Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile: The Lumbermen

A day late due to some holiday commitments, but here's this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! Back to our usual schedule this month, we're of course taking another look at a hard rock/metal band that's not based in the Soo, but has featured at least one past/present Sault Ste. Marie native in any of their lineups. This month's selection has an alum that will be familiar to many recent punk & metal fans, so check out this month's profile (and our last of 2013 in this series) below! (Updated on November 27th, 2014)
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The Lumbermen (Peterborough, Ontario)

Lineup: (Saultites in RED; ex-members in italics)

Bryan Reid (vocals/guitar)
Mike Galley (guitar)
Colin Kennedy (guitar)
Steve Kerslake (bass)
Mikey Reid (drums)
Mark Rand (bass)

Official website: http://www.thelumbermen.com

Official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/thelumbermen
Official Bandcamp page: http://thelumbermen.bandcamp.com
Official YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/thelumbermen
Official Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/thelumbermen
 

Local Info: The Lumbemen's original bassist was prolific local punk/metal musician Mark Rand (a.k.a. Marky Lion), who's been a mainstay in bands from here and in Southern Ontario for years now! Currently well known as the bassist in the Peterborough hardcore trio Cross Dog (alongside former Lumbermen bandmate Mikey Reid), Mark's also made waves as Lion Ride's rhythm guitarist, along with roles in out of town and local bands like Detroit, Bin Hawdon & The Taliband, The Merves, hackthemodem, Pumpkinseed, Kidshit, Bondar, Fuller, DDPBB, The Mark Rand Band, and at least two different solo projects, with Mark honing skills as a vocalist, guitarist, and/or bassist in them all! Though he's lived in the Peterborough area for a few years now, Mark still plays the occasional local date, most recently with Cross Dog in September 2013. 

Band Bio: The Lumbermen were launched in August 2011, and made their live concert debut with a headlining show that October. Shortly afterwards, the band began work on their self-titled debut EP, which was released in February 2012 with 3 original songs, including the first single "Propane & Rodeos". A number of big events took place through that fall (including opening for Nashville Pussy and holding a music video screening party) before taking a break through this spring, during which original bassist Mark Rand was replaced by Charming Ruins drummer Steve Kerslake. After their new lineup debuted in April, The Lumbermen have been hard at work with big new concerts, a new single and music video for their song "Ego", and more, so hopefully we hear more from them in 2015! The Lumbermen's sound leans towards a southern-tinged hard rock sound that has a gruff but energetic feel that gives a unique element to their scene, and I like what the guys are doing with it!

Some of The Lumbermen's songs have a laid back casual feel while retaining some grit, which is an interesting contrast that works in it's own way, and Bryan Reid's vocals fit this style very well! I will say that I think The Lumbermen are best experienced live rather than in studio, as the concert videos that I've seen show a much angrier and carefree style that studio work doesn't capture. Mark's bass playing was very good when he was in the band, and while I have yet to find much media of the current lineup, hopefully Steve fits in! I like The Lumbermen's gritty and raw style, and I'm curious to hear more from them, but for now, check out their live videos and debut EP at the above links, and here's their music video for their first single "Propane & Rodeos"!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile! To start this series' 2014 run, we'll be looking at Curse The Witch, the Kitchener alternative/hard rock band featuring Hollow/Carbon Black drummer Vinnie Milosevich in their current lineup! Watch out for that on or around January 26th, and I'll see you guys at The Algonquin Pub TONIGHT for Garden of Bedlam & Destroilet! Thanks everyone!

Sault Ontario Holiday Weekend Concert Previews!!

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! I hope your Christmas was awesome in every way, and with the weekend approaching, it's time to preview an interesting slate of three multi-band metal & hard rock concerts in Sault Ontario over the next few days! No shows in Sault Michigan that I can currently source over that span, and keep in mind that Tym Morrison may be back at The Harp tomorrow as part of his current arrangement with this venue, but I'm waiting for official confirmation before plugging it here. If anything short notice pops up, we'll have it tomorrow!, but now, let's preview what you should know for this weekend as it currently stands!

Three local metal/hard rock bands will descend upon The Roosevelt Hotel TONIGHT for Heavy Winter, a Boxing Day concert full of entertaining music! Headlining tonight's show is local/Toronto hardcore punk trio RedD Monkey, whose cello-infused blend of aggression and classical influences should be more than welcomed back for their first local concert date since August! Opening up tonight's concert are local modern hard rock standouts The Suicide Kings (in their first Rosie date in over 7 months) and local punk/metal cover quartet T-Rex Manning (in just their second concert period in that span), so both should add their own unique flavours to this seasonal concert! Remember, local classic metal quartet The Hydra's Teeth are not playing this show anymore due to scheduling conflicts (and they haven't been replaced on the bill), thouugh be sure to look out for them in 2014! The ninth Thursday concert promoted at The Roosevelt Hotel by promoter/T-Rex Manning frontman J.D. Pearce, TONIGHT'S show has a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:00 PM start time.

For more details on Heavy Winter, visit the official Facebook event page! Apart from the obvious seasonal ties (could this be considered a spiritual successor to RedD Monkey's Green Christmas shows?), tonight's concert offers a good chance to see three bands who haven't been common sights over the last half of 2013 just before the year runs out, so don't miss out at The Rosie TONIGHT! For a preview, here's RedD Monkey live in Ottawa!



Moving to The Algonquin Pub for today's remaining previews, TOMORROW NIGHT there marks the long awaited return of Garden of Bedlam to the local stage! Last seen opening for Airbourne in August (with their last full local set coming in the spring), this very popular and talented metal quartet are no strangers to The Algonquin Hotel, but tomorrow's show is (I believe) their first formal concert set downstairs, so keep that angle in mind! Local concert activity from Garden of Bedlam has been somewhat scarce in 2013, but you know they'll have a great concert set full of hard hitting originals tomorrow night, so don't miss out! Local hardcore punk veterans Destroilet will open up tomorrow's show in a rare show with no out of town bands, but knowing the run they've been on since re-emerging on stage this spring, their explosive old school sound will hit the right mark tomorrow! Admission will be $5 for tomorrow's concert, you must be 19 to attend, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's about time that Garden of Bedlam return for a fuller set of their very cool and well-recognized original material and covers, and hopefully there's a big turnout tomorrow downstairs for them & Destroilet at The Algonquin Pub! Be sure to count me in for this one, so I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Garden of Bedlam covering Metallica at The Rockstar Bar in April!



Finally for today's previews, a unique bled of genres hits The Algonquin Pub THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for Another Year, Another Santa 2013, which features a handful of heavier acts in their probable last local dates of the year! Most unique of all (given our coverage focus) is the headlining act, British Columbia DJ/techno artist Tim Day, who's returning to his hometown for this concert. Definitely a shift from our norm, but he's very good at what he does! The band lineup includes "the original crash band" Sykotyk Rampage (last seen opening for Haggith at The Algonquin earlier this month), RedD Monkey frontman Steve Mozarowski in a solo set (replacing the full band for unannounced reasons, though no word on the form of his solo material yet), local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back, and local lo-fi/grunge/acoustic solo act Telephone & Address, who will reportedly put their "Rotten EP" on sale in physical copies on Saturday! $10 for 7 songs, and I definitely hope to be there on Saturday to pick up a copy towards a 2014 review on the site!

Promoted by Bad Back's Jamie Vincent, Another Year, Another Santa 2013 has a $5 cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Definitely a unique and interesting mix of performers, with an EP release, a DJ, and a somewhat unfamiliar solo performance rolled in as well, but it's nice to see the diversity and seasonal fun this Saturday night, so don't miss out! For a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage live at The Algonquin earlier this month, and I hope to see you guys there!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile tomorrow (apologies for the delay), and for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

Merry Christmas From The Sault Metal Scene!!

Merry Christmas, everyone! (or, Happy Holidays if you prefer!) As has been a recent tradition, I've got some Christmas surprises for the occasion, but unlike last years, I've pared them down a bit and put them all on Christmas morning to both accentuate the day and note that there's less SMS-fitting albums at access to post online that aren't already there. For today, we have two archive metal albums to unwrap, along with a look at a fittingly seasonal local metal band, but first, we have a long overdue addition to our band links, just in time for Christmas!

First off today, we're finally welcoming Sault Ontario power trio Stiffler's Mom into our full coverage on the SMS! This was probably very overdue, but I think holding their current material and cover selection as being "lighter" than their old Sin Stereo work was an overstatement to say the least, as they still rock hard in concert! Last seen on stage at Docks Riverfront Grill last weekend, Stiffler's Mom is comprised of singer/drummer Greg Simpson (also of That's Chester, Bone Yard, and Maxx Entertainment), along with guitarist Michael Davies and bassist Jon Ferguson, who have played together (aside from a brief 2011-2012 breakup) since way back in 1998. Stiffler's Mom have played a number of big events during their run (including opening for INXS at The Essar Center), recorded at least one CD, and have been instrumental in the recent Toystock fundraiser concerts for Christmas Cheer, and their blend of old school covers (many with a heavier edge) are always a good time!

Though they're only just now getting full attention on the site, I've enjoyed Stiffler's Mom since even before the SMS was a thought in my mind, having seen them at a dance at Bawating Collegiate & Vocational School circa 2004. They're talented, have a lot of fun, and always engage the crowd, so hopefully we hear much more from Stiffler's Mom into 2014, and here they are pumping out heavier renditions of Johnny Cash and Golden Earring songs at last year's Toystock!

Next for our Christmas surprises, I uploaded two more local metal albums from the archives onto our YouTube channel, including defunct Sault Ontario classic metal quartet Late & Loud's only EP "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal"! Originally independently released in November 2012 upon their return from their first breakup, the version I uploaded is actually the April 2013 "Still Hard" reissue, which featured two added songs and two re-recordings of the original pressing's bonus tracks, with much higher quality. Released prior to their last set at the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, songs 1 & 6-9 were recorded at The Smoke & Oak Room with producer Dave Pihlaja, while the other 4 were produced by singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's Daybreak Johnnies bandmate Steve Hopkin. Also featuring singer/guitarist Brendan Christie, bassist Benn Garside, and drummer Josh Hatherley, the songs (in order) include "Heavy or Bust", "Trouble", "Live For Excess", "Never Again", "Love Letter Lockdown", "Fast As A Bitch", "Machine Gun Maiden", "Whisper of the Damned", and "Rock N' Roll", so click each link to hear each song!

Note that I didn't include the self-recorded 2012 versions of "Never Again" & "Love Letter Lockdown" from the original pressing, and though I may post them in the future, they are of much lower quality. Late & Loud put in a fun album in both instances, though the lack of a full time singer still was felt, and it's a shame we only got recorded physical material of Late & Loud's at the end of their run. As they're currently inactive (and this EP's out of print), I thought "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" would be nice to have on YouTube in full, so check out the full album before, and here's the first song!



Lastly for "new" album uploads on YouTube is "How Empty I Am", the 1997 album from defunct local metal trio Sulfur! Purchased at Value Village earlier this year (lucky find), this 8 song EP was recorded locally at Satellite Sound Studios, with the featured lineup including singer/guitarist Andy Chillman, bassist Mike Bird, and drummer Derek Turner, who would all find greater success in the London metal band Papa Fogals Chair. In order, the album includes the songs "Flower Girl", "Side Walk", "Empty", "Monkey Spank", "Don't Be So Tamed", "Real Me", "Evaluate", and "Our Glass Universe", with a bonus track of scattered irreverent dialogue following the last song after an extended stretch of silence, so click each link to hear each song! 16 years after it was released, it's nice to hear Sulfur's recorded output, and they do remind me of a more alternative-based shift from the later PFC sound, which expanded in membership and aggression, but Sulfur should entertain fans for sure!

We have yet to review "How Empty I Am" on the site (due to the recent constant flow of new heavier album releases), but I hope to give it a formal look in 2014! Check out the full album above, and here's the first track!



Finally for today, I think it's more than fitting to take another look at arguably the most seasonal metal band in the Twin Saults, that being Sault Michigan classical metal outfit Theatre of Night! As you may remember, their first album was "Christmas Night", a 2010 collection of metal versions of carols and Christmas standards, though it has seen a 2011 re-release and plans for both a brand new version and a new all-original album, both with German soprano singer Gaby Koss providing lead vocals. Though recent fundraising campaigns and optimistic plans haven't found a public resolution yet, their older Christmas songs and select newer recordings with Gaby are online for streaming and purchase, so there's no better way to enjoy the season and local talent in equal measure! Coming off a partial live performance in Sault Michigan in July as well, Theatre of Night (featuring I.S.O.M. and End of Existence alumni) have a lot of talent and ambition, and hopefully their next big plans will be realized soon!

Buy and stream their material at their Reverbnation page, and also check out their YouTube channel for videos, songs, and slideshows for their Christmas, American patriotic, and general renditions and originals! Check out their most recent slideshow (featuring their version of "What Child Is This?" with Gaby on vocals) below, and have a wonderful Christmas night no matter what!



Once again, Merry Christmas to all, and I hope you guys get lots of family time, good food, and of course, lots of presents! We'll be back TOMORROW MORNING with previews of an intriguing slate of post-Christmas concerts with metal/hard rock bands, so watch out for that then! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Scarkazm, and RamWagon), And More!!

In our last post before Christmas, we have a few assorted news items (including a band withdrawal for an upcoming concert), but first, here's a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next year at two linked regional Eastern Upper Peninsula concert venues!

Sault Michigan hard rock quintet RamWagon have confirmed their early Kewadin Casino concert dates for all of 2014 via their Facebook page (with no changes to the original tentative posting), so when can you see them in the new year? If the current word is any indication, mostly at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, with 12 shows scheduled there for January 3rd & 4th (their first with new drummer Ron Suchey), March 14th & 15th, May 9th & 10th, July 11th & 12th, October 17th & 18th, and December 19th & 20th! They'll also be back at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin branch on March 28th & 29th, August 1st & 2nd, October 24th & 25th, and November 28th & 29th, though the band has noted that they'll announce more dates when confirmed. All 20 concerts have 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 PM-ish start times, so check the above links for more details! It'd be nice to hear of some new gigs outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella (there haven't been a ton since their launch), but hopefully we hear more soon from their camp, and don't miss the new lineup's debut next weekend!

Also in new Kewadin Casino concert announcements, Charlevoix classic metal trio Peril will return to the U.P. for the first time in 2014 with shows at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on January 10th & 11th, plus on February 28th & March 1st, while they'll play their first Soo Kewadin dates of next year on February 7th & 8th! Currently their only announced shows at any location of 2014, their current concert schedule through March 1st was announced on their Facebook page yesterday, with their shows denoted in red (as the poster outlines all of frontman Jeff Hudson's bands' early 2014 concerts.) Like the above RamWagon concerts, these should have 21+ age limits, no cover, and 9:00 PM start times, and check the above links for more details! It's great to have Peril's entertaining classic metal cover sound back in the Eastern U.P. for some more dates early next year, and hopefully these are just the first of many, so keep an eye out for updates!

Now, speaking of Jeff Hudson's bands, you may know that he plays in a few other active rock groups that aren't frequently seen in the Soo area. That might be changing though, as Jeff's Traverse City-based metal trio Scarkazm as playing at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for two weekends on January 31st & February 1st and on April 25th & 26th! The former dates are listed on the schedule above, while the April shows are via their website. A melodic groove metal band featuring Jeff on drums, Scarkazm have recent original material along with a wide array of covers, they have a solid crunch and chemistry that I'm enjoying on early listens, and hopefully these upcoming shows will encourage more dates for both Scarkazm and Jeff's non-Peril bands up here! As above, these are 21+ shows with no cover and a kick-off time of 9:00 PM, so check the above links for details, and stay tuned for more concert announcements as we get them!

Finally for today, here's a handful of assorted recent news items, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Windsor progressive hard rock band Awake To A Dream are looking to play in Sault Ontario in early 2014 (preferably January-February), so if you can help their solid melodic rock sound towards a local date, message frontman Chris Wilbur on Facebook at this link! They've already gotten some local contacts via Chris' post on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group earlier this month, but just in case, see if you can help!
• Local power/classic metal band The Hydra's Teeth have dropped off of THIS THURSDAY'S Heavy Winter concert at The Roosevelt Hotel due to a scheduling issue, as per the Facebook event page. Disappointing for sure, but promoter J.D. Pearce is working to get them on a 2014 show of his, and if any late lineup replacements are announced, we'll have them here!
• Former Blind Baby frontman Tadd Gravelle is looking to join a new Sault Michigan-area music project, as per his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post last week. He's aiming to jam and write original music, and it'd be nice to see him in a new band, so message him above or at this link for further details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some Christmas surprises TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

RamWagon Updates, New Videos, And Much More!!

We're back with some more news as we close in on Christmas, so what's in store for this Monday morning? New songs by two Sault Ontario solo singer/guitarists, and more assorted notes, but first, here's the latest from one of the most prominent new hard rock bands in Sault Michigan this year!

We'll start today with the latest from Sault Michigan hard rock cover quintet RamWagon, as they've officially added former Monkey's Uncle drummer Ron Suchey to their lineup, replacing Marcel Grengs. As announced on their Facebook page last week, Marcel left RamWagon to "pursue another drumming gig", though I don't know extra details at present, or if this will mean anything concerning his role in The Highest of Fives. Hopefully he's got some big plans though, and we'll hopefully keep you guys posted! Ron should be a good addition for RamWagon though, especially if you're familiar with his band work, and his addition reunites him with fellow Monkey's Uncle alum Nathan Switzer, so there should be pre-existing chemistry! The new lineup is projected to debut in January at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino if the recent "tentative" schedule posting on their Facebook page is any indication, but given that they admitted it was tentative, we won't call them on here until we get extra confirmation (either from the band or Kewadin's entertainment page.) Stay tuned for updates though!

Next up, here's some new YouTube video uploads from prolific local solo musicians, starting with a new song from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's YouTube channel, as uploaded on Friday! Entitled "Tonight" and based around the conceit of holding a party & having a good time, this is a heavy original (if paced slowly) with Tym making grate use of his upper vocal register! I would have paced the song a bit faster and had more varied lyrics, but this is a solid new original, so give it a listen below!



Also, Ashes To Dust guitarist Alex Hemy uploaded a cover of Michael Buble's version of the Mariah Carey song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" onto his YouTube channel on Saturday! Staged far differently than his other solo covers (this time well dressed, and seated beside a Christmas tree), the multiple camera angles and transitions work really well, and he handles this version of the song well, if with slightly less of a Michael Buble sound, but if you're up for some seasonal covers, check out Alex's new video below!

And finally for today, here's three shorter assorted stories from the last little while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or venue name:

• As they've now hosted two distinct hard rock-featured concerts within the same year (let alone the same month), I've now added LopLops Lounge to our active Sault Ontario concert venue listings! This artistic and higher end lounge (right near The Grand Theater) has suddenly hit the SMS' attention via two recent Danger Cats concerts, and stay tuned soon for videos from one of them!
• Only a third of RedD Monkey will be playing at THIS SATURDAY'S Another Year, Another Santa 2013 concert at The Algonquin Pub, as the Facebook event page now only credits frontman Steve Mozarowski among the performers. A reason for Pete & Joe's absence hasn't been publically announced, and I don't know yet what form Steve's set will take as a result, but I'm curious to find out! Get more details above!
• Dafter, Michigan solo hard rock artist Ken "SweetKenny" Sutton's upcoming new album "Ink!" now has it's official album cover, featuring striking yellow & black "warning sign" stripes, so give it a look at this link, and stay tuned for updates on the CD!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, along with some seasonal surprises! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: BurgandyHill's Channel & Vinnie

For this cold Sunday morning, we have our last YouTube Channel Profiles of 2013 for you guys! This monthly feature series takes a look at 1-3 YouTube channels that have at least a 50% concentration of local metal/hard rock videos, so you guys can check out and subscribe to some older and notable YouTube channels from the regional scene! Today's post features looks at two Sault Ontario-focused channels, from both the scene's past and recent memory, so read on below for what you should know in these profiles!
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BurgandyHill's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/burgandyhill)

Owner: YouTube user & Sault Ontario resident Burgandy Hill

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 5th, 2009; Videos posted from March 26th-30th of that year

Channel Summary: Burgandy's videos both came from the YMCA Battle of the Bands at The Lock City Grand Theater on March 20th, 2009, where she filmed part of local death metal band The Undead Warriors' first place set! The live concert debut for the band that we know better as Bring The Fallen, this battle run saw a different lineup than we're used to, with singer Josh Stephney filling in for the absent Joey Graham on drums, with rhythm guitarist Dan Souliere providing temporary lead vocals. The first of 3 battle victories for them, The Undead (Brown Pelican) Warriors won recording time that night that was eventually used to record their 2013 EP "Stand Before", featuring the two songs played in Burgandy's videos, those being part of "Defiling Despondence" and (as embedded below) all of "Night Riders"! They're definitely worth looking at for a unique early angle of Bring The Fallen's successful local run, though the angle & lighting isn't fantastic, and Dan's vocals are hard to hear. Note as well that Burgundy hasn't used her channel in over 4 years, in case that changes your mind on subscribing.


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Vinnie (http://www.youtube.com/chilly33rd)

Owner: Former Hollow & Carbon Black drummer Vinnie Milosevich, who currently drums for the Kitchener rock band Curse The Witch

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 16th, 2007; Videos posted from February 2010 through June 2013

Channel Summary: Mostly focusing on his local music work, Vinnie's YouTube channel features 4 videos of his old local band Hollow, including three from a local concert in 1994 and one from one of Hollow's reunion gigs in August 2011. His only other video is of him covering The Matthew Good Band's "Haven't Slept In Years" with his old Kitchener cover band Knee Deep at a concert in Hamilton from earlier this year, with no videos following of his more recent music work.

Why Should You Watch: Vinnie's channel will likely be most notable to fans of Hollow and their prolific local band members, but the presence of local concert videos from almost 20 years ago should be of note on their own to curious local music fans! Keep in mind that Vinnie hasn't updated his channel in about 6 months, just in case activity remains sporadic there.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Pantera Cemetary Gates - Cover done by my old band Hollow: Vinnie's first upload is also his most watched, and it's one of three 1994 Hollow concert videos that he posted in February 2010 at an uncredited local venue. Presumably featuring singer Luigi Miceli, guitarists Tym Morrison (Caveman Morrison) & Terry Eaton (2 Buck Beers), and bassist Dan Beaupre (Griphook) as well, this cover of Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" joins covers of Metallica's "Creeping Death" & "Master of Puppets" from this same show. The quality isn't too hot, especially thanks to the camera being behind a big crowd, but Hollow show a lot of skill, and I wonder what Luigi's up to now, as he's a solid singer, despite the occasional lyric flub! Just keep in mind that these videos come from a tape camcorder.



Hollow Reunion Show - August.06, 2011: The last local concert upload on Vinnie's channel is from of one of Hollow's two reunion concerts in August 2011, where they covered King's X's "Dogman" at Bossy's Pub N' Grub. Featuring Carbon Black alum Travis Sharpe (now of The Thrill Junkies) in Luigi's place, the filmer of this clip has a good angle of the band, though the lighting could be better. We don't get enough reunions of older local metal bands, and with solid quality performances like this one, hopefully the idea comes up again soon!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! To kick off this series in 2014, we've randomly selected two more channels to profile, as the first we selected only had two distinct music videos there, so we added a channel with a single video to fill it out. Both are from Sault Michigan, and they include YouTube user The37533's channel (featuring three Tantrym Tyme concert clips) and madrid77's channel (featuring a copy of SooToday's video from Kiss' 2007 stop at Kewadin Casino), so look out for all of that on or around January 22nd! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as we get closer to Christmas! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) This Weekend's Other Concert Previews, And More!!

Unless there's another short notice concert announcement, today's post covers the rest of this weekend's regional metal/hard rock concerts that I can verify! That leads off today's post (including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), but we also have news on a local concert venue's change in name & focus, and some more assorted updates, so read on below for what you need to know!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Harp Pub & Grill for another solo acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only just announced the show on Wednesday. The third straight Friday night show that Tym has played at the former Madison's Pub, the Facebook event page for tonight's show says that he's live at The Harp "every Friday", which appears to indicate that Tym has another weekly concert arrangement set up with a local venue, which is nice to see! Tym hasn't had an ongoing regularly scheduled series like this since his early 2012 run at another central venue (Bossy's Pub N' Grub), and hopefully this finds similar success (or bigger) if it's of a similar consistent length! Note however that I don't know what this means for Tym's frequent recent appearances at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill, where he generally played his Friday shows at this year. TONIGHT'S show at The Harp has no announced cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Tym ramping up bookings at The Harp (his debut there on November 1st must have been a huge hit), and assuming this new series continues, keep an eye out for an announcement of a December 27th show there! For a preview, here's Tym live at Mill Square this summer!



Now to quite a unique concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT for our second hard-rock featured Loplops Lounge concert spotlighted on the SMS in just over a week! The show is X-Mess, an all acoustic punk rock revue at this higher-end downtown lounge, but there will be some hard rock on hand, as all female rockers The Danger Cats will break out the unplugged instruments for their sixth live concert! It'll be interesting to hear how they adapt in this environment, so keep it in mind for tomorrow! Also, no word on if singer Summer Snow-Leopard will be back for this show, but a personal Facebook posting implied she's back in town, so we'll have to see! The advertised headliners are an acoustic punk act named The Debts, and though public information has yet to be revealed on them, I will say they're a trio and feature some established names in local music, so they should put in a great set! The other acts are credited solo performers, including North West guitarist Greg Callaghan (who has played a number of solo unplugged punk shows in recent months) and "Dr." Sal Velinus, of whom I know little regarding his musical background.

Promoted by J.D. Pearce, this concert goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at 10:00 PM, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a $5 cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an interesting and unique seasonal concert (you're even encouraged to wear ugly Christmas sweaters), so don't bypass it tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's The Danger Cats covering Hole at their live concert debut!

Also today, a local concert venue has had a major change to it's name and theme in recent months, as The Nicolet Tavern at 304 Albert Street West is now a country themed bar named The Rednecks Saloon. A reason for the change hasn't been publically announced (at least online), but this poster jokes that The Nicolet was "gunned down by a redneck." Renovations took place as well for the new look in late October, with the bar re-opening on Friday, November 1st, and though their phone number & much of the menu are unchanged, I haven't heard a whole lot about bands playing there since. The Nic last featured a hard rock band (Griphook) on October 25th, a week prior to the re-opening, with bands in recent years there generally leaning towards veteran cover groups. I have no clue at present if the new Rednecks Saloon will have an all country focus for music (a'la Reggie's) or if it's just the general theme of the bar now, but hopefully they won't completely forgo some classic hard rock once in a while! Stay tuned for updates if they come in!

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

• A selection of professional photos from Saturday night's Bam Margera/Fuckface Unstoppable concert were taken by attendee Jeff McKersie and uploaded to his photography website earlier this week! Joining some earlier local musician shots, he got 5 great pictures each of F.F.U. and co-headliners Wilson (none of the local bands though), and they turned out great, so check them out at this link, and Jeff's now in our local concert/musician photography links!
• As a thank you to fans for their support during their run, defunct local grunge/alternative quartet Haggith have posted free streaming copies of their two "mainline" studio albums "Dragon Joy Ride" and "Deuce" on their BandCamp page! No word on if "Apocalypse", non-studio album releases, or any unreleased material will find it's way there eventually, but check out the free copies at the link above, and follow the members' current bands!
• Speaking of posthumous Haggith-related activity, the band revealed on the Facebook event page for their final show earlier this month that frontman Curtis McKenzie is "rumoured to be entering sessions" to complete his Sound X solo project's debut album "Three Year Relapse", though nothing further has been publically stated. Hopefully Curtis gets that project back up & running!

That's probably all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes as we get it, along with this month's YouTube Channel Profiles on Sunday! Thanks everyone!