So what do you guys think? Well, the votes definitely seem to weigh heavily towards 3 CDs, but let's go in ascending order with the albums with 0-2 votes first. The low spot for
Clownsack's new EP surprises me given their prominence across the river, but the rest are about where I expected.
Mike Haggith's local profile needs to develop more, and I expected a spread of the votes for
Sykotyk Rampage's albums, given their prolific nature. "Bucket Of Ham" getting more votes than "Zombiez" (a heavier album) did surprise me a bit though. Fourth place with 3 votes was "Other", which could mean anything from an appreciation for a non-metal CD to one that wasn't formally put on sale last year to a re-release, but I can't say for certain what those 3 people had in mind.
Garden of Bedlam's new album and
Woods of Ypres' "Home" single tied for second place with 7 votes, and while Garden of Bedlam's high spot was expected, I'm surprised that Woods of Ypres' two song vinyl release got such support. Maybe some people voted for it in place of the "Woods IV" re-release or the "Woods V" leak? And the surprise winner of the poll was
Destroilet's debut EP, garnering 16 votes and 41% of the final total, despite a very quiet release in May and no concerts or major promotion for it since. I guess it depends who all votes, but it was a solid release of old school hardcore, and there's definitely an audience for it!
Thanks to everyone for voting! This month's poll is another poll flashing back to 2011, so I'm posing this question to you guys:
What was the biggest local metal news story of 2011? Self explanatory enough, as this past year saw a number of big stories and events in the local metal scene, so I've picked 25 notable events, changes, shows, ends, and launches (plus "Other") that you guys can pick from! Unlike last year's poll in this category, I've included some Sault Michigan stories and you can vote for more than one option, though only once. Remember, this poll is about the BIGGEST news stories of 2011, as in the most important and newsworthy, and for the sake of overall fairness for the choices, I encourage voters to not campaign or rally your friends to vote for any one choice to ensure that it "wins". I wanna see a genuine subsection of what you guys think, not which choice can win a popularity contest, especially with the nature of this poll. So, what stories did I pick from 2011 in the local metal scene? Read on below to find out!
Bret Michaels returns to Sault Michigan: After three earlier stops in the Sault area for headlining concerts,
Poison frontman and reality show personality Bret Michaels brought his solo show back to The Dreammakers Theater at
Kewadin Casino on December 27th for a well recieved and packed night of hits! Did this year-capping concert top your list of stories in 2011?
Bring The Fallen parts ways: Despite being one of the most prominent metal bands in the Sault Ontario area in recent years, death metal quintet Bring The Fallen ultimately disbanded in April of last year following many breakup rumours that had dogged them in early 2011. They're still missed to this day, but is their breakup your top news item from last year?\
Buckcherry & Papa Roach hit Kewadin: The year in Kewadin Casino hard rock concerts started on March 14th, when California hard rock notables Buckcherry and Papa Roach made their way to The Dreammakers Theater with local acoustic duo
Fallen Heroes opening! Despite lineup shuffling,
Allstar Promotions delivered a quality show, but did it top the year in your eyes?
Clownsack releases "Funny Farm": The only in-store CD release of 2011 from a Sault Michigan metal band that I know of, Clownsack's second CD & first EP made some local waves this spring with a heavier (but still creative) hard rock attack! I missed the funk elements, but was the release of "Funny Farm" the biggest story of the past year?
The Dayglo Abortions return to the Soo: What started as just the 20th
Roosevelt Hotel metal night quickly grew into one of
Dismembertainment's biggest shows
ever, as Canadian hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions rocked the Rosie to it's core on June 16th! Also notable for featuring
Frightlight's only metal night appearance to date, did this top 2011 in news for you?
Destroilet releases their debut EP: Despite sporadic band activity at best since last spring, and still no CD release concert for this album, old school hardcore quintet Destroilet made some noise in the local scene last April when their debut EP went on sale! It's a solid disc, but was it the biggest news story of 2011 in your opinion?
Duane Roy's "Soo Stories" hits the shelves: After the successful release of "Castle Stories", Wawa author Duane Roy compiled his (and others') memories & photos from old concerts at Sault Memorial Gardens for his new book "Soo Stories: A Rock N' Roll Scrapbook", which hit local shelves early last year. Did this excellent book top other news stories in 2011 locally?
Feedback debuts with
Napalm Death: Dismembertainment owner Rich Moreland made some definite waves last fall when he bought
Foggy Notions, renamed it Feedback, and launched it's two month local run with a major metal show in October, headlined by British grindcore legends Napalm Death! Easily one of the heaviest recent local shows, but was it the top story of the year?
Flooding at The Canadian Nightclub: A major rain storm in July spelled disaster for The Canadian, as they suffered massive damages from flooding as a result of the storm. Many concerts and events were moved or cancelled, but The Canadian did re-open 7 weeks later, and it's still going strong! Was this the #1 news story in the local scene last year?
Gates of Winter announce "Perihelion": Their live hiatus is over 3 years long & counting, but fans were definitely excited last year to hear that Gates of Winter announced formal plans to release their second full length CD, entitled "Perihelion", in December 2012, along with likely re-recordings of some old material. Were these announcements the biggest news of 2011?
Garden of Bedlam releases "Everything Will Die": After a generally quiet year for local metal CD releases, Garden of Bedlam ended 2011 with a bang by releasing their full length debut "Everything Will Die" at a high profile CD release show at The Canadian Nightclub on Boxing Day! Did the release of this excellent album top the local metal stories of the past 12 months?
Helix rocks The Rockstar Bar: Kitchener metal legends Helix made their long awaited return to the Sault area on December 3rd at The Rockstar Bar, over 3 years after last rocking The Canadian Nightclub! The Helix show was definitely well recieved, but was it your top local metal story from 2011?
Hempfest returns to the Sault area: After the original owners ended Hempfest in 2009, Robert Neron took control of Hempfest, and after a scaled down version in Moonbeam in 2010, the popular marijuana culture festival returned home to Ophir, Ontario last August! There was a mixed reception, but the music was great, and maybe you rated it highly?
The launch of Dismembertainment: Local concert promoter Rich Moreland has put on metal concerts in the Sault area for years, but after officially launching Dismembertainment in March, things only seemed to grow, and they put on tons of high profile metal concerts in the area through the end of the year! Was Dismembertainment's debut your top news item from 2011?
Lemmafest debuts at Dondee Lanes: A year after the death of Michael Lemma, a festival in his honour was held at Sault Michigan's Dondee Lanes last June featuring an all-day lineup of area talent (including lots of metal), and the response was huge! Was the debut of Lemmafest your biggest news story of the past year?
Noise complaint issues at Foggy's/Feedback: Not long after Rich Moreland purchased Foggy Notions, the issue over noise complaints and the police being called on loud concerts reared it's head once again, leading to discussions from city councillors over the topic. Steps were taken to curb the complaints, but did this story make the biggest impression last year?
The passing of David Gold: The local metal scene was stunned when it became known that
Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold had passed away on December 21st as a result of a car accident outside of Barrie. The outpouring of grief was (and still is) huge, and the funeral went well, but we're still feeling it. Would this be the biggest news story of 2011 for you?
Rosie metal nights change hands: After Rich Moreland purchased Foggy Notions, the Roosevelt Hotel's Thursday metal nights were eventually picked up by Rosie kitchen manager Stephane Vincent, who relaunched the series in November on a more spread out schedule. Did the promoter switch for this concert series top the 2011 news stories locally?
The Searchmont Music Festival debuts: A new local music festival saw it's debut installment last fall when The Searchmont Music Festival was held on September 10th featuring numerous area musicians, including (
The Bear Hunters and
Tym Morrison) on the lineup! I heard good things about it, but do you consider it's debut a top story from last year?
Sense of Truth breaks up: Among the notable band breakups in 2011 was the end of local hard rock standouts Sense of Truth, who quietly disbanded last fall after months of inactivity, ending a successful run that had been ongoing since 2008. It may have been a quiet end for them, but did Sense of Truth's breakup lead all news stories from 2011?
State of Misery disbands: Another notable band who broke up in 2011 was local death metal quintet State of Misery, who disbanded in May after band tensions quickly piled on in preceding weeks, then quietly parted ways again later in the year after a short reunion. They were definitely a promising local band in early 2011, but is their end a top story from last year?
Sykotyk Rampage release 5 new albums: Ever the prolific quartet, "the original crash band" released no less than
five new albums (four of which actually went on sale) last August, continuing their unique and wide range of local album releases! Would you Sykotyk Rampage fans vote their latest output as the biggest story of 2011?
Theatre of Night re-releases "Christmas Night": In time for the holiday season, Sault Michigan classical metal trio Theatre of Night re-released their debut album "Christmas Night" with new material, showcasing their impressive seasonal metal to a wider audience! Was this album's second life your biggest local metal news story of the year?
Whitesnake plays Sault Michigan: Among the notable Sault Michigan concerts of 2011 was British metal legends Whitesnake's concert in August at The Dreammakers Theater at Kewadin Casino, where David Coverdale and company unleashed a quality set of their classic material! Was their local show last year your top news item of the past 12 months?
Woods of Ypres releases "Home": The last official Woods of Ypres release during David Gold's lifetime, the "Home" vinyl single from this past spring compiled two songs from their 2010 "Woods 4.5" sessions for fans to check out, and they were definitely pretty good, but was this independent vinyl release your top story of 2011?
Other: Did I miss something? Was your top story another Kewadin concert, like Cinderella or Joan Jett? How about another CD release, like Mike Haggith's newer albums or the "Woods IV" re-release? Did another Sault Ontario show top the news of the past year? How about another band breakup, like Elipzis' end? If I missed your #1 story from 2011, vote for "Other"!
VOTE TODAY!!! You have until March 18th to cast your votes in this poll, and I hope we get lots of good votes to give us a nice clear subsection of what you guys think topped the headlines of the past year! That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post later tonight featuring news on a major local band's breakup, and much more! Thanks everyone!
Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison is returning to Bossy's Pub N' Grub on Saturday for an eighth straight week, but not for his usual 2:00 PM matinee show. Rather, Tym confirmed on this concert's Facebook event page that this weekend's Bossy's gig will be at the usual 10:00 PM start time for his other solo & Caveman concerts, so if you're more used to going out on Saturday nights than Saturday afternoons, this should work out better for you! I don't know whether this is the new time for his Bossy's arrangement or just a one week change, but I have heard about some low attendances from some recent Bossy's matinee shows that Tym played, so if this is permanent, it should be better on paper for attendance. As stated above, Tym will be on at 10:00 PM on Saturday, there shouldn't be a cover charge, and given the timeslot, I'd assume this is a 19+ event. For more details, check the above links! It'll definitely be more familiar to see Tym rocking the stage at night with his acoustic hard rock covers, and hopefully a good crowd turns out on Saturday to take in the music! Stay tuned later in the week for more on this concert!
Also in new concerts, The Canadian Nightclub are bringing another hard rock tribute band to Sault Ontario next month, and if you like Guns N' Roses, you should like this! Toronto-based GNR tribute band Dust N' Bones (no relation to the Sault Michigan band featuring End of Existence & NoXcape alumni) are scheduled to roll through The Canadian for a full weekend of classic Guns N' Roses hits on March 2nd & 3rd! I don't know much on this band specifically as I honestly can't find an online page beyond a YouTube channel for them (though there are many similarly named GNR tributes elsewhere.) They appear to be relatively new, but the videos I've seen are very promising with a good Guns N' Roses sound & look, and I believe they share a drummer with popular Motley Crue tribute band Crued, so I have faith they'll rock the house next weekend! Both the Friday & Saturday shows next weekend have 10:00 PM start times and 19+ age limits, and I'd expect a cover charge of around $5 both nights. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! From what I can detect, Dust N' Bones should satisfy local Guns N' Roses cravings next month, and even if you're a loyalist for Gunz N' FN' Rosez, I say give DNB a shot and check them out on YouTube in advance of what should be a solid weekend of music! Stay tuned for any possible updates if they come in!
We'll close this post with some new Sault Michigan-related videos, starting with a brand new video from Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' headlining concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino from last October! YouTube user Shannon Grehan uploaded this video onto her YouTube channel on Sunday, and though it's one of four Joan Jett videos on her channel, it's the only one from the local concert. It's of the then-brand new original song "T.M.I." (or "Too Much Info"), and though we've seen video of this exact performance already (and in full), it's nice to get another angle! Shannon was to Joan's right and fairly close to the stage, which helps the view, but the audio's fairly scratchy, and she didn't capture the full song. Still, this is a solid video, and kudos to Shannon for finally posting it online, so check out Joan Jett rocking her song "T.M.I." at Kewadin Casino last year below!
And finally for today, here's the third trailer/teaser video for Sault Michigan/Grand Rapids metal quintet End of Existence's planned debut album! Posted to the band's YouTube channel yesterday, it's the longest of the three trailers so far (extending past 2 minutes), but it's initially similar to the second video with it's effects-layered band member photo, only this time of singer Bob Helsten, followed by the band's globe logo with information scrolling across it. Nothing new is revealed here (like a track listing, specific release details, price, or so forth), but it gives some nice previews of two songs from the album, and definitely check it out in advance of the album's scheduled release next Wednesday below!
