LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Go North Music Festival) & New Videos!!

Before we get into today's post, just a heads up that the Adelitas Way-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on May 18th has been cancelled, as per Allstar Promotions' Facebook page yesterday. A reason for the cancellation was not announced, but refund details will be sent to those who purchased advance tickets. Disappointing to hear, but hopefully the bands all find their way back up to this area in due course! Now, we have some new videos and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to take note of in Sault Ontario and area, so here's what you should know to kick off the month of May!

Local indie/punk quintet The Northwest will hit the road for nearby Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island as part of this year's fifth annual Go North Music Festival on Saturday, July 8th! Debuting in 2017 with a two year pandemic hiatus in the middle, this festival will return to Centennial Grounds at 1511 Richards Street (where Cornfest was) for another weekend full of live music and entertainment, including food and arts vendors, a family zone with kids activities, and on-site camping. Be sure to visit the official festival website for ongoing festival details! The Northwest will take over for the dormant Uncanny Valley as this year's local support act, with the headliners this year being Juno Award winning Toronto alt-rock trio The Monowhales in their local debut. Given their critical acclaim and rising profile on Canadian alternative radio, they are a big get, so don't bypass their set in Richards Landing in two months!

Four more touring acts will play on Saturday the 8th, including London alternative rock quartet Texas King, Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles (who dropped out of Go North last year following COVID exposure isolation), Toronto country/folk musician Jeremie Albino, and retro-styled Toronto rock quartet Propter Hawk, and the five bands are in that order on the website promotion with The Northwest opening, though timeslots are not out yet. No word either on if organizers will bring back the "family stage", where select bands played a second earlier set geared at families/kids elsewhere on the grounds. The shorter program on Friday, July 7th will be country-centric, and will feature Toronto honky tonk band The Holy Gamblers, Port Hope country artist Nickola Magnolia, and Kingston roots/country musician Solomon Woodland. This all ages festival has gates opening at 6:00 PM on Friday and 3:30 PM on Saturday.

Tickets are available at this link, with adults running for $71.28 (full weekend), $60.55 (Saturday only), and $28.34 (Friday only), while 13-18 year old student fees are $33.71, $28.34, and $17.61 respectively (kids 12 and under are free). VIP parking passes are also on sale. Of course, Richards Landing is 40 minutes southeast of Sault Ste. Marie, so if you want some entertaining and diverse live music, with a dash of punk, in some nice natural settings, it won't be too far of a trip! Visit the above links for more on Go North V, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, I have forgotten about this video for far too long, namely the newest Mikey & His Uke collaborative cover! Posted to the project's YouTube channel on March 31st (apologies for the delay), this cover sees Bookclub/ex-Inner City Surfers drummer Mikey Hawdon and a remotely-filmed all-star band covering The Circle Jerks' "Live Fast, Die Young", with Mikey on guitar and (initially) ukelele once again. Joining him this time from afar are Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer/ex-Jimmy Kimmel Live announcer Dicky Barrett (who split vocals on the Rancid cover in December), his Defiant bandmate (and Smashmouth guitarist) Greg Camp, prolific session bassist Hasma Angeleno, and Tosh "The Drummer" Peterson, a rising young artist who has drummed with modern rap/pop musicians like Young Thug and The Kid LAROI. Yes, the video is in a 4:3 standard-definition aspect ratio.

The cover is really good and if you wish Dicky's gravelly voice was on something a little less ska, this will be up your alley! Nice and intense performance on all fronts, including solid camera work on Hasma's end, and Dicky singing in the back seat of a moving vehicle. Mikey performs here in a less obvious locale than in his recent videos, appearing to be some kind of industrial area with bags of insulation. Short cover but it packs a punch, so give Mikey & His Uke's newest video a watch below!

We'll close today with new videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, courtesy of drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel! On April 22nd, the band played at a stag & doe, and despite being a private event, Glen filmed two songs there and presumably got permission to do so and upload them. The videos see Soundcheck covering Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and, as embedded below, Blink-182's "All The Small Things", both featuring Cameron Oliver on vocals without playing guitar. I'm not sure that Blink-182 is a great fit for Cameron vocally, but the covers are well handled and the audio quality isn't bad despite the sometimes jittery camera angles. Check these out above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Adelitas Way), Upcoming Album Details, And More!!

I have a new news post for you guys to check out on this Family Day (Presidents Day for you Yoopers), and it includes a few new videos, information on two upcoming album releases, and leading off, a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the spring, so here's what you should know!

Las Vegas alternative hard rock band Adelitas Way will return to The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for a headlining show on Thursday, May 18th! This will be Adelitas Way's second local concert appearance, after opening for Theory of a Deadman at the same venue way back in November 2012, so this is certainly a long time coming! At the time of that show, Adelitas Way were at their commercial peak off of rock radio hits like "Criticize", "Sick", and "Collapse", plus the theme song for WWE Superstars, and while they have not matched that chart success since, they have plenty of up-tempo modern hard rock originals under their belts, so don't bypass them in three months! Support will come via fellow Las Vegas hard rock band Otherwise (who also have Billboard rock charting songs), Seattle rock & roll quartet Moon Fever, and newer Boston alt-metal band Above Snakes.

A presentation of Allstar Promotions (who put on the Theory/Adelitas Way show in 2012), this all ages event will have a 7:00 PM start time. Tickets run for $20 and $25 depending on location, but despite the poster claiming that they are now on sale, I can confirm that they are not as of this writing, either via Adelitas Way's website or Kewadin's ticket page. If you want to inquire within or try your luck in other ways, call 1-800-KEWADIN or go to the in-person box office. Despite the mid-week scheduling, this should be a fun show for modern hard rock fans, and quite an affordable one too, so visit the above links for more details on this concert!

Next up, here's the latest from St. Ignace metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown, who confirmed on their Facebook page earlier this month that they are indeed working on their second full length album! There had been teasers about them being in the studio, some more humorous than others, but as of Tuesday, H.L.T.C. noted that instruments were tracked & almost finished being mixed, with vocal tracking "and a little more mixing" planned next, and "the finish line is in sight". In the past five days, they have been posting a cryptic countdown to something via very short videos of band graphics or new images of logos and the mask of their duck mascot Iggy, but on Saturday, they gave more elaboration on the album, calling it "a whole new direction" and sees them looking to the future and not trying to win approval on mainstream radio, rather to write music that they love and that they would listen to.

Allegedly, Iggy will become "our comic book hero" (how literal that will be is up for debate), and the album will very much be a DIY effort in all aspects. Sounds to me that they're going more underground and extreme with this album, and you can sample a song from these sessions below via this teaser video for a full song to be released tomorrow (that's what the countdown was leading towards). The clip is dubbed into a scene from the anime Bocchi The Rock!, with the starring Kessuko Band now playing H.L.T.C. all of a sudden. Give it a listen below, and we'll have more from Heavy Lies The Crown (album or otherwise) soon!

Now to Sault Ontario, and if you're a friend of former Inner City Surfers/Rising Tide frontman Dustin Jones (in person and/or on Facebook), you'll have seen him reference his short term plans for his Jonesy Land solo project, but as Jonesy Land have always been devoid of a public online band page, I've only addressed what has been noted on public sources. We got such an update on Saturday, when Dustin shared a post from his personal Facebook page to both his label Tidal Records and studio Mission Control Studios' Facebook pages, confirming publically that he has been working on Jonesy Land's debut album, named "Zoom - Out". As of Saturday, its sessions were "coming to an end", with Dustin referencing how he has been a "Searcher" throughout his life looking for "all those magic moments that feel gifted to us from something bigger". The post notes that "Zoom - Out" is planned for a release in "spring 2023".

As for the image, I have no idea if it is the planned album art or not, but the square dimensions are noted. One imagines that the first three Jonesy Land singles (2021's "Sunshine Parades" and last year's "Moral Blackout" & "Ain't Dead Yet") will be included along with the other songs to be unveiled. It's great to see Dustin finally shed some public light on Jonesy Land outside of a SooToday article for the first time in quite a while, and it'll be interesting to see how varied the final product is both from musical styles and collaborators. The Tide's fourth album never got completed, so maybe this will fill the gap? Stay tuned for more from Jonesy Land soon!

We'll close today with a new video courtesy of local rap metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty's Facebook page last month, as shared from frontman Paul Stanghetta's personal Facebook page, and it features he and Amanda playing 30 seconds worth of music at what I think is the Afroman show at Soo Blaster in October (if I'm wrong, it was the Tech N9ne show, but regardless, his upload was well afterwards). The side-stage clip doesn't have pristine audio clarity, but the Stanghettas are in fine form here and have solid energy, so give it a look below, and don't miss them at Broers Jansen in exactly one month!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Soo Fighters), New Videos, And Much More!!

On this twentieth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, make sure you never forget the horrible and extremely events that occured in the United States 20 years ago today, and the thousands of innocent lives lost as a result. Today's SMS post features some assorted recent news and notes, new videos, an apology for a missed concert, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

Local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters will play their second show of the year (and with their new lineup) on Saturday, October 30th when they open for their new sister band Lockdown at The Rockstar Bar in a Halloween-themed concert! It's hard to say how the pandemic will look by the end of next month, but seeing a seasonal concert like this is very welcomed, even if it isn't the return of J.D. Pearce's annual Halloween party, which was last held in 2019 for obvious reasons (remember, he also moved out of town for work last year). Lockdown just debuted last month at The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir, and while their initial video uploads on their Facebook group didn't point to a heavier base, they are definitely a talented group, and they feature 3/4ths of The Soo Fighters Mark 3, so seeing both bands here makes a lot of sense! Remember, The Soos debuted at J.D.'s Halloween party in the first place.

A costume contest and the usual (pandemic-adjusted?) Halloween frills will be in place for this concert, which will likely be a 10:00 PM affair with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Remember, please respect and honour any and all social distancing guidelines at The Rockstar Bar, wear a normal face mask beyond anything for a costume, and be aware that this show takes place after vaccine passports are mandatory for non-essential events, though we should be able to use the QR code version by then. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, I wanted to apologize for a recently missed concert, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished played an acoustic two man set at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers' Market yesterday during the United Way of the Eastern Upper Peninsula's Foodies United fundraiser! Unfortunately, their involvement in this event was not publically acknowledged by the band, Farmers' Market, or United Way on Facebook... aside from Tarnished's Facebook "story", which is where I belatedly discovered that they played at the fundraiser. Alas, stories (the temporary content from friends and pages at the top of modern Facebook news feeds) do not have to be permanent posts, and unless they did so more than once, Tarnished only plugged their set on social media via their Facebook story yesterday. I'll be honest, I find Facebook stories to be a pointless artificial limitation, and unless double posted normally, they're impossible to use as a source for SMS purposes.

You can only look at a story once or twice before it vanishes forever (it will leave after 24 hours regardless), so unless you take a very fast screenshot or screen recording, you may not ever have proof that it was posted. Tarnished haven't posted anything on Facebook in over a month (at least, not that will self destruct), and it's great to see that they're still gigging, but I profusely apologize for both not promoting this show in advance & my lack of a concrete source for their set yesterday. I wish someone had said something permanent earlier, but Foodies United looked like a fun way for Michigan Saulities to get some local grub and support The United Way!

Also, here's some new video uploads on Fort Creek bassist Robin "Bones" Lee's YouTube channel from last month, and in these cases, they are not unlisted there! Both are titled "FC Opening", which appear to signal that these are pre-recorded opening tracks played before Fort Creek begin a concert/set (I can't 100% confirm that, as I have yet to see them live). "FC Opening 2 take 2" is a dramatic orchestral recording featuring a motivational message by podcaster/retired Navy SEAL Jocko Wi!link, while embedded below is "FC Opening 3", featuring warning sirens, a snippet of anti-Satanic rock music sermon by Pastor John Hagee, and emergency alert messages that end in an abrupt (if blue) way. These sound like they'd set the mood for a Fort Creek show well enough, if in different ways, so give both a listen above & below!

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

• Staind frontman Aaron Lewis and his solo band The Stateliners will return to The Dreammakers Theatre at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Thursday, October 28th, marking his second Sault Michigan date during his solo career as a country musician, following a November 2014 show at the same venue. Aaron recently made the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Am I The Only One", and he does cover Staind ballads live in his country shows (videos from the 2014 concert are on YouTube). Again, this is a country concert, but Staind fans may be curious to see Aaron live in the Soo again, so click here for ticket details! 
• I have moved Sault Ontario alternative hard rock band Foothill Road back to our inactive band links. The mid-1990s fan favourites surprisingly reunited in August of last year to record a solid new song named "Heard It", but no new social media pages followed, so if the guys did more in the past year+, it's not public knowledge. Hopefully this wasn't it, but we'll let you know if Ken, Mark, Steve, Rick, and Ron resurface in some form!
• Also, I have moved local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven back to our inactive band links. The guys returned in July 2020 after an almost 3 year hiatus to record a new song named "Detonate" for Corus Radio's $20,000 Summer Song Contest, but no public updates have followed since, possibly due to the pandemic. Sadly, the video was made private by Corus Radio after the contest ended, but hopefully they at least re-post "Detonate" somewhere, it was a good track! Hopefully we'll see Cory, Ron, Kyle, Al, and John on stage again when the time is right!

 

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

Tesla Concert Preview, New Sault Michigan Video Finds, And Local Venue Renovations!!

One more post before I head off to Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up (though I may have an auto-post of some kind tonight), so what lies ahead for right now? Today, we have a preview of the next major headlining metal show at the Soo Kewadin, some new videos to share on here from across the river, and some recent concert venue changes (including one in Sault Ontario), so read on below for what you need to know!

TOMORROW NIGHT, Sacramento hair/classic metal legends Tesla will return to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for their fourth local concert appearance! The band best known for hits like "Love Song", "What You Give", and their cover of "Signs" were last seen here over three years ago when they rocked the Soo Kewadin in June 2010, and it will be great to see them back (with the exact same lineup, no less) to charge the local stage once again with their up-tempo classic metal and hard rock sound which helped them sell over 5 million albums! Like their 2010 date, Tesla's opening band tomorrow will be Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way (featuring Rudyard native & LSSU graduate Zak Stelmaszek on guitar), in both their first local appearance in 10 months and their first local date since their revolving door of bassists saw Victor Wooten replaced by Anthony Palsgrove. Hopefully their hard hitting modern rock sounds serve them well in their local return, and it's definitely familiar ground for them!

As of this writing, a handful of tickets are still available in the ninth row & back for $35 each, so if you don't have yours yet, get them A.S.A.P. at this link, 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the box office in person! This is an ALL AGES show, and while a 7:00 PM start time is advertised, online posts indicated that Fifth Way would be playing at 6:30 PM. For more details, visit the above links and this commercial! Tesla still have it, and this show should prove to be another success for their Saultite fans, so don't miss this show, stay tuned for fallout, and for a preview, here's Tesla covering a ZZ Top classic in the Soo in 2007!



Next up, there's a couple more Shinedown concert videos to share from Sunday night's local concert! These come from YouTube user Dan Reck (a.k.a. Reckage35), and though he didn't post a video of "Bully" like most others, he filmed the Jacksonville hard rockers' cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" (complete with pre-song cover teases) and, as embedded below, their original "I'll Follow You"! Another video on a slanted angle from our right of the stage (did no one film anything on the left side?), Dan got some solid audio from these two softer tracks, but there's no zooming, and part of the stage is blocked from what I assume is a speaker. Nice quality otherwise, so check out Shinedown playing "I'll Follow You" at Kewadin Casino below, and stay tuned in case more Shinedown videos turn up!

Also in new Sault Michigan video discoveries, I recently came across a video from local metal band Tantrym Tyme that we've never shared on here! Dating back to when they were still known as Abstract, this was uploaded by YouTube user METALLICA2MEGADETH on December 22nd, 2011, though it's definitely older than that. The lineup, clothes, and location match up with earlier videos of the guys playing a September 2011 gig in Mackinac Crossings on Mackinac Island, in what was one of their last concerts with guitarist/bassist Kyle Burton before his departure that month. The video features Abstract covering Velvet Revolver's "Slither", and like many 2010-2011 videos that I've seen, their skills are impressive for their younger ages, but they've definitely improved in all areas since. Jacob Hotlen's vocals in particular seemed wonky on the choruses, but his solo's pretty good, and it's a nice glimpse at Abstract's early run! Check out their "Slither" cover below, and don't miss Tantrym Tyme this weekend outside of Harmony Health Foods for Downtown Days!



Finally for today, two popular local concert venues have apparently undergone some recent changes, so we might as well mention them! One is The Rapids Lounge at the aforementioned Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, as their Facebook page last night announced that the local bar/concert spot held it's "grand re-opening" on Wednesday, complete with this ribbon cutting photo. Reportedly, the changes include a newly renovated sports lounge, more TVs, added seating, a new sound system, and Michigan sports memorabilia, though possible changes to the concert area weren't mentioned. Hopefully everything is indeed better at The Rapids Lounge, and go see some live bands there soon! The other renovations are (surprisingly) for The Canadian Nightclub in Sault Ontario, as they're soon ready to unveil what DJ Jay Perron is calling a "rebirth" of the Pim Street bar/venue on August 1st, coinciding with their usual Thursday night dance parties. Jay hyped "fresh new surprises & a fresh new vibe" on The Canadian's Facebook group yesterday, but didn't elaborate further there.

By my count, this is the third time in 4 years The Canadian Nightclub has had renovations (following earlier renovations in 2009 and in the aftermath of July 2011's flooding), and it remains to be seen how different The Canadian will look and feel come the Airbourne concert on August 19th. Hopefully these last for the long haul, and I hope the "rebirth" in question is a success for all involved! And yes, I assume this is partly why we didn't hear much on July concerts there. Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

That's all for now, but I will see you guys at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up TONIGHT! West of Hell's return, Bring The Fallen's farewell, 6 more bands, and FREE ADMISSION if you wear a local band t-shirt, so DON'T MISS THIS SHOW! Oddfellows Hall, 6:00 PM! Thanks everyone!

Shinedown Concert Preview, Cancer Fundraising For Luke LeBlanc, And A New Video!!

Finally, here's our fourth and last post covering this very busy weekend in hard rock and metal concerts, as arguably the biggest of the weekend is going down tomorrow night! Our extended look at that leads off today's post, but we also have news on a local musician's major cancer fight, and a recent live concert video, so read on below for what you need to know!

In the second of two major concerts from Allstar Promotions this weekend at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino (following TONIGHT'S Daughtry concert), multi-platinum Jacksonville hard rock quartet Shinedown will make their Sault-area debut TOMORROW NIGHT! Touring in support of their new CD "Amaryllis", Shinedown have been one of the most successful modern hard rock bands of recent years, with hits like "Second Chance", "Save Me", and "Bully" keeping them as staples of rock radio, and they have a lot of popular and memorable songs that are sure to strike a nerve tomorrow night! They'll be joined by Memphis hard rock band Devour The Day (featuring two members of Egypt Central) as openers for tomorrow's show, and their energetic and upbeat hard rock sound should suit them well as they hit the Soo themselves! Note however that Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way (featuring Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on guitar) will NOT be opening this show anymore, as per their Facebook page last week. A reason was not announced, but note that Allstar Promotions never publically confirmed that they were playing.

Disappointing news to be sure, especially knowing Fifth Way's local familiarity and talents, but no matter why they're out, they WILL still be opening for Tesla on July 27th (one week from today), so keep that in mind! The Shinedown concert (which is ALL AGES) will go down at 7:00 PM TOMORROW, and as of this writing, only a handful of center section tickets (mostly in the fourth row) were available, so this is a near-sell out. If you want to try for tickets, click here, call 1-800-KEWADIN, or visit the Kewadin box office! Also, I have no idea on the protocol for a potential meet & greet, so call ahead just in case. Check the above links for more details! This should be a very successful concert, especially knowing Shinedown's popularity and success in recent years, so if you have tickets, have a great time! Myself, I don't mind a few of their songs (like their "Simple Man" cover), though I admittedly find a few of their songs overplayed, but they have a lot of talent, so don't miss their local debut TOMORROW! For a preview, here's Shinedown's video for their newest single "Unity"!



Next up, another fundraising campaign has been launched to help raise money for former Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc's battle with cancer. Launched by Denise Armstrong on May 21st on the website GoFundMe, the links above explain that Luke and his family need financial assistance to help him at this time of need, along with noting that the cancer has spread to his stomach, spine, kidney, and one eye. The main goal is to raise $20,000 for his fight and related expenses, though as of this writing, only $120 had been donated. Luke's a very nice guy, and I commend him 100% for his brave battle with cancer in the past year, as well as keeping his trademark sense of humour through every up and down! He's also a talented singer, as Half Past fans and his old bandmates should attest to, but right now, his health is what's most important. If you can even donate a few dollars, that would mean a lot to Luke and his family right now, so keep this fundraising campaign in mind, click here for information, and help out if you can! Get well soon, Luke!

Finally for today, here's a new video from the second Golers concert at The Roosevelt Hotel on July 4th! Filmed by AlgomA singer/bassist Kevin "Marty Chase" Campbell & posted on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is of the Vancouver crossover/thrash band playing their original song "This Is Not A Test", as filmed on a stationary camera on one of the long tables near the stage. Good angle of this short original track, and the audio quality's solid, but the video is fairly dark. Still very solid, so check out this new Golers concert video below!



That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for Bushplane Musical Madness II, and if weather and timing permits, you might spot me at the Tenaris Second Stage in the evening before or during Sailor's Tongue's set, especially with their hyped CD availability! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tantrym Tyme), A New Album Release, And More From Sault Michigan!!

As promised, today's post is completely focused around the Sault Michigan scene, so what's in store for this Independence Day weekend? Today, we have news on a band who DIDN'T break up (and their recent updates), a new band on two upcoming Kewadin Casino concerts, and a brand new album release, but first, here's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS relating to an upcoming community event, so here's what you need to know!

Young local metal quartet Tantrym Tyme have announced two new concerts that I can 100% verify and source! Often, their shows either get late or no notice, and take place on an outdoor stage at various regional locations, but we do have some info on their next dates, starting with sets outside of Harmony Health Foods on July 26th & 27th as part of Sault Michigan's annual Downtown Days! Also known as the Sidewalk Sales, this is a yearly community event featuring outdoor sales from local merchants, kids games, and live music (you may remember that Free Refill frequented the Downtown Days during their run), so shoppers and Saultites in general should find something to like! Tantrym Tyme's location for the shows isn't random either, as drummer Ethan Twardy's parents own Harmony Health Foods (at 217 Ashmun Street, just seconds from The Corner Pub), and the band have played, been sponsored by, and sold merchandise there in the past. No times for their sets have been announced, but given the outdoor setting, there's obviously no cover charge or age limit. Check the above links for more info!

One more show was announced too on their Facebook page last month, but I'm waiting for more info before plugging it on here (especially concerning other bands.) Tantrym Tyme on rising fast in prominence and talent, so don't miss their next (announced) shows during Downtown Days in three weeks, and stay tuned for possible updates!

Next up, a new local album was just released on June 30th, so it's time to give it some overdue press, as Dafter solo hard rock musician Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's sixth original studio album "Perception" is now on sale! Independently released through and recorded at the Waterfall Recording Studios earlier this year, this is a much longer album than it's predecessor "Doo Hickey", featuring 10 songs. In terms of personnel, it looks like Ken handled all instruments (I don't believe collaborator Scott Schroen is featured this time), while one song ("Pages the Break of Dawn") was sang and co-written by Plastic drummer Paul "Dorothy" Burns (formerly of Bent Rollercoaster & Hammerspace). Ken describes the album as "a fun rock n' roll album with a summer feel to it", and the album's page on his website describes some of the songs' themes. "Perception" is now available to buy for $9.99 in mp3 format (or $12.97 on CD) at this location, while all 10 tracks are streamable at this link as well, but buy it to support SweetKenny's work! With that all said, when is a review of it coming to the SMS?

Not until the fall, as it's still too soon from our review of "Doo Hickey" in March, but I'm currently leaning towards the fall for it (as the summer's booked up, and I don't know finite dates for Mike Haggith's next solo album to be exact otherwise.) SweetKenny's newest CD will get a fall review though, so don't worry! I'll hold full thoughts on the album until we review it, but pick it up above, as Ken's a very talented veteran guitarist who deserves the support!

Also in recent news, Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way will apparently return to Sault Michigan for two opening dates at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino later this month, as they've been announced as openers for Shinedown & Devour The Day on July 21st AND Tesla on July 27th! My source is guitarist/Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on Fifth Way's Facebook page on Thursday, though note neither the promoters or venue have officially confirmed their addition. The Shinedown gig will be Fifth Way's first local appearance since opening for Evans Blue at The Dreammaker's Theater in September, while it will also see yet another bassist change, as this will be their first local date since Anthony Palsgrove replaced Victor Wooten in the band last fall (by my math, that's 5 bassists in a 4 year span!) As for the Tesla show, that's familiar ground for Fifth Way, as they opened for Tesla at their last local concert in June 2010, so hopefully their modern hard rock blend will be welcomed back after 10 months away from the Soo in time for these huge concerts! Stay tuned for more if it comes in!

Finally for today, I have an apology to make, as in April, I incorrectly reported that local hardcore band The Eleventh Hour (formerly Angelic Genocide) had likely broken up due to the deletion of their Facebook page. Usually, that's a good indicator, but instead, they quietly launched a new Facebook page last fall and didn't delete the old one right away, hence the confusion. Their current lineup credits singer Sean Roush, guitarist Josh North, and drummer Joe North as still being in the band, alongside new addition Zach Howe on clean vocals (replacing Cathy Burgos), while guitarist Cody Reed left the band as well last year, and a Google cache of their Facebook page indicates that former bassist Alex Boyer had briefly rejoined before leaving again. The band was temporarily named Changing You For Better Days earlier this year before reverting to The Eleventh Hour, and while news has been slow (partly due to Zach living in the Traverse City area), they have rough plans to release an EP called "Eyes of the Wretched", with lyrics to an original song named "I Have A Voice" posted on Facebook as well.

The new Eleventh Hour page features one original sample via a Facebook video (as a result, I can't embed it here), but it's a rough instrumental that suffers from staticy audio. It's heavy enough though, and I'm curious to hear newer material of theirs with better quality and vocals! It's great to see The Eleventh Hour are still together and plugging away, and hopefully they can get over the hump that many recent extreme metal bands have been stopped by in Sault Michigan, and make a big name for themselves! Check the above links for more, my deepest apologies for the mix-up, and they're now back in our active band links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Sault Ontario news and updates tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Suicide Kings & Toystock) And The Adelitas Way Concert Preview!!

Back to the news on this Monday morning, and we have three topics to get to, including a preview for the latest major hard rock concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, but first, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this month from a new local band, including an awesome new charity event, so read on below for what you need to know!

New local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings will make their live concert debut THIS WEEKEND at The Nicolet Tavern! The new band featuring Bear Hunters, Wishbone, and Limelight alumni actually announced these shows a week ago, but I hadn't gotten more confirmation about their sound then, so that explains why they're later for notice on here. According to the Facebook event page, The Suicide Kings are planning to bring back the rock, and are promising a wild time that doesn't include Lady Gaga or Gangnam Style, which alone is a positive hint! I believe their sets on Friday and Saturday will be covers-centric, but your guess is as good as mine on planned songs in their sets. No matter the case, they'll be on at 10:00 PM both nights with no announced cover charge, but both should be 19+. Check the above links for more details! I'm curious to hear how The Suicide Kings sound in their live concert debut, and hopefully they tear up The Nic on Friday & Saturday! And yes, this photo is new, it's from a recent photo shoot with Jackie Hall from Escape Photography. Very nice, click here for more from the shoot!

Also in new Suicide Kings concerts, they have apparently been added to the lineup of the Toystock charity concert event at The Canadian Nightclub on November 25th! We haven't plugged this on the actual site yet because the bands I know stuff on weren't hard rock-leaning, but The Suicide Kings announced that they were taking the 3:00 PM slot on their Facebook page yesterday. Note that organizers have yet to confirm their addition, but a band named K.I.C.K. (no idea who they are) were originally slotted for the 3:00 slot, so unless there was lineup shuffling, they're likely out. Toystock itself is an ALL AGES Christmas charity concert being put on by local musician Greg Simpson's event company Maxx Entertainment, with the aim being to raise money and encourage toy donations to Christmas Cheer. As a result, admission will be via toy, money, or canned food donations, and the Stuff-A-Bus and Santa Claus will be on site (it is a family friendly event, after all.) Plans are to make Toystock annual, but it already sounds like a fantastic event for great charitable causes, and hopefully it's a huge success!

That said, who all is playing? Saying that The Suicide Kings replaced K.I.C.K. with no other lineup changes, there will be 10 bands playing for an hour each from 12:00 PM onward, all of which are generously donating their time for the cause! The headliners are local rock trio Boxcar Junction (formerly Cleveland Steamer) at 9:00 PM, and in descending order from there, we have dance/pop cover band Cherry Crush at 8:00 PM, country quartet Bone Yard at 7:00 PM, popular rock trio Stiffler's Mom at 6:00 PM (who I believe are back full time now), a couple of bands that I have absolutely no information on at 5:00 & 4:00 PM (Griphook & Lucky 13), The Suicide Kings at 3:00 PM, Asylum at 2:00 PM (who I believe are essentially Asylum Country minus Tyson Hanes), local dance rockers Obsession at 1:00 PM, and country band Summer Thunder at 12:00 PM. Most of these bands are familiar sights at local bars and venues on the weekends, and kudos to them all for taking part in this great charitable event!

I would like to know more about Griphook & Lucky 13 for reference sake before the actual show (i.e. members, genre, etc.), so if anyone out there can identify these bands, be they new, reunited, renamed, or intentionally secretive, let me know at robertfigures@hotmail.com! Same for K.I.C.K. too, I was scratching my head on their identity as well. For more details on this ALL AGES charity event, click here! This should be an awesome event for Christmas Cheer, and here's hoping it's as big a success as is hoped! Stay tuned for updates as they roll in!

Finally for today, we have a major concert preview for TONIGHT, as three notable rock bands will descend upon The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for the latest concert from Allstar Promotions! The headliners are British Columbia post-grunge quartet Theory of a Deadman, who have attained big success in recent years thanks to hits like "Nothing Could Come Between Us", "Bad Girlfriend", and "Lowlife", and they alone should get a solid response! Although they're not really "metal", the openers cross into the hard rock spectrum, including Las Vegas hard rockers Adelitas Way, who have quickly rose up the charts with hit singles like "Criticize", "Sick", and "The Collapse"! Catchy modern hard rock abounds with them, as it does with the concert's first band, Baltimore quintet The Charm City Devils, who are well known for recent songs like "Let's Rock N' Roll" and "Unstoppable", and they should deliver a fun Shinedown-esque set of radio hard rock themselves! Also, for you wrestling fans, you may recognize all 3 bands for contributing songs for WWE programming and events, so there might be some added familiarity!

This concert is SOLD OUT aside from some standing room only tickets, but if you want to try your luck for any that become available today, click here, visit the Kewadin box office in person, or call 1-800-KEWADIN! Yes, this is an all ages event, a 7:00 PM start time is advertised, and I'd call ahead to see if there will be a meet & greet, as they never seem to get advertised well in advance. Check the above links for more details! I'd expect this to be a hit concert by the ticket sales alone, so hopefully you guys have yours! I'm not high on Theory of a Deadman, but they have a good following and should deliver well tonight, as should the openers! Stay tuned for any possible fallout of this show as it rolls in, and for a preview, here's Adelitas Way's video for their song "Sick"!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes shortly, including hopefully some fallout from tonight's big show! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Haggith) And Weekend Concert Previews, Including The Evans Blue Show!!

It's time for this weekend's local metal & hard rock concert previews, and though the weekend itself is somewhat light, there's a huge concert event going down across the river along with a few other events (not counting any possible ones that I can't source online), so we have an extended preview of that to close this post! For now though, let's begin with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for Sault Ontario on Saturday!

Local grunge quartet Haggith will make their second live concert appearance in Sault Ontario TOMORROW AFTERNOON as a featured act at this year's Art Gallery of Algoma Culture Days! I apologize for the short notice, but news only came on this gig earlier this week, and I didn't wanna redundantly post the same details twice in a brief span. This event is primarily to promote artistic development and exploration, and to let local youths learn art techniques of their own, so for more details on the artistic aspects of this event, click here! That said, there will be musical entertainment from at least one band (that being Haggith), who will be playing two sets outdoors on the Sault Waterfront Boardwalk tomorrow afternoon, and though a specific location isn't advertised, I'd have to assume they'd be fairly close to the Art Gallery of Algoma at 10 East Street (near the library downtown), so aim that route if you wanna check things out! That said, Haggith will play two sets at 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM tomorrow, with two very different sets planned, as per this photo from their Facebook page, but what's in store?

Their first set will comprise of songs from their planned second album "Deuce" & a bunch of covers (including new versions of Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, The Who, and Joe Walsh songs, among others), while their second set will see the guys play their upcoming debut album "Dragon Joy Ride" in full, along with the non-album track "Public Enemy" and what the band are calling an "extended ending" following the reprise of "Wanko". Haggith's performance will be an all ages and FREE event, with them starting at 2:00 PM and Culture Days itself beginning at 1:00 PM tomorrow. Check the above links for more details! Sounds like an entertaining event, and hopefully Haggith continue their local inroads with a successful day of music, so don't miss it! For a preview, here's Haggith covering Cheap Trick's "Reach Out" at a jam session earlier this month!

Now, we'll move to Sault Michigan for the previously announced shows of the weekend, starting with the return of Cheboygan hard rock trio Driven to the area TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! A month after last hitting St. Ignace for shows at Timmy Lee's Pub, these talented area favourites will cross the Mighty Mac once again to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for two concerts this weekend, and you know they'll have lots of entertaining hard rock covers in store for their local fans! Oddly, I haven't seen recent mentions from Driven on these shows on their online pages, but hopefully they're still on & ready to rock St. Ignace for these 21+ concerts! No cover charge is likely, and I'd expect them to be on at 10:00 PM tomorrow & Saturday. Check the above links for more details! Driven should deliver a fun weekend of hard rocking covers for their fans in St. Ignace, so consider a drive down there to see them in action, and hopefully we'll get media of them in action at some point!

Finally, it's a special and very notable hard rock concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW NIGHT, as three notable hard rock bands will rock the stage for some great causes! As you may remember, Sault Michigan students Kim Rogers and Kelsey Raffaele tragically passed away in early 2010 in separate area accidents, and four hard rock bands (Pop Evil, Evans Blue, Graveyard Tan, and locals Nixxon Dixxon) came together to play a special benefit concert in their memory that February. Over 2½ years later, Toronto hard rockers Evans Blue will return to Sault Michigan tomorrow night, this time to headline a very similar second event for the same great causes! Proceeds for this show will go towards The Kids Driving Responsibly Challenge (a group launched in Kelsey's memory to help stop texting & driving), as well as scholarships in both Kim & Kelsey's names for local students, which are great causes to help keep their memories alive and help prevent similar accidents in the future! 

For Evans Blue, this will be their first local concert appearance with current drummer Dusty Saxton (Howard Davis was on drums during their 2010 show here), but their high tempo Chevelle-ish sound (including hit songs like "Cold (But I'm Still Here)" should go over really nicely in their return, so don't miss them tomorrow night! Opening for them on their current Graveyard of Empires tour will be Ohio hard rock quintet State Your Cause, who should make a splash in their Sault Michigan debut with their melodic and diverse blend of hard rock styles! The opening band will be Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way, in their first local concert appearance since opening for The Gin Blossoms at The Dreammaker's Theater in April! Featuring Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on guitar, Fifth Way are no stranger to the Soo following a number of notable appearances at Kewadin Casino concerts, and I'd expect the same from their heavy brand of originals tomorrow as well, and yes, they'll be plugged in this time! Also, note that this will be Fifth Way's first local concert appearance with new bassist Victor Wooten, who replaced Mike McMann this summer.

This ALL AGES concert, which is being put on by Allstar Promotions in cooperation with Kewadin Cares and local radio stations Rock 101 & 99.5 Yes FM, surprisingly still has tickets on sale for the ultra cheap price of $10 from the eighth row back (center seating aside.) To buy them the usual way, click here for online purchasing, visit the Kewadin box office in person, call 1-800-KEWADIN, or visit Allstar Graphics on 822 Ashmun Street! However, like the 2010 Pop Evil-headlined concert here, local businesses have joined the cause to help this show sell out and enable local attendees (students in particular) to be able to attend, with many buying or encouraging ticket purchases just for the charitable aspect. Those who buy tickets for non-personal use have been freely distributing them to local schools and people who will want to go, with the radio stations pushing for listeners to buy or match ticket sales, with the person buying the most winning a $100 Allstar Graphics gift card. Everything starts at 7:00 PM tomorrow with Fifth Way opening the festivites, and for more details, check the above links and this brand new article from The Soo Evening News featuring info on the concert and some remarks from Zak Stelmaszek about it! (For the record, I don't know any details on any possible meet & greets, so I'd call ahead just in case.)

This sounds like another awesome concert for some great causes, and hopefully all three bands rock the house both tomorrow and in their joint Traverse City set tonight as well! Kim & Kelsey are definitely still missed locally, and if the money raised and attention given help even in a small way, then it'll all be worth it, and kudos to the bands and organizers for all they're doing! Hopefully the show will be sold out by tomorrow night, and you know we'll have all the fallout as it comes in on it! For now though, let's preview this show with Evans Blue's music video for their song "Erase My Scars", and make sure to buy/obtain your tickets for this huge concert tomorrow night!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review (of Woods of Ypres' third album "Woods III: The Deepest Roots & The Darkest Blues") this weekend, along with more news and notes soon! Thanks everyone!

Sault Riverview Music Festival Preview, New Banned Videos, And Evans Blue Concert Updates!!

Today's news post is 100% devoted to the Sault Michigan area, as some big news across the river has came my way in the last little while, so what's on tap? We've got plenty of news & updates on a major upcoming tribute concert, and new videos from a recently prominent hard rock band, but first, here's our only 100% verified concert preview of the weekend, concerning the first installment of a new local music festival!

TONIGHT marks the debut of The Sault Riverview Music Festival, a two day family event on the north lawn outside of City Hall at 225 East Portage Avenue, and it will feature lots of Sault Michigan-area musical talent and family activities, so here's what you need to know! All proceeds from this event will go towards the Chippewa County Hospice, and aside from the music, you'll get events like beer & concessions tents, music workshops, family games and activities, a fish fry, a 50/50 draw, and even a chance to meet members of the Soo Eagles hockey team, so click here for all details on the event, or look at the poster on your right! As for the schedule of bands, I know most of the performers, though likely not all, as I can't find a full itinerary. According to the poster, local hard rock veterans Monkey's Uncle, young metal quartet Tantrym Tyme (the former Abstract), and Kinross hard rockers Banned (more on them in a second) will be playing TONIGHT alongside local indie rock quartet The London Gentlemen and likely at least one more act. In terms of times, their respective Facebook pages indicate that Tantrym Tyme will open tonight's music lineup at 5:00 PM, while Banned will play at 7:00 PM, but I can't confirm the rest of the times at present.

TOMORROW'S lineup will indeed include a metal band, as despite what the poster tells you, Banned will be on both nights! Their Facebook page states that they'll be on at 3:00 PM tomorrow afternoon, joining fellow Friday crossovers The London Gentlemen, plus some unique acts, including that band's Mike Russo & Steve Sivret in their acoustic project Fallen Heroes, local southern rockers Bittermoon, a band named Omega Rock (can anyone confirm who they are or what they play?), and The Grooves All-Stars, a band likely comprised of staff & instructors at local music store (and festival sponsors) Grooves Music. As well, local acoustic pop duo Missy & Chelsea indicated on their own Facebook event page that they'd be playing tomorrow as well at 6:30 PM (though they're not mentioned on event advertising.) If I hear any updates to the lineup or schedule, I'll try and let you guys know! Admission is FREE for this ALL AGES event, and the music starts at 5:00 PM today and 12:00 PM tomorrow, with both schedules running until 10:00 PM. Check the above links for more details! It's great to see this new festival launching, and hopefully lots of money is raised with the entertaining bands and family entertainment going down, so if you can make it to City Hall today or tomorrow, check everything out!

For a video preview of the festival, we're in luck, as the aforementioned Banned have a few new videos online to check out! A few days ago, frequent filmer & family member Ashley Traynor uploaded three new videos to her YouTube channel of Banned at summer 2012 concerts, so if you've wanted to see them in action again after a few months without new footage, these should work! One is from their set at the Chippewa County Fair's Rock Till You Drop battle of the bands on August 30th, where 3/5ths of the band ("occasional" singer Mike Straw & guitarist Alex Schrovenwever are absent) played their original song "Plaid Girl"! I'm not sure why they were shorthanded, but it's a solid performance, if feeling empty compared to their earlier video of this song from a Gould City concert in May. I'm still not 100% sure on who won, but this video is of good quality and shows the present members of Banned in good form, so check it out at the above links! However, the other new videos are of Banned's full quintet lineup at a concert set of some type on July 28th (I have no idea where, but it's outdoors), and they feature drummer Don Traynor singing lead on covers of The Rockets' "Oh Well" and, as embedded below, AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie"!

The quality's good on these, but the location's still a mystery, and I still think Mike should get chances to sing lead more often, even if his band status is just occasional. Don's vocals don't sound as powerful as I remember from earlier Banned videos, but the guys have talent and it shows, so check out their cover of "Whole Lotta Rosie" below, and go check out Banned this weekend at the Riverview Festival and (if you're up for an hour+ drive) the Michihistrigan Bar in Gould City on Saturday night!

Next up, here's plenty of updates relating to the Evans Blue-headlined benefit concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on September 29th! The third band has been confirmed for this show, and they are Detroit hard rock quintet Fifth Way, who will return to the Soo Kewadin for the first time since opening for The Gin Blossoms there in April! Local fans are bound to recognize Fifth Way for their frequent stops here in recent years and for featuring Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on guitar, so prepare for some great modern hard rock from them in their return! Also of note, this will be Fifth Way's first local concert with new bassist Victor Wooten, who replaced Mike McMann in the band earlier this summer. Also in recent concert news, it has been revealed that proceeds from this concert will also go to The Kim Rogers Scholarship Fund, in memory of the late Kim Rogers, a local student who passed away in a snowmobile accident in 2010. It's great to see Allstar Promotions and others associated with the event remembering Kim again for this show, along with The KDR Foundation in memory of the late Kelsey Raffaele, and hopefully funds raised at this show can help both causes just as they did at the 2010 Pop Evil benefit show here!

Now, with that said, how can you support the cause before seeing Evans Blue, State Your Cause, and Fifth Way on the 29th? Of course, tickets are now available for just $10 at 1-800-KEWADIN, online at this location, in person at the Kewadin box office, or at Allstar Graphics on 822 Ashmun Street, who are also owned by Allstar Promotions manager Dave Atkinson. There are plenty of tickets still available in close rows and back, but like at the 2010 Pop Evil show here, there is a huge charitable push to enable this show to be sold out and easy to attend. Local radio stations such as Rock 101 and 99.5 Yes FM are hyping this as well, and the aim is for local businesses and even non-attendees to buy tickets for the cause, so they can be freely distributed to local schools and attendees who will go. The radio stations are also pushing for people to beat or match tickets purchases, with the person who buys the most tickets recieving a $100 gift card for Allstar Graphics. For full details, click here or the above links, and read this article from The Soo Evening News a few days ago! The wheels are in motion to raise a lot of money and awareness in Kim & Kelsey's names, so whether you're a charitable citizen or wanna rock out, you'll be helping the greater good, and on a great ticket bargain, so follow the campaign at the above links, and stay tuned for updates on this show as I hear of them!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news hopefully this weekend and our next two Defunct Local Band Profiles on Monday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Adelitas Way), New Local Band Videos, And More!!

Hey guys, I wanted to apologize for the lack of posts and updates this week. We seem to have hit a very quiet stretch for local metal/hard rock news, and while I've had some stuff to post, it wasn't enough to fill out a full post like usual. I did want to note before we get too deep into what I did compile today that two seemingly obvious topics won't have the updates you'd expect. One is for the Buckcherry/Fuel concert at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Monday, as I've heard extremely little fallout from it. No local news coverage, no visible YouTube videos, nothing. You'd think there'd be some coverable items from it by now, but hopefully something will pop up! Also, if you were hoping for a Roosevelt Hotel metal night tonight, I don't believe there's one, even though this is next on the recent bi-weekly schedule. No Thursday nighters at The Rosie have taken place since July 5th (J.D. Pearce-booked gigs aside) or since recent promoter Stephane Vincent moved to Toronto as expected last month (best of luck to him!), so I'm unsure what's going on. Is the series on hiatus or dead? Is Mitch Sirie bringing it back at some point? I have no idea, but if I hear anything, I'll let you guys know!

That all said, we do have some stories today, including updates to one of our monthly feature series, new videos from a new local band, and leading things off, this notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall, so here's what you need to know!

As first announced on Monday morning on Rock 101, the next Allstar Promotions concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Michigan will go down on November 12th, and it does feature a couple hard rock bands! The headliners will be British Columbia post-grunge/alt-rock quartet Theory of a Deadman, who are bound to be well known for hits like "Bad Girlfriend", "Lowlife", and "Nothing Could Come Between Us", so they'll attract a sizeable crowd on their own in November! Though Theory of a Deadman aren't really heavy, the opening bands are definitely hard rock leaning, and they include Las Vegas hard rock quintet Adelitas Way, who are well known for mainstream rock hits like "Sick", "The Collapse", and the WWE Superstars theme "Invincible", and they have some nice energetic modern hard rock that should entertain the local audience! The concert will be opened by Baltimore hard rock quintet The Charm City Devils, who are slowly making a name on the national rock charts with songs like "Let's Rock & Roll" and their version of "A Man of Constant Sorrow", and they remind me of Shinedown at points, so I expect they'll make a solid first impression on November 12th! In fact, all three of these bands have never played locally before, which is notable in itself!

Tickets are just $28.50 for this ALL AGES show (which is a fairly good deal for this package of bands) and a 7:00 PM start time has been advertised. Seats are still available from the second row and back, so if you're interested, click here, hit the Kewadin box office in person, or call 1-800-KEWADIN! This should be an entertaining enough concert, and there's plenty of solid newer rock bands to entertain everyone in attendance! I find Theory of a Deadman to be too much of a "Nickelback-lite" group myself, but the other bands have some good material, and this show should find a good audience! Pick up your tickets A.S.A.P., and stay tuned for updates if they roll in!

We'll close this post with new videos, both relating to newly discovered local bands! In the last few days, I was alerted to this first band via YouTube postings, and they're a brand new thrash metal band from Sault Ontario named Pillory. Their lineup currently features guitarists Andres Duchesne (ex-Bear Hunters/Social Suicide) and Robert Sartini (more on him in a second) and drummer Bret Shuttleworth, and though they don't have an online page yet that I know of, they appear to be somewhat newer (but I've heard from Bret often that he's been starting or joining bands for a while now.) Robert uploaded videos of Pillory playing three original songs ("Shattered By War", "Fatal Woods", and "Onward To Death") to his YouTube channel last month, and I have to say, Pillory do show promise in these videos! We don't get a lot of straight thrash bands locally (mostly thrash/death hybrids if anything), and they have the thrash trademarks down with some fast heavy riffs and melodies, and if Pillory takes off and gets a bassist and singer, they could be a young band to watch! I've embedded the longest of these Pillory jam session videos below ("Shattered By War"), but definitely check the rest out at the above links!



And speaking of bands with Robert Sartini, this isn't the first band project he's tried to start locally. Though relatively a new sight on our coverage, he briefly led a band named Roadkill last summer alongside drummer Jarrod Sachro, and four jam session videos from their run were also uploaded to his YouTube channel! The videos include a self titled original, songs named "Speed Therapy" and "2083... E.D.I.", and a cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?", so click each link to check them out! I don't know if Roadkill evolved into Pillory or were a separate band entirely, but these songs do show some thrash metal promise, though they are rougher & less complete, and the chemistry isn't as obvious. Interesting stuff though, so check out Roadkill's self titled song below, check the above links for more, and stay tuned for more from Robert's channel!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews (maybe?) and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Frightlight), Fifth Way Concert Preview, And LAST Week's Classic Video!!

Here's one more news post before we upload this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile, so here's what's on tap! Today, we've got a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (finally restoring a metal show to the Sault Ontario concert listings), a preview for the weekend's only heavier show (and related events), and last week's classic video, so here's what you need to know!

Frightlight have announced their next concert, and it will see their return to The Roosevelt Hotel next month! The popular horror punk/metal quintet will rock The Rosie on May 10th as openers for Toronto alternative/punk standouts Die Mannequin & Dearly Beloved! Die Mannequin in particular have made some big waves in recent years with their energetic female-fronted punk sounds, while Dearly Beloved have some interesting indie & punk mix sounds in their repetoire, so you'll wanna stick around for these bands, even if the show's not entirely metal! For Frightlight, this will be their first Rosie appearance since opening for The Dayglo Abortions last June, and it should be their first gig with their full current lineup in over 6 months, so this is a long time coming in both respects! It will be a 19+ show with a $10 ticket price, with advance tickets going on sale in the next couple of days, and a 10:00 PM start time is expected. At least one other local band is planned to be added to the lineup of this show, but more details are forthcoming. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page! It's always fun to see a stacked punk concert roll through the area, and with some metal touches, it'll be a can't miss show, so definitely keep Die Mannequin & Frightlight in mind come May 10th!

Also, I'll note that this show is taking place on a Thursday, so is it officially the 44th Roosevelt Hotel metal night? The metal nights' Facebook page hasn't confirmed it as such yet, and advance tickets at these shows aren't common, but May 10th is next on the "every four weeks" schedule that they'd been following this year (counting the skipped April 12th date.) Plus, the metal nights haven't been 100% metal exclusive, hosting acts like RedD Monkey, The Endprogram, and The Nailheads last year. It could very well be the next in the series, but even if it's just coincidentally timed, it'll be a great show, so circle May 10th on your calendars!

Next up, it's time for a concert preview in an otherwise light weekend in the local metal scene, but what we're getting is on a big scale, so here's what you should know! After 21 months away from the local stage, Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way are finally coming back to Sault Michigan on Saturday night for another public concert! Like their high profile 2010 sets opening for Tesla and Three Doors Down at Kewadin Casino, the band featuring Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek will be opening for another major headlining band, that being platinum-selling Arizona pop rock band The Gin Blossoms! Though not metal, their 1990s hits like "Hey Jealousy" and "Follow You Down" will be sure to bring back great memories and entertain the masses at The Dreammaker's Theater on Saturday night! Notably, Fifth Way will also be debuting new bassist & drummer Mike McMann & Chris Castro for their local fans this weekend. Before they rock The Dreammaker's Theater though, Fifth Way will be playing a special private acoustic gig at Zak's alma mater Lake Superior State University for engineering alumni (click here for more details), and then (according to the Soo Evening News) they'll be in studio with Rock 101 tomorrow morning with Scott Cook & Brian Davie for an unplugged performance & interview, so tune in to 101.3 FM tomorrow morning at around 8:00 AM to check that out!

Tickets for their set opening for The Gin Blossoms on Saturday will be $32.50, which isn't bad for a Dreammaker's Theater show, especially if you like both acts! Tickets are still available from the 8th row and back, so click here to buy some online, or call 1-800-KEWADIN, or visit the Kewadin box office in person. It should be an all ages event, and a 7:00 PM start time is listed. Check the above links for more details! It's about time that Fifth Way come back to the area, and hopefully all of their sets go off without a hitch! They're a very talented and hard hitting band, and even though the Gin Blossoms show isn't a 100% fit for a band of their intensity, keep it in mind for your weekend plans! For a preview, here's Fifth Way playing an unplugged version of their song "Lose Control" in Detroit last year!



And finally, you may have noticed that we didn't post a weekly classic video on YouTube last week. I apologize for that, as I intentionally planned to hold it off until after the Humane Society Battle of the Bands to avoid a bias for any of the performers. My plan was to upload a video of or with members of the winning band, but it completely slipped my mind last weekend, so now it's time to catch up, as we've got a classic video of battle winners Late & Loud to share! Most of their videos are on YouTube by now, but one that isn't comes from one of their first gigs circa November 2010, where they played an original song named "Down Like This" at what appears to be Sault College's old concert venue The Outback! Featuring drummer Josh Hatherley and singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi swapping roles, this is a more acoustically driven composition, and Josh shows solid songwriting skills on this one, but it's not a frequent track in their more recent setlists. It's a solid different sound though, and it never hurts to show some diversity! Note that other videos from this set (including a Witchcraft cover and an original named "Dark Sunrise") are no longer on the band's Facebook page, but good thing this song still is, as it deserves an audience!

Uploaded onto Facebook on November 22nd, 2010, you can view the original video at http://facebook.com/photo.php?v=1706156332076, which is of pretty good quality. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!! All credit for this video goes to Late & Loud and the original filmer, I'm just trying to share this performance with wider audience like it deserves! It's a nice video, and hopefully we'll hear this song live again soon, so check out Late & Loud playing "Down Like This" in 2010 below, and stay tuned for THIS week's classic video soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on Winter of Silence TOMORROW, and tune in to Rock 101 tomorrow morning for Fifth Way live on "Scott & Brian In The Morning"! Thanks everyone!