LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Ray Brown Benefit & Griphook), Danger Cats Info, And More!!

Happy Friday the 13th, everyone! Today does mark a certain spree of new song postings from Sault Michigan-area label Werehold Records (along with recent tradition), but we'll have that on here tomorrow just in case the song uploads aren't done yet. Today, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next week and next month (including long awaited confirmation of bands for a major event), some details and information relating to another upcoming concert, and some new song postings, so read on below for what you need to know!

Sault Ontario hard rock cover quartet Griphook will return to the stage on Friday, September 20th (one week from today) at The Nicolet Tavern! This talented veteran outfit (featuring Flat Stanley, Bigsuit, Hollow, and Gsis Murphy alumni) had been taking a break of sorts since their Rotaryfest weekend gigs two months ago, but it's great to see the full band (rather than the one-off trio "The 7 Year Itch") back at it for another concert next week! For the record, this is their first Nicolet Tavern appearance in 4 months. There's no announced cover charge for next week's concert, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Griphook back after their oddly long break, so don't miss their varied hard rock covers at The Nic next Friday, but if you can't make it, where else can you see them this fall?

We can see them as well at the Ray Brown benefit/tribute concert at The Verdi Hall on Friday, October 11th, as they're on the newly announced lineup for the event! As revealed by event co-organizer Donna DeSimon on the Facebook event page, Griphook will be among 7 bands (mostly cover acts) on the lineup, and in listed order, they include local punk trio Redundant, notable rock cover band Boxcar Junction (formerly Cleveland Steamer), new local hard rock quintet The Thrill Junkies (in just their fourth announced local show), alternative hard rockers Lucky 13 (in their first gig in 2 months), the aforementioned Griphook, Obsession singer Valerie Powley "and friends" (identities unclear), and Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison in a solo acoustic set, while he'll also have short performances during breaks. Nice diverse lineup, and with a solid selection of hard rock bands too! Of course, this event is in honour of veteran local drummer Ray Brown to help raise funds for his final expenses, as he was not given long to live by doctors due to his cancer battle, so come on out to pay support!

Remember, this event has been moved from The Canadian due to Monday night's flooding, and it's now on the Friday rather than Saturday due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Tickets are now on sale for $25 at The Rad Zone, along with Superior Hodge Podge & The Music Depot on Gore Street, or through event hosts credited at the event page, but get yours A.S.A.P., as only a few will be at the door. Check the above links for more details on the musical and other events (including dinner and prizes), and best of luck all around to Ray and his family!

Next up, here's the newest updates concerning the Hydra's Teeth-headlined concert at The Algonquin Pub one week from today! The Facebook event page now has an event poster that outlines entry details and the bands, while Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie confirmed there that his band's label PaperClip Productions will provide the evening's lighting and sound. That should work out well, they have a good setup! As for the opening band that night, all-female rock band The Danger Cats, here's what we now know on them! They launched in April but only recently posted a Facebook page, and their lineup includes Summer Stevens on vocals, Paula D'Agostino on guitar, Jamie-Lynn VanSchooneveld on bass, and former Lazer Queen frontwoman Kate Drew on drums. However, all 4 members use alliterative stage names relating to big cat species (similarly to most of Lion Ride), so they're credited on Facebook as Summer Snow-Leopard, Paula Panther, Jamie Jaguar, and Kate Kougar.

I know a bit more on them given that my mom works with Jamie (and Paula formerly too), so I can confirm that some members are still gaining experience on their instruments, but they do cover at least some heavier songs, so come on out next week to support them! Compared to Sault Michigan, Sault Ontario tends to lack for women in rock bands, so hopefully The Danger Cats have a successful debut next week to help change that up! Stay tuned for updates if they come in!

Finally for today, two new songs from local grindcore solo project Brutaly Fatal were uploaded to their label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel yesterday! Entitled "Shank Shock" and "Acidic Sky's" (which is the title track of their demo), the songs still show Austin McCrae's growling and bass skills fairly well, but the absence of a full band is still all too clear, and it'd be nice to see Austin enlist other band members to fill out these promising tracks. Check out "Acidic Sky's" below, and stay tuned soon for more updates on Blood Shed Productions' grind artists!



That's all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for our recap of today's Friday the 13th uploads from Werehold Records! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tantrym Tyme), A New Local Band, And Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

I decided to double up posts today to make sure the Sault Michigan shows get enough attention, so this post relates to all-Sault Michigan topics, including previews of tomorrow's hard rock concerts in the area, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and leading off, a new band discovery, so read on below for what you need to know, and get caught up on Sault Ontario weekend previews and more in the post below this one! (Updated on Friday at 5:43 PM)

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Michigan band links, and it's an acoustic hard rock project named All The Dirty Words In One! Active since October of last year, their lineup includes singer/guitarists Josh Julch and Cody Rosebohm (ex-Elements of Madness) along with bassist/drummer Dan LaFord. They play hard & acoustic rock covers with original material plans, and their Facebook page is full of optimistic postings, including plans for an album named "Eddy the Skull" with an original song named "Break Down, Just Forget Me", but they've posted nothing on their page in 5 months. There are some live recordings of theirs on Dan's SoundCloud page, including covers of Tenacious D, Linkin Park, Eyeshine, and Gregory & The Hawk songs, but they're admittedly rough in quality. The guitar work is good, but Josh's vocals are not that refined, the recording quality is mixed, there's some pre-song talking left in, and Dan's doesn't appear to be featured as a performer from what I can tell. If they're still together, there's a lot of work to be done, but every band has to start somewhere, and become a fan of All The Dirty Words In One above!

Now to concert previews, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TOMORROW NIGHT, as young local metal band Tantrym Tyme will play their (at least) third show at The Malamute Saloon in Kinross this evening! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only just announced last night via their Facebook page. After two successful shows at this Kinross bar last month (no idea if they played an unannounced show there last week), the former Abstract are riding high partially thanks to their victory at this year's Rock Till You Drop battle of the bands at the Chippewa County Fair (as cited on their Facebook page), and in their second show of the day (more on that in a second), they should be good and ready to rock The Malamute Saloon with their fun covers! Like before, there's a 9:00 PM start time, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details, don't miss this talented young band in Kinross tomorrow, and for a preview, here's the guys at a recent talent show!



Now to previously announced concert previews, starting with Kinross classic hard rockers Banned, who are returning to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Last seen at this frequent venue in May, this one night only gig is their first of the fall season, and before they play their Grand Rapids show, it'll be great to see the Traynors and crew rocking Moran again tomorrow! There is no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and an earlier start time of 8:00 PM is in place. For more details, visit the band's Facebook page! Though their current lineup information remains somewhat vague, hopefully tomorrow's show is a hit for Banned, but of course, check them out next weekend at the Sault Kewadin if you can't make it to Moran for their Todd's Tavern return! For a preview of their diverse hard rock covers tomorrow, here's Banned covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy"!

Finally for this weekend (at least for previously announced heavier shows), we have the Walk & Rock Against Bullying, a fundraising & awareness event being held THIS SATURDAY outside of City Hall! Designed to raise funds and education for bullying and the cause of ending it, there will be bands throughout the day, along with food, 50/50 draws, face painting, and vendor booths, and a 1 mile walk in support of those who have been affected by bullying. Click here for information on the non-musical events going down! 5 bands are confirmed for the lineup, including local cover rock quartet Chump Change (whose members were recently promoting the event on local radio), the first local appearance in over a year from Munising metal quartet Infathom (featuring ex-Half A Man singer Dillion Semasky), newer local hard rock quintet RamWagon, the aforementioned Tantrym Tyme, and acoustic/indie rock duo The London Gentlemen, so there's some heavy tunes and more general stuff for everyone! Note that the event poster lists "...And More!", but no public confirmation is out on possible added bands or guest performers. A 12:00 PM start time is advertised for this ALL AGES outdoor event (which will run until around 8:00 PM), and there's no admission price announced.

Check the above links for more details! Preventing bullying is a great cause, and hopefully this event does big things to that end, so don't miss tomorrow's Walk & Rock whether you're rocking or walking! There's a solid lineup of local and U.P. artists playing, including a solid selection of heavier bands, so don't miss out on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Infathom covering Papa Roach at Pigfest in Ishpeming this summer!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Caveman & Tym Morrison), Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

In our first of likely two weekend concert preview posts (Sault Michigan's coming tomorrow), we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for THIS WEEKEND, along with existing previews, another new show for later this month, and a handful of other assorted topics! With that said, read on below to get caught up!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill on Trunk Road for two more solo acoustic gigs TOMORROW NIGHT & on Friday, September 27th! Apologies for the short notice, tomorrow's show was announced on Monday, and I held it until now to avoid redundantly plugging it twice in a few days time (and my source for the show on the 27th is Tym in a Facebook e-mail, it hasn't had an event page posted yet.) Tym's prolific run of unplugged hard rock cover sets continues well into September, and if you're up for some softer and more intimate takes on some metal classics, head to the East End for Tym's well recieved solo live show tomorrow night! Admission for both of this month's new shows should be free, you must be 19 to attend, 10:00 PM start times are likely, and I don't know yet if he'll be playing any type of show at The Road House next week. For more details, click here! As usual, tomorrow's show should be an entertaining night, so keep it mind, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" at what's now Coch's Corner!



In related short notice concert news, Tym's local metal cover band Caveman Morrison will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Water Tower Inn on Great Northern Road! Again, apologies for the short notice, same reasoning as Tym's solo gig tomorrow. Knowing that they're playing live again, this means that their bassist situation is resolved, but who's now their bassist? James White still! Tym confirmed with me on Facebook that James (who had left in advance of plans to move from the area) is instead staying in town and with Caveman Morrison, which is great news, as he fits well with Tym and Johnny! However, I have no word on why a photo featuring ex-bassist Dutch Vanderploeg is on the Facebook event page. Saturday's concert (which was once lined up to be a Tym Morrison solo gig according to The Water Tower Inn's calendar) is their third at this venue, and the guys should be raring to go with a night full of metal & hard rock covers for their fans! There's no announced cover charge, you must be 19 to attend, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. Check the above links for more details!

Hopefully Caveman Morrison's show on Saturday is a big hit, and with James locked in after his brief departure, they should have some great tunes ready for fans at The Water Tower Inn, so don't miss it! For a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Judas Priest's "The Ripper" at The Rosie!



Now to the previously announced show this weekend, as new local hard rock band The Thrill Junkies will make their long awaited local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The Nicolet Tavern! Following their Rock 'N Roar battle of the bands & festival appearances in Spanish, the quintet featuring singer Travis Sharpe, guitarists Robert Brown & Jason Nisbet, bassist Justin Langlois, and drummer Scott McLurg have a lot of hype and momentum on their side in advance of their September local dates, so be among the first to see this union of Turner Up, Havadder, and Redundant alumni tomorrow night for their range of covers! Admission should be free, you must be 19 to attend, and the show starts at 10:00 PM. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! If you've missed the members' recent bands (or Travis singing in a permanent local project), you'd be well served to see The Thrill Junkies' local debut tomorrow night or next weekend at The Rosie, so don't miss out, and as soon as media comes out of their material, we'll have it here!

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

• Newer local power metal quartet The Hydra's Teeth have uploaded another original song demo to their Reverbnation page! Entitled "In the Dead of Night", I believe it just features Brendan Christie on vocals & guitar, but it does sound promising (and with stronger vocals!) Check it out above, and don't miss their live debut one week from Friday at The Algonquin Pub!
• Bear Hunters/Suicide Kings guitarist Mitch Sirie is looking for a rhythm guitarist & bassist for a new dark metal project that he's starting. He already has a drummer, they plan to play original material (with covers to start and 6-8 string guitars), and songs would vary from ballads to screaming material. If you're interested in trying out, message Mitch at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last Friday! Note that I'm not sure if this means anything negative for his other bands' statuses, or if this is an expansion of one of his solo projects.
• Veteran local drummer Mike Severin has relocated to Sault Ste. Marie and brought his Toronto-launched recording studio Muzicare Productions North with him! Full information on their local operations aren't public yet, but he has an impressive client list and promises big recordings without a big price, so click here to inquire further in case you wanna record anything there!

That's probably all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for Sault Michigan weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!

More Flooding At The Canadian Nightclub, Plus New Material From Mike Haggith & No Arrow!!

Before we preview this weekend's metal & hard rock concerts, we have a new news post that's half good news and half bad. The good news comes from new song postings (including from a brand new album), but we'll start with bad news, as a local concert spot got hit hard by recent inclement weather once again, so read on below for what you should know!

Pim Street bar/concert venue The Canadian Nightclub has been hit by major flooding once again, thanks to the local rainstorm on Monday night. This is deja vu for sure, as The Canadian was flooded under very similar circumstances in July 2011, so while there isn't as much shock value given that this happened before, it's still very disappointing knowing that they'll be closed and employees will be out of work for an indefinite time period (for reference, the 2011 flooding led to 7 weeks of renovations before it's return.) In fact, The Canadian just re-opened after cosmetic renovations on August 1st, so this is weird timing for a flood to cause more work to be done. The Canadian's Jay Perron shared photos of the new damage with SooToday via this article, and the flood waters look comparable to what happened 2 years ago, but like then, I'm not in the position to estimate damages or cost of anything. Despite being on the hill, The Canadian's not in a great spot in terms of flood risk, but I hope they can bounce back from this stronger than ever, as it's a nice venue with friendly staff, and if they can overcome this once, they can do it again!

As a result, all events at The Canadian through early October will either be cancelled or relocated. If the renovations take 7 weeks again, it'd re-open in time for Halloween, but that's a personal guess & nothing else, as I don't know the extent of the coming work. In terms of announced SMS-coverable events there, the only one that's been affected by the flooding is the Ray Brown benefit/tribute concert that was scheduled for October 12th. Instead, it's been relocated from The Canadian to The Verdi Hall at 455 Queen Street West, and it's also been rescheduled to Friday, October 11th, as no local banquet halls are booking events that Saturday due to the Thanksgiving break. Nothing else has changed, so click here for all current details & for info on playing or donating prizes! I'll also note that according to Haggith's Facebook page, the Hydra's Teeth-headlined concert at The Algonquin Pub next Friday was indeed originally scheduled for The Canadian, but was moved for unknown reasons before the flooding ever happened. Stay tuned for updates on the flooding and any other related news as it comes in, and best of luck all around!

Now to some happier news, starting with Haggith drummer Mike Haggith' latest solo album, which is now available on his YouTube channel and Reverbnation page for free streaming! Like his last few solo releases, there has been changes between their last public updates and first full unveiling, so what's different? His 47th album has had the name "Where It Ends" demoted to a subtitle, and it's now called "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends", a reference and acknowledgement to his 2012 album that many songs originally were planned for. A new album cover is planned as well, and though it has yet to be unveiled, this was the original prototype. The album still has 11 songs, but the track order has been altered, and four songs have been replaced, with "Miss 76", "Lacking Common Sense" (formerly "Stalking Booze & The Raptor"), "Solitude", and "Goodbye" replacing "The Curse (of 13)", "Fading", and his covers of "The Man In Green" and "The Trip". No reason for the song changes was announced, but this is par for the course for his solo work, and the dropped songs could be on his next CD "The Tower".

Somewhat softer & more orchestral than the first "Neighbourhood Watch", a full paid release is planned for "Neighbourhood Watch II: Where It Ends" (including physical pressings), but details and information on that front is not yet out. If the paid release comes out in the next month or so, a solo Mike Haggith album will likely be our next CD review subject (either this or "The Present Din"), so keep an eye out, click here for more information, and visit this link for the whole YouTube playlist of the album! Embedded below is the first song, "Grace", and stay tuned for info on the full paid release!

Finally for today, here's a bunch of new audio uploads from defunct local grunge trio No Arrow! Ex-frontman Dann Pichette (who currently lives in Terrace Bay) recorded these at some point (with him on vocals & all instruments), but only just posted them on his YouTube channel on Saturday. The songs include originals named "Trial & Error", "System", "Rehashed Acid Reign", "Question Mark", "Far", and "Bleed Out", along with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire", so click each link to check them out! I saw Dann make references online to these being part of an "album", but like "Souls For Sale", it's never seen a full paid release. These are solid overall, and they fit with No Arrow's past and more prominent original work, so grunge/alternative fans should get a kick out of these songs! (Note that "Rehashed Acid Reign" is an extended instrumental composition that's hard to describe.) I think No Arrow are still very underrated, and given the grunge resurgence of the past year, it's a shame they're not around to capitalize on it! One of the better tracks "Trial & Error" has been embedded below, so give it a listen!



That's probably all for today, but stay tuned tomorrow for at least some of this weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews! Thanks everyone!

Dayglo Abortions Concert Review!!

It's now time for our review of last night's Dayglo Abortions-headlined concert at The Roosevelt Hotel, but first, just some acknowledgement of the severe rainstorm we had last night. The West End was hit hard by flooding, but the area of The Rosie was neither flooded nor lost power for the balance of the night, and no bands dropped out either! This reminded me in many ways of Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in July, which was also severely dampened by a rainstorm, but even though last night's was worse, a solid crowd turned out to see the hardcore punk action! Visibly smaller than The Dayglo Abortions concert at The Rosie in 2011, but along with the weather, the Monday/fall scheduling has it's own challenges. Even still, dozens of fans braved the weather to rock out, with the pits and floor hopping like mad by night's end! As for the reports of flooding at The Canadian Nightclub on Pim Street, I'm well aware of what happened (I live near there), and that will lead off tomorrow's news post, so keep an eye out for that and related updates in our next post. Now, let's look at how each band did last night!

Opening last night's concert was the full live debut (one song preview sets aside) of new local band Jack Spades (essentially T-Rex Manning + The Bear Hunters), so how'd they sound? The band played three originals (mainly based on horror movies, a'la frontman J.D. Pearce's Frightlight work), while their covers (which weren't Misfits focused) included Judas Priest, Ripcordz, and Pennywise songs, among others. Their sound is reminiscent of J.D.'s other bands, and while the songs leaned heavier (especially their original "Breakneck Speed"), there was more of a straight punk sensibility. Talent-wise, J.D. and guitarist Tiffany Stocco played about as well as you'd expect from T-Rex Manning shows, but seeing Justin Lam and new drummer Johnny Belanger play a more punk style was a change from their usual death metal work. Luckily, everyone played well, and hopefully their next shows get tighter and better attended up front! (Also, I can't believe I forgot until now, but Jack Spades are now in our active Sault Ontario band links!)

Next on the bill was Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog, including the first local concert appearance by bassist/Sault native Mark Rand since Lion Ride's last show in July 2011! Soundwise, they have similarities with Mark's old band Detroit, only with a female singer and no guitarist, but on some songs, it was easy to forget there was no guitar player, with Mark's bass cutting through everything nicely! Their set included all 10 songs from their debut album and a cover of Fu Manchu's "King of the Road", which fans definitely responded to (even if some prodding was needed for the night's first mosh pit), and Tracy Ashenden's piercing lead vocals definitely lent a unique edge & solid stage presence to their material! Solid rapport with the crowd, Mikey Reid's drumming was quality too, and even if they were oddly low on the lineup for an out of town band, they fit right in, and hopefully Mark brings Cross Dog back home again!

Local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet occupied the middle slot in the band order, and they were up to their usual tricks during their well recieved set! The guys played all of the songs from their album (except "My Life"), along with select covers, including a surprise Dayglo Abortions cover midway through, and musically, they were on form from past live gigs! However, like their last Roosevelt Hotel appearances, they did seem more restricted on the small stage, which benefits my photography but not their stage presence. I'll give special notice to the backing vocals from Christian Foisy & John Conway, which added an extra kick to Mike Hull's aggressive lead singing, which was louder than the last time I saw them, which was welcome! The hardcore punk fury saw a good response, and though the hyped possibility of new song debuts didn't come to fruition, Destroilet are continuing their local resurgence, and here's hoping for more awesome live shows when they rock Echo Bay and the Halloween Party next month!

Co-headlining was Victoria, British Columbia's own The Last of the V8 Interceptors in their second local stop of the year, and if you missed them in July, you may notice that they looked very familiar, maybe because Dayglo Abortions bassist Willy Jak and drummer Blind Mark were also in this band? Very different style though, with hardcore elements replaced by a grittier and bluesier sound that feels just right for driving down the highway (which fits with their Mad Max themes and personas.) They're definitely heavier live than they were in studio tracks (though they've had lineup changes since), and frontman Rhys Palmer delivered a deliberate and casual, yet aggressive style on songs like "Five Tall Cans In" and "Suicide Machine"! Though the crowd levels retreated somewhat, The Last of the V8 Interceptors delivered a fun set, and hopefully they made as many (or more) fans as they did at the BFGs show!

And of course, your headliners were Victoria hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions, and fans definitely ate up their slightly abbreviated set, as rain can't keep them down! The biggest difference from their 2011 show here in terms of their set was the addition of new songs towards their next album, including "Sick Of The Lies" and "I Love My Mom", but aggressive classics like "Proud To Be A Canadian" and "Religious Bumfucks" kept longtime fans and supporters going! Even if the crowd was smaller, the pit was rough and almost caused me to fall a few times, so you know that's a good sign! Murray "The Cretin" Acton's vocals were much clearer to hear this time around, while Willy Jak & Blind Mark contibuted well in their second set of the evening (Jak was even more animated), and their classics, offensive as some may be, fueled a very entertaining night! Their set was sadly cut a bit short, but what we got was awesome, and hopefully we're not waiting two years for the next local Dayglo Abortions concert!

Overall, this was a great show that no amount of bad weather could stop, and though the rain probably hurt the turnout a lot, kudos to everyone for making it (and to Redundant bassist James White for providing awesome sound all night!) I got plenty of photos that you can check out at this link or at our Facebook page (which also has a "Tag Yourself!" crowd picture), and as for videos, I got one of each band, so here's Jack Spades playing their originals "We're Here To Chew Bubble Gum & Kick Ass, And We're Out Of Gum" & "Rise", Cross Dog playing "Martyr's Cross". Destroilet covering The Ducky Boys' "Cross To Bear", The Last of the V8 Interceptors playing "Night Rider" & "Style", and The Dayglo Abortions playing "Your Facebook Can Kiss My Assbook", "Stupid Songs", and "Argh Fuck Kill"!











That's all for today, but stay tuned for news on the Canadian Nightclub's status and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Blind Baby & Squirrelboy And The Smiling Giraffes

Before we get our review of the Dayglo Abortions concert on here, we have this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! This monthly series looks at 1-2 defunct or inactive local bands (as randomly selected from our band links), so we can profile them and jog memories on their run, material, and successes for interested readers! This month marks our first two-band profile since May (as the first band didn't have enough surviving information), so we randomly picked another band, with both covering each side of the Soo border, so read on below for this month's profiles!
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Blind Baby

Genre: Modern Hard Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members:

Tadd "Booze" Gravelle, vocals
Darian Causley (River Witch), guitar
Bill Ogston (Dirtbag In A Dress), guitar
Chris "Crib Bisque" Leask (Power Slug, Kilacel, River Witch), bass
Ivan Schliska (Scofflaw, River Witch), drums 

Info/Analysis: Originally named Stone Circle, Blind Baby were a short lived hard rock band that was active in the Eastern U.P. circa late 2009-mid 2010. Frequently seen at local bars on weekends (including The Rapids Lounge & The Bird, among others), Blind Baby played a mix of covers & varying originals during their run, but they quietly dissolved circa July 2010. Their members (sans Tadd Gravelle & Bill Ogston) formed the similar new band River Witch the following month, and took on existing Blind Baby bookings in the process, before they evolved into Power Slug (with only Chris Leask remaining) in late 2011. Though surviving online information on Blind Baby is minimal, they have 8 original songs on their Reverbnation page that I recently posted on our YouTube channel, and they show a diverse gritty sound that has a lot of softer & mellower moments! Tadd's vocals remind me of Erik Rintamaki's, and they're an interesting contrast on ballads like "Someday", but there's a lot of visible talent, and on heavier tracks like "2 Blind 2 C", they show a solid groove that hopefully carried over to their successor bands! I've embedded one of my favourites "In Spite Of You" below, but stream more at the above links!


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Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes

Genre: Experimental/Industrial Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (E-mail me at robertfigures@outlook.com if you have any additions or corrections!)

Chase James Wigmore, all instruments

(Note that the band's MySpace page credited "Squirrelboy", "Chase Cox", and "Neuroma Fay" as their respective singer, guitarist, and programmer, but this was very likely a solo project.)

Info/Analysis: Squirrelboy & The Smiling Giraffes was a rather unique solo project maintained by local solo musician Chase Wigmore from 2007-2009, operating under a creative alias & theme, which included describing themselves as "the infectious & pointless waste of human flesh" and comparing their sound to "Yoko Ono, if she was a squirrel". Their 6 MySpace songs (which are also now on our YouTube channel) include frequent use of effects, samples, sped-up "squirrel" vocals, extreme metal screaming, and solid guitar work, to create a sound that's honestly hard to describe in text. There's a lot of originality & humourous moments, but I have a feeling The Smiling Giraffes won't be everyone's cup of tea, so it depends on if you like the included elements. Myself, I appreciate what Chase did, but some songs are better than others ("Pretty Baby" stands out, for example.) Hopefully he keeps up his talents in his current solo work (which does feature & acknowledge some Squirrelboy material), and here's one of their more popular songs "Mr. Chik'n"!



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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! So, who's up for October in this series? After random selection, we'll again be looking at two bands on each side of the border, as the first band I picked definitely doesn't have enough surviving information. With that said, next month's bands will be inactive Sault Michigan hard rock trio Elements of Madness & the former Sault Ontario comedy metal band No More Landmines, so watch out for them on or around October 10th! That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Dayglo Abortions concert review later today! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Hydra's Teeth), Dayglo Abortions Concert Preview, And More!!

Back to the news on this Sunday, so what's on tap? We have news on a recent local album upload to tie in with a recent SMS feature, an extended preview of a big concert going down tomorrow night, and to start, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, so here's what you need to know!

New local metal quartet The Hydra's Teeth will make their live concert debut at The Algonquin Pub on Friday, September 20th! As you may remember, this is the new band from ex-Late & Loud singer/guitarist Brendan Christie & bassist Benn Garside, former Sativa Rose/Winkstinger guitarist Anthony Orazietti, and ex-Leaves Off Trees drummer Roy Kreutzberger, and if their videos are any indication, we're in for a power & classic metal spree on the 20th that Loudmouths and other fans should easily take to! They'll be among 3 bands playing that night, including prominent local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith (in their second live set at the pub downstairs from The Rockstar Bar) and another debuting band named The Danger Cats, who I'm told are an all-female rock band of some kind. That should be very intriguing, I'll let you guys know when I hear more! A 10:00 PM start time is likely for this 19+ show, and there will be a $6 cover charge in effect. For more details, visit Haggith's Facebook event page!

Note that I'm not sure if this is one & the same as the gig that The Hydra's Teeth originally hyped for The Canadian Nightclub on their Facebook page, or if this is a separate event. This should be a must-see event for both the band debuts and Haggith's ever popular live sets, so don't miss the return of original rock and metal to The Algonquin Pub one week from Friday, and stay tuned for updates!!

Next up, here's a big concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT at The Roosevelt Hotel, as Victoria, British Columbia hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions will make their long awaited return to Sault Ontario for a hard hitting night of metal, punk, and hardcore intensity! Last seen in the Soo at the 20th Rosie metal night in June 2011, The Dayglo Abortions' return should be even bigger (especially with the extended notice for this concert compared to two years ago), and you know The Cretin & company will be raring to tear up the stage with their intense, reckless, and attitude-fueled originals! A mix of out of town and local support bands with varying levels of familiarity will open tomorrow night, including Victoria, B.C. garage punk trio The Last of the VB Interceptors (who opened for The Bunchofuckingoofs at The Rosie in July), local hardcore punk notables Destroilet (who may have new songs to debut tomorrow), Peterborough hardcore punk trio Cross Dog (featuring bassist/Sault native Mark Rand's first local concert appearance in over 2 years), and in the opening set, new local punk/metal quartet Jack Spades' first full concert!

Basically a combination of T-Rex Manning & The Bear Hunters, Jack Spades features singer J.D. Pearce (who opened for The Dayglo Abortions with Frightlight in 2011), guitarist Tiffany Stocco, bassist Justin Lam, and drummer Johnny Belanger (who quietly replaced T.J. Case in the band for unknown reasons this summer, as per their Facebook page.) Though they've played live in short previews earlier this year, this apparently all-original band will fully launch tomorrow night, so be there to see what they have in store! Admission will be $10 in advance or $15 at the door, with advance tickets still available at The Roosevelt Hotel and The Rad Zone, so get yours A.S.A.P. just in case! You must be 19 to attend, doors open at 9:00 PM, and Jack Spades will kick things off at 9:45 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an awesome concert all around, with both new sights, familiar favourites, and legendary hardcore punk to appease everyone in attendance!

I'm curious to hear The Last of the V8 Interceptors & Jack Spades more, Destroilet always deliver a good time, it'll be nice to see Mark back with his new band, and who could miss The Dayglo Abortions? I have my ticket, and I definitely hope to see you guys there TOMORROW NIGHT! For a preview, here's The Dayglo Abortions playing 3 songs at The Rosie in 2011!



Finally, I just wanted to alert you guys to a local metal album that I just recently posted on YouTube, that being our most recent CD review subject, Bring The Fallen's "Stand Before"! As you may remember, the defunct local death metal quintet finally released theit only EP on July 26th at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up in honour of their one-off reunion (albeit four years after the recording sessions), but with their re-breakup & the lack of a digital download copy, I assume it's out of print save for possible unsold CDs from Oddzfest. As a result, I decided to post the whole EP onto our YouTube channel yesterday (including in a full playlist), so now it's fully streamable! In order, the songs are the title track, "Night Riders", "Kill Your Life", "Exposed Embankment", and "Defiling Despondence", so click each link to check them out, and note that all but "Night Riders" & "Kill Your Life" are re-uploads. I had posted the other three tracks (sans cover art) onto YouTube as a Christmas surprise a couple years back, so I re-posted them just for consistency.

I won't rehash my thoughts on this EP (you can read my full review if you want in the post below), but this EP and the Oddzfest set fittingly closed the door on their local run, and I wish everyone in Bring The Fallen the best (musically & otherwise) in the future! I've embedded the song "Stand Before" below, and check out more from Bring The Fallen's only CD at the above links!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for either a new news post or this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles next, and in case I have nothing new before then, I'll see you at The Rosie TOMORROW NIGHT! Thanks everyone!