!!

Keeping the news coming on this Tuesday afternoon, we have new audio postings from bands on each side of the border, more recent updates to our battle of the bands profiles, and leading off, some news concerning a local metal band and concerts they are/were scheduled for, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start today with some potentially disappointing news from local thrash quartet Pillory, including the news that they parted ways with bassist Tyler St. Amour last month. Tyler confirmed the news on the event page for next month's Fuck The Facts show that he's promoting, and he said that his exit was "a mutual agreement", though he didn't elaborate publically. Tyler had joined Pillory last fall to replace Cole Royal, and he played at their full return gigs earlier this year, but Pillory's Facebook page has only minimally covered their recent bassist changes. This is disappointing, as Tyler is a skilled bassist, but hopefully he turns up in a new band soon! Tyler also noted in his above event page post that Pillory have dropped out the Fuck The Facts show on May 4th due to a "lack of recent activity", and he also added that he is prepared to replace Pillory on this Saturday's Dank Fest lineup at The Oddfellows Hall if they drop out (with Brutaly Fatal on tap to replace them, just like at next month's Swampstravaganza), but we await official word before calling anything positively.

I'll note that despite the above news (and them dropping out of last month's Anvil show), Pillory had indicated that they were writing "crazy" new material as of March 29th, but we haven't heard anything since from their camp. Hopefully this all isn't a bad sign for Pillory's future status, as they have a lot of blistering metal talent that was only just coming back to prominence after a slow 2013, but we'll keep you guys posted either way, and stay tuned for word on Pillory's replacement at the Fuck The Facts show!

Next up, Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned shared a pair of live audio recordings on their Facebook page yesterday that you can now check out! Their first public media postings of the new year, these are presumably live recordings from their dates at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino this past weekend, which marked their return to the stage after a two month break due to drummer Don Traynor's recovery from a surgical procedure, as per a comment on the newer video, so it's great to see him and Banned back at it! Despite being uploaded via separate sources (one by Don's wife and frontman Alex Traynor's mom Hollie, the other on Banned's page), both videos have the same format, compiling slideshow footage from last weekend's shows with ending credits, and they are well put together! One is Banned's surprising cover of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" with Alex on vocals, while the other is their cover of Joe Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" with Don on vocals, so how does everything sound?

The Eminem cover is effective, if not really something that plays to their musical strengths, but the Joe Walsh cover works better for their skill set and usual sound! I would be curious to hear how Alex handles "Rocky Mountain Way" vocally, but it's nice to hear some new media of theirs that doesn't take from contemporary indie rock like their recent YouTube videos. Check out Banned's Joe Walsh cover below, hear more at the above links, and stay tuned as they hopefully add some more new concert bookings!



Also in new audio postings are half of a new "album" from the recently reunited local acid jam/hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din! Entitled "Dinner With The President", only 5 of the songs considered to be part of the album are online at present via this playlist on Mike's YouTube channel, as uploaded yesterday. These songs were recorded at Paperclip Productions, and each video credits the song's composition and arrangement to their original lineup (Mike on guitar, Daniel Horton on drums, and Curtis McKenzie on bass), though it's unclear whether these songs were recorded during Curtis' original 2013 run with the band, or if he's returned to replace Tyler Gibson. We'll let you know if we get clarification! The 5 songs are "Craters", "Something Digestive", "Flow (Part 2)", "Odometer", and "Obamader", and like older Din matertial, the song length widely varies (from 28 seconds to over 12 minutes.) Possibly most distinctive of these songs compared to older studio sessions is that all 5 songs are instrumental, though it's not clear yet whether the other half of "Dinner With The President" will have vocals.

Mike & The Din display some solid jam rock here, and there's a lot of experimentation and effects to be had, but "Something Digestive" in particular seems too short and inconsequential to warrant it's own track. Fans of Mike's solo music should be right at home here though, so check out the first song "Craters" below, hear more at the above links, and keep an eye out for the second half of this album!



Finally for today, here's some more updates to our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles! In our profile of 2009's Kiss Battle of the Bands, I noted that many performers at this battle (namely Wishbone, Lucas Bugyra, and Gsis Murphy's Anthony Fabiano) all competed at the last two Rock N' Roar Battles of the Bands in Spanish, though none made the top 5 to earn a Rock N' Roar lineup slot. I also replaced the now-inactive Side FX and Small Town Rivals (plus out-of-towners Lucky Widmore) with more recent local bands Northwest, That's Chester, and Viva Emptiness in the section on performers' later bands. In our profiles of the Algoma University & Downtown Showdown battles, I added The Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's current band Keep It Lit to the same section on these profiles (replacing Sounds From The Green Room in the latter), while also noting their near-participation in last fall's Viva La Battle before a member broke their arm. Finally for now, I also added Changing Waves drummer Alex Hagerman's new band The Elements to the later bands section on our profile of 2012's Battle For The Blood, while adding a trivia note on the closure of it's host venue The Roosevelt Hotel. Stay tuned for more updates soon!

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