Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

It's now time to shut down last month's poll and launch out newest poll in this second post of the day so let's kick things off with last month's results! As you may remember, we posed this question to you guys last month: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk CD of 2014? We got a decent tally of 21 votes, which provided a clear result, especially in favour of one band in particular so here's the final count!

Stereo North (14 votes, 66%)

Other (3 votes, 14%)

Caroline Divine (1 vote, 5%)

Eclipse (1 vote, 5%)

Id Iota (1 vote, 5%)

Infinity Grinder (1 vote, 5%)

Faceityoureametalband (0 votes)

Leaked (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, it is clear that one band in particular ran away with the poll, that being local pop punk quartet Stereo North, though I will note the caveat that the band did have a campaign on their Facebook page to get votes. That being said, if I was to predict the results, I'd have had them first or second, so it doesn't look too odd! Stereo North had a strong first year, and here's hoping they hit even bigger heights as we march into 2016! As for the rest of the poll, I was a little surprised at the thin spread of votes for the other bands, particularly for Caroline Divine, but it doesn't help when a few of the bands in the poll were ones that hadn't played live last fall and weren't as fresh in the mind as others. I will apologize though for one notable missed band in the poll, as I neglected to include defunct Sault Michigan hard rockers Ten Kings, who likely missed our compiling due to their online page deletions following their breakup. Maybe they got some votes for "Other"?

There's no excuses on our end though, so I am sorry once again to their ex-members and fans! I would argue that Ten Kings were still the biggest new hard rock band of 2015 in Sault Michigan, and hopefully the guys all turn up in new bands in short order, there's talent to be had from all four!

Thanks to everyone for voting! As for this month's poll, we're keeping our "favourite _____ of 2015" polls going with this question: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk album of 2015? The past year yielded a high number of new CD and album releases from SMS-covered bands, and as usual, we're interested in learning which ones you guys liked the most, so it'll be very interesting to see the final results! Along with "Other", we have chosen 12 albums for the poll this year, with bands who released multiple solo albums in 2015 having them grouped in the same choice. Albums must have been sold or available on at least a "pay what you want" model to qualify for the poll, so bands like Sykotyk Rampage and Dullahan are absent for that reason. As well, Integrated System of Machines aren't present as I can't verify if the CD they distributed at their reunion concert in July was fully packaged and paid release or not. If it was though, our sincere apologies!

Also, note that a few albums (namely, some from Blood Shed Productions) are listed without their full title in the poll as they may be seen as offensive by some readers. Also, I do hope that bands don't hold a public campaign for votes in order their album to "win", as I'm hoping for a fair result and not a popularity contest. Now, here are your choices in this month's poll on your favourite local albums of the past year!

Bad Back - ALbums: After two quiet demo releases in late 2014, local grunge/hardcore duo Bad Back released their anticipated first full length "ALbums" (gratuitous plural intentional) to their Bandcamp page in September. Though they've been relatively quiet since, fans seemed to respond positively to this release, but were you among them?

Blood Shed Productions' Rock And/Or Roll 11-Way Split: In March, local goregrind label Blood Shed Productions put out an ambitious split CD featuring 11 bands, including four out of town acts, recent notable bands like The Apocalypse Afterparty & This Is Your Band On Drugs, the debut of Das Skalpell Kampf, and many Blood Shed veterans! The planned CD release show was cancelled, but is it your top 2015 CD?

Crucify The Whore & Scrotox's split CD: Another spring release from Blood Shed Productions was a more typical split disc (with the controversial name "Jesus Eats Human Flesh") from local goregrind solo act C.T.W. and North Bay grindcore band Scrotox, which was sold in physical copies and can be streamed on YouTube as well. Was this your favourite album of the year?

Destroilet, Jack Spades, and The Ripcordz - Fed Up! A Canadian Punk Rock Split: Arguably the highest profile new album of 2015 among local bands, punk/metal standouts Destroilet & Jack Spades joined forces with Montreal veterans The Ripcordz to put out their ambitious split "Fed Up!" featuring 4 originals and 1 cover each, and a CD release show in October to launch it! Did "Fed Up!" top last year to you?

Haggith - Apocalypse II and/or XIV: Before their presumed final breakup in the summer, local alternative hard rock quartet Haggith released their final albums in the spring, they being their concept sequel album "Apocalypse II" and their final mainline EP "XIV", which compiled their last recorded original songs. Haggith are still missed, but did they go out on a high note?

Malignant Neoplasm's 2015 releases: The cybergrind project from Crucify the Whore/Rotopsy alum Tyler Gibson put out two digital albums on Bandcamp in 2015, including "A Malignant Neoplastic Disease of the Intestines" and "Kittens Have Crusty's", whose 16 combined tracks have an average length of 34 seconds! Though an acquired taste, are you a big enough fan to vote for them over the rest?

Mike Haggith - The Warinside and/or it's promotional EPs: Hyped as his most personal release yet, ex-Haggith drummer Mike Haggith put out his newest album "The Warinside" in July with a CD release party, two digital EPs featuring advance copies of it's songs, and his biggest promotonal push yet for a solo album. Did you like "The Warrenside" and/or it'sEPs the most?

The Pixo Control - Probably Not: After a lengthy recording session and a pair of lineup changes, local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control put out their debut CD "Probably Not" in conjunction with two release concerts last month. The Tidal Records-released disc recieved a positve response from fans, but would you pick it as your top new album of last year?

RedD Monkey - Opus 2: Untitled: In quite possibly the most surprising local album release of 2015, defunct local/Toronto punk trio RedD Monkey posthumously released the incomplete recordings from their third and final album "Opus 2" in September, helping give fans some closure after their quiet breakup the previous year! Did this surprise final CD win to you?

Rotopsy's newest CD: Blood Shed Productions' other metal release in 2015 was their newest album (with the controversial title "Sexual Assault Rifle"), released in April with 16 songs full of minimalist goregrind intensity from Dylan & Tyler! Blood Shed loyalists ate up this release, but did you like Rotopsy's latest disc the most in this poll?

Any of SweetKenny's 2015 albums: Dafter, Michigan hard rock solo artist Kenneth Sutton kept up his prolific solo project with four new SweetKenny albums in his official canon, including "Fleabag Hotel", "Charlie Hidelburg: Ancient Hunter", "The Hitman Files", and "The Walkers: Rise of the Dead" all released last year! Did you take to any of his hard rock jams the most?

Telephone & Address - Rust Orchid: Aguably the most unique local release from a heavier or punk project in 2015, the Chris Shoust-led solo project released this instrumental album in February, which eschewed Telephone & Address' usual acoustic punk sound for an ambient experimental style. It was an interesting change of pace, but did it hit the top of your charts? 

Other: Did we miss your preferred choice in the poll? Maybe we forgot an album to include that was definitively first released in 2015? Did you prefer a free album like the recent Sykotyk Rampage "albums"? Did I.S.O.M.'s recent disc turn out to be a paid and packaged album after all? Maybe you preferred a non-local album, or one by a non-metal/punk band? If your favourite isn't a choice, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You guys have until February 18th to cast your votes, and hopefully there's a strong tally of votes for this poll, as it was quite a good year for album releases in the Soo, which will hopefully continue into the new year! Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for more news and updates soon!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 421), New Videos, And More Updates!!

Before we launch our new poll on the SMS, here's one more news post on this Monday morning, including some assorted recent notes, new videos from a pair of diverse local artists, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month! Here's what you should know!

Local classic metal quintet Project 421 will play a solo headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on Friday, February 5th! Their second solo show without extra bands (but first at this venue), this joins their first solo gig at The Rednecks Saloon this Friday, and it will be their first at The Rockstar Bar since New Year's Eve. It remains to be seen how Project 421's first toe into the solo cover weekend waters goes, but it's good to see this popular band increasing their concert frequency, and hopefully there's a great turnout at The Rockstar Bar in two & a half weeks for their old school metal renditions! There is a $5 cover charge advertised for February 5th, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a solid concert full of classic metal, so keep it in mind for next month, and don't miss Project 421's first solo gig at Rednecks on Friday!

Next up, here's some new video finds, including the latest from local death metal duo Brutally Fatal! The Blood Shed Productions project from Crucify The Whore and Revolution alumni had been relatively quiet since the summer, but things picked up earlier this month when they revealed on their Facebook page that they'd be recording a new EP of some type within the next two weeks. That was posted on January 7th,  but it's not publically clear if any recording sessions have begun yet. They followed that with a video upload of newly remastered versions of two songs from their 2013 release "Acidic Sky's", namely "Cold Pulse" & "Drowning In Poison", so how do they sound now? Similar but louder and cleaner, and fans should enjoy these versions! Just to clarify, remember that Brutally Fatal (then spelled with one L in "Brutaly") began as a solo project from frontman Austin McCrae, hence the minimalist bass & vocals-only sound. Check out more from Brutally Fatal above and below!



Also today, here's a new video of Leaked drummer Nic Buckner that was uploaded to Mannapool guitarist Korey Deluca's YouTube channel in October! Recorded at Deluca Sound Productions, this video is of Nic drumming along to Ryan Holliday's "Blinded" before playing a drum solo with no backing track, and he performs strongly in both settings! The description notes that Nic filmed the videos as part of an application to play with a travelling youth outreach band that would play at American schools, and while I'm unsure if he got that gig, this video is well shot and demonstrates his ability nicely! Give it a look below!



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

• Project 421 bassist Daniel Horton is looking for 3 or 4 bands to play a Valentine's Day-themed show on Friday, February 12th (venue unclear), with preference to bands who have "some dance music or upbeat tunes", maybe even love songs. In case this will have a hard rock presence, I thought I'd mention it here, so message Daniel at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post by the Tuesday deadline if you want in, or if you want to play on any other future shows that he's working on!
• A celebration of life concert for late That's Chester guitarist Eugene Orlando will be held at The Water Tower Pub on Thursday, March 3rd! Though advertised as being headlined by his classic rock band Agave Blue, the Facebook event page notes that it'll feature Eugene's longtime bandmate Gabe Tessaro alongside That's Chester frontman Greg Simpson in a joint acoustic set with special guests. It's odd that this tribute concert is taking place so late after Eugene's passing, but hopefully there's a huge response on March 3rd, and see above for updates as they roll in!
• We have moved local experimental metal project The Strange Coyotes back to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. A throwback post aside, the band hasn't issued any public updates since December 2014, and hasn't played live since November of that year, shortly into a brief reunion. The Strange Coyotes were an entertaining band that had a lot of promise and creativity, but lineup changes and lengthy hiatuses didn't help matters. Best of luck to Chase, James, and Mike in the future, and hopefully we see them back again down the road!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more as the week progresses! Thanks everyone!

An Inactive Punk Band, New Videos, And More Assorted Updates!!

Today's post mostly collects some assorted news and notes, including new videos from a pair of local bands who have shared drummers, but we're kicking things off with a likely inactive band. Here's what you should know!

We'll start with info on a band that we'll likely be adding to our inactive band links soon due to a year's inactivity, that being local punk trio The Northern Tragedy. Nothing regarding their status has been publically announced, but the guys last updated their Facebook page on January 23rd of last year, and they haven't played live since March 2014. Active since late 2012, The Northern Tragedy were one of the most notable punk bands of recent years in the Soo, opening for bands like The Golers, Warsenal, and Skynet during their run, along with playing at 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, and releasing two demo EPs. However, updates slowed down in 2014, and we've more recently seen singer/drummer Terrence Gomes in the alternative duo Infinity Grinder (who have been dormant as of late themselves.) Though their stage presences were often stiff, The Northern Tragedy had a fun modern punk sound and a lot of promise, and hopefully they re-emerge at some point! Best of luck to Terrence, Mike, and Corry in the future!

Next up, here's a new video from local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven, who have been busy working in studio with Deluca Sound Productions as of late! Though unlisted on YouTube, studio head Korey Deluca (Mannapool) shared it on the studio's Facebook page yesterday, so it's publically viewable through there. It's of frontman Cory Murchison tracking a verse, and while window glare gets in the way, everything sounds solid at this stage, so check it out below! For what it's worth, drummer John Mignacca moved to Sudbury last year, and it's yet to be established how that will affect Skeyes of Seven's future plans, if at all, but we'll keep you posted if something is announced!



Also today, here's some new heavier covers from a recent jam session by local pop rock veterans Cherry Crush! The band is featured in nine new videos uploaded to their YouTube channel on Thursday, and while they include covers from their usual wheelhouse (including songs by The Weeknd, The Swedish House Mafia, KC & The Sunshine Band, Wild Cherry, and Awolnation), four covers do fit what the site, including of Theory of a Deadman's "Bad Girlfriend", The Foo Fighters' "Everlong", Royal Blood's "Out Of The Black", and as embedded below, Volbeat's "Still Counting"! In the videos, Cherry Crush are represented by guitarist Jules Cote, bassist John Amendola, and his son Jonny (returning to replace Rico Calvano) on drums, with Jules on vocals for the most part (Taryn Bugyra recently left the band, so they have been looking for a new singer.) The audio is somewhat muffled on these videos, but Cherry Crush handle heavier tunes well, and it's nice to see them break them out on occasion!

Now, it's worth mentioning that Jonny's drum head (still?) displays the logo of his old band Skeyes of Seven. Has he just not updated his drum head yet, or has he returned to that band? If we get any public clarification, we'll let you know, but it's nice to see him back with Cherry Crush in any event! Give their new videos a look below, and hopefully they find a new singer in due course!



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

• New local metal band Debt To The Heirless have changed their name to Kaepora Gaebora, referencing the wise owl character from the Legend of Zelda video game series, as per their Facebook page yesterday. A reason for the name change wasn't announced, other than to say that the decision came as a result of their sound development & establishment of the band. The new name is somewhat out of left field, but with members of Bring The Fallen/Misery and Them in their lineup, don't bypass Kaepora Gaebora when they finally debut on stage!
• This doesn't bear directly on local metal, hard rock, and punk news, but local news website SooToday launched a new layout and design today, which you may have already sampled on their sister sites in other cities. It'll take some getting used to, but it has a cleaner and more modern look, and things seem easy to find (including for entertainment updates), so give the new SooToday a look!
• In a surprise find, unmastered rough mixes of the first three songs from Woods of Ypres' third album "The Deepest Roots & Darkest Blues" can be streamed on their page on the goth culture social networking site VampireFreaks! Though the page hasn't been regularly maintained by the defunct black metal band since at least 2007, the songs ("The Northern Cold", "Iron Grudge", and "Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground") still work perfectly, and it's interesting to hear these songs in their early unpolished form! Give them a listen above!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Griphook), New Videos, And More!!

I hope everyone's having a great day! For today's post, we're touching on a recent news article with a unique metal tie, a pair of new videos referencing two local acts, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a veteran cover band's long awaited return to the stage!

Local hard rock cover quartet Griphook will return to the stage on Saturday, January 23rd for a headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar! After a six month stage hiatus (apparently to focus on learning new material), this talented veteran band will finally unveil the fruits of their recent labour for fans next Saturday, in what will be their first show of 2016, their first of any type since Rotaryfest last year, and their first at The Rockstar Bar since 2014! Remember, Griphook are the band featuring ex-100 Gran frontman Joel Syrette, ex-Bigsuit guitarist Brian Oja, ex-Hollow bassist Dan Beaupre, and ex-Gsis Murphy drummer Anthony Fabiano, and all have the chops for heavier material, so don't bypass them next weekend! And yes, this is a one nighter, no word on who's playing at the venue next Friday. There's a 10:00 PM start time for this concert, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there's no announced cover charge (but have cash on hand just in case.) For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

Griphook's recent break was a little worrisome given the lack of online updates, but it's great to have the guys back at last, and hopefully 2016 is a much busier year (publically, at least) than we saw last year! Stay tuned for more from Griphook as it comes in, and don't miss their return to the stage next weekend at The Rockstar Bar!

Next up, here's the first ever music video from local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore! Set to a new song from their upcoming CD "The Beautiful Sounds of Nature", this was uploaded to label Blood Shed Productions' YouTube channel yesterday. The song's title is what it is (and comes with the territory for C.T.W.), but the video itself isn't badly put together, featuring clips from live performances, some in-studio work, and various outside antics & camaraderie. It's short, but worth watching if you love some local goregrind, so check it out below!



Also, here's a new video of local skateboarders featuring The Pixo Control's "Scratch" as the backing audio! Uploaded by YouTube user Hooksane15 on Tuesday, this is more of a skateboarding video than anything else (compiling street footage from last year as a montage), but I thought I'd acknowledge it as it's a locally filmed and edited video, featuring boarders who you may recognize from the Tidal Records skate team, and "Scratch" fits the theme well! Give it a look below!

Finally for today, here's an overdue look at a recent SooToday article on a local artist who recently got a high profile gig with a major metal band! Last week, Wawa native and ex-Sault resident Darren Emond was interviewed for an article by SooToday's David Helwig which reveals that Darren was recently selected to draw the artwork in a forthcoming Iron Maiden comic book that will be published for their upcoming Book of Souls World Tour! I won't spoil the article proper, but it highlights the personal struggles that Darren dealt with in recent years, his path to becoming an artist, his artistic influences, and how he got the gig to work on an Iron Maiden comic (sketches of which are featured with the article.) This is an in-depth piece that nicely explores Darren's career trajectory, and if you're familiar with his art, you'll know he's a talent, as the sketches show! I don't personally know Darren, but he has a bright future ahead, so check out his SooToday article at the above links, and best of luck on the release!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lucky 13) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another weekend is upon us, so let's tackle this weekend's hard rock concert previews! It's a quiet weekend if you're hoping for heavier or punk original bands, but there's lots of cover action to look for over the coming days on both sides of the border, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to start, so here's what you need to know!

Local alternative hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will play their first concerts of 2016 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were announced earlier this week via SooToday's entertainment page, and while there is a Facebook event page confirming them as well, it is private to tie in to some birthday celebrations going on at the venue both nights. These will be this popular veteran cover outfit's first concerts at The Rockstar Bar in over a month, and Lucky 13 should be in prime form for their return to the stage, so don't miss their varied & often heavy covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! And yes, if you're friends of the guests celebrating their birthday, be sure to celebrate in style! There's no announced cover charge (but bring cash just in case), you must be 19 or older to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are likely. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Lucky 13 live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, prolific local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his ongoing weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with solo headlining matinee concerts TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Playing his third weekend of the year at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, Tym is exclusively there this weekend after an apparent one-off return to The Road House Bar & Grill this past Friday, so if you want to take in Tym's acoustic hard rock covers, head downtown to Gliss for his regular supper matinees this weekend! As usual for his Gliss shows, these are all 6:00 PM shows with no announced cover charge (but remember, this is a restaurant), and there's no announced age limits either. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live at The Service Grill a few years back!



Closing in the Eastern U.P., let's first look at Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, who will play their first concerts of 2016 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St Ignace Kewadin Casino! The first of an extensive slate of Kewadin Casino concert dates in our neck of the woods for this talented quartet, these and Sault Ste. Marie gigs await for most months of 2016, and for the sake of reference, we plugged the whole slate of 2016 shows in our last post rather than hold them for our previews to give that many shows their proper due and emphasis. Of course, you can check Highway 63 out next weekend at the Soo Kewadin branch, but if you can't make either of those dates, or live closer to St. Ignace, you know where to be this weekend! As usual for their Kewadin dates, look for 9:00 PM-ish start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges for tomorrow & Saturday's shows. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Highway 63 live last year!



Finally for this weekend (so far?), Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will play their second & third shows of the year (but first within an hour of the Soo) TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they headline at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! Marking their only regional concerts of the month, these will be Banned's first in Sault Michigan since October, and first at the Soo Kewadin since August, so if you've missed Alex, Don, and Wayne there in recent months, this weekend's shows will remedy that! Remember, Banned will next be in Engadine, Christmas, and Manistique before their return to our area for a Hessel show on February 12th, so visit their Facebook page for full and currently announced dates through March! This weekend's shows in the Soo both have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Banned live last summer!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news & notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Highway 63), New Videos, And More Updates!!

Before we get into today's post, I'd like to apologize for a pair of missed concerts this past weekend, as Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm played their first E.U.P. dates of the year this past Friday & Saturday at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino. Despite being announced online on January 4th, they completely slipped us by last week. No excuses, I sincerely apologize for missing them on here, but hopefully Scarkazm had a great weekend, and that they & Peril head back north in short order! Now, today's post features some assorted news, new videos, and first, lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 have announced their 2016 concert schedule for the regional Kewadin Casino branches, and yes, that means all year long! While we wait for an updated multi-band schedule from Kewadin themselves, the Monkey's Uncle successors have confirmed via their Facebook page that they'll be playing at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin and The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin each for one weekend a month (with one exception), so when will we see them? In St. Ignace, we'll see Highway 63 for Friday and/or Saturday nighters on January 15th & 16th, February 12th & 13th, March 11th & 12th, April 8th & 9th, May 27th & 28th, June 24th & 25th, July 29th & 30th, August 26th & 27th, September 23rd & 24th, October 21st & 22nd, and December 2nd & 3rd (there's no November dates listed for St. Ignace.) Meanwhile, when will we see this talented band rocking the Soo in 2016?

Look for them there on January 22nd & 23rd, February 19th & 20th, March 25th & 26th, April 22nd & 23rd, May 13th & 14th, June 3rd & 4th, July 8th & 9th, August 12th & 13th, September 9th & 10th, October 7th & 8th, November 4th & 5th, and Saturday, December 31st only, so keep these dates in mind! Also, Highway 63 will play a few shows at the Kewadin branch in Christmas through February, and they've confirmed that they plan to only playing casino gigs in 2016 due to the positive response those have gotten. Each show has a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover, so check the above links for more details!

Next up, here's a new video from Sault Ontario alternative hard rock trio The Pixo Control promoting their Sudbury concert on January 22nd, as per their YouTube channel on Saturday, and it's basically an extended version of their earlier Instagram video plugging the gig. It basically involves various attempts to plug the show in various comic tones and moods, often with the guys breaking down into laughter. Even if you can't make their first show in Sudbury, it's an entertaining watch, so give it a look below!



Also, here's the latest solo performance videos from ex-Ten Kings guitarist Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel, both uploaded last month (apologies for the delay!) One of the videos is of the Sault Michigan standout playing a funk rock instrumental with all of his pedals on at once, which gives an interesting effect, but embedded below is a longer performance clip of Joe demonstrating his Mooer Pure Octave pedal, which gives the effect of his guitar sounding like a keyboard or organ when he plays it. Entertaining videos, especially if you're into guitar gear, so check out Joe's latest YouTube uploads above & below!



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

• Six months after it was first announced, the split disc from local doom metal trio AlgomA and Saskatchewan doom metal outfit Chronobot finally has some more information! As per this link, the split will apparently come out exclusively as a 12'' vinyl record (rendering it an EP or split single in length), it'll have new tracks from both bands, and it'll come out via AlgomA's label Dead Beat Media. Nice to finally hear more about it, so stay tuned for more details on it and AlgomA's other announced split with Hooded Menace when everything comes in!
• Local hard rock quartet Long Shot have apparently completed mastering their debut EP, as per their Facebook page yesterday! Though they had recorded some studio demos last year, this is largely a complete surprise, as they hadn't publically acknowledged recording an album beforehand (unless it was done in concert only.) We'll keep you posted when more comes out from Long Shot!
• Garden of Bedlam frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau is moving to Guelph soon for a career opportunity, and as a result, his general rock cover band Changing Lanes will be going on hiatus after their February 6th concert at The Water Tower Pub. What this development means for Garden of Bedlam's status isn't public yet, but note that the prominent metal quartet have only played one public concert in the past 2 years, and haven't issued a public update since July. We'll let you know if Garden of Bedlam announce anything, but best of luck to Buzz in Guelph!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more news & notes in the coming week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Lift The Broken & OBCD

Apologies for the day's delay, but here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, our first of 2016! Once again, we're looking at 1-2 (two in this case) randomly selected local bands that are either defunct or inactive, in order to spotlight and profile them for current readers! This month's random choices resulted from the first band not having enough info to fill a whole post, so we're doubling up with looks at a rising recent band that never quite got off the ground & a familiar older quartet whose members should be very familiar from their successor band! Read on below for what you should know on each!
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Lift The Broken

Genre: Modern/Hard Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members:

Carol Grover, vocals
Nathan Webber, guitar

Audio/Video: Lift The Broken never posted any public media or concert videos during their active run, and as their members aren't known commodities from other local bands that we've covered, it's hard to gauge how they would have sounded. For reference, Lift The Broken hadn't filled out their lineup with a bassist or drummer at last update, and they cited Skillet, Evanescence, Shinedown, Nickelback, and Three Days Grace as influences.

Info/Analysis: Only briefly active in early-mid 2014, Lift The Broken made their live debut at an open mic night at Biggby Coffee in Sault Michigan on February 24th of that year, but no media followed, and updates occasionally followed until their last post on their Facebook page that July, where they ironically said that they were "back to work". L.T.B. likely fell inactive by year's end, and Carol apparently started college out of town this year. It's hard to know what kind of promise Lift The Broken had, but Facebook posts sounded positive from both them and fans, so hopefully Carol & Nathan stay active musically in some form!
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OBCD

Genre: Alternative/Ska Punk

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Matt Baic (Shit Liver, Dirtfight), vocals/guitar
Josh Penno (Shit Liver, Dirtfight), vocals/guitar
Mike Kyle (Shit Liver, Dirtfight, Mayadevi), bass
Kristan Surge (Mayadevi), drums

Audio/Video: Despite playing multiple concerts during their run, OBCD do not have any known surviving videos or other online media. Though 3/4ths of OBCD later regrouped as the goregrind outfit Shit Liver (along with their St. Catherine's folk side project Dirtfight), neither are full punk acts but both do have noted punk influences, and Shit Liver even covered OBCD's original "You Speak Of Weak (And We Don't Care)" often in early concerts. However, Mike & Kristan's prior band Mayadevi were likely the closest match in overall sound to OBCD.

Info/Analysis: Active from August 2007 through at least the fall of 2008, OBCD (short for "obesity") were a young punk quartet who may be most familiar from sets at various Oddfellows Hall concerts of that period, opening for the likes of The Rebel Spell, The UK Subs, and The Flatliners. Last playing at the Farrell Brothers concert in July 2008, the guys (save for Kristan) regrouped more successfully as Shit Liver in 2010, with Matt moving to the drums. OBCD obviously had promise, and hopefully some media of theirs turns up down the road, but as we've seen, goregrind has served the guys well since! Be sure to follow Matt, Josh, and Mike's current bands!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll return to one band profiles with what should be a big installment, as our latest random selection has gifted us with Lion Ride, the 2007-2012 punk/metal band featuring a host of familiar faces from the local punk scene! Look for this profile on or around February 10th, and stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming week & beyond! Thanks everyone!