Bushplane Musical Madness II Review!!

As we wind down a stacked weekend of concerts in the Sault area (with Shinedown & Rotaryfest fallout to come), let's keep things rolling with our review of Saturday night's Bushplane Musical Madness II event! Apologies for the delay, but the videos I shot took forever to upload. Before we get to the bands, here's a bit of a look at the layout and setup for the evening. The performances were in the main "museum" hangar area of the Bushplane Museum, and compared to the first Bushplane Musical Madness event in November, the stage looked better and more professional (the lighting helped.) Also, the stage was now set up near the concessions building, flanked by actual bushplanes on exhibit, rather than it's placement on the wall on the other side of the museum from last year, so it was much more interesting visually and looked more like it was in the advertised venue in pictures. I also liked how the hangar doors were open to allow for mingling on the waterfront, and it added a nice view and ambiance that you don't get often at heavier shows! Note however that the draws and raffles from November did not return, the only sold merchandise (that I could tell) were copies of Haggith's "Deuce" album, and the size of this location (though impressive for concerts) did detract a bit in terms of the audience level, but being counter-booked against Rotaryfest, you'd have to expect that somewhat.

After a slight delay, Bushplane Musical Madness II kicked off with local solo musician James Watterworth playing a solo set, which I'll concede not knowing much on going into the show. All I knew is that I last saw him live winning a battle of the bands with Blackwater in 2010, and that he'd do slap bass solos. We did get that, but much of his set was based around solo vocal/guitar performances (including covers of The Delusionaires), with only a handful of bass songs at the end. Regardless of instrument, he's clearly a talented musician, with a solid rock/clean singing voice, and his bass skills are as good as advertised! What struck me about James' set was his constant optimism and cheery nature (he was definitely happy to be there) and the sort of avant-garde nature of some originals, complete with amusing lyrics and Mike Patton-esque tics. I definitely think James should get a full band going, as some of his songs are asking for a full band to flesh them out, but his set left a positive impression on Saturday, and I'm eager to hear more at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up this Friday!

Next up was local jam/alternative rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din in their public concert debut, but if you saw their private Goulais Mission gig over Canada Day weekend, their set will be familiar, as they essentially repeated the same songs, including "Analog Palace", "Lay My Body Down To Rest", and "Limb Coast". This was my first time seeing Mike Haggith front a live band for a full concert, and he had a good stage presence and used his voice well for the material, though I'd like to see more adaptations of his best original material in a live setting. Curtis McKenzie & Daniel Horton fit well on bass and drums, and this looser jam/acid feel does add a unique element to their set, but they could be a bit more energetic (maybe they were saving up for the Haggith set that night.) At the end of their set, the guys called on fellow Paperclip Productions artist Frank McGillvray (who manned the camera for official concert footage that night) to play three songs in a surprise mini-set, with the same performers backing him (aside from Mike & Daniel swapping roles), so how did Frank do for the first time I've seen him live?

He's a skilled guitarist and had good chemistry with Mike and The Din, giving more of a classic rock sound with heavier influences to the three songs they played (including one instrumental), and his voice had a determined and carefully timed effect that seemed to fit what he was playing! I don't think Frank has any online pages for his music yet (any past references I've seen were from Paperclip Productions posts), but I'm curious to hear/see more of what he can do!

Third on the bill was local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (replacing Redundant) in the first time I've seen them since the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, and they've definitely improved their all-around game since then! Musically, their originals (like "Excuse My Choices" & "Dragon Drums") flowed well and shown solid all around talent, with Terrence Gomes' energy and vocals giving a good punk vibe to their set, and unlike at the battle, the guys were outwardly showing some emotion, seeming like they wanted to be playing their songs. Mike Ivany and Corry Rideout still need to loosen up a bit and not look down for long stretches, but they're making the right steps, and they're getting better at every aspect! Straight punk bands haven't been overly prominent locally in recent years, but if The Northern Tragedy keep on the up & up, they can help change that, and I hope they can find long success that some of Terrence's older bands didn't hit!

(Also, if anything shockingly different or bizarre happened during The Northern Tragedy's last couple of songs, I missed it due to my brief detour to the Second Stage to see Sailor's Tongue and get their CD. For my thoughts on what I saw of their set, check the post below this one!)

The second half of the concert kicked off with Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners The Suicide Kings, in perhaps their last show as a quartet before auditioning for a permanent bassist, and they put in an entertaining mix of covers and originals for the gathered fans! Following their all-covers turn at Rotaryfest, originals like "Into The Fray" and "Beaten Down" were welcomed back along with renditions of System of a Down, Rage Against The Machine, and Collective Soul songs (among others), and though their talents were clear as day, Mike Gaetano's vocals were somewhat hard to hear (especially when singing higher notes), and their cover of "Aerials" had a lot of lyrical mix-ups. Steven Flint was on fire on guitar though, and Mitch Sirie's bass work went off without a hitch, though I was hoping to hear more originals than we got. Very good set of hard rock action, and stay tuned for updates from The Suicide Kings' next plans as they come in!

Second last on the evening was local alternative/grunge quartet Haggith, who pumped out a well recieved set of fan favourite songs for their loyal following in attendance! There were some differences though, as Kristi-Lee Marshall (who provided backing vocals at their last few dates) did not do the same on Saturday, and frontman Curtis McKenzie largely stuck to only vocals save for a few acoustic guitar parts. Their set was familiar however, with tracks like "Clifton Hill" and "Anthem" joined by some fun covers (including Jimi Hendrix and Cheap Trick classics), and the guys were definitely feeling the energy and gave back in kind, playing with a carefree attitude and some clear intensity when called on! Though the absence of his guitar work was disappointing, Curtis' singing was very strong, and the rest of the guys were consistently good, with Caleb Cachagee's bass work showing some impressive qualities! The guys were also joined by guest guitarist Rainey Vincent on a song late, and though he fit well, I'd need to hear more of his work before judging his skills.

You know a band does well when an encore ("Rage Train") is required, and Haggith delivered a fun aggressive set that we should get a reprise of at The Oddfellows Hall on Friday, so be there to check it out, and stay tuned for more from their camp as it rolls in!

Finally, the headliners of Bushplane Musical Madness II (again) were the original crash band themselves, Sykotyk Rampage! Their first concert in three months saw them whip out a mix of old standards and newer songs, with "Sicked", "Lowest of the Low", and "Bucket of Ham" seeming to draw a lot of enthusiasm and pent up energy from the remaining fans, including on-stage partying, moshing, and even some interpretive dance! Muscially, Sykotyk Rampage were on form from their other recent gigs, though I'll give some extra notice to bassist Tony Briglio for adding a gritty metal edge to their backing vocals and stage setup since joining last summer! Guitarist Dirk Becker also had a wild spell for three mid-set songs, dropping the guitar to focus on an triptych of crash metal originals, including breaking out the baseball bat to use on their monkey mascot George, which led to some continued "monkey baseball" games! As before, you can't easily judge Sykotyk Rampage against other bands just because of their style and how they record, but I like them, they clearly had fun, and the fans had a ball!

Overall, while this show was very long and rough on my feet, the music was very entertaining wall to wall, and the atmosphere was great! It's just a shame that the attendance wasn't better, but when you're booked against Rotaryfest (let alone the last day), I can understand the crowd situation. Hopefully a lot of money was raised for the musem though, and it'd be nice if this became annual as an official "Third Stage" for alternative, punk, and metal acts, but who knows what will happen. I did get a bunch of photos (the airplanes and environment let me be creative), so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page! As for videos, I got one of most of the performers, so here's James Watterworth playing his bass original "Sneeze", Mike Haggith and The Din playing Mike's solo song "The Ballad of K2/K3", Frank McGillvray and Haggith playing an untitled instrumental, The Suicide Kings playing a cover medley of The White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, and Finger Eleven hits, Haggith playing their non-album original "Public Enemy", and Sykotyk Rampage playing "Sweet Young Thing"!













That's all for now, but I fully expect a new news post today, as with expected Rotaryfest and Shinedown fallout looming, I don't wanna fall behind any more than I already am. It'll definitely have a preview of TOMORROW'S Resignators/Side FX show at The Rosie, but anything else is up in the air as of this writing (and yes, that means our YouTube Channel Profile on David Gold's channel is being postponed to tomorrow, but don't worry, it's packed!) Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for what I expect to be a busy stretch!

Sailor's Tongue At Rotaryfest Review, Their New CD, And Much More!!

Just to keep things moving along without delay (especially given the time it'll take to upload all 6 videos), I'll hold back our Bushplane Musical Madness II review to either tonight or tomorrow so we can touch on what I caught from Rotaryfest last night, and some more recent news relating to it and some videos I recently uploaded that Woods of Ypres fans should like! Without any further adieu, let's begin this post!

As you may remember, I attended Bushplane Musical Madness II last night rather than an extended stay at the Rotaryfest stages due to my own music preferences, but I did have incentive to slip out for a bit in the 8:00 PM hour, as local hard rock band Sailor's Tongue were both playing their first live show in a year AND releasing a new CD! So I took the 10 minute walk from the Bushplane Museum to the Tenaris Second Stage (just past Case's Music on Queen Street East) and I caught parts of 4 songs from Sailor's Tongue's set before The Suicide Kings took the stage at the Bushplane show! Now, this was the first time I've seen Sailor's Tongue live since a battle of the bands in 2007, and while I can't make too much of an analysis given that I only saw two songs played in full, I enjoyed what I heard! Very solid hard rock sound with a lot of catchy elements and classic influences, with much more of an edge than frontman Kyle McKey's past original bands (aside from maybe Stillbroke.) Everyone fit musically, though I will say that I hope Liam Seymour got a chance to sing lead last night, as he's got a great voice!

Kyle's voice fit the songs, it was nice seeing Blake Jackson back, and the three-pronged guitar sound didn't seem like overkill either! Members had expressed a lot of optimism for the new quintet lineup, and based on what I saw, I think they're right, but I'd need to see a longer set of theirs before I can form more of an opinion. Hopefully they'll play live again this year, and I did get pictures & a video, so here's Sailor's Tongue playing their original song "BootScattered", and see my photos at this link or via our Facebook page!



As for their CD, did I get one? Of course, so here's what you should know on it! The merchandise table outside of the Second Stage had not just CDs, but the first ever Sailor's Tongue t-shirts (in both black & grey), and hopefully each sold well! The album itself is named "Pierced" (as depicted with a literal "sailor's tongue" on the cover), and the liner notes just include each song's name and a listing of all 5 band members. The CDs are handmade with the members' autographs on the front (similarly to the first pressing of Late & Loud's EP), and they're packaged in a slim jewel case. The included songs are "Float", "Out of the Woodwork", "Wired For No Sound", "Shadow", "Doctor John", "BootScattered", and "Beauty's Limousine", though note that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th songs are all explicitly labelled as demos, so there's likely a quality shift. Streaming copies are available on Reverbnation & SoundCloud, though I don't know yet if they're exactly the same recordings (also, the songs "Don't Shoot The Messenger", "Horses & Trains", and "Navy" did not make the cut for the album.)

I haven't heard "Pierced" yet, but I definitely will soon, especially to get more familiar with a band that hasn't been the most prominent in recent years! As for when this will get a review on the site, it's definitely lined up for the fall (Crimson Crusade's next month), but with SweetKenny and Mike Haggith having back albums awaiting reviews as well, I don't want to commit to a date just yet. Stay tuned though just in case, and if we hear anything on Sailor's Tongue's next updates, shows, and CD availability, we'll have it here!

Also today, here's some fallout from The Suicide Kings' main stage set at Rotaryfest on Friday! First off, it was covers only, as they confirmed at the Bushplane Museum show last night, so the first stage hasn't begun making original exemptions. As for the "huge surprise" that the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners were hyping? Well, they were joined by former Limelight bassist Brandon Uhl for at least one song, reuniting him with his Limelight bandmates Steven Flint & Ben Boudreau! My source is numerous photo postings from attendees on Facebook. The hint on this maybe being "the only time this is happening" is likely because Brandon currently lives in Hamilton for college, but it's still nice to see 3/5ths of Limelight back together, even if briefly! Also, this could be seen as a preview of The Suicide Kings' plans to add a full time bassist in the coming weeks, so if you saw their quintet performance, I'd get used to the idea for after the auditions wrap up! Two photos from their set can be seen in Donna Hopper's SooToday article on Rotaryfest (pictures 18 & 29), so give them a look at the above link, and keep an eye out for appearances in the photos from Giwakwa's Chris Page & Chris Thompson, and The Side FX's Rob Speers!

Other Rotaryfest stage fallout is forthcoming, I'm sure, including hopefully another cycle of videos from Local2, and perhaps more, so stay tuned for updates as we hear them, and of course, stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for our review of Bushplane Musical Madness II!

Finally for today, here's a little bonus batch of songs I recently uploaded to our YouTube channel! As you may remember, the Woods of Ypres tribute album "Heart of Gold" was released in May, and it's attracted positive notices from many fans! When listening to it for our review of the set, I was hit with the idea of combining a few of the included covers with the original Woods of Ypres tracks in Audacity to see what would happen (similarly to the "orchestral version" of "Allure of the Earth" I made in 2010.) This time, I made three combination tracks using Audacity, combining the original versions of "Adora Vivos", "Finality", and "Trillium: The Third of Three Winters, 2004-2007" with their "Heart of Gold" covers by Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Kuhrzarth, and Justin Bender respectively. In each case, the covers are ones that add to or compliment the original in their own way, with "Adora Vivos" coming out with a more orchestral vibe, "Finality" featuring new guitar parts and a hypothetical duet between David Gold & Paul Kuhr of November's Doom, and "Trillium" taking on a more melodic sound.

Of course, that's not to say that they're better, that's for listeners to decide, I just thought these fit really well and added a new dimension to the original tracks, for better or worse. I didn't pick other songs from the tribute album to combine in Audacity for one of two reasons: Either they were too similar or heavy for it to work without sounding cluttered and noisy, or the cover was too different from the original for them to mesh. The three combined tracks that I did make have gotten a good response so far, but check the above links to see what you think, and here's Woods of Ypres & Kuhrzarth playing "Finality" together!



That's all for now, but stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for our Bushplane Musical Madness II review! Thanks everyone!

Shinedown Concert Preview, Cancer Fundraising For Luke LeBlanc, And A New Video!!

Finally, here's our fourth and last post covering this very busy weekend in hard rock and metal concerts, as arguably the biggest of the weekend is going down tomorrow night! Our extended look at that leads off today's post, but we also have news on a local musician's major cancer fight, and a recent live concert video, so read on below for what you need to know!

In the second of two major concerts from Allstar Promotions this weekend at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino (following TONIGHT'S Daughtry concert), multi-platinum Jacksonville hard rock quartet Shinedown will make their Sault-area debut TOMORROW NIGHT! Touring in support of their new CD "Amaryllis", Shinedown have been one of the most successful modern hard rock bands of recent years, with hits like "Second Chance", "Save Me", and "Bully" keeping them as staples of rock radio, and they have a lot of popular and memorable songs that are sure to strike a nerve tomorrow night! They'll be joined by Memphis hard rock band Devour The Day (featuring two members of Egypt Central) as openers for tomorrow's show, and their energetic and upbeat hard rock sound should suit them well as they hit the Soo themselves! Note however that Detroit hard rockers Fifth Way (featuring Rudyard native Zak Stelmaszek on guitar) will NOT be opening this show anymore, as per their Facebook page last week. A reason was not announced, but note that Allstar Promotions never publically confirmed that they were playing.

Disappointing news to be sure, especially knowing Fifth Way's local familiarity and talents, but no matter why they're out, they WILL still be opening for Tesla on July 27th (one week from today), so keep that in mind! The Shinedown concert (which is ALL AGES) will go down at 7:00 PM TOMORROW, and as of this writing, only a handful of center section tickets (mostly in the fourth row) were available, so this is a near-sell out. If you want to try for tickets, click here, call 1-800-KEWADIN, or visit the Kewadin box office! Also, I have no idea on the protocol for a potential meet & greet, so call ahead just in case. Check the above links for more details! This should be a very successful concert, especially knowing Shinedown's popularity and success in recent years, so if you have tickets, have a great time! Myself, I don't mind a few of their songs (like their "Simple Man" cover), though I admittedly find a few of their songs overplayed, but they have a lot of talent, so don't miss their local debut TOMORROW! For a preview, here's Shinedown's video for their newest single "Unity"!



Next up, another fundraising campaign has been launched to help raise money for former Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc's battle with cancer. Launched by Denise Armstrong on May 21st on the website GoFundMe, the links above explain that Luke and his family need financial assistance to help him at this time of need, along with noting that the cancer has spread to his stomach, spine, kidney, and one eye. The main goal is to raise $20,000 for his fight and related expenses, though as of this writing, only $120 had been donated. Luke's a very nice guy, and I commend him 100% for his brave battle with cancer in the past year, as well as keeping his trademark sense of humour through every up and down! He's also a talented singer, as Half Past fans and his old bandmates should attest to, but right now, his health is what's most important. If you can even donate a few dollars, that would mean a lot to Luke and his family right now, so keep this fundraising campaign in mind, click here for information, and help out if you can! Get well soon, Luke!

Finally for today, here's a new video from the second Golers concert at The Roosevelt Hotel on July 4th! Filmed by AlgomA singer/bassist Kevin "Marty Chase" Campbell & posted on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, this is of the Vancouver crossover/thrash band playing their original song "This Is Not A Test", as filmed on a stationary camera on one of the long tables near the stage. Good angle of this short original track, and the audio quality's solid, but the video is fairly dark. Still very solid, so check out this new Golers concert video below!



That's all for today, but I'll see you guys TONIGHT at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for Bushplane Musical Madness II, and if weather and timing permits, you might spot me at the Tenaris Second Stage in the evening before or during Sailor's Tongue's set, especially with their hyped CD availability! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2013 Main & Second Stage Concert Previews!!

In our third of four concert preview posts on this busy weekend, we're taking a look at this year's music stages for Sault Ontario's annual summer festival Rotaryfest! Of course, you can get details on this year's non-musical events, click here, but as this is a music site, let's focus on the live stages, which will welcome four hard rock-leaning bands to it's downtown outdoor stages TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! As usual, both stages are FREE for the public of ALL AGES to attend, and times will be mentioned as we go. To start, we'll outline the main stage at Clergue Park, which is of course where (generally) covers-only bands play, and just for reference, the action began last night with local blues band Goodtime Charlie, jazz quartet The Bob Jenkins Band, and the classic/oldies cover bands Flathead Ford and Coverfly, though none would fit for SMS coverage. Hopefully last night's abbreviated lineup knocked it out of the park though, and hopefully Goodtime Charlie & Flathead Ford made a great impression in their Rotaryfest debuts!

TONIGHT's main stage lineup features just one hard rock band, as Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands winners The Suicide Kings will make their Rotaryfest debut with a co-headlining set at 9:00 PM! Odd to see them on the main stage as they have many original songs, when Rotaryfest usually discourages bands who don't play exclusively covers, but maybe they'll only be doing covers tonight. Regardless, the guys should do great in one of their last shows as a quartet before beginning bassist auditions, so be there at 9:00 TONIGHT for their diverse hard rock sound! Tonight's headliners are local country band Thin Ice at 10:15 PM, with pop rockers K.T., Kyle, and the Pocket at 8:00 PM, country rock trio Summer Thunder at 7:00 PM, classic rockers Mid Life Crysis at 6:00 PM, dance/classic rock quartet Obsession at 5:00 PM, the Sault's first salsa/Latin band Orangatango at 4:00 PM, and Mike Case's Rock School and Junior All Star (country) Band at 3:10 PM & 2:30 PM respectively.

Though their addition is still a bit of a head-scratcher with the originals-friendly Second Stage just around the corner, The Suicide Kings should leave a big impression at Rotaryfest tonight, and note that their own Facebook event page for their set hypes "a huge surprise" that will be revealed tomorrow, which "could be the only time this is happening." What are they getting at? Be there to find out at 9:00 PM TONIGHT, and for a preview, here's The Suicide Kings covering Our Lady Peace & Weezer at Toystock last fall!



As for Saturday night, hard rock seekers should hit up the First Stage from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM, as two classic hard rock bands will be rocking Clergue Park during that stretch, including Griphook (featuring Flat Stanley, Bigsuit, Hollow, and Fusion alumni) at 4:00 PM, and the recently reunited That's Chester in just their second public concert set since last summer at 6:00 PM! Both have their own unique takes on their genres to deliver, with Griphook becoming increasingly prominent, and That's Chester being missed since their breakup last fall, so don't miss out on some hard rocking covers in the early evening! Griphook & That's Chester are sandwiching classic rock duo Spyder's Web in the 5:00 PM timeslot, while the headlining bands are out-of-town Rolling Stones tribute band The Blushing Brides at 10:15 PM and Toronto jam rock trio Ground Zero (featuring Sault natives Frank Fazi & Shane McConnell) at 9:00 PM. The other bands ahead of That's Chester incluce classic rockers Mustang Heart at 8:00 PM and country rock quartet Bone Yard at 7:00 PM, while the afternoon bands include blues rockers Five Below Zero at 3:00 PM, indie/jazz quartet The Pesto Shirts at 2:00 PM, and R&B big band The Repitles opening at 1:00 PM.

Though the increase in out of town bands and heavy concentration of bands from past main stage lineups could be seen badly by some, there's a lot of talent and veteran experience present on the main stage no matter what day, and many of these bands can be seen on weekends at local bars, so if you like what you hear, follow which bands are playing where in the future! It's great to see a couple of heavier bands in Griphook & That's Chester, so don't miss them at 4:00 and 6:00 PM, and for a preview, here's That's Chester covering Deep Purple's "Highway Star" at their last Rotaryfest appearance in 2011!



As for the Tenaris Second Stage, this year's all-original lineup of bands will entertain attendees today and tomorrow on Queen Street East outside of Case's Music and The Grand Theater! Like the main stage (which is not a far walk if you wanna jump to see different bands), it's FREE AND ALL AGES, so keep that in mind! Now, this year's Second Stage lineup has slightly less metal than last year, with only one heavier band, but just for reference, TODAY's abbreviated lineup features Milwaukee indie/pop trio Jaill headlining at 9:30 PM, and they'll be preceded by four local acts, including popular blues rockers Blues Harvest at 8:30 PM, local/North Bay folk band The Faraway Neighbours at 7:30 PM, solo folk musician M.D. Dunn at 6:30 PM, and folk/country rockers The Porter Band opening at 5:30 PM. Solid lineup for fans of folk rock especially, and though it's sort of weird seeing an American band at Rotaryfest, Jaill have the talent and the right sound to fit in with the general sound of the Second Stage, so keep this lineup in mind!

TOMORROW'S Second Stage lineup is much longer and contains this year's only hard rock band on the Queen Street stage, that being the returning Sailor's Tongue in their first show since last year's Rotaryfest! This will also mark Sailor's Tongue's first show since guitarist Blake Jackson returned to the band, though not as a replacement, so they'll be playing as a quintet! Notably, frontman Kyle McKey revealed on his personal Facebook page earlier this week that they'll be releasing a CD of some kind tomorrow in conjunction with their set, though as of this writing, I don't know anything on it's cost or format, though the included songs will likely include tracks posted on drummer Dean McKey's SoundCloud page earlier this year. This is intriguing news on it's own, especially given how minimal news has been on an album (save for indications in February), but keep this in mind if you're at the Second Stage tomorrow! Sailor's Tongue are the highest slotted local band tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, with Toronto reggae band The House of David Gang & Guelph "indie-afrobeat" band The Minotaurs headlining at 10:00 PM & 9:00 PM respectively.

The remaining acts tomorrow include Sudbury blues artist and Soo native Sean Poluk at 7:00 PM (though local news media credits him as a "surprise guest"), local folk musician (and upcoming Swampstravaganza performer) Guy Smith at 6:00 PM, jazz/blues artist Rusty McCarthy at 5:00 PM, progressive rockers Machines Dream at 4:00 PM, folk quintet The Mulch & The Mire at 3:00 PM, and returning indie rockers Cowboys & Indians opening the stage at 2:00 PM. For more details on the bands on the two official Rotaryfest stages, check the above links! Though this year's Second Stage is heavy on indie & roots bands, only three acts (The Faraway Neighbours, The Porter Band, and Sailor's Tongue) are returnees from last year, so there's a diverse and shook-up lineup for fans this year, even if there's only one heavier band! My weekend schedule will likely be focused around Bushplane Musical Madness II on Saturday (which hard rock fans could consider the unofficial "third stage"), but given Sailor's Tongue's CD plans, I may try and slip out briefly to at least pick one up depending on the weather and timing!

I don't have a preview video of Sailor's Tongue, but check out their new and old material at the above links, and keep in mind that members Kyle McKey & Liam Seymour will both be playing with KT, Kyle, and The Pocket on the main stage TONIGHT at 8:00 PM, while Saturday main stage performers Griphook will be at The New A tonight and The Rockstar Bar tomorrow (minus Brian Oja as The 7 Year Itch), so those could fill any scheduling voids! That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Shinedown preview TOMORROW, along with more recent news and notes! Thanks everyone, and don't miss The Suicide Kings on the main stage tonight at 9:00 PM!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym & Caveman Morrison), Plus The Bushplane Musical Madness II Preview!!

Slight change of plans for our second concert preview post, as it won't be our Rotaryfest previews due to some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! As a result, we'll be looking at those and the Bushplane Musical Madness preview today, with the Shinedown preview now coming on Saturday to give it proper emphasis. So now, read on below for our second of four weekend concert preview posts! (Also, check out last month's poll results and our new poll in the post below this one, VOTE TODAY, and stay tuned tomorrow morning for our previews of the hard rock action at this year's Rotaryfest stages!)

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill at 743 Trunk Road TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only just announced this show this morning. Like his past Thursday gigs at The Road House, this will be part of the venue's customer appreciation nights, with a free meal of some kind promised, though I don't know specifics on the offer. As usual, Tym Morrison's acoustic hard rock and metal covers should entertain patrons and fans at The Road House today, so if you're up for some short notice unplugged action, head to The East End for the special early start time of 5:00 PM! There's also no announced cover charge, and knowing the time, I'd assume it's all ages. For more information, visit the official Facebook event page! Tym's solo shows are always a good time, so hopefully you can be another customer to be appreciated at this early concert! For a preview, here's Tym and ex-Half Past frontman Luke LeBlanc covering Extreme's "More Than Words"!



Also in short notice shows involving Tym Morrison, his metal cover band Caveman Morrison will return to The Roosevelt Hotel for the first time in three weeks for shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Like tonight's solo gig, I apologize for the short notice announcement, as Tym only announced these shows this morning as well. Slowly getting busier with dates this summer, this power trio should have some great metal and hard rock covers in store for their latest weekend engagement, so don't miss out if you wanna rock out with this popular live band! Admission should be free for both tomorrow & Saturday night's shows, you must be 19 to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are listed. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Caveman Morrison should deliver a fun and hard hitting weekend of metal classics in their latest Rosie stops, so keep them in mind for your after-Rotaryfest barhopping, and for a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know" a few years ago!



Finally for today, are you disheartened with the lack of metal and hard rock bands on the covers and indie/roots-heavy Rotaryfest stages? Then The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center has you covered on Saturday night, as local grunge/alternative rockers Haggith are hosting Bushplane Musical Madness II that night! 7 months after their first event at the Pim Street museum, Saturday night will see another day of live hard rock and punk action, with proceeds going to help raise funds for the museum, though no word on if there will be draws like in November. A noticeably expanded lineup will grace the stage on Saturday, including all three bands from the first Bushplane Musical Madness ("blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage, the aforementioned Haggith, and local hard rock quartet The Suicide Kings) headlining the festivities at 11:00 PM, 9:45 PM, and 8:30 PM respectively! It'll be great to see these bands on stage again, and note that this will be Sykotyk Rampage's first show since the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands in April, and likely The Suicide Kings' last show before beginning bassist auditions.

The other three acts will all make their Bushplane Museum debuts, and in descending chronological order, they include local punk trio The Northern Tragedy (replacing Redundant) at 7:15 PM, the Sault Ontario live debut of local jam/hard rock trio Mike Haggith & The Din (featuring 3/4ths of Haggith in swapped roles) at 6:15 PM, and ex-Blackwater bassist James Watterworth opening with a solo set at 5:00 PM. All should add their own entertaining sounds to the festivities, and I'm very curious to hear James' solo work, so don't miss the action on Saturday! Note as well that every performer except James competed at the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, so if you loved that event, you can't miss this! Admission is just $5 for this ALL AGES event (though it is licensed for alcohol sales), and doors open at 4:00 PM. Tickets can be bought in advance at the Bushplane Museum, Case's Music, The Rad Zone, and Northland Music, or through members of Haggith, Mike Haggith & The Din, Sykotyk Rampage, or The Suicide Kings. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This should be an awesome event, and if you'd rather something with a hard rock and punk edge compared to Rotaryfest's stages, and for a good cause, this is worth a $5 investment to rock out with! Live downtown entertainment on a convenient day, and think of it as the unofficial "third stage"! I missed the November installment, but I guarantee I'll be there for Bushplane Musical Madness II on Saturday, so I'll see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Haggith's 1 hour retrospective video from the first Bushplane concert!



That's all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for Rotaryfest previews, and then on Saturday as we finally conclude our weekend concert previews with a look at the Shinedown concert! Thanks everyone!

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

Taking a brief break from our weekend concert previews (Rotaryfest is coming tonight), we have last month's poll results and this month's newest poll to cover on the site! To start with, as you may remember, we posted this question to you guys last month: Should more local metal/hard rock bands release albums for sale? Only 11 votes, which is disappointing to a point, but the results are very clear, so here they are!

Only if they're ready and have enough material (55%, 6 votes)
Yes, they all should (36%, 4 votes)
Only for certain bands that I like (9%, 1  votes)
Only if they're available for digital download (0 votes)
I'd rather get free songs/CDs (0 votes)
I prefer live concerts to studio recordings (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, the results seem clear to me (at least from who voted) in that most people think local metal & hard rock bands should release albums, either in general or when ready. There's always a market for albums and original material from local bands, and hopefully this is a sign that more bands should release something when ready and able! I agree with the winning choice in full, as some bands shouldn't rush into anything, and the single vote for "Only for certain bands that I like" is a good sign, as I'd hope most metalheads in town would want all bands to further themselves, not just their favourites. We've seen a lot of CDs come out in 2013 compared to last year, and with Mike Haggith's projects prolific as ever, Sailor's Tongue releasing some kind of disc on Saturday, and the assorted other albums waiting in the wings to come out, there's bound to be more physical CDs from your favourite local bands on the horizon to buy and support! Thanks to everyone for voting!

As for this month's poll, as we've now completed the first half of 2013, it's time for a recent tradition on the site, as I'm posing this question to you guys: "What was your favourite Sault Ontario metal concert in the first half of 2013?" Like in past years, I've chosen 20 metal and hard rock concerts from between January 1st and June 30th of this year (plus "Other"), and while the first half of the year was quieter in months other than April & June, there was some big shows going down! Remember, the choices do NOT include shows that had less than a 50% concentration of metal bands (i.e. the Faces of the Soup Kitchen Community Celebration) or private concerts (such as Haggith's Canada Day weekend gigs.) Also, this only covers the first 6 months of the year, so shows that have taken place this month (like the second Golers show) will be considered for inclusion in the poll on the second half of 2013's concerts early next year. Of course, those shows (and others not included) can be picked by voting "Other". With that said, what was your top concert in early 2013? Your choices are below!

Bands: The Suicide Kings
Venue: The Nicolet Tavern
Date: January 25th
Info: One of the few high profile hard rock shows in Sault Ontario from this past January, The Suicide Kings' oft-delayed first concert of 2013 went down at The Nic on January 25th, and it surely gave them another outlet to display their entertaining blend of hard rock covers & originals! Would you agree if you were there?

Bands: Shit Liver, Sykotyk Rampage, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: February 21st
Info: Dubbed "Axed Theory Night" following the withdrawal of out-of-town headliners Annex Theory, the in-name-only return of the Rosie metal nights saw three talented local metal bands take the stage (including the first public local concerts from The Bear Hunters & Shit Liver since last summer), and metalheads in attendance ate it up, but was it the best metal show so far in 2013?

Bands: 40 Sons
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: February 28th
Info: After a three year absence from local concert dates, local concert promoter J.D. Pearce brought Hamilton hard rock quartet 40 Sons back to the Soo (this time at The Rockstar Bar) for their first of two local shows this year, and they received high praise for their talents, energy, and professionalism following this concert! Was 40 Sons' first Soo stop your favourite of the past 6 months?

Bands: Xanadu, T-Rex Manning (a.k.a. The Fiend Brigade), and Loud Lazer
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: March 1st
Info: March came in like a lion with Apocalypse: The Musical, a night of metal and punk tribute bands, headlined by a Black Sabbath tribute set by Welland trio Xanadu (featuring Late & Loud's Jonathan Tiberi), a Misfits cover set from "The Fiend Brigade", and a one-off Late & Loud/Lazer Queen hybrid covering Motley Crue classics! Was this unique concert better than the rest so far?

Bands: Greg Callaghan & Lucky 13
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: March 17th
Info: Capping off a busy St. Patrick's Day weekend at The Rockstar Bar (including two shows from the aforementioned Jon Tiberi's folk band The Daybreak Johnnies), local alternative hard rock cover band Lucky 13 returned to this venue along with solo punk musician Greg Callaghan for a green beer-filled night of covers and revelry! Were you there to say this was your favourite early-2013 concert?

Bands: Honest Job, Soul Killing Female, and AlgomA
Venue: 180 Projects
Date: March 24th
Info: Heavy metal returned to Gore Street after a lengthy absence on March 24th when local arts venue 180 Projects opened it's doors to the return of Winnipeg cybersludge band Soul Killing Female, along with folk rockers Honest Job and the debut of new local doom metal band AlgomA! Notably serving as the debut of AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent's promotion agency, was this concert your #1 choice?

Bands: The Suicide Kings, Haggith, The Pesto Shirts, The Bear Hunters, Late & Loud, Giwakwa, The Northern Tragedy, Sarah's Valley, and Sykotyk Rampage
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th
Info: The most recent Sault Ontario battle of the bands saw 9 acts battle across four consecutive Wednesdays in April, with local hard rockers The Suicide Kings claiming victory in the finals, and wild cards Haggith & The Pesto Shirts outperforming their initial sets to make the podium! Notably featuring many Rockstar Bar debuts, the return of Free Beer (now Sarah's Valley), and Late & Loud's last concerts before falling inactive, was the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands tops to you in the first half of 2013?

Bands: 40 Sons & The Suicide Kings
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 5th
Info: Just over a month after last rocking Sault Ontario, Hamilton's own 40 Sons returned to The Rockstar Bar for another well received and hard hitting concert, this time with the aforementioned Suicide Kings in tow to provide some proficient local support! Did you prefer 40 Sons' local encore to their February stop, and if so, enough to put it at the top of your list from the first 6 months of the year?

Bands: The Rabid Whole, Sarah's Valley, Giwakwa, and Sykotyk Rampage
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: April 11th
Info: A different sort of concert hit the The Rosie on April 11th, when Toronto techno/hard rock quintet The Rabid Whole rocked the Soo for this Thursday night concert! Featuring three Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands competitors on the lineup (including the live debut of death metal quartet Giwakwa), a good response came from this show, but would you agree with that?

Bands: The Ripcordz, Destroilet, and T-Rex Manning
Venue: The Algonquin Pub
Date: April 13th
Info: Almost 6 years after last hitting Sault Ontario, Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz made a triumphant return with a well attended and very entertaining concert at The Algonquin Pub on April 13th, inciting some solid pits and intensity! Also featuring local talent from T-Rex Manning and the first live set from Destroilet in over 2 years, was The Ripcordz' 2013 local show your favourite of the year so far?

Bands: Garden of Bedlam & Skeyes of Seven
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: April 26th
Info: In each of their first live concerts since late 2012, prominent local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam and local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven (in just their second show) rocked The Rockstar Bar on April 26th with a night full of hard hitting covers and originals, plus a few surprises! It was great seeing both bands back at it, but was this your favourite early-2013 metal concert?

Bands: The Royal Red Brigade, The Rhubarbs, Shit Liver, and Telephone & Address
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: May 10th
Info: Though this show's out of town headliners (including returning Regina quartet The Royal Red Brigade) were punk bands, metal found a place at this Jamie Vincent-promoted all ages concert, including local grindcore trio Shit Liver's second live show of the year, and Chris Shoust's lo-fi grunge solo act Telephone & Address! Were you at this show to vouch for it as a top level event?

Bands: The Suicide Kings
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 17th
Info: Four weeks after winning the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, The Suicide Kings celebrated in style with their most recent solo headlining concert, debuting at The Roosevelt Hotel with their increasing setlist of original songs and hard hitting covers! Was this your #1 metal/hard rock show of the first half of 2013, or did another event surpass it?

Bands: Greber, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: May 18th
Info: Just one day after The Suicide Kings rocked The Rosie, bassist Mitch Sirie returned with his other live band The Bear Hunters as one of the opening bands for Cambridge experimental metal duo Greber (featuring Fuck The Facts' Marc Bourgon), bringing a Thursday experience to a Saturday night event! Did this concert (also featuring promoters Shit Liver) get your horns raised higher than the rest?

Bands: Jack Spades, T-Rex Manning, Haggith, The Bear Hunters, The Suicide Kings, Greg Callaghan, and Crimson Crusade
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: May 20th
Info: Local concert promoter & singer J.D. Pearce held The Crusade, a cancer fundraising concert on May 20th featuring a wide array of local metal and punk talent, including a rare headlining set from T-Rex Manning, Crimson Crusade's first show in over 6 months, and the surprise debut of J.D.'s new band Jack Spades! Lots of money was raised for the cause, but did you enjoy the music more than at other shows?

Bands: Sleep When You're Dead, Winkstinger, Giwakwa, and Redundant
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: May 29th
Info: Despite mixed attendance, this all ages concert at the end of May supplied a solid evening of metal and punk action, including the debut of Winkstinger's new lineup after an 8 month hiatus, death metal & punk intensity from Giwakwa & Redundant, and some extreme hardcore action from Oshawa hardcore rockers Sleep When You're Dead! Was this concert your favourite of 2013 through the end of June?

Bands: Skeletonwitch, Caym, The Bear Hunters, and Crimson Crusade
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: June 3rd
Info: Perhaps the biggest metal show in scope to hit Sault Ontario in early 2013, Ohio blackened thrash metallers Skeletonwitch took over The Canadian on June 3rd with Toronto openers Caym in tow for the action! Also featuring local death metal openers The Bear Hunters and Crimson Crusade (who released their debut EP that night), this show had a great response, but was it your favourite?

Bands: The Golers, Destroilet, and AlgomA
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: June 20th
Info: Vancouver crossover thrash quartet The Golers came to The Rosie with a purpose on June 20th, and they rocked an intense and very entertaining set for local fans in their first of two stops in Sault Ontario this summer! Also featuring the Rosie debuts (and second 2013 dates) of Destroilet & AlgomA, did The Golers' first Soo concert top early 2013 in your eyes?

Bands: For Those About To Rock
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: June 21st
Info: Though Who Made Who and Hells Bells haven't returned to Sault Ontario yet this year, we still got a dose of high voltage rock n' roll courtesy of Toronto AC/DC tribute band For Those About To Rock on June 21st, in which attendees hopefully had a chance to witness their faithful and hard hitting take on AC/DC's classic hits! Were you at The Rockstar Bar on that night to vote for it now?

Bands: Striker, Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, and Giwakwa
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: June 25th
Info: June went out with a bang as Edmonton speed metallers Striker impressed everyone in attendance with their proficient originals that definitely called to mind the 1980s (hence that night's costume contest!) Also featuring Frightlight's first show in 8 months and the last Rosie appearance from Josh Stephney of The Bear Hunters & Giwakwa, did this late-June concert top the first half of the year in your opinion?

Other: Did another metal/hard rock-featured concert in Sault Ontario beat all of these? For reference, heavier bands like Bad Back, Caveman Morrison, Griphook, and Tym Morrison rocked the area at shows not mentioned above, along with extra shows featuring bands at some of the above concerts. Maybe you preferred Haggith's CD release party or Bad Back's debut on June 27th, or perhaps one with no heavier bands, or one in Sault Michigan? If your preferred concert in early 2013 wasn't listed in the poll, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!! You have until August 18th to cast your votes in this month's poll, and hopefully we'll get a good response to see what your favourite metal & hard rock shows were this year! That's all for today, but make your voices heard, and stay tuned later today for our previews of this year's Rotaryfest stages! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Griphook, The 7 Year Itch, & Powerslug) And The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

With such a big weekend for concerts upon us, we're gonna break this weekend's metal & hard rock concert previews into three posts: Today's post for the general Friday-Saturday shows in the region, one dedicated to Rotaryfest's music stages tomorrow, and we'll touch on Saturday's Bushplane Musical Madness and Sunday night's Shinedown concert either on Friday. With that all said, let's begin this busy weekend with previews of the non-Rotaryfest/Bushplane/Shinedown hard rock shows this weekend, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on each side of the border!

One day before playing Rotaryfest for the first time, local classic/hard rock quartet Griphook will play their first ever concert at The New American Pub House THIS FRIDAY! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show last night. Coming just days after the announcement of next month's Catgut/Bad Back show at The New A, it's interesting and nice to see some heavier bands playing at this downtown venue, compared to past bands there generally attracting an older clientele with much older covers. It's also been announced (on short notice) that following their Rotaryfest set on Saturday, 3/4ths of Griphook (minus guitarist Brian Oja) will be playing later that night at The Rockstar Bar under the name The 7 Year Itch, though I don't know why Brian will be absent (scheduling conflict?), why they're using a different name, or how different The 7 Year Itch's sound will be compared to Griphook's. I'm thinking it's likely a scenario of the guys not wanting to play under that name if someone's absent (i.e. General Striker or Pools of Booze), but regardless of name, the guys are hoping to attract Rotaryfest attendees after the bands wrap up at Clergue Park, so keep these shows in mind!

9:30 PM start times and 19+ age limits are to be expected for each show, and while The Rockstar Bar should have a cover charge in the $5 range, I have no idea if The New American generally does (remember, we only started hearing finalized hard rock shows there this week.) For more details on both Griphook & The 7 Year Itch's shows this weekend, click here and here, and remember, our Rotaryfest preview is coming TOMORROW! Now knowing that Griphook's sets do lean heavier, they should deliver some good times on Friday in their New A debut, and The 7 Year Itch should sound similar for fans, and don't miss their set either on Saturday if you couldn't get enough of the full Griphook sound at Rotaryfest! For a preview, here's Griphook covering Alice In Chains' "Would?" at The Rockstar Bar last month, and if it's not familiar, don't worry, we have a lot of videos from this channel to share on the site shortly that have never been referenced on here, so stay tuned! (Also, The New American is now in our active Sault Ontario venue links on your left!)



We'll close this post in Sault Michigan (Shinedown's coming in a couple of days), starting with another short notice announcement, and as you may have guessed, it's for local hard rock trio Powerslug! The pageless but talented trio (featurning Clownsack and Blind Baby alumni) will play their next gigs THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY at The Corner Pub Bar & Grill, though no word yet on if these are outdoor parking lot gigs like their last show there or not. Apologies for the short notice, frontman Chris Leask only confirmed the shows last night on his personal Facebook page. Admission should be free for these 21+ concerts, and 10:00 PM start times are likely. Powerslug's hard rock covers should find another solid response at The Corner Pub this weekend, so don't miss out if you're up to chug your mug with the guys, and if we ever find media to preview their shows with, we'll let you know!

Finally for today, Monkey's Uncle successors Sir Charge will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on Friday & Saturday as well! Announced in advance via Kewadin Casino's entertainment page, I believe these will be their first shows since playing the St. Ignace Kewadin last month, and it'll be good to see the band featuring Mama's Boys & RamWagon alumni back at it for a weekend of hard and classic rock covers! Both shows will be 21+ affairs with 9:00 PM-ish start times and no announced cover charge, but check the above links for more details! Long time fans of Henry Switzer's bands (regardless of name) should be right at home with Sir Charge's shows this weekend, so head on down to the Soo Kewadin to rock out with Sir Charge this weekend if possible, and if I come across videos of them in action, I'll let you know!

That's all for today, but stay tuned at midnight for last month's poll results and this month's poll, and later tomorrow for our preview of Rotaryfest's stages, featuring 3 hard rock-leaning bands this year! Thanks everyone!