Monday, June 4, 2012

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Haggith & For All That Is Lost), A New Local Band, And More!!

Hey guys, it's time for another news post, and we've got some big stuff to get to, so here's what's on tap! Along with some thoughts on the 2008 David Gold interview we posted on here yesterday, we've also got LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for shows this month in the area, but first, here's a brand new local band connected to one of the new shows!

Yes, a new SMS-coverable band has launched, and they are a new alternative/grunge outfit named Haggith! As the name may imply, their lineup features prolific local solo artist Mike Haggith, making this the first Sault Ste. Marie-based band he's joined since relocating here in 2010. However, he'll be drumming for this band, rather than playing guitar or bass as in his other projects, but he has the chops to drum from what I know! Haggith's current lineup is rounded out by former Havadder bassist Daniel Horton on vocals & lead guitar, and ex-20 Pack of Marshmallows guitarist Curtis McKenzie (last seen in a Wawa-based solo project) on rhythm guitar. I believe this band is one & the same as the band that Daniel was seen looking for musicians for on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group last month, but the search for a bassist is still ongoing. Haggith apparently formed on May 11th and just launched a Facebook page yesterday, where the guys have already indicated plans to record and release "basement EPs", though what form and availability those will take on isn't clear yet. That said, the aims to play a grunge-centric style of music is clear on their influences & descriptions, so Haggith should be able to fill a local niche for grunge fans!

A Reverbnation page is also in the works, but for now, I've added Haggith's Facebook page to our active Sault Ontario band links. Since No Arrow fell inactive, I know grunge fans have been craving more than just the occasional live cover, and hopefully Haggith can fill the void well and succeed in the area! The talent's there, but when can you see Haggith live? Apparently, this coming Sunday, so here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!! Their Facebook page is already hyping a debut concert on June 10th at The Canadian Nightclub, where they've hinted they'll also be circulating some form of a demo CD. As far as I can tell, this is definitely an official concert (despite the lack of a bassist), and though full details weren't revealed, a 9:00 PM-ish start time, cover charge of $5 or less, and a 19+ age limit wouldn't surprise me. Check the above links for more details! This news has definitely hit the site suddenly, but I'm definitely curious to hear Haggith live, and see these guys churn out some heavier live material (or live work in general), so keep their planned debut on Sunday at The Canadian in mind!

Also in new concerts.... well, this isn't really "new", but I only recently got enough information to really consider it a concert. Since early last month, some of you guys may have been aware of "A F.A.T.I.L. Gathering", a multi-band event on June 22nd to be headlined by Desbarats death metal band For All That Is Lost at 436 Neebish Road West in Laird (which I think is a band member's home.) Now, Laird is just within our current local range (emphasis on "current"), but I was reluctant to officially call it on here because it looked like a house party, and I tend to shy away from covering those as "concerts" on here (they're only so public, after all.) That said, the guys in F.A.T.I.L. are promoting and supplanting this event to the gills, and to not cover it in full on here would be a continued disservice, so here's all that you should know! Aside from For All That Is Lost headlining, no less than FIVE Sault Ontario metal bands will open this gathering, including local death metal bands The Valentine's Day Massacre, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver, local metal quartet Borderline Divine (in just their third local concert) and the recently returned local hardcore band Changing Waves, which makes for quite a solid lineup of area metal talent!

Aside from 6 bands running from 5:00 PM onward on June 22nd, there will also be food & drinks, a fire, 50/50 draws with prizes, and more, so this definitely will have an interesting mix of concert madness, activities, and even camping if you so choose (they even recommend bringing a tent.) Admission will be $10 at the door, and it is an ALL AGES EVENT. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a unique and interesting night of metal and good times, and it seems similar to the events that F.A.T.I.L. headlined in Thessalon last year, but this show is definitely a lot closer to home. Fingers crossed that I can attend, and keep tuned to the above links for updates!

And finally for today, here's some thoughts on the first of two archive David Gold/Woods of Ypres magazine interviews that I posted on here earlier today, that being his fall 2008 Metal Maniacs magazine interview with Agalloch bassist Jason William Walton. It's nice seeing an interview with a friend and fellow musician, maybe it helped David open up more in the discussion! I was probably most interested with David's opinions on why he was no longer focusing on black metal and the lessons he learned from the genre, especially when you remember that Woods of Ypres' move to a full doom metal sound wasn't as clear then as it would be in 2009. The criticism of the Toronto metal scene is also interesting, I wonder if other musicians would vouch for David's 2008 opinions? I also found it odd that, when discussing his move to South Korea, he never included mentions that he worked as a teacher there, yet he freely mentioned his educational work in later interviews, including his 2010 stint in Kuwait. Not counting future lineup changes & the like, the only real error is that Necramyth's then-upcoming album "Pagans in the East" was renamed "Slaughter of the Seoul" the following year, though I don't know if we ever heard why.

Overall, it's a solid interview from early in Woods of Ypres' local run, and it's definitely worth checking out either at this location or in the post immediately below this one! The other archive David Gold interview that I found (from the May 2009 issue of Windsor Arts & Music Monthly magazine) is definitely gonna be transcribed and posted on the site too, but not right away, just to spread them out and avoid any possible bias. For now, check out this first interview below, and stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!

No comments: