YouTube Channel Profile Series: rubbs001's Channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, posted a day early to make room for weekend concert previews, especially given the returning Northern Vibe Festival. This monthly feature series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels from our subscriptions, in order to spotlight them and their public content for potential viewers and subscribers, and as usual, channels must have at least half of their public videos devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists/concerts. Our channel pick for this month lets us take a trip over a decade back to one of the biggest hard rock bands to come out of the E.U.P. (and their singer solo), so here's what you should know!

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rubbs001's channel (http://youtube.com/rubbs001)

Owner: A relative or close friend of former Nixxon Dixxon/current Rhythm & Brews singer Brandon Carr (the channel is focused around him but the descriptions lead me to believe he didn't run it)

Channel Timeline: Launched on December 18th, 2006; Videos uploaded from March 19th, 2009 until April 2nd, 2011

Channel Summary: All of the videos on rubbos001's channel star Sault Michigan hard rock singer Brandon Carr in some fashion, mostly via videos from concerts at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino by his most prominent band, late-2000s hard rock quartet Nixxon Dixxon. Other videos include a comical lip sync of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself", a solo acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", Brandon performing "Dentist!" in Sault High's 2010 production of Little Shop Of Horrors, and two takes of him singing at that year's International Idol competition.
 
Why You Should Watch: This is definitely worth a watch for fans of Brandon's local music work, especially during Nixxon Dixxon's late-era peak, and you also get a good look at what he was up to artistically beyond the band at the turn of the 2010s! However, there are other sources for full-band & better quality Nixxon Dixxon videos of this era, like YouTube user myangels1266's channel. Also, note that no videos are featured here from Nixxon Dixxon's pre-2009 activities, despite the 2006 launch date.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

155 pop evil: With one exception, all of rubbs001's Nixxon Dixxon videos are of acoustic performances at The Northern Pines Lounge, with Brandon performing alongside bassist Kyle Beaumont (later of The London Gentlemen and Trail's End) on acoustic guitar. One is of Brandon & Kyle covering Seether's "Broken", Daughtry's "Going Home", and Puddle of Mudd's "Drift & Die" (the latter with Jake on drums) in March 2009, while a June 2010 set yielded videos of Shinedown's "The Crow & The Butterfly" (uploaded twice), Godsmack's "Touché", and in this channel's most popular hard rock video, Pop Evil's "100 In A 55". Dark lighting on the 2009 clip isn't helpful, but Brandon and Kyle are a good unplugged match on these rock radio covers, and Brandon's strong melodic voice gets a lot of good use throughout!

Blood Pollution: The only video of Nixxon Dixxon performing a full electric song with the whole band here is also from the June 2010 St. Ignace show, where they covered Steel Dragon's "Blood Pollution" from the movie Rock Star. Also featuring 415E/Rhythm & Brews guitarist Chris Hubbard and London Gentlemen alum Jake LaLonde (now of the Nashville country rock band Miller Holler), it's nice seeing Nixxon Dixxon again, even if the video is a little grainy, and seeing as they disbanded a couple of months later, it's even nicer to have this online! Very talented young group, they deserved more!

 

Simpleman: In June 2010, Brandon was one of 29 local singers who competed in the third annual International Idol vocal talent competition at The Soo Theatre, with the winner of the 14-and-over division getting to open for Meat Loaf on the closing night at Kewadin Casino's 25th Anniversary Summer Festival the following month. Brandon lost to local singer Kellan Perron (read more about the winners at this link), though Nixxon Dixxon played that day on the second stage anyway, as well as on the main stage on night #1. Uploaded twice to rubbs001's channel at different lengths, Brandon was filmed covering Shinedown's version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", with Brandon matching the vocal tone of the cover, if not Brent Smith's range. Solidly done and well filmed for the time, and hopefully we'll hear more from Brandon musically soon with one band or another!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, our random selection has given us a doozy of a channel to spotlight, namely Mike Haggith Music, the official channel for the prolific local alt-rock musician, which has a LOT of ground to cover from the past decade, so look for this on or around September 26th, and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

The Inner City Surfers - "Time To Travel On" CD Review!!

It's now time for our 146th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and with no major new metal, hard rock, or punk albums on sale this month, let's dive into the archives for a look at local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers' third CD "Time To Travel On"! This review is tied in with frontman Dustin Jones' set with his new group Jonesy Land at The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir this weekend, preview forthcoming. Public information has been lacking on "Time To Travel On" in the last decade (the band even admitted on their Facebook page that this CD "wasn't the most fun for the 4 of us to make" and gave them "kind of a skewed view of the album"), and surviving pages don't glean a lot more about it's initial release. As best as I can tell, "Time To Travel On" was independently released circa 2005, possibly in late 2004, and the producer of the album was credited on the back of the case as "Slabba Blender" (a name that garnered zero Google hits when I searched for it).

I don't own a physical copy of this album yet, but The Inner City Surfers' classic lineup is present here, including Dustin Jones on vocals & guitar, Dave Bahun on guitar, Brad "Example" Lacell on bass, and Mikey Hawdon on drums. While out of print, "Time To Travel On" is on sale digitally for $7.99 on Amazon, and it can be streamed on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube (song names below are linked from the latter). Featuring 10 songs running for about 29 minutes in length, let's begin this review!

The opening track ("Slow Days") is actually the longest one on offer, partly thanks to a 30 seconds-long fade-in intro with lots of feedback. When the song proper kicks in, it's a pop punk number with a swinging guitar melody and plain-spoken vocals from Dustin with very relatable lyrics, which they were always good at. The track does a good job marrying their punk base with more of a folksy laid back energy at the same time, and Mikey's drumming is a big help to get the point across, though the guitar solo/bridge could have been more of a focus. Fun opener that will appeal to fans of The Surfers' different sides! Next is the album's partial title song (and shortest cut) "Travel On", which ramps up the skate punk intensity and speed, but if I'm being totally honest, Dustin's vocals are really forced here, and the song may have benefited if he didn't try to sound so angry and forceful, especially the repeated screams in the chorus.

The song proper has a freewheeling attack that is fun to hear, but with The Inner City Surfers' evolution as musicians, this feels more like a leftover from the self-titled blue album to me, and isn't as indicative of their mid-2000s strengths. Fun for what it is, but let's travel on to track #3, "When You're Around", which has a very distinct drum beat and an interesting retro sound to the backing music that almost sounds like they added an organ player?! Vocally, this is a driving pop punk number, which gives an interesting melodic contrast, though the layering of the singing late doesn't really click for me. I wish the music was a little more punk-based, but it's a solid track that better uses The Surfers to their abilities! Fourth is "Rollin'" (not to be confused with the Limp Bizkit song), which gives us our first true folk-focused song on the CD, so fans of The Rising Tide may be curious to hear this one.

This strikes me as a song that would have played really well live, especially as an ode to hitting the road, and I like how the guys' vocals layer on top of each other when they sing the title! There's nothing really punk about "Rollin'", but it's a fun sing-along number that's well composed, makes good use of Brad's bass skill, and showcases their overall range nicely! Fifth on the album is "Settle In", which returns to a punk style, and just in time for an excellent display of drumming from Mikey, even if the song spiritually doesn't call for them! The soft, evocative vocals suit the upbeat guitar work, including an all-too-brief solo by Dave, and while the song is well composed, it's a little too upbeat and light for most of it's runtime, drums excepted. Nice change of pace, but there's better on the album. The second half begins with "Perfect Moment", which will be more to the taste of punk diehards!

Immediately getting to business with Dustin's melodic vocals, the song is constantly in forward motion, and while it can sound a little busy aside from the bridge, genre fans will be right at home with this upbeat folk-tinged punk number! My biggest issue with it is the repetition of the title, which is recited thrice in every chorus, before being buried by layered verses at the end. Not ideal for a sub-3 minute song, but it's a good track while it lasts! Song #7 is "No Cure", which is arguably Dave's best showcase on the album for pure guitar work, and lets this song get as close as we've likely ever gotten to a pure "metal" song from The Surfers. As such, the forced aggressive vocals from "Travel On" return here, but they at least fit this song a little better. Brad fits in well on bass, and the guys do play a song of this style well enough, but it's not where their talents are best served, Dave aside.

Next up is "If I Leave", which features low, downbeat, gravelly-sung verses (is that Brad on vocals?) and more rock-inspired choruses with heavily layered vocals that are hard to make out, but the band sure soars when playing at these points! Another more experimental part of the album to be sure, but I like where it's going, and the jump in styles works, going from the ground to the sky in no time flat. Not the most punk song on offer, but it's a sleeper pick for me! The penultimate song is "Can't Wait", a shorter track that again will call to mind a live folk/country sing-along more than a punk show. Laid back and well performed by all parties, with suitably raspy singing to go around, this admittedly won't appeal to most punk fans. That said, if you always took to The Surfers and The Tide's folksier numbers, you will be right at home, in spite of the abrupt ending.

"Time To Travel On" ends it's road trip with "Don't Pour Me Anymore", a straight-up drinking song that makes good use of the band sharing vocals, catchy percussion, and another nice laid back vibe that would not be out of place at a pub on the East Coast. I wouldn't have ended the album like this, but it does foretell some of the paths The Rising Tide would later take, and I can see how this would be a live hit! Myself, I prefer The Surfers as a punk band, but to each their own.

So what are my final thoughts on The Inner City Surfers' (arguably) forgotten album? I like a lot of it, you can see where the guys were growing as musicians from their first two CDs, but the best was yet to come. Musically, everyone performs well, with Dustin's distinctive vocals usually flowing nicely, he and Dave delivering fun and suitable riffs (plus a few key solos from Dave), while Brad's bass work and Mikey's steady drumming kept the rhythm and time throughout. This album does have more of a punk base than 2002's "Laughing On The Outside", but there was still room for experimentation into folksier stylings, and even metal on one occasion, so there should be a little something for everyone. Honestly, I think I prefer "Laughing On The Outside" musically, which had more of a cohesive mix of sounds, where the songs on "Time To Travel On" could too often have a balance of genres that didn't work for me.

The aggressive forced singing on "Travel On" & "No Cure" weren't my thing, nor was the lyric repetition on "Perfect Moment", and on some of the softer/folksier songs, they just weren't in my genre wheelhouse. I think I liked "Slow Days" & "When You're Around" the most of the punk songs, while "I'll Be Gone" was my favourite of the non-punk half. I was either brand new to following the local scene or not quite there when "Time To Travel On" was released, so I can't comment on the difficulties that The Surfers dealt with when recording this album, but the fact that they didn't re-record any of it's songs on 2007's acclaimed self-titled CD (a.k.a. "The Black Album"), but re-did three cuts from "Laughing On The Outside" may be a sign that they wanted a do-over. I'm not sure if The Surfers ever really de-emphasized this album on purpose, but musically speaking, it mostly holds up in for fans! 

While not The Inner City Surfers' most balanced album, there's a lot of good here that helped pave the way for their final and best remembered CD, so be sure to give "Time To Travel On" a listen at the above links, and maybe we'll review "The Black Album" next year? I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, and here's what I can tell you about what we may be reviewing on the site in September 2021! In short, I have no clue, but our next "Where Are The New Albums?" post next Thursday will have some hints! As usual, new paid albums get precedence, followed by archive albums, tied in with bands playing live that month if possible. Our six month anti-bias buffer period is still in effect, so our next review will not be of anything by Molten Imp, Late & Loud, or Slumshine, assuming they put anything out so soon. I'll keep you guys posted in any event, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of Episode #4 Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

Let's do a deep dive into episode #4 of local internet radio station The Borderline's weekly metal-centric series Metal Morpheus today, as host Josh Amendola looked at Canadian thrash metal bands in the July 25th installment! Remember, new episodes premiere on-air every Sunday at 9:00 PM, with episode #9 scheduled for the 29th before being posted to check out on-demand. As before, episodes are genre-centric, but this is the first time that Metal Morpheus has explicitly focused on domestic talent rather than international ones. Maybe it's too obvious to talk about Metallica and Slayer and such for a thrash episode? For presumed ease of access, the episode's on-demand streaming page now includes the track listing for what's played on air, but there are some minor mistakes which I'll correct here when needed. For the sake of avoiding repetition, I'll include timestamps in brackets for each song rather than thinking of new ways to say when segments begin.

Episode #4 begins it's one hour runtime (after the busy opening song) with Quebec thrash metal legends Voivod, who Josh does give some key information about re: their musical inspirations. Two songs of theirs are played on air, including "Nuclear War" (0:45) and "War & Pain" (9:20), with a tribute to late guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour" tucked in between. The next segment dives into Ottawa speed metal icons Annihilator, who also get two songs featured, including "The Fun Palace" (14:40) & "Never, Neverland" (20:35). The first half of the episode concludes with a segment on Toronto metal pioneers (and multiple time local headliners) Anvil, who get just one song, but it's their most famous one, namely "Metal On Metal" (26:20). For the second half, we dive into the local scene by way of inactive local metal band Pillory, who Josh briefly played with, but the focus here is on their 2012-2014 thrash era.

Specifically, Josh plays "Shattered By War" (30:30) from Pillory's 2014 EP "Cringe At The Cross", which is definitely underrated, especially given the band's later shift to death metal. Josh also gives some nice props to original guitarist/songwriter Andres Duchesne, who passed away in 2013, a year before the EP came out. Before moving on, Josh did mention that Pillory are still active and are still planning to release a new EP called "Angst of Existence" (named for the song of the same name), but this has not been publically confirmed by the band proper at press time. If you're curious, Pillory have not played live since opening for Black Crown Initiate two years ago this month, and have not posted any Facebook updates since 2018, but if the band proper shows a public sign of life, we'll let you guys know! Local fans get double the money's worth here though, as hardcore punk quintet Destroilet are up next!

Presumably considered fitting for this episode given the common bleed-over between hardcore punk and crossover thrash, Josh doesn't give Destroilet a similarly detailed introduction, but he does play two songs of theirs at this juncture, including "R.O.Y.C." (38:50) and "Eternal Fire" (41:35), both from their 2012 self-titled album. Note that Pillory are given an accidental credit for the former on the episode's page on The Borderline's website, while the latter song is erroneously named "External Fire" there and in the episode itself. Ottawa thrash legends Exciter get played next via their song "Violence & Force" (44:05), before looking at contemporary Toronto thrash band Razor's song "Fast & Loud" (48:20). Entering the home stretch, Josh looks at defunct British Columbia speed/power metal band 3 Inches of Blood, themselves former local headliners, and their on-air track is "Deadly Sinners" (52:45).

After signing off and thanking everyone, Josh plays one more Destroilet song to close the episode, namely "Lifer" (57:55) from 2015's "Fed Up!" split with The Ripcordz and fellow locals Jack Spades. Another entertaining episode of Metal Morpheus here with lots of fast-paced, technical Canadian metal on display, and Josh is definitely getting more and more comfortable as a host, especially with how his enthusiastic intensity jumps when selling each band/song! Give episode #4 a listen at the above links, check out episode #9 live on Sunday at 9:00 PM, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

The Rest Of This Weekend's Local Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's slate of concert previews with a Saturday night trifecta, thankfully all with advance notice! For our previews of tonight's Tym Morrison show, this weekend's Soundcheck concerts, and the now-concluded Goo Goo Dolls/Cheap Trick show, check out yesterday's post. Now, here's what you should know to wrap up an unusually busy weekend!

We'll start in Hulbert Township, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock trio Tarnished are advertised to return to Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast for one night only TOMORROW! I will advise that, while this show is the final advertised concert on Tarnished's summer concert schedule on Facebook, the band proper has not updated their Facebook page in over two weeks, and Hulbert House have also not promoted it publically on Facebook as of late. If we get public confirmation that this show is not taking place, we will let you know, but as it's still advertised by the band, we'll proceed as normal. While this will be Tarnished's first show since their St. Ignace Kewadin gigs two weeks ago, and their first Hulbert appearance since the AMVETS rally there last month, you may recall that they were slated to open for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys in a cancelled outdoor show there last week.

Hopefully all's well in Tarnished's camp and at Hulbert House, as this would be a fine way to end their summer concert calendar via their hard rocking originals and covers! If past Hulbert gigs are any indication, tomorrow's show will likely be a 6:00 or 7:00 PM affair with no cover charge or age limit, but I don't know if it'd be on the outdoor stage or in the B&B proper (the weather forecast looks good for tomorrow, in any event). Of course, please follow any social distancing guidelines in place at Hulbert House too. Follow the links above for more updates, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local funk/hard rock quintet The Wyld Stallyns will headline the Entomica Insectarium's summer 2021 social fundraiser concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre TOMORROW NIGHT! Subtitled "Let's 'Mis-Bee-Hive', Come Out & Jive" (and held on National Honey Bee Day), this special event will be the first Bushplane Museum concert we've covered in two years, and will serve as a fun way to support the bug lab's work in the community and local businesses in general. Attendees can expect food and drinks from established local vendors, plus kids activities, a bee costume contest so visit the official Facebook event page and Entomica's Facebook page for full details on these aspects of the show. The Wyld Stallyns will be the heaviest and final band of the night, closing things at 11:00 PM in their fourth concert of the year & with their new lineup, while veteran local entertainer Tim Murphy will precede them at 10:30 PM, performing (likely in drag) as "Ms. Beehive".

Classic rock veterans Mustang Heart will hit the stage at 9:30 PM (expect at least one heavier cut from them), while newer local country musician Jeffrey Wright will look to make an impact with a set at 8:30 PM. Dueling local jazz collectives will take the stage during the kid-friendly opening half of the fundraiser, including The Northern Jazz Ensemble at 6:45 PM, and the confusingly named Josh Norling Jazz Ensemble leading off at 5:00 PM. An unidentified DJ will also spin tune between bands. Admission is $5 for this all ages event, which should be a winner for the bug lab and attendees all around, but of course, please respect and follow any social distancing and public health guidelines at the Bushplane Museum to ensure that everyone has a safe time, especially given that this is an all ages event with children's activities. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts in the Sault Ste. Marie area this weekend, local garage/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their Rockstar Bar debut with a one-night-only concert TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be this rising young band's second show of the year following their Rotaryfest set last month, as well as their second public date with new bassist Brendan Bertrand. Of course, The Uncanny Valley are also the last of the four live bands announced for The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub's return to live music in August 2021, so will more be coming soon? Time will tell, but enjoy this promising quartet's classic-inspired originals tomorrow! A 8:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has no announced age limit, but again, please be mindful of any and all social distancing measures (and wear your mask!) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Uncanny Valley live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Monday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Given the ongoing pandemic and the rise of the Delta variant, this weekend's hard rock concert schedule is surprisingly robust, but alas, the summer months are winding down, so better to get everything in before the fall regardless. Due to the amount of shows, I'll hold our previews of the Saturday-only gigs from Tarnished, The Wyld Stallyns, and The Uncanny Valley for tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know to start off the weekend, courtesy of a few bands playing before Saturday, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE!!

Signaling an apparent weekly arrangement at this locale (even without publically confirming it as such), prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his fourth straight weekly concert at The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only confirmed this date via it's Facebook event page yesterday, but given that this is the fourth consecutive Friday nighter there (and fifth in six weeks), fans can't be too shocked that he's back like clockwork TOMORROW. As such, like we did with his prior weekly concert arrangements elsewhere (like at The Motley Market last summer), I will be adding his shows there month by month to our calendar unless otherwise announced, so in another new concert, expect Tym back at The Trading Post's outdoor stage on Friday, August 27th! We'll approach Friday night gigs in September when we get to that month.

Of course, between the increasingly cooler autumn weather and the still-in-limbo return to weekly Friday nighters at Gliss when the pandemic allows, Tym's run at 1332 Great Northern Road may not be destined to be a long-term thing, but enjoy it while you can! As usual, TOMORROW'S and next week's Trading Post gigs are 7:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges or age limits, but please respect social distancing and pandemic restrictions where applicable. Visit the above links for more on Tym's entertaining classic/hard rock cover shows ahead, and here he is live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Soundcheck only announced these shows via their Facebook event page on Tuesday. This will be Terry, Cameron, Paul, and Glen's first concert weekend at the downtown Reggie's in four weeks, and as recently usual, these will follow the band's engagement as open mic night hosts at Reggie's West tonight, so keep that event in mind if you want some more varied live entertainment. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows will give fans the unfiltered Soundcheck experience, including at least one new song for their extensive setlist, so prepare for classic and hard rock hits from them downtown this weekend! These gigs take place TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:00 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits.

And as usual at this point in the pandemic, please respect and honour any & all pandemic precautions and social distancing measures being followed at Reggie's to ensure everyone's safety, especially with the new variants and not everyone being vaccinated. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert at Reggie's West!

Moving to a previously announced concert in Michigan to close, let's head to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where the first major touring hard rock-featured concert of the pandemic era hits their outdoor stage TONIGHT, as Rockford, Illinois hard rock/power pop quartet Cheap Trick will rock the Eastern Upper Peninsula for at least the fourth time as openers for Buffalo alternative rock band The Goo Goo Dolls! Before we get too far, know that this concert is still taking place, and was not cancelled as part of the recent wave of Delta variant-linked tour cancellations in the United States (Goo Goo Dolls members even plugged the show in this Facebook video yesterday). That all said, masks may be mandatory, and there will no doubt be pandemic-related restrictions and guidelines to follow, so please use common sense if you are able to attend to ensure everyone's safety, though being an outdoor show will help the cause.

This will be Cheap Trick's St. Ignace debut after playing at The Dreammaker's Theatre in the Soo at least thrice in 2001, 2014, and 2019, and with classic songs like "Surrender", "The Flame", and "I Want You To Want Me", you know they'll deliver a fun set of classic tunes for fans tonight! While not a heavier group, The Goo Goo Dolls have their share of familiar 1990s rock radio songs like "Iris" & "Slide" in their back pocket, and they should win over lots of fans in their own right! Presented by Glen Arbor's own Classic Rock: The Bear (as heard in the St. Ignace area on WWSS 95.3 FM), general admission tickets are still available for $50 for this all ages, 7:00 PM concert, and the weather forecast looks good for this waterfront show. Buy your tickets online at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and stay tuned to official Kewadin outlets for updates on pandemic protocols.

While it is a little odd that this concert isn't in Sault Ste. Marie, keep in mind that the Canada/U.S. border is still closed for Canadians to visit the States for non-essential reasons, so why not host a big concert in St. Ignace instead, where they can target fans in the Lower Peninsula who can freely cross the Mackinac Bridge? I would have had Cheap Trick headlining, but a nice 1980s/1990s contrast will appeal to a wide range of fans tonight, and hopefully everyone has a great (and safe) time, especially if things get restricted further afterwards! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Cheap Trick live in the Soo in 2014!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Our Recap Of Episode #3 Of Metal Morpheus On The Borderline!!

With news relatively slow right now, let's take an overdue look at episode #3 of Metal Morpheus, the new metal music-focused series on local internet radio station The Borderline! As you may have seen via our recaps of the first two episodes, the series features host/local metal frontman Josh Amendola looking at the loose history of a metal subgenre every week (premiering Sundays at 9:00 PM), and the third episode from July 18th was about grindcore. Running for about 61 minutes, this one should pack in even more songs given the usually fast-paced and structured chaos of grindcore songs, but what does Josh spin in this episode? He kicks things off with two sub-80 second songs by Boston grindcore band Siege ("Drop Dead" & "Walls"), before moving to pioneering Japanese grindcore band S.O.B. around 3:55 in, specifically playing their song "Raging In Hell". At the 6 minute mark, Josh moves into grindcore legends Napalm Death, who get some good props!

Even comparing the legendary Buddy Rich to the rapid-fire blast beats typical of the genre, Josh plays the one-time Foggy Notions (well, Feedback) headliners' classic songs "Multinational Corporations" and "Instinct of Survival" from their highly influential LP "Scum", plus the title track of Napalm Death's "From Enslavement To Oblivion", though the middle song isn't credited by name. At about 12:40, we move on to Michigan grindcore notables Repulsion, complete with more of a biography, and he plays their song "Radiation Sickness", before moving on to British goregrind pioneers Carcass at about 16:25, from where Josh plays "Exhume To Consume", running for a very long (by genre standards) 3 minutes & 50 seconds. Next up at the 21 minute point is a section on American grindcore band Terrorizer, whose played song is their 1989 classic "After World Obliteration".

Afterwards, Josh throws back to two pioneering hardcore punk bands including Bad Brains via their song "Attitude" (24:55 in) and Black Flag with their Rollins-era classic "Rise Above" at about 27:00. Neither band are true "grindcore" acts to me, but both are highly influential towards newer bands in this and other subgenres! The first half concludes with "No One Can Be That Dumb" by the early Swedish grindcore band Larm, whose segment begins at around 29:25. Like S.O.B. earlier, Larm are not on Spotify, so keep that in mind if you use that service a lot. Josh kicks off the back half of the episode at about 30:45 with a look at local/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver, from which Josh plays two songs off of their 2018 album "Hitting The Fan", including the title track & "It Won't Change". Not as in depth of a look as Repulsion got, but Shit Liver garnered the biggest chunk of the episode!

Next, about 38:55 in, Josh transitions to a segment on Brutal Truth, from which he plays their relatively long track "Denial Of Existence", before moving onto death metal/grimdcore quartet Misery Index (who are probably my favorite band of the episode) at about 43:30 with their song "Conquistadores", followed by Cephalic Carnage at about 47:35 with "Endless Cycle of Violence". Entering the home stretch, Josh plays "Shaping The End" by Swedish deathcore band Nasum at about 51:25, immediately followed by Pig Destroyer's "Terrifier" (at the 53:50 mark or so). The last song played on air is the Lord of the Rings-inspired "Black Breath" by Repulsion at 56:00 or so, before wrapping up with some brief thoughts. This was a fun and suitably intense episode, putting a good spotlight on such an underground subgenre, but I'd have spent more time explaining the appeal of grindcore and the bands in question.

Grindcore is an intense, brutal, and assaulting style of metal and hardcore punk, but it's also one that isn't overly accessible for a lot of casual fans, so this episode could have benefited in this way from more context and analysis. Still, a very solid listen for genre fans, and Josh is getting more comfortable as host here, so give it a listen! Stay tuned for episode #8 this coming Sunday at 9:00 PM, and hear episodes #1-7 at the above links, and look for our recap of episode #4 (on Canadian thrash metal) in the near future, plus weekend concert previews! Thanks everyone!

Complete Current Details On The Return Of The Northern Vibe Festival!!

After a one year hiatus due to the pandemic, the annual Northern Vibe Festival will return from Friday, August 27th-Sunday, August 29th for it's sixth installment! Debuting in 2015 as a spiritual successor to the former Hempfest (both are held on the same festival grounds on Poplardale Road in nearby Ophir), the Northern Vibe Festival has not been a traditional haven for heavier/punk bands, only featuring a couple at most, sometimes not having any. That changes this year, as local concert promoter and punk/metal singer J.D. Pearce is curating this year's Forest Stage lineup! Remember, Northern Vibe has two separate stages, one for bands, and the River Stage for DJs. This poster lists the original artist lineup, though bands and DJs are mixed together, and there have been a couple of withdrawals since, including DJ Fuels from the River Stage (check the official performer listings on the website for the up to date lineups). Performers have been advertised all month, so why have we not covered the festival on here until now?

Honestly, it's because organizers still have not announced daily schedules for the Forest Stage, and as of this writing, bands are being plugged as just performing during the festival and for us to get our weekend passes. That said, we're less than two weeks out, so I better get the ball rolling and at least mention the scheduled bands (click here to see who's spinning tunes on the River Stage). Three touring acts from Sudbury will make their way to Ophir for The Northern Vibe Festival VI, namely "northern soul rock n' roll" septet Harvey King & The Grindstone, alternative/world music solo artist Matt Foy, and funk rock one-man-band Dr. Bong, none of whom I'm familiar with from local dates in the 2010s. Notably, Matt is a new addition to replace Montreal indie rockers (and pre-pandemic touring favourites) Dany Laj & The Looks on the bill. Shame that Dany and crew had to drop out, it'd have been nice to see them back for a sixth local gig later this month!

The highest listed local band in festival advertising is local horror punk quintet Frightlight in their first live set since opening for Michale Graves here in September 2019, and it will be great to see their spooky brand of punk and metal originals back after such a long wait! Instrumental surf rock trio The Dynowaves also get a high placement in event advertising, so their retro feel-good brand of rock should go over well at month's end too! Reunited no-genre (but alternative/punk-leaning) quartet Handsome Sandwich will play their first show with new singer Taylor Emlaw and bassist Mitch Sirie at Northern Vibe during the festival, while fan-favourite punk trio A Dire Setback will play their first true live concert set since the pandemic began as well! No word on if they'll have CD copies of their debut album on sale, but I doubt they're considering this to be their long-delayed release party, which was to have been in March 2020. 

Two bands who you may have seen at the drive-thru Rotaryfest last month will also play at Northern VIbe (see what I did there?), including local funk/hard rock quintet The Wyld Stallyns and online page-less local punk/country supergroup Jonesy Land (featuring Rising Tide and Lake Effect alumni) in their second concert set of any kind. The last two bands share three members between them, one being local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters! This band will be playing their fourth concert here, which is also their first non-benefit concert outside of Halloween parties. It will also see the debut of new bassist Arthur Lacasse, and in a surprise, his old Half Past bandmate Chris Thompson, who quietly replaced Jonas Gasperas on drums at some point earlier this year. A reason for Jonas' exit wasn't announced, but you can still see him in Ophir with The Wyld Stallyns, and Chris' prolific drum skill and chemistry with Art should go a long way!

Finally, if you'd like to hear Arthur, Chris, and frontman Jules Cote cover bands other than The Foo Fighters, look for their set together as debuting local cover rock quintet Lockdown, where they'll be joined by singer Nicole Ambeault and guitarist Randy Russell (Soo Fighters guitarist Wes Greco is not in Lockdown). Despite their promising lineup, I haven't heard any hints as to what Lockdown's set might include, but don't bypass them at The Northern Vibe Festival at month's end, assuming we don't actually get locked down again! The festival is a 19+ event, it officially begins at 12:00 PM on Friday the 27th, and tickets run for $100 for the full weekend or $60 for Saturday the 28th only (there are no single day passes listed for Friday or Sunday). Buy your tickets online at this link.  Vendors will be on site selling local goods, food, and drinks (click here for the current list, though updates are forthcoming).

Camping is encouraged for attendees, and the festival website lists directions to Poplardale Road, plus recommended things to bring to have a safe/clean time for the sake of the grounds and everyone else (i.e. don't bring glass bottles or bad attitudes). Re: the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be extra hand washing/sanitizing stations on-site, organizers request that you bring and use face masks when going to vendors/not social distancing, and while being an outdoor festival at this point in the pandemic (and in a wide-open area) allows for the festival to occur close to normally in 2021, please be respectful of others and stay distanced where possible. Click here for more on that. It's been a long year & a half+ for a concert festival of this nature and magnitude to return to the Algoma District, and hopefully Northern Vibe VI goes off without a hitch in Ophir in a couple of weeks!

Visit the above links for full current details, stay tuned for the daily schedules when announced, and look for more news on the SMS this week, both from the Northern Vibe Festival and elsewhere! Thanks everyone!