Hardcore at The DH This Weekend

In the wake of The Blind Dog’s demise earlier this month, a new all-ages venue has cropped up. Well, the establishment itself might not be exactly “new”, but the fact that it is now beginning to book shows regularly is news .

Located at 3140 Sandwich St, The Dominion House Tavern, or The DH, is actually the oldest continuously running tacern in the area, with it’s doors having been open for over 140 years.

Sixty years ago the basement was used for poetry reading and classes held by university professors. These days it is the site of one of Windsor’s very few all ages venues.  With people of all ages being welcome down there, the upstairs portion of the tavern is where those of age will still be able to find and consume their adult beverages.

This weekend in particular The DH will be taken over for a two-day punk, hardcore, and metal show.

Starting on Friday, December 2^nd, you can catch 4 bands for $5, or pay $7 and have access for both nights.

On evening one Windsor punk outfit Get Bent will be one band taking the stage.  Their sound is aggressive and upbeat. A bunch of skateboarders with instruments, these guys are about partying and causing trouble.

Hardcore group Dead Weight, also from Windsor, will be performing this night as well. On the sludgier side of hardcore, these guys have a sound that is deep and thick, characterized by short songs, fuzzy, chugging guitars, and a perpetually trudging beat.

A newer band on the scene, Autumn’s Autopsy  has been together less than six months, but their goal in creating music is to preserve the essence of true death metal in a scene whether genres incest.  With the goal of their shows being simply to have fun, and taking influence from the likes of Impending Doom and Lamb of God, they’re sure to put on a great set.

The final act of Friday night is Ad Nauseam,  a noisecore group who have released at 3.5” floppy split with London genre pioneers Disleksick. Noisecore is definitely a niche market, and requires a bit of effort to acquire a taste for it. But given the chance, it can make for some interesting listening.  The tracks are very harsh sounding, and end so quickly you barely have time to register what is going on before it’s over. Incomprehensible vocals, guitars full of feedback and buzz, and spazz-tastic drums help to define Ad Nauseam.

Doors for Saturday, December 3^rd open at 7 p.m., and this night features bands on the more metal end of the spectrum.

First up is hardcore group,Seven Out. Featuring member’s of Kill List and Dead’s Elite, these guys take some cues from Cold as Life and First Blood.

Come from a show at The Coach and Horses the night before, Leamington’s metal-headsReason’s Lost will be making an appearance to showcase their brand of chugging, pounding, head-banging inducing heavy stuff.

A name that I keep hearing over and over again, and with good reason, Blackheart will be joining in on Saturday’s fun as well. Heavy with hardcore influences, and a relatively clean sound, there is something epic about their tunes that comes from their use of gang-vocals and effectively placed reverb. Highly recommended you catch this band Saturday night.

The last band on the bill for this two-day event is another metal act from Leamington,Dead Man’s Will. With members from The Strike and Blackthorn City their music is heavy with melodic tendencies.

Get Bent, Dead Weight, Autumn’s Autopsy, and Ad Nauseam on Friday, December 2^nd, and seven Out, Reason’s Lost, Blackheart, and Dead Man’s Will on Saturday, December 3^rd. Both shows take place at The Dominion House Tavern (3140 Sandwich St.), doors ope nat 7 pm, all ages, licensed upstairs, $5 for one day, $7 for both. 

Emerging Artists: Inside The Asylum with Reasons Lost

Inside The Asylum

James Steingart

“SPREAD THE INSANITY!”  That’s the motto for this quintet of devil’s rejects – collectively known as Reasons Lost – hailing from the county in Leamington.  And after spending a few hours with them at their jam space or ‘asylum,’ one immediately gets the gist of what these guys are all about.  Musically speaking they are a conglomerate of old school/new school, drawing influences from Pantera, Black Sabbath, Lamb Of God, Chimaira and SLAYERRRR!!

The band came together in 2009 when Carriere brothers Drew (lead vocals) and Kris (lead guitar) met up with drummer Gerry Pannunzio. The trio jammed with a bassist to create a skeletal frame as to what would now be known as Reasons Lost.  They soon added rhythm guitarist Jason Pavao and have now picked up Matt McCormick to play bass.  Red Bull Beer, thrash metal and Jager are a few of their favourite things and these vices were all on hand during an afternoon with them in a darkened room.

They thrashed out some select tunes, one of them being ‘Eye For An Eye.’  “It sounds like you’re trying to get even with somebody but it’s not really about that,” vocalist Drew bluntly states.  “Basically a tormented child grows up and now has to deal with seeing that person that tormented them in themselves.  And as it boils and boils and boils they get to the point where they actually turn around and kill that person and start to feel normal, it’s sociopath.”

When asked what they felt about metal bands being blamed or mentioned in relation to murder, suicides, school shootings, etc., guitarist Pavao snapped out  “They’re not gonna throw on a CD and be like, oh fuck Slayer said kill this guy and they’re gonna go and do it.  If the parents were any kind of parents, those kids wouldn’t be like that.”  Kris adds “the bottom line is that people make their own decisions, a song can’t make somebody kill themselves.  If anything, this music helps me through shit.  Music heals.”

Right now, Reasons Lost is gathering up material for their debut full length due out later in the year.  They’ve garnered a level of respect on the metal circuit in Windsor, playing the Doomsday Festival at the Blind Dog for 700 people last summer and also headlining the Coach & Horses on occasion.  The venue’s recent ‘no moshing’ clause was a topic that was brought up.  “Man my head’s been smashed upon that pillar i don’t know how many times”, Pavao blurts out.  “I loosened that pillar with someone else’s body,”  Drew says half-joking perhaps.  One consensus that was made was the fact that the place is home to all the Metal bands in Windsor.

Reasons Lost are on Facebook and you can hear their torture tales @ www.myspace.com/reasonslost519  Escape from whatever institution is driving you crazy and lose all reason with Reasons Lost.  They want to see YOU at a show sometime soon.

Reasons Lost are part of a three band bill featuring Goliath and Bullet Proof Tony at The Sunset Club (formerly the VI, 47 Erie St. South, Leamington) on Friday April 22.

The Windsor Scene With Lauren Hedges

Let’s kick it off with the setlist from this week’s edition of The Windsor Scene;

Shortcut to Last – This Isn’t Over (I Know You’re Not One for Serious Situations – 2010)

Stereos – Attitude (Uncontrollable – 2010)

The Classix – Nothin’ to Lose (Live What You Love EP – 2011)

The Tragedy of Mariam – C;imb Up On The Kiosk (The W Music Compliation – 2008)

Suppressulant – People Like You (Powercore – 2010)

The Snips – Tired Tires (Do You Remember When Punk Rock Was For Fun? – 2010)
Orphan Choir – Burning Ash Again (Everything in Past Tense – 2010)

Odium – It Gets Cold (At The Bottom – 2009)

Dreams Destruction – Blighted (Dream Destruction EP)

Dismata – March of the Ignorant/Deadhorse (Understand – 2008)

Allison Brown – Magpie (Everything That Shined – 2005)

Erin Gignac – Not Tonight (Erin Gignac – 2002)

Julie Kryk – Fate’s Hands (Beyond the Moon, Beyond the Rain – 1999)

George Manury – MilesDavidKindaBlueSundayMorningRain (From The Tank – 2010)

Leighton Bain – Saint Vincent (Oh Alaska – 2010)

Ron Leary – Miles (Dependent Arising – 2010)

Gobble Gobble – Skin of Prohpets (Neon Graveyard – 2009)

Dstruct.O – Death Machine (Drumstep EP02 – 2011)

I certainly had fun with this week’s playlist, as might have been evidenced by my inane chattering. (Some people apparently were wondering what I was on when doing this show. I assure you, it was nothing but sunshine) The set list was also apparently helpful to Maggie, a listener who hadn’t been enjoying her day too much until she tuned in. Glad to have been able to help her out there.

I’d also like to say “Thanks!” to the guys from Odium. At their show on the weekend, (which was stellar by the way, you should be sad if you missed it) they provided me with a  copy of their album, which I played a song off of today and have been jamming to all week. It’s great stuff, if you like metal, check these guys out for sure, and if you don’t like metal, check them out anyhow. You’ll still probably like it.

The rest of that show, Goliath, Reasons Lost, Deathpoint, and Weapon of Choice, was all awesome as well, my favourite show at The Coach, recently. Good vibes and good times all around.

Upstairs that night, FM Lounge hosted Weirdonia, Silver Glory, SixtyFirstSecond, and Awake to a Dream. Everyone there did a great job as well, things were a bit more laid back but just as fun. I had a blast listening to Weirdonia, (and they were just cool guys) Silver Glory was impressive yet again, Awake to a Dream sounded the best I’ve heard them, and SixtyFirstSecond were better live than even their recordings had me prepared for. An all around good time.

Although trying to bounce back and forth between the two shows was too much like work; I might not try that again soon.

This week, go to The Coach on Thursday night for punk rock in the form of Suppressulant, The Rowley Estate, Repetitions, Pious Dogs, and The Swabs! It’ll get rowdy, I’m sure, but what better things do you have to do on a Thursday night?

Be sure to tune in next week between 5 and 6:30, I’ll have local musician Tim McDonald in the studio with me answering questions and playing live. Who is this guy, do you ask? Someone you should be familiar with. A paramedic for Windsor and Essex County, Tim also plays at multiple Relay for Life events all over the place, travels to Tennessee to perform and help with song writing panels and workshops, and has his music covered by numerous artists, some of whom you’ve probably even heard of. So listen in next week to learn more about Tim, and hear some live performances.