"The Barking Eye"

After creating both the Musician's Central forum 10 years ago on Soonet and Freq's Music Planet forum the past 7 years, I've run out of time to maintain the site with all the music projects I've been currently involved with. To some the site has been entertaining while to others, it's been a thorn in their sides but for me, it's been a labour of love. To have had 2 forums exist for a total of 10 years these days is a long shot but it happened and I'm proud of that. Alas, for me though, I have so many other things I want to attempt and experiment with which leaves less time to dedicate to forums. I will most likely stop the Barking Eye blog also at the end of 2011 too just because interest in it has not been very strong.  Freq's Music Planet on the other hand has had a great increase in traffic these past 3 years which makes this venture all worth while, however it`s time to move on as the saying goes. I do have other media projects in the works, one being a local music distribution site but I'm not sure yet if this is going to fly. I'm still working on the legal side of that. ;-) I have been tossing the idea of a recording studio too. Right now I have my own studio "Screaming Mosquito" but I'm considering the expansion of it to do other peoples projects. Again, not sure yet.


Right now, writing and recording original music of my own and others is my main focus and I want to dedicate even more time to that but also my graphics company Barking Eye Productions. Those 2 things are my love these days. At the end of 2011, I will decide on whether to fold this blog and the forum or pass it on to someone else. I have not given it much thought at this time. ;-) The forum gets roughly 50 to 80 hits a day which is pretty good for a forum that is not really advertised. It's just time to try other things. I will let everyone know of the forum's future when the time comes at the end of 2011.

The world is suppose to end in 2012 anyways so you won't really miss this blog or forum anyways.. HA! ;-)  Still expect the same pile of goop for the remainder of the year though.  :-)

Glen The Freq Thomas

It's been a long few years for local rockers Wishbone since trying to get a fan base built in good old Sault Ste. Marie.  Through a number of member changes in the band since the recording of their debut
CD "Making Wishes, Breaking Bones", the band hopes that 2011 will be a positive change for them.

The concept of the band was developed by singer/ guitarist/ song writer Dennis Duguay who is the main song writer in the band.  He constantly writes material but he also has vision of how his material should be laid out.  That is not to say other members in the band cannot contribute or even add their own material. What I mean is that Dennis writes a song that makes it easy for the listener to visualize what he's singing about.  Without a doubt, the reason Wishbone has forged through so much good and bad is simply the focus of Dennis.  He wants to climb and build to reach his dream, just like the rest of us. ;-)

Over the past few years the band has experienced many ups and downs, and some have cost the band in both it's reputation but also in members in the band.  Of course, this happens to many bands in the business but for a band that had some great momentum on their side, the hard luck really took a chunk out of the bands forward motion.  That, hopefully will change for 2011 as the band gets ready to embark on new shows and a new CD for this coming year.  With all of that, even more music for yet a 3rd album is also ready developed by Dennis and Chris.  Yes, returning to the drum seat is yours truly |O|, Glen Thomas but also new lead guitarist Tony Kajnar.  After recording  both Wishbone albums, I decided to part ways with the band because of  internal problems within the band.  After a year or so absence from the band and happily involved in my own projects, Dennis contacted me and asked if I would be interested in a reunion of the band or what is more appropriately called a rejuvenation of the band.  Having a great love for the music and the musicianship in Wishbone, we had a meeting, talked over the problems and the future of the band and brought in my guitarist from my band Flat Stanley to fill the position of lead guitarist.  The addition of Tony on guitar adds a great dimension to the band and his focus and love of original material will help Wishbone gain new ground this year.  Of course, this also marks the rebirth of the rhythm section of Glen Thomas and bassist Chris Smith who are showcased on both Wishbone albums
and a few live videos on Youtube.  For me, that is one of the positive parts of returning to the band.  Being that Chris and I both play multiple musical instruments especially drums and bass, this is a definite plus.  The other positive is to play live all the original material I had a part in creating. With the addition of Tony Kajnar on guitar, brings a new depth and variety in the musicianship, a balance between members on a personal level, but also more focus on the music during the writing process but also in our live shows.  Tony is a very dedicated musician who I'm sure will help Wishbone achieve positive results this year. The clock is ticking and we shall see if this all pans out well for the fans first and foremost but also for the band.  We are all pumped in the band, so let's all hope for the best. |O|



What's coming up next for Wishbone?  Well, at this stage of the game we have a 2nd album already recorded and ready for pressing and will hopefully release it soon.  The album has changed titles a few times but Dennis has now retitled it "Wishbone - The Kill".  Expect to hear some of this material live soon.  You may have heard a few songs off the album but soon you will hear all of it.   On the gig front, venues have been asking about the band so look for us live soon around town when we have finished preparing our live show.  We are also hoping for a spot in this years upcoming Rotaryfest for 2011.  Again, we will confirm all news and shows as we get things organized.



As you might expect, band member changes always affect fans but we're hoping you like the new lineup but also the partial return of the old lineup from the original Wishbone recordings.

Just a side note.   The graphics I crreated for Wishbone are for promotional use.  These do not reflect the actual 2nd album  cover at all.  I just enjoy creating graphics for projects I'm in whether they are used on posters, CD's or just for website promotion.   Speaking of websites,  Wishbone has a new website online where you can hear tracks from both albums but also view photos and videos of the band along with graphics I come up with..   Please visit our new website below and feel free to spread the music of Wishbone around. 

Official Wishbone Website: http://www.myspace.com/wishbonemuzic

If you are interested in buying a CD of Wishbone's first album,
email us here  wishbone_muzic@yahoo.ca

All graphics are Copyright 2011 Glen Thomas (Barking Eye Graphics).

My friend Brian sent me the link to this documentary film Music Industry Crisis "Before the Music Dies" about the state of the music industry.  I watched it and can easily relate to this being that I'm a musician.  This film which is broken down into 13 parts shows how the music industry has become all about money and not about the "creative" artist anymore.  It also talks about the fall of radio programming and how it has turned it's back on the "true" artist.  This film is a must see for musicians and music lovers alike who feel their tastes are not being met by local radio and the music industry and why this has happened.  It also brings up MTV who basically helped kill creative music and spawned the "Barbie" image of entertainers you now see these days.  Enjoy this film but most of all, if you like it and care about music, you'll pass this around to as many people as you can. 
Thanks...Glen "the Freq"

Music Industry Crisis Part 1
Music Industry Crisis Part 2
Music Industry Crisis Part 3
Music Industry Crisis Part 4
Music Industry Crisis Part 5
Music Industry Crisis part 6
Music Industry Crisis Part 7
Music Industry Crisis Part 8
Music Industry Crisis Part 9
Music Industry Crisis Part 10
Music Industry Crisis Part 11
Music Industry Crisis Part 12
Music Industry Crisis Part 13

Here's a little plug for local artist Chris Belsito.  His new album has just been released.  I purchased the album from the Rad Zone, one of the few supporters of local music left in this city.

Chris Belsito’s "Revelation Come Late" 2011.

Official Website
Track listing is as follows:
1. Room 702
2. Candy Counsel
3. Blueprints
4. Best Silhouette
5. Strange Logic
6. One by One
7. Silence Breaks My Heart
8. Catatonic
9. Canopy of Stars
10. My Driver Comes
11. Curve of the World
12. Can I Change Your Mind

Many people have messaged me personally on various topics including some I've written about on the Barking Eye Blog and one of them is "why they can't comment" on this blog.  The reason is quite simple.  When I started this blog I had it open so that anyone could comment.   That was short lived as almost immediately, idiots with verbal attacks started flooding the comments.  Yes, these comments were from local musicians and readers that really had nothing to say that was worthy of posting.  So, because of a few bad apples, the forum is heavily screened.   Those on my friends list on Facebook and Myspace know how to get a hold of me and you can comment via email OR you can comment on links to this blog that I post on Facebook.  I'm sorry but to keep this blog positive, it's best to keep comments on track, without hostility.

Next, I have had a ton of responses to the project I mentioned about a website to sell local artists music.
Yes, I have been looking at grants to start such a site but also a main server computer base for such a project for all the material from local bands.  This is not an easy business to start so I want to make sure I'm not getting in over my head with this.  I am making sure if I do follow through on this that it will be a safe and secure site for local musicians to sell and promote their music.   Suggestions have been rolling in since I posted the article and all of these are welcome.  A few have commented on the single song format I mentioned in the main article.  The reason for single song downloads is that it allows artists that just can't afford a full blow album of tracks, to sell a single song they might have recorded.  Yes, full albums will be be made available but one song at a time.  This is no different that "CDnow". I have looked at access to downloading an entire album in ZIP and FLAC formats but I'm still not convinced on it. High quality MP3's seem the most logical.  Single song formats seems the easiest but it also seems to help the "little guy" sell a single song if that's all they have to promote.  Some artists never get to the full album stage.  I hope that makes sense.  Details of the progress of my venture will follow in future posts. Stay tuned. ;-)

I must clarify for some that "The Barking Eye" is a simple blog dedicated to my thoughts and opinions about the local music scene.  Some stories may be about current artists and some are from our cities past music scene.  The topics I write about are ones that interest me.  I apologize if they don't interest you. ;-)  Some feel I should be talking about more current topics and more mainstream artists.  I've also taken heat for not writing about Lop Lops and a few other bars or artists. First,  let me say that there are bands and musicians in this city that never get written about and there are some from the past that put out music that again, never got written about.  Forgotten bands and lost music. That alone, interests me to search these artists out and talk about them.  As for venues like Lop Lops and others, I will simply say that they are always in the media spot light and so are their regular artists.  I want to promote those that the media seems to ignore, miss or forget about.  Lop Lops has been great for many local artists as have some of the other bars but there are artists that just can't get their feet into these establishments and again, those are the ones that interest me.  Please do not take my blog the wrong way.  I love to support local talent but I'm really after supporting the underdog.  Other blogs like Sault Metal Scene have the underground metal scene covered and I'd like to in some way shape or form help the other local music styles find a voice in local media. ;-)

Lastly, whether my comments or opinions tick you off or make you think, they are still my opinons so all you have to do is take them with a grain of salt as the saying goes.  If you disagree, that is fine.  If you enjoy what I talk about, that is fine too.  Everyone is entitled to an opinion and so I voice those on my blog and forum.  That does not mean you have the right to attack my opinions on my blogs or forums.
It also doesn't give you the right to message me, phone me or email me with your displeasure.  You can simply start your own sites and voice your opinions there.  I don't have to hear everyones responses
because, like I mentioned earlier, these sites are about what's on my mind at the time and not about getting into verbal attacks or back and forth bickering.  In other words, I'm not into debating. ;-) That is not the purpose of this blog nor will it ever be. ;-)

Stay tuned
Glen "the Freq"

For quite a while now I have pondered the idea of creating a website to sell music by local Sault Ste. Marie musicians.  True, we have had some support with The Rad Zone and CD Plus in selling CD's we've created but with CD Plus now gone, an online site strictly for local artists to sell their music seems like a logical next step.   I have been researching this for some time and I've come to the conclusion that selling music via the MP3 format online in single songs would be best.  For the past few months I have been researching how I could achieve such a site, using Pay Pal, or credit card payments per song but also the ability to download full albums.  Over the next while I'm going to talk with some local musicians to see if this is something they might be interested in contributing to with their music.  Right now, local bands are basically selling their music by word of mouth, or like I mentioned earlier, through a few local stores.  Yes, you could put your material on "itunes" or similar sites but I'm talking your home town and giving local fans easy access to buying the material.   Right now, I'm researching online storage for such a venture and the cost to get this going.  This is just an idea I've been working on and I won't say for sure if it's something definite, but a few I've mentioned this to, sound interested.  The music has to be strictly local musicians but that can also be ones that have relocated.  The focus has to be on the local scene.   On top of all of that, finding a way to advertise to the city of Sault Ste. Marie is also a task and like any advertising, it costs money.   Finding a way to promote such a site so local folks can first of all find the site let alone download music is a task in its self.  I will keep you posted if I take the plunge on such a site or not.  I still have more research to do.

Glen "the Freq"

The first thing I noticed about Craig's studio is the atmosphere it has. The attic is roughly 3 room sections but with an open concept and every corner has something related to music. I could just tell it was a great place to create music. One area in the central room is dedicated to the main recording rig, computer and monitor speakers. Around that are guitar amps, keyboard area and a jam space for the everyone to stand. In one smaller room off the main one is the vocal room and on the other end is the drum area. Being that the band is all about progressive rock, the guys seem to address technology with open arms. With that said, I noticed that electronic drums were being used for the album. The kit which is a Roland TD4 set, just relays the midi data to the recording computer in which Toontrack's Superior Drummer 2 software takes over and supplies the sounds. This process eliminates the headaches of trying to achieve drum sounds from a real acoustic kit which can be a nightmare in some situations but also loud and uncontrollable in a small room. Craig says electonics are easier to record and control in their situation. Superior Drummer is quite popular amongst home studio engineers as there are unlimited combinations of drum sounds and editing you can use. The sweet thing about this software is that you can also control mic bleed in toms, snares and cymbals to help create room ambience from tight jazz situations to huge Led Zepplin sounding drums. You also get plug ins like EQ's and Noise Gates to help dial in your drum sound. Real drummers record the "samples" used by the software but it's the band's drummer playing his parts on the Roland kit that triggers these sounds through Midi. Understanding MIDI confuses many but if you just keep in mind that MIDI is control data being sent and received by hardware such as keyboards or electronic drumsets and not an actual audio sound, you will have an easier time grasping it. That sent data then triggers sounds in the software which in Craig's case is Superior Drummer. This modern technology using software products like Superior Drummer or keyboard software synths like Native Instruments is the wave of the future.  The physical keyboards or electronic drums are just controllers of the software on your computer.  No sounds are needed from these physical hardware devices.  You just play them, it sends the data to the computer and the software and you have rich full sounds without the hassles.

The main computer rig "Machines Dream" uses is Apple which is running Logic Pro software. This is the software that allows all the multitrack recording, effects and mixing.  There are so many programs to choose from and we all have our favourites but Logic Pro is a great program. The interface that brings all the sounds received by the mics and line ins and brings them to the computer is called the MOTU 828. This converts analog audio sound into digital. There are many combinations you can use to achieve this so do a lot of research and find out what suits your needs. MOTU is only one brand name. Craig tells me that some of their songs were recorded live off the floor as ghost tracks where as others were done in stages. Where tracks off the floor were used, layering of other instruments and vocals were added later.  Some of the ghost tracks were so good they were actually kept and used on the final versions. He also mentions that the entire band writes together for the most part but there are a few ideas that were created on his own.

Main vocals are recorded in a small room off the main room like I mentioned earlier. The microphone used is an Audio Technica AT4033 which Craig says was formerly used in a blues club in London England and sent over to him by a personal friend. Instruments are recorded with SHURE SM57 mics and a few pencil condensor mics. Shure SM57 are an industry standard for studio and live situations.  They are great on snare drums.

I noticed a group of speaker combinations in Craig's studio which included pairings of house speakers but the main recording rig utilizes Berringer Truth Monitors that handle roughly 150 watts of playback power. In reserve, Craig has a set of Tannoy 6.5 inches, and a KRK system with a sub.  Many studios use multiple speaker setups just to help make sure the recordings sound good on a variety of systems for example, car, home and ghetto blaster set ups. Also used in Craig's studio are Berringer Ultragraph Pro Equalizers with the main rig.  Equalizers are a much needed device in home recording.  Do your homework on these before you buy.

I'm not sure when the album will be completed but I do know you won't be disappointed by the product and I know first hand these guys are puting a lot of time and effort into this judging by the tracks I've heard.  Thanks to Craig West for letting me pluck his brain for this article, letting me visit his studio,but most of all letting me hear the original material of the upcoming Machines Dreams album.

The idea of these articles for my topic "Attack of the Garage Bands" is to simply help those starting out in music to get into writing and recording their own material but to also give some insight into what certain bands use gear wise and software wise to aid you in building a home studio of your own.

Glen "the Freq"

To start the 2011 year off on a song writing note, I have recorded a new song called "One Finger Groove" that will be free to download at the link below for a short time.   The tune is a rock song with just a taste of prog thrown in for good measure.  Just click the play button to listen to it and if you like it and want a copy, just hit download.  It's all free.


 Download the new song "One Finger Groove" by Glen "the Freq" Thomas at the link below.http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_6594807

First, Happy New Year to all Barking Eye followers out there in internet land.  I know updates on this blog are not regular and probably won't be just because I have so much on the go but I do hope you hang in there for the topics I do post.  Lots of stuff is in the works for the coming weeks and months so please be patient.

Coming in the next few weeks are:

1.  New Episodes of "Attack of the Garage Bands" featuring the band "Machines Dream"
2.  New music news on local artists Kalle Mattson, Mike Cliffe,  Glen Thomas, Jim O'leary and more.
3.  News of a possible local music scene download site for local bands only may be in development.
4.  Show case on a few local photographers that cover musicians featuring Brian Tremblay, Donna Hopper and a few others
5.  A history of some of the local music venues that have come and gone over the years
6.  A story on why Sault Ste. Marie Ontario has no true rock radio station
7.  Flashback stories on local guitarist Frank Adamo and the long lost album he released many years ago and also the band "Big Suit" and their only CD release.
8. Plus lots of other insight and gossip around ye old music scene involving new bands and band break ups.
9. The truth surrounding the rumour that Basswerx Studios is now making a trial run with recording.
10. Story on sound systems and why local bands have faultered in using them.

Stay tuned!!!

Glen "the Freq" Thomas

First, what is Prog Rock?  Well, it's short for "progressive rock" and quite simply it's music that in most cases incorporates songs with odd time signatures, technical structures with many parts, extended lyrical story lines, extended instrumentation just for starters.  Of course, that is not always the case and there are prog songs that are short.  Some prog rock music is based on concepts like for example Rush's 2112, or Queensryches Operation Mind Crimes.  Bands that you may or may not know as prog rock are "Yes, Rush, Saga, The Jelly Jam, Platypus, Marillion, Dream Theater and many more.  My favourite band Porcupine Tree has introduced prog rock to a new generation and is amazingly popular at this point in time.

So, what does the Sault have to offer in prog rock music?  Well, to be quite honest, not much, HOWEVER, there are a few bands that have ventured into the prog rock arena locally.  Recently I came across the band  "Machines Dream" that will be making their live debut November 27 at Lop Lops. The members of this band are as follows, Keith Conway: Guitar, Vocals, Ken Coulter: Drums Brian Holmes: Keyboards, Bass, Craig West: Bass, Guitar, Vocals.  Machines Dream has invaded Facebook and here is a bio snippet from their site.

 "Three of the four members had played together before, in 2008 at a one-off Christmas show, performing a bunch of covers by bands such as Roxy Music, Pink Floyd, Gary Numan, and others.

In early 2009, bass player and vocalist, Craig West recruited the other band members to work on a nice little solo album.
Craig, along with drummer Ken Coulter, keyboard player and bassist Brian Holmes, and guitarist Keith Conway began free-jamming, writing material together, and having a rather fun time in doing so. They put out an EP as Craig West Band. But it wasn't prog enough!  So screw the solo album! They renamed the band 'Machines Dream', feeling that it reflected both their sound, and their collaborative process. The group perform songs they have written, in addition to dedicating time in each performance for pure improv, creating new prog as they go."

On their Facebook site they have a song preview for a song called "Mad For All Seasons" from what appears to be an EP they have set to release.  The problem folks is that Facebook does not allow linking to videos and some music audio files you post on it so promoting these types of media are useless with Facebook.  So, I can't post a preview of the song here.  I have sent a message to one of the band members about a possible link to the song from another source.  With that said, always consider the option like Youtube for video and audio in addition to Facebook or better yet, just use MySpace for your bands main page.  It allows everything to be linked.   The song posted is quite good and the sound is also on the money.  Style wise, there is a flavour of Porcupine Tree but only a taste.  They have PT as an influence which is how I became interested in this local band.  Here's a link to their Facebook page but if you're not a member, you won't be able to view much.  Actually, there isn't much to see on their site yet anyways. Facebook is very limited at this point in time.  http://www.machinesdream.com/
Another prog rock band is the duo of Mike Cliffe and yours truly, ME!  I won't go into a long bio of the band but I will simply say that Mike and I have a common love for technical music and we always like thinking outside the box of mainstream music.   Our song "Dog's Breakfast" (preview video below) has odd time signatures and a little over the top musical expression with a little edge thrown in for good measure.  Cliff and I and a few others will be involved in a project in the near future that involves a Disney connection. ;-)  No details yet but when things are set to go, you can be sure I'll post about it here.   In the meantime, Mike and I have another song called "Evil Tuba" that will be released to the public soon.  As always, free for your hearing consumption.

For me progressive rock, jazz and jazz fusion have always influenced my own playing and musical tastes. I will be honest in saying that basic rock, metal and country, although enjoyable to listen to, is not what I want to do creativity wise or playing wise on drums.  It bores me in a lot of ways.  Prog rock stretches your imagination and most of this type of music has a depth that modern radio friendly music just doesn't have.  My own solo music also has a prog vibe to it just because it's what I grew up listening to.  It kind of gets in your blood. :-)  When writing prog music the challenge is merging the parts to make it sound smooth and somewhat seemless.  Progressive rock kinda died in the late 70's because some bands just started to stick whatever parts they could together to make these epic songs
and it just failed.   The idea of prog rock in my opinion is to take you on a journey but there has to be some type of depth.  In my own case, I like to throw a little humour in for good measure.


My own songs "The Drones" has that sarcastic humour.  An instrumental tune I wrote called "Crab Apple Orchard" was also written with prog intent.

    Mike Cliffe & Glen Thomas - Dog's Breakfast (Video)



I'm just touching the surface of the local progressive rock underground scene.  If you have any info on prog rock bands hiding in Sault Ste. Marie, drop me a line.  I'd love to hear about you and your music.

Yes kids, we have yet another installment of the "Attack of the Garage Bands" series. The purpose of this topic is to touch base with local bands that do their own home recording and the tools of the trade they use. It also gives people a chance to hear music from local musicians and support their efforts.

"Riverin" is a two piece band featuring Matt Hicks and Matthew
Clement. Matt and Matthew record their music in their own basement recording studio known as "QuarterTone Studios". The music of Riverin is what I call experimental but you can definitely hear influences of Nine Inch Nails in their songs. The production on their music is quite good and we will discuss what they used to obtain this quality along with their writing process for their material.

After a few messages back and foth between the band, here is what the band uses for gear but also the procedure they use to create their unique brand of music.

Matthew: "Well Matt and I both write the music. We start with an idea (either big or small and on any instrument we use) and just keep bouncing other ideas back and forth until we have a song.
     As for gear in the studio, we use M-Audio BX5a Deluxe monitors, M-Audio Keyrig 49 MIDI Controller, M-Audio Fast Track MKII Audio Interface, Apex usb mic (soon to be replaced with the M-Audio Lunna II), Sony MDR-V150 Studio Monitor Series Headphones, Epiphone SG Special, Fender Squire P-Bass, Fender Squire Strat, Rotosound strings, and Ernie Ball Super Slinkies. Westbury 5 piece (Matt's drums), with Sabian B8s (14" hats, 14 & 16" crashes, 10" splash, 20" ride, 18" china, and an Ice Bell). With the hardware in my studio (QuarterTone Studios), I use a 2.6GHz processor, 160 gig 17" iMac with 3 gig memory, and a 13" MacBook Pro with 160 gig hard drive, 2.53 GHz processor,an 4 gigs of memory as a mobile studio. For software I use Apple's Logic Pro 8 Studio on both Macs. I also use FXpansion BFD2. First thing we do when recording, are the drums, then guitars in that order. I have been using BFD2 a lot recently because of the different plug-ins available instead of Logic. After that Matt and I go through our other tracks, consisting of bass, piano, synths, and strings. We spend the majority of our time working on synths, and keys coming up with as many different textures as we can. Then the very last thing we record, is vocals. I do my mixing, adding of plug ins and other effects. Then I go to WaveBurner (a part of Logic Studio) and do the mastering."

The guys tell me they are looking to expand to a full basement recording studio in the near future.  This is always a good thing since it gives you full control over bigger and better projects.  Many bands are investing in their own studios and registering their own personal "Indie" record labels.  I know in my own case, my label is "Barking Eye Productions" but their are other local ones like "Murderous Butterfly Music" and Wishtunes.  The new breed of garage bands want full control and that goes from the writing and recording right down to doing their own graphics and promotions.  That's what makes the garage band scene so great in my opinion.  These musicians achieve full creative control and their music actually gets noticed.

Here is a short bio of the band Riverin:

Formed in 2009, in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario, Riverin consists of two former members of Dirty Virgin. Matt Clement and Matt Hicks met in 2006 when Hicks joined Dirty Virgin. After
a few years off and on with Dirty Virgin, Clement left while Hicks stayed in the band for a
while later. Hicks and Clement remained in contact and decided to start a project together.
They wanted to make an original sound, with an original feel. Putting together elements
from their heroes, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Motley Crue, Guns and Roses, among
others they formed Riverin. The music contains elements of the standard instruments such as
drums, bass, and guitars and others like piano, synthesizers, orchestral pieces, and other
various instruments that the guys wanted to put together to create an original sound. The
bands EP RIVERIN, which was recorded at Hicks’ QuarterTone Recording Studio in Sault Ste.
Marie, is almost finished, and will be released soon. The band is looking for members to
fill out the roster and get the band on stage.

Please support this local band by visiting their official Myspace Website below.
http://www.myspace.com/riverinonline

Now, for a chance to listen to the "Riverin" brand of music, check it out below.

Blackmeat Powder is a heavy rock metal band based out of Peterborough Ontario Canada featuring
Blain Konkle - Vocals --- Sully McMahon - Bass --- Brad Davidson - Drums --
- Rob Bowler - Lead and Rhythm Guitars --- Paul Tikkanen - Lead and Rhythm Guitars.
(Paul Tikkanen is not in the photo above) 

Here is a brief bio from their website:

"After a failed attempt to resurrect another band and not wanting to lose momentum or the musical bond they had formed, Sully McMahon, Blain Konkle, and Rob Bowler walked away from the project, and started their own band. since that time, they've been recording in rob's apartment, affectionately known as the argyle abyss, losing things, relaxing, drinking beer, and laughing. they started looking for a drummer and finally found one in Brad Davidson, an old friend of the guys. last, but not least, they brought in another guitarist, Paul Tikkanen, to bring the edge to the band, that final piece of the Blackmeat Powder puzzle. hopefully by Christmas 2010 they will stumble thru the empties with the first Blackmeat Powder cd for all to hear!!! "

Paul Tikkanen is a local Saultite that left the city years ago to follow his musical dreams in original music.  He had his own band "Tikkanen" for a number of years and released a very solid debut album with that band.  After that, he was in numerous projects before taking a 13 year hiatus.  He returns in

Here are song samples from the band.  One song is called "Mulletboy"and it reminds me of Rush's "I Think I'm Going Bald".  It's also got a little humour in it which reminds me of the writing style of the band Max Webster. Listen to it and other tunes at the link below.
Music by Blackmeat Powder

Paul and I spent some time in our youth writing music in a band called "Thansis Colle".  At the time, no one wanted to hear original material and I remember doing a gig where we actually had the plug pulled on us because they hated what we were doing but honestly, that band was a highlight to my career and to this day I love the music we created.  Paul is a very talented guitarist and definitely has a style that is unique.  At the time we were together, no one sounded like him and that really got me interested in playing drums in his band. 

Stay tuned for vids of "Blackmeat Powder" as soon as I get them. ;-)

I have a solid installment for Part 2 of the Flashback Attack series brought to you by The Barking Eye Blog.   One of the most talented musicians locally in the past few decades has been bass player Tim Harrington.  Most these days may have heard his name but have no idea of what Tim has done.  I'll give you just a brief history.  Locally, Tim became well known as the the bass player for the band "Riggy Zomba" that featured local singer Dale Corcoran, guitarist Chris Lloyd, keyboardist Howard Bertolo and drummer Augustino DeMartinis.  This band would later become the well known touring act Vandl with a few member changes along the way.  Tim would later play bass for Lee Aaron, Aldo Nova, The Works and a band that should have made it but didn't called "Wall of Silence".  

"Wall of Silence" put out one album called "Shock to the System".  The album is quite good and production is killer but unfortunately it was released in the doom year 1992 when grunge rock sent many melodic rock bands to their early graves.   "Wall of Silence" was one of them.  The album is worth a listen if you can find it but today is your lucky day because some sweet lovable music lover has posted most of the album on Youtube so sit back and enjoy a few tracks from the album that includes the solid bass playing of local artist Tim Harrington.   Other band members include Brian Malone lead vocals, Jim Huff guitar, Stuart Zaltz keyboards and Scott Lucas drums.

As a special bonus for all those doubting the old Freq about Tim being with Aldo Nova, I've added 2 videos that include not only one local Sault musician named Tim Harrington but a second local talent in videos with Aldo Nova.  The other being keyboardist Howard Bertolo who played with Tim in the band the Works and Vandl. Now if that wasn't enough I've added some ultra rare 1991 live footage of an Aldo Nova show featuring Tim Harrington along with Phil X. 

Here is the track listing for the Wall of Silence Album - "Shock to the System"

1. Shock to the System

2. Edge of a Heartbreak
3. It's Only Love
4. Last Nite
5. Blood Is Thicker Than Water
6. Addicted
7. Prove Your Love
8. Skin and Bones
9. Stop the Rain
10. Nobody's Hero

And now, a few songs for your listening pleasure.

Wall of Silence - Shock To the System



Wall of Silence - Addicted





Aldo Nova - Medicine Man



Aldo Nova - Blood On The Bricks




LIVE FOOTAGE of Aldo Nova with Tim Harrington and Phil X on guitar 1991
"Fantasy"

The first batch of videos are from the local band called "Cherry Crush"  featuring musicians;
Taryn Bugyra - Vocals
Jules Cote - Vocals, Guitar
John Amendola - Bass, Vocals
Justin Marandola - Drums


  The band has more of a dance music style than a rock one which is what I thought they were going to be but none the less, the band is good.  I'm sure they'll be quite popular once they have a few more gigs under their belts.   Here is a taste of the band via videos from their Youtube group.  The vids really show how strong Cherry Crush is vocally with Jules and Taryn sharing lead.

Cherry Crush Youtube Videos



   Next, we have a new video by Sonny Boy Mick.  Sonny Boy Mick is local singer/ guitarist and former Saultite, Steve McPhail.  The song is called "Nobody's Better Than You" and it can be viewed at this link. "Nobody's Better Than You Video".  The song and video are well produced and the music has a very folk rock flavour to it.   I did a write up on Steve a while back so you might want to check the archives on the Barking Eye for that.




From Sault Ste. Marie Michigan we have a few live videos from the band "The Hixx" featuring the merging of members of the old band "Mama's Boys" and "Hogan's Goat".   The band plays classic rock with a taste of country thrown in.   Local guitar great and owner of Grooves Music, Gary Hatch plays lead guitar in this band and some lead vocals on the second video. The band has been playing steady over the river.   Check out a video of "the Hixx" doing the Cars song "Let's Go" here >>   "The Hixx - Let's Go Video" and also the band doing the classic C.C.R song "Born on a Bayou"



Last, we have a video by Mike Cliffe, local guitarist and songwriter. This is a video Mike created for the song "Dog's Breakfast" that he and I recorded a little while ago.   The song is an instrumental experimental tune in the style of 70's Prog rock.  View the video at this link.
Dog's Breakfast Video by Mike Cliffe



Enjoy!

Glen "The Freq"

Local singer/ musician Dale Corcoran, who now lives in the U.K. has a new project in the works and it is called "There Were Four".   This is a Beatles Tribute act but one that showcases the Beatles solo work and also a renunion that never happened to the real band.  "There Were Four" are currently rehearsing and recording demos for their promotional ads and will hopefully be touring soon.  The band apears to be managed and promoted by Accent Entertainment based out of the United Kingdom.

The lineup of the band is as follows:


Shaun Friedrich as John Lennon

Peace and Love


From The Cast of "There Were Four"
 
I've heard a few of their demos that are posted on their Facebook page and they sound pretty good and Beatle-ish.  Hopefully the will have a complete website done soon with video and audio samples.   The samples available on their Facebook site cannot be linked to this site so for now, you all have to suffer to hear them OR you can become a fan on their site and get a taste. :-)
 
Glen "the Freq".

As one of CD Plus's employees Darren put it, "it's the end of an era".   After serving our local Soo community for well over 10 years, the franchise known as CD Plus has closed it's doors in good ole Sault Ste. Marie along with other communities, leaving all us fans of rare and obscure music and movies to fend for themselves.  Some may not remember the excellent CD shop known as Mr. Disc back in it's day but they were with owner Todd Gordon, the leading CD establishment specializing in getting the public rare material to sink their teeth into.  I LOVED that store but with the internet, piracy and used CD's selling so cheaply, Mr. Disc closed it's doors some years ago.  To fill that huge void, CD Plus made it's appearance in 2 locations locally but was later merged to the Cambrian Mall location as a single outlet.  Jake and the great staff there were the best and my own experiences with the staff and the material they could get for me were nothing shy of excellent.  I think Jake spent more time researching rare music and movies at home than he did at work so he could be on top of the game when dealing with customers at work.   You got to know the staff so well that in my own case,  they knew my tastes and any new release by artists I loved were already ordered and sitting there waiting for me.  It felt like I was on cruise control. They also promoted my own bands by letting us sell our CD's through their shop and put up posters.   My biggest enjoyment was buying old monster movies from them as Jake was on top of classic horror, sci fi and monster films.   All that is gone now, leaving us huge music and movie collectors like myself to deal with crappy square box jungles like Walmart where you can't special order anything but worse, nothing underground in the way of music is presented.   I can only say that I am stunned by CD Plus pulling the plug on our local store and wish Jake and staff the best.  Many thanks to all of them for feeding our addictions with truly rare media.  I've not talked to Jake yet but I hope that maybe, just maybe, a new independent CD and DVD joint might arise from one of these employees.  You just never know.  We can dream can't we? :-) Until then, thanks for all the great service, friendships, movies and music.   Best of luck to all of you.

Glen "the Freq".

  It's been almost a year easy since I recorded drum tracks for Wishbone's second album which was supposedly called "St. Misery".   I've heard it may have changed and I've also heard that they're recording Wishbone 3 and abandoning Wishbone 2.  These are rumours of course.  The fact is that it took me a lot of effort to get a copy of the album the band and I worked hard on and recorded.  I also recorded their first album plus did all the graphic work for it, their website and tons of other promotional things.  Like many bands, we had a bad divorce and getting a "deserved" copy of  Wishbone 2 was not happening even though I had easily earned it.   So through my own connections I finally got a copy.  I present you 5 songs from the 12 song album that if the band does get their shit together and release it properly like the first album, it will be worth a listen.   Personally, I'm proud of the material and how it turned out and the band played a lot better on this offering than the first.  So here's a taste of the long awaited Wishbone 2 album which at the time I recorded it, was called "St. Misery".


The Messenger by Wishbone

Johnny Fisco by Wishbone

Race For Time by Wishbone

Devil's Dancing Shoes by Wishbone

Highwire by Wishbone

Enjoy!!

Glen "the Freq"