LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Redneck Rock Bash 2, Havadder, And Tym Morrison) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

After having just one post in the past 4 days, let's get back into the groove with this weekend's concert previews! It's a relatively light weekend to start the month of June, barring any more late notice announcements, but we have lots of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to kick off our hard rock concert previews, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has announced his next solo dates at Gliss Steak & Seafood for TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so we'll add his slate of June 2016 dates to our concert listings now! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's dates, we were waiting for the Facebook event page to confirm them before announcing them here. Along with TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S Gliss shows, Tym will also bring his acoustic solo show to The Quality Inn's house restaurant for shows on June 10th & 11th, 17th & 18th, and 24th & 25th, with his previously teased return to Thursday nights at this venue still awaiting a firm return date. Tym's long-term arrangement at Gliss continues to successfully march into the summer, so keep his June dates in mind, as well as his previously announced Algoma Ride for Autism set in Runway Park on June 11th too! All of his Gliss shows this month have 6:00 PM start times and no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant.

Tym's acoustic matinees should deliver some solid hard rock hits this month, including TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so check the above links for more details on the next month of his Gliss run, and here he is live!

Next up, the long teased second Redneck Rock Bash goes down THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rednecks Saloon! Apologies again for the short notice, we had heard about the show via a Musicians Wanted Facebook group discussion searching for performers since April 10th, but we waited for an official public confirmation before calling it here, which only came on Tuesday. A sequel to April 23rd's initial Redneck Rock Bash from promoters Twin City Sound & Entertainment, this will again unite five local acts for a night of varied local music, so who all is performing? Listed acts include classic metal quintet Project 421 (replacing The Din, who are focusing on their album release right now), punk trio Redundant (the only returning band from April's Rock Bash), indie rock solo artist Jacob "Shit Creek Survivor" Quarrell, The Leash Kids (an experimental/rap duo from The Gore Street Cafe's Sam Decter & rapper Mikey Thomas), and classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood (whose members run Twin City Sound.)

Solid, diverse lineup to be sure, so keep it in mind despite the short notice on SATURDAY NIGHT! There's no announced cover charge for Redneck Rock Bash 2, which has a 19+ age limit and 10:00 PM start time (and for the record, I can't confirm if any of these bands are playing tomorrow night at Rednecks or not, Mourning Wood in particular, but we'll let you know if something is announced!) Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 421 live!



In one more late notice concert announcement, local classic/hard rock cover trio Havadder will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT themselves at The Rockstar Bar! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this show via the official Facebook event page yesterday. Playing just their third show of the year and first show in two months, this will be Havadder's second live appearance since contracting to a trio lineup full time, and while we haven't seen Jason, Travis, and Scott much this year, their well tested and hard hitting covers should find another solid audience on SATURDAY NIGHT! There's no cover charge for SATURDAY'S 19+ concert, which has a 10:30 PM start time. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Havadder live last year!



Finally for this weekend's previews, we'll head across to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will hit the stage for two previously announced shows! Though still not plugging new dates on Facebook, Kewadin Casino's entertainment page confirms that the Monkey's Uncle successors will continue their one-weekend-a-month run of shows at The Rapids Lounge this weekend, so keep their often heavy and classics-filled sets in mind for this weekend if you want some live music action in the E.U.P.! There's no announced cover charges for these 21+ concerts, which will start at 9:00 PM each night. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Highway 63 live earlier this year!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next, plus more news to come! Thanks everyone!

New SooToday Videos, Plus More Recent Video Uploads!!

The last few days have been relatively quiet on the SMS, but I have an unwritten rule to try and ensure that we don't go three days on the site without a new post, so let's keep that up before I tackle my 27th birthday celebrations! Today's post is devoted to recent video postings from and featuring local artists, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with a pair of (sadly unembeddable) videos from local news website SooToday with metal & punk relevance, starting with the newest episode of Tuned with Donna Hopper, as posted online on Sunday! The second straight episode taken from last month's Motherfuckers-headlined show at The Oddfellows Hall, this one focuses on the Calgary hardcore punk headliners, with Donna interviewing frontman Dan Izzo and bassist Sean Hunter outside of the venue about Calgary's punk scene, their influence on Canadian punk music, their newest material, and what they know about Sault Ste. Marie, as interspersed with performance clips from their set. Not a bad interview, and the guys keep things light before their ferocious set, so give it a look above! The other new SMS-relevant SooToday video covers Darren Emond's Iron Maiden comic book launch at The Rad Zone earlier this month, so what should you know on it?

Darren is interviewed by an uncredited & unheard SooToday reporter about how he got on board with the Iron Maiden comic, his background and artistic endeavours, the reception of the comic so far, and his positive experiences in working with a band he loves, doing what he loves. Featuring some shots of his artwork in between, this gives Darren some nice press, so give it a look above, and pick up your copy of the Iron Maiden comic book A.S.A.P.!

Next up, here's some updates from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's Facebook page, including reveals that they now have buttons for sale (check out their next concerts to see if they're available), they're now on Snapchat, and yes, that they have new Facebook videos to check out! One video was uploaded on May 17th (apologies for the two week delay) where The Din noted that they, at the time, were close to hitting 300 likes on Facebook. In it, they try and hit 300 likes on their own with a real foot race between band members, and without spoiling who won, they came to the conclusion that they needed our help to hit the milestone. The campaign worked, as they surpassed 300 just 12 hours later, and currently sit at 320! Another video followed last week where guitarist Tammy Hill jokingly came up with an idea for the band's merchandising plans that involves bobbleheads. I'll let you watch it to see what it entails!

Embedded below though is The Din's newest Facebook video, this time just previewing the studio version of "This Potato May Be Used As A Flotation Device" from their forthcoming debut studio album "Give In To The Din", with Tammy manning the controls at the computer. This should serve as a nice teaser as the album sessions slowly march along, so give it a look below, and see much more from The Din above!



Also, here's a video from Boot Hill Crooners/ex-Inner City Surfers guitarist Dave Bahun as part of a big contest that he's entered! A cover of Randy Bachman's new song "Heavy Blues", this comes from a Vintage Guitar Magazine contest where guitarists are challenged to supply guitar tracks in place of Peter Frampton's on the song in a YouTube video. Randy himself will choose the winner on Friday, who will receive a $4,000+ D’Angelico guitar & Supro amplifier, a pre-video endorsement from Randy, and a trip to rock out with him in New York City. If you know Dave's talents, you'll know he handles this blues rocker well, so be sure to check it out below, and best of luck!



Finally for today, dormant local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam are the source of background audio in this new skateboarding demonstration video from local music/skate shop The Rad Zone! Uploaded to their YouTube channel on Sunday, the video showcases three young local skateboarders (among them, Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner's son Dylan), as set to their studio track "New Rain". Solid footage of the kids delivering some quality tricks, and while this doesn't directly indicate new activity from Garden of Bedlam, it's nice to see them featured here! Give it a look below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Redundant), Project 906 Concert Preview, And More!!

In what could possibly be our last news post of the month, we're tackling the last of our concert previews for this weekend, alongside some new cover videos, some assorted recent news and notes, and to lead things off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! Here's what you need to know!

Local punk trio Redundant and hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will both return for this year's Family Fun Day at Runway Park on Saturday, June 11th, as part of the Algoma Autism Foundation's annual Algoma Ride For Autism motorcycle rally! Much like the annual Ride For Sight, this fourth-year event aims to raise funds and awareness for autism charities, with a large motorcycle rally planned again through town for the cause, so check the above links for details on how you can enter the Ride for Autism next month! This will be Redundant's third straight appearance at the Family Fun Day (and just their second announced concert of the year), while Tym Morrison will be making his second consecutive appearance at this event, and will no doubt follow it with his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood show that evening,. For reference, last year's event also featured hard rock quartet Late Shift, but as of this writing, no other music acts are announced for this year.

Also, look for vendors, a sensory area, costumed characters, blow-ups, food, and more for the whole family on June 11th, so keep all of that in mind! This ALL AGES outdoor family event at 573 Airport Road has no announced admission fees (but be prepared just in case, especially if you're not riding in the rally), and while individual set times aren't listed, the Family Fun Day begins at 11:00 AM. This should be a fun and worthwhile event for the whole family, so don't miss out on June 11th whether you're affected by autism or just want to support the cause, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this year's events!

Next up, here's our final preview for this weekend's hard rock concerts (barring a super-late notice announcement), as Sault Michigan blues/hard rock cover quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman TONIGHT! Returning there for the first time in over a month, this will be Project 906's first show since the Bay Mills Band Together fundraiser in Brimley earlier this month, and after a successful stretch of recent shows, hopefully the guys keep up the strong vibes tonight at The Strongs Tavern! As usual for them, a 9:00 PM start time is in effect tonight, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there's no announced cover charges in effect. For more details, visit the above links, and don't miss Project 906 out east of the Soo in Eckerman tonight! here's Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Will live in Brimley earlier this year!



Also today, here's the latest acoustic vocal/guitar cover videos from ex-Elipzis bassist Ryan Harrison's YouTube channel, as uploaded on Thursday! Two are covers of Seven Mary Three songs ("Water's Edge" & "Lucky"), but embedded below is his version of Pearl Jam's "Black". Featuring various film reel and grain effects added in post (and with only "Water's Edge" in colour), these are solid covers once again, with Ryan's vocals especially fitting Seven Mary Three, and I like that his setup is getting more professional too, complete with a microphone in frame! See more from Ryan above & below!



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

• Local doom metal trio AlgomA's recent vinyl split EP with Saskatchewan's Chronobot was reviewed by Rodrigo Bueno of the Portuguese doom metal website Funeral Wedding yesterday (it is in the Portuguese language, so have your translator ready!) Giving the disc a 4/5 rating, Rodrigo noted that the EP was full of "edgy stuff", particularly praising Chronobot's half, so give it a look at this link, then get your preferred online translator if needed!
• Former Sindicate/Creatures of the Night guitarist Nick Rhodes is looking for a bass player to jam with, perhaps to join a new metal band that he's launched. The band already has two guitarists (who share vocals) and a drummer, but the bassist could sing as well, and they hope to record original material down the road. If you're interested in jamming with Nick's new band, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Thursday!
• Local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven have formally launched a public drummer search to find a replacement for the departed John Mignacca, as per frontman Cory Murchison's own Musicians Wanted group post on Wednesday. Cory noted that the band is finalizing their debut EP, and noted that they're working on covers of bands like Slipknot, Tool, and The Foo Fighters. There's already lots of visible interest, but if you want to trying out, message Cory at this link or bassist Alain Fletcher at this link!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: cinnamoncubicle's Channel & SKeYeS Of SeVeN

Our last monthly feature post of May 2016 is now here, as this month's YouTube Channel Profiles lie below! As usual, this series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels each month that feature at least 50% of their uploads as being relevant to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands and/or concerts, with all randomly selected as usual. This month, we're looking at two channels, as one features a single video with local band content, so we randomly picked one more channel with two distinct video types to round it out, so read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles!
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cinnamoncubicle's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/cinnamoncubicle)

Owner: YouTube user cinnamoncubicle (identity unclear, but their YouTube channel links to this Treble Charger fansite from Japan)


Channel Timeline: Launched on June 20th, 2006; Videos posted the next month and in January 2007

Channel Summary: This channel only features two videos, though both allude to local/Toronto indie punk quartet Treble Charger, including this video of frontman Greig Nori jokingly bantering with Autopilot Off guitarist Chris Hughes in studio (Greig produced Autopilot Off's albums in the early 2000s), though it's oddly letterboxed so that the video is only in the upper left corner. Featured here is cinnamoncubicle's other video, a copy of Treble Charger's music video for their 2000 song "Business" from their fourth and biggest album "Wide Awake Bored". Copied from a MuchMusic broadcast, the video centers on the then-members of Treble Charger as escaped convicts on the lam after their prisoner transport vehicle crashes. Cute concept, especially regarding the guys' initial charges and later whereabouts, and it's a solid melodic track to boot from their peak era! Note however that cinnamoncubicle hasn't used this channel in nine or so years.


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SKeYeS Of SeVeN (http://www.youtube.com/skeyesofseven)

Owner: A member of local hard rock quartet Skeyes of Seven, identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 25th, 2012; Videos posted from June 2014 until June 2015

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for Skeyes of Seven, the band has uploaded three current videos there, including two early studio tracks and a live jam session clip.

Why You Should Watch: This channel is definitely worth following for fans of Skeyes of Seven, and if you haven't seen them a lot since their debut), for fans of members' past band work with acts like Sense of Truth and Half Past! However, note that this channel used to feature live concert videos from their 2012 debut show that have since been deleted, and while this channel hasn't seen usage in almost a year, you can get current band updates and videos via their Facebook page in the interim.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

Schism - Tool (cover): With Skeyes of Seven's YouTube channel containing no concert videos at present (and the band only playing four shows since their debut), this video may be of extra interest for fans who want to see the band in action. This in-studio cover of Tool's "Schism" was played during founding bassist Mike Mannarino's last rehearsal with the band before moving out of town in late 2014, with a Go-Pro camera uniquely mounted on the head of his bass. Though this restricts the view of the band as a whole (especially with the video being uploaded sideways), it's a strong cover of this modern prog-metal favourite, and a nice demonstration of Mike's missed talents!



SKeYeS Of SeVeN - Enough: Two of Skeyes of Seven's videos are of studio recordings recorded in the summer of 2014 & 2015, the former being of their dark, mid-tempo song "Fallen Faith", and the latter being for "Enough", which is their most viewed video. Both songs are rumoured to be included on their debut EP (currently in progress at Deluca Sound Productions), but it's unclear if these will be the exact versions. Both featuring singer Cory Murchison and guitarist Ron Baxter, "Fallen Faith" features Alain Fletcher on guitar, Mike Mannarino on bass, and Jonny Amendola on drums, while "Enough" has Al moving from guitar to bass, and John Mignacca now on drums. Both songs show Skeyes of Seven's promise at playing dark, well-written modern hard rock originals, and hopefully this maintains when their EP comes out at last!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month, we have randomly selected just a single channel to look at next, and that is YouTube user TWCD's channel, which I believe is Northwest frontman Wayne Watkins' personal channel, featuring three videos from his defunct local indie punk bands Nebraska Arms & The Small Town Rivals! Look for that on or around June 26th, and stay tuned for more news and concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock & Punk Concert Previews!!

On this Thursday, let's tackle most of this weekend's concert previews! It's a lighter weekend than we've recently seen, all things considered, but we still have too many shows to pack into one post, so Saturday's Project 906 show in Eckerman, Michigan will absolutely come in our next news post, alongside any late notice hard rock show announcements (unusually, all of this preview post's shows had advance notice before this week.) Now, let's dive right in!

We'll start with the regular weekend matinee shows from Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison, who will be back at Gliss Steak & Seafood for acoustic concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Still playing twice weekly there for the time being (he had hinted in personal Facebook postings at an upcoming resumption of Thursday nighters at Gliss), Tym's skilled and well versed blend of hard rock covers should find strong audiences once again at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, so don't miss out on the action this weekend! And as usual, we will add his June dates to our concert listings when he confirms them on Facebook, so keep watch for them next week. There's no announced age limits for tomorrow or Saturday night's unplugged shows, which both start at 6:00 PM, and while there's no announced cover charge, keep in mind that these are at a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, let's take a brief detour across the border, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are advertised to rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though the Sir Charge successors are still not plugging upcoming dates on their Facebook page, Kewadin Casino's entertainment page confirms that Highway 63 will be back in St. Ignace for their latest shows, continuing their recent trend of one weekend a month at both of the concert-hosting local Kewadin branches. The Switzers and company should have a solid weekend of hard and classic rock favourites all ready for fans tomorrow & Saturday night, so don't miss out on the action! There's no announced cover charges for these 9:00 PM shows, and you must be 21 or older to attend. Check the above links for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Let's return to Sault Ontario for today's remaining shows, including the return of newer local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires to The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Hitting the stage for the first time since their Park Grille gigs three weeks ago, these will be this talented supergroup's first shows at The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs bar since their triple header over the St. Patrick's Day weekend. The 3 Day Millionaires have proven to be a fan favourite band since their debut earlier this year, and hopefully Travis, Steve, Jeremey, and Scott keep the good vibes going this weekend! This weekend's shows are both 10:30 PM affairs with NO COVER, and both are 19+ events. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live earlier this year!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head to LopLops Lounge, where local indie punk quintet Northwest will play their second show of the year THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they open for Fort McMurray, Alberta blues rock quartet The Sentimental Gentlemen! If you missed Northwest at The New A earlier this month, here's your next shot to see this talented outfit, especially given the winter break that they were on, so keep their upbeat punk attack in mind for Saturday at LopLops! The Sentimental Gentlemen should attract a good following this weekend as well with their up-tempo yet bluesy blend of genres, and keep in mind that they will be taking donations on Saturday towards recovery and aid for their hometown of Fort McMurray, which was recently devastated by wildfires, so if you want to help the cause, definitely consider coming to LopLops on Saturday night! Expect a 19+ age limit, $5 cover charge, and 9:00 PM start time for this show, so check the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Northwest live!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Project 906 preview, this month's YouTube Channel Profile, and more soon! Thanks everyone!

Iron Maiden Comic Book Review, New Videos From Grindcore Acts, And More!!

Before we dive into our last weekend concert previews of the month, here's a new news post for your Wednesday, including some assorted recent notes, a new concert video, and some recent coverage of a popular local band, but first, here's a first for the SMS: A comic book review!

As you may remember, local artist Darren Emond launched the Iron Maiden comic book that he did the pencil artwork for at The Rad Zone on Saturday, and I absolutely came to get an autographed copy (this is a scan of mine), so I thought it was fitting to give it a review on here! One of a series of recent comic books from the Rock & Roll Biographies series from Acme Ink, the comic book is basically the Cliffs Notes version of Iron Maiden's band history, from the late 1970s through to the modern day, as nicely illustrated by Darren to a story by Paul Birch that covers most ground from their history. As well, the comic also explores a side-storyline on the band's mascot Eddie The Head and his efforts to protect the band and the titular Iron Maiden herself from evil forces out of the real world. The comic is solely in black & white, but the art pops, especially in the Eddie panels, and while some eras of the band are glossed over a bit in the story (the 1990s, in particular), the comic book is a fun way to explore Iron Maiden's history!

Note as well that Darren's last name is given as "Emmonds" in the credits, but everything else is well done and nicely laid out, with a tribute to late Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister even included. Overall, the Iron Maiden comic book is worth buying for $5 at The Rad Zone (if you can find it in the States, it's $3.50 there), so if you love Iron Maiden and/or comic books, pick up a copy A.S.A.P., and kudos to Darren on a job well done!

Next up, here's the latest from local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, starting with an overdue note from their SooToday article from May 2nd, which bypassed us in our original write-up on it (my apologies), as Josh, Mike, and Matt will be performing in a Live at Six, Two, Oh. episode on Sunday! This occurs as Shit Liver return east from this latest Canadian tour, but unless there's a late notice show announcement, I don't believe they'll have a local concert this weekend. This should be a fun episode of the local recording studio's video series, so look for it on Sunday or later! Also from Shit Liver, their long awaited episode of Tuned with Donna Hopper went up on SooToday on Saturday, so what should you know on it? Filmed during the Motherfuckers-headlined concert last month, the episode features Donna interviewing all three guys about their move to St. Catharine's, what keeps them going, their work in the bluegrass band Dirtfight, and how they marry their bands' two genres, as set to video footage from both bands' tour dates last month.

Though the episode treads some of the same ground as the original article, it's a solid episode with some brutal clips from the Oddfellows Hall show, but the interview portion is badly drowned out when clips from Dirtfight's Gore Street Cafe show are featured (also, "Shitliver" is spelled without a space in the opening bug.) Still, this is some solid press for Shit Liver, so give the full Tuned episode a look above, and note that SooToday's video host still doesn't permit external video embedding.

Also today, here's some new concert footage from local goregrind solo project Crucify the Whore, as per the Blood Shed Productions YouTube channel yesterday! A 12 minute video with clips from C.T.W.'s set at the Metal Massacre 2 house party show on May 7th, the video captures some ferocious jamming from Tyler, with a receptive audience, but the video is compromised by being letterboxed when it doesn't have to be (it was already widescreen, why not upload it as such?) 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 venue name:

• After brief turns as Waterfront Legend & The River Cookhouse, the former Docks Riverfront Grill has again changed names & formats to the HD Sports Grill, as per this SooToday article plugging a recent job fair to hire new employees. Imee Yeun still owns the restaurant and former local concert venue, and it's unclear when the Foster Drive location re-opens, but part of the grill will include a golf simulator. Hopefully this theme and name takes for the long term at the former Docks, and we'll let you know if live bands return with it!
• Local musician Mario Gionet is looking for a singer for his new metal band that he's launched, as per his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from last week. No word on what he's playing in the band (I'm unfamiliar with him), but message Mario at this link or above for more details!
• In this SooToday article from Donna Hopper last week, downtown concert venue The Machine Shop is spotlighted to reflect on it's recent full launch as a public events site, it's upcoming restaurant, and the hiring of LopLops Lounge owner Stephen Alexander as the venue's events promoter (don't worry, he's still bringing bands to LopLops!) The article also serves to avoid confusion with St. Mary's Paper site locations from their development, as the Mill Square owners sold it in January, and it's not The Yard or The Tech either. Informative article, so get more above, and The Machine Shop's new website is now linked in our venue listings!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

Id Iota - "Maudlin Fair" Review!!

Now's a good time for our 83rd monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, as we're looking at local alternative hard rock band Id Iota's debut EP "Maudlin Fair"! Independently released on April 14th at the beginning of their Southern Ontario tour run (with it's local launch coming one week later), "Maudlin Fair" was recorded from 2015-2016 at Unsalted Audio with guitarist Dustin Goodall producing, while the EP's tracks were mastered by Chuck Carvalho of Toronto's Joao Carvalho Mastering. A spiritual follow up of sorts to members' predecessor band Habitat Shuffle's 2014 digital EP "Sober Drift", Id Iota are represented by Dustin alongside singer Christian Lemay and drummer Blair St. John, with Blair handling the bass tracks, as sessions took place between Justin Girardi's departure from and Dan Linklater's addition to their lineup. Copies of "Maudlin Fair" cost $4 on Bandcamp and $5 at The Rad Zone or at Id Iota concerts, and while the songs can be streamed free on Bandcamp, consider buying it to support their work!

Featuring four songs at just 14 minutes in length, this will go by fast, so let's begin with the EP's first song, "California Wasted"!  Sort of taking on a surf rock, soft intro, Christian's vocals have a punk grit to contrast with the music, which gives it a punk anthem sing-along feel. Seeming to lyrically be about trying to make it to and enjoy California despite all of it's perceived faults, the guitar melody is nice on this song, and it's a catchy little number that flows well with the subject matter, but it's short length makes it feel like something was left out. Second is "Permanence In Pencil", seemingly a testimony about a lover's mental state and behaviour, with art and drawing used as a continuing theme. A very laid back song that reminds me a bit of a softer Sublime track, it has more of a bite in it's riffs, and solid drumming, but it does sort of meander at times, and could have more of a defined structure. Well done though from this talented group!

Third on Id Iota's debut EP is "One Cent Vaudeville", which appears to be from the view of a man who needs to drink and is conflicted in his relationship. Complete with sampled carnival music at the opening, this is the heaviest song yet on "Maudlin Fair", taking on more of the grungy alt-rock feel that we saw on Habitat Shuffle's EP. Dustin's guitar work is very solid, and Christian stretches his vocal limits well, but the drums are a little cymbal-heavy, and the song seems to end before a bridge that never comes. The CD closes with "Bitter Tea", which is by far the EP's longest song, running for over six minutes! Another song alluding to relationships and not wanting to accept the truth, the song also has a grungy feel, albeit with a swing-like jam cadence, with the heaviness building up in the second half. With the benefit of the longer runtime, this song actually is the best structured on the EP, and has a nice eerie ending, with all three guys delivering strong to close things, including nice lower-register singing and strong riffs!

So, what are my thoughts on Id Iota's first CD? Overall, it's a quality first effort from this familiar local outfit, and while it shares similarities to prior work, it continues their musical evolution! Transitioning from a laid back punk sound to the grunge throwback that Habitat Shuffle first brought us, Id Iota seemed to double down on relationship themes on this EP, which was excellently produced by Dustin Goodall, and the guys delivered well on each track! Christian Lemay showed good vocal diversity, Dustin's guitar work worked for each song, and Blair St. John's drumming was well maintained, though his bass playing didn't comparatively stand out. I did feel that the early songs were a little short and tended to wander around and not be as structured as they could be, but it built strongly to the heavier latter half, and the continuing lyrical themes seemed like they were inspired from real life. Not a bad first disc at all, so be sure to buy Id Iota's debut A.S.A.P.!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review at the SMS! Now, what's coming next for a review on the site? At this point, I do not know, especially as no new hard rock albums have came out from local bands since "Maudlin Fair", but what might come if there's nothing new to look at? In terms of who won't be next, our June CD review will not be of Haggith's "Apocalypse II" or a SweetKenny album due to our six month buffer to avoid showing a bias in our review selections, but after that, things are very open. We usually tie things in with an upcoming concert for an archive review, which could lead us to a Blood Shed Productions act or a Telephone & Address album, though keep in mind that the former's releases typically feature a lot of explicit, minimalist content, and the latter's albums that we haven't reviewed on here are all out of print. In any event, there will be a CD review of some kind coming in June, so stay tuned for updates on it, and for more news soon! Thanks everyone!