Iron Kingdom

Let me start off, before I get to bringing everyone up to speed on the last two shows, by just saying Thank You! Thank You to everyone who helped set up the shows, Thank You to all the bands we shared the stage with, and most of all Thank You to everyone who came out to Rock with us! Your support means the world to us and we deeply appreciate it!

Ok now onto the shows! When I last left off we were in Cumberland (after an amazing dinner) getting ready to play at The Waverly Hotel. Let me just say I am beyond impressed with The Waverly. The food was incredible and the staff was more than gracious, the stage was a good size and the sound was great! I had never been to Cumberland before, and can’t say I had really heard of it before the show was booked, but I throughly enjoyed the show and the crowd. Everyone I met and had the pleasure of talking to was very nice and welcoming and the whole town itself had a welcoming vibe. Cumberland is definitely on the “Return To” list and I hope to see everyone again soon!

(All 4 of us in Cumberland. Photo by Torstein Tan)

We also took the chance to hit up a couple more record shops in Courtenay and you can now find our music at the Stack Shack and Bop City Records. Both shops have a great selection, and I definitely suggest you check them out if you are in the area!

The show at Logan’s in Victoria was one I had really been looking forward to on this trip, we had such a great time last year and I was really excited to get back and have another great night! I’m stoked to say Victoria did not disappoint! It’s so great to perform in front of an audience that really gives ‘er and I know we all really enjoyed our time at Logan’s! For anyone wondering about the video Chris and I made last week, a fan in Vic reached out and told us his buddy was thinking of not coming to the show because he was saving up for a mountain bike. Now in all fairness, mountain bikes can be expensive… but unless it’s a Harley, I don’t think its a good excuse to miss a Metal show! They both came out and we had a good chat and gave him the “bike” we found on the internet for him. Thanks Matt for reaching out, and thanks Zack for getting your priorities straight! Haha

(Matt and Zack with Zack’s “bike”)

Also you can now find our music at Ditch Records & CDs and Supreme Echo Music Boutique in Victoria.

The 3 days we spent on the Island our memorable for sure and it’s impossible to imagine we’ll be able to stay away for long. It might be another year until we make it back but back we shall go! I’m really happy everything turned out so well as this trip is our only scheduled tour this year. On May 5 we open up for Hammerfall at the Rickshaw Theater in Vancouver, and that will be our last show for a little while. Never fear we will still be active in that time, just not hitting the stage. We are taking some time to write new material, catch up on personal stuff and bring you a new and improved website where we will be able to host all kinds of wonderful content!

We will be keeping all of our amazing fans updated as we go (we are getting very close to launching the website) and I’ll be looking forward to seeing you all, at least those of you who are local, at the Hammerfall show. Opening up for Hammerfall is a dream come true, as it was their music that started me on this path. It just goes to show, dreams are possible as long as you…

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

 

 

 

Day 2 of our 3 day Island tour and it really wouldn’t be a tour if something at least potentially bad didn’t happen near the start. We set out yesterday bright and early to catch the ferry to Nanaimo, expecting the short drive to the ferry terminal to be pretty uneventful. We were wrong. We started to smell burning rubber and trying to figure out if it was us or not, when we stopped at red light and were informed our tire was on fire! If you know our history with tires, you will understand our sense of panic and dread. We jumped out ready for anything and found smoke drifting out from the wheel well and a tire hot to the touch. We didn’t find any evidence of melting on the tire so we moved to a safer spot and kept looking around. In the end we figured the smoke and heat was caused by some residue or build up burning off. Not bad considering our first thought.

We got to the terminal and boarded the ferry with no further issues and made it the venue. Last year when we were in town, we dropped into The Queen’s to catch their Blues Jam night. We dug the venue when we were there as visitors, so we were looking forward to experiencing the room from the stage. We had a great time, the crowd was awesome and super supportive of all the bands! It was great to see so many repeat faces from last time we were in town!

We also used the trip as an excuse to extend our distro network to the Island. The people of Nanaimo can now find our music at Heritage Sound and Fascinating Rhythms!

Tonight has us in Cumberland at the Waverly Hotel and has me excited! The kitchen at the Waverly is top notch and the food alone makes me want a return trip! Come on down to the Waverly and Rock the night away with us!

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

The tour is over, the last show is in the bag and we are now home. I know I really should have posted this yesterday, but there was a slight issue, I just wrote it today! The end of a tour is always a little rough, it means that the taste of the “dream” is over and “real” life needs to be addressed. So enough with that depressing thought, let me catch you all up on the last days of one of our shortest tours in recent time.

We stopped in Sacramento on the 12th, returning to the Cafe Colonial for the first time in 2 years. The venue has definitely improved since our last visit, boasting a stage and a whole helluva lot of sweet old school gaming consoles. I remembered the food being pretty good and I wasn’t disappointed. They still had the Triple F on the menu and that more than made me happy. I can never turn down a cheeseburger between 2 grilled cheese! We also succeeded in breaking our attendance record from last time! Thank you so much to everyone who came out!! 

(Photo by Jyllian Curran)

Following our show in Sacramento we hit the Road to Salt Lake City! Personally this was a show I was really looking forward to as we made some good friends last time we were through. The Metro is a great club with ample space, a wicked stage, and killer sound, especially when Shotty Scotty is behind the board! To top off the fact we were playing such a great place we had 2 fans in the audience who travelled a very long way to see us. You might remember me mentioning them before as this isn’t the first time they took a trip to see us! Hailing from Juneau Alaska, they first saw us play Epic Pizza in Whitehorse last year. It was a real pleasure to see them again and catch up a bit! Both times we have played The Metro I’ve had a great time and I can’t wait to return! We’ll see you in the future SLC! I mean come on, we still have to play with Visigoth on their home turf!

The next day was a travel day which helped ease the 15 hour drive to Vancouver Washington for the last gig. We played Malibu’s on our last trip to the States so we were familiar with the lay out and load in area, which can help take a bit of stress off. The owner, Dan, was nice enough to grab us a motel room across the street from the venue so we were able to shower before the show. Thank you to Dan and Deb for having us back, and to all the bands and everyone who came and hung out all night!

Our last tour of the year is concluded but we are already drawing up plans for next year, so keep your eyes peeled for updates on a show near you! We will keep jamming and writing new material all through the winter and have a special Halloween Abbotsford show coming up with Thor! It’s going to be a set your really don’t want to miss! And as always,

Keep The Faith!

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

I just want to start off by thanking all of the venue owners and promoters of the last few days. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday can be very hard days to fill when booking a tour and we are all very thankful to them for giving us a room to play and vital support as we try to chase our dream. We have had great fortune to work with some amazing people over the years and the last couple days were no exception. I may be a couple days late on it, but this past weekend was the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday. While it felt weird to not be home and celebrating with family this year, I wanted to take this time to tell everyone we have encountered on the road in the last year, thank you very much for all of your care, support and kind words. None of this would be possible without you!

A very big thanks to our friends at The Kraken Bar in Seattle. They helped us out huge with a last minute booking when our other venue fell through. We had a great time returning and rocking out with everyone who came out. There were some pretty diehard Iron Kingdom fans in attendance and it is always a privilege to play for such passionate people! 

Eugene on Monday was a treat. I think all of us would agree in putting Eugene in the highlight reel for our last tour, so we were looking forward to returning. While there wasn’t as great a turnout as last time it was pretty awesome for a Monday night. It was great to catch up with some old friends as well as meet a couple new ones. People in Eugene have been really nothing but warm and welcoming to us every time we come through.

Medford! What can i say about Medford… Our experience last night in Medford was amazing and much needed. We had the pleasure of playing with a great group out of Texas called Urban Pioneers. The line up was an unexpected one. UP plays what they call fast bluegrass, which i think is code for they fucking shred. It was wicked and truly enjoyable but what i dug the most was that everyone that was there to see us supported them and vice versa. There as no division in the crowd or any animosity between two very different styles and musical background and it was refreshing to see everyone just hanging out and listening to music, even if wasn’t the music they would normally listen to. Last night is the kind of mixed bill that I really enjoy. I mean these guys play faster than a lot of the metal bands we’ve played with. 

Over and above the great night we had musically another reason Medford stands apart from some other towns we’ve played is the hospitality of Jym Harris. Jym and his wife Lisa open their home to touring musicians and offer a place to sleep as well as an amazing meal! The last time we were in town before last night was about 2 years ago and we still talk about how great the food was! Many many thanks to you, Jym and Lisa! The four of us, and bands like us, appreciate everything you do on top of booking shows. The scene needs more warriors keeping the flame burning and flag flying, so thank you again for the food and the use of the shower! 

Come out and rock with us at the Cafe Colonial in Sacramento! This is the second time we have played at this venue, the first being with Night Demon in 2014. Im looking forward to rocking Sacramento again, every time we are in town its a good night. Lets break the attendance record for the last time we played this venue! Come out and bring your friends! 

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

Early Friday  morning we packed our gear into the bus and headed to the border. After a couple hours of border crossing related activities we were on our way, Portland bound. The trip south was largely uneventful and we made good time. It was the first time playing Rock Hard PDX and I was pleasantly surprised by it. The staff was very helpful and friendly and it was a true joy hanging out with everyone during the show. The first show on a tour can be a little difficult as we aren’t settled yet into the routine of things. None the less the show went off without a hitch and we had a blast playing for an energetic crowd!

Photo by Travis Sigler of Chaos Force Records!

It was a little unusual for us to have a day off on the second day of a tour but nice as it took the pressure off and allowed us to hit up a local record shop. I’m pleased to announce that the 2nd Avenue Record Store in Portland now carries our CDs and Vinyl!

All four of us didn’t get much sleep the night before we left home so it was wicked to be able to sleep in a bit yesterday and not have to jump full on into the manic side of touring, the constant driving and lack of rest. It helped that our next gig is in Seattle and its not a long drive at all.

Tonight we return to Seattle and play a venue we have a lot of great memories in, The Kraken! We are very thankful to The Kraken for helping when our show at Studio Seven fell through, with no hesitation the wonderful owners opened their doors to us and so we return to our Seattle home away from home! We are all looking forward to seeing a crowd full of familiar faces and hope to see a couple new ones! Come out and rock with US and help us to Unleash the Kraken once more!!

Keep the Faith

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

Oh life on the Road! It’s been a crazy last couple of days, much new ground has been broken as well as old haunts revisited!

Grand Prairie was a blast, we had a great time at Better Than Fred’s. It was a great stage to play on, and though the crowd was small, it was clear they had a great love for Metal and it was a pleasure rocking with them.

After Grand Prairie we had a couple days off and as you might know from other posts, we tend to get a little stir crazy with too much time on our hands. To fill some time we headed up to Fort St. John to catch the open mic night at On the Rocks. We have played the open mic twice before and it was really cool to be recognized from our previous visits. It’s always been a real fun night when we roll through and this time didn’t disappoint. Great to see everyone in FSJ again and hopefully next time we will be playing a real show for more than 15 minutes!

Speaking of having too much time on our hands, Joey has figured out that his new bunk in our bus allows him to stick his head out of the window and can freak people out by appearing. I think he’s pretty stoked with this discovery! 

From FSJ we turned south to Red Deer for our first time at the Vat. The people were great and we played with a couple great bands. The venue was really cool with lots of cool murals of famous rockers on the walls. It was great to have Dustin from the Calgary band Riot City come and hang out with us. We weren’t expecting to see him but we lucked out and he was working in Red Deer that day. We’ll be back Red Deer! You haven’t seen the last of us!

Last night in Edmonton gave us a chance to check out the new location for DV8 and see some old friends. We reunited with our old friends in Scythia as well as met some new friends in Moon Tan.

We’ve been having a blast here in Alberta and can’t wait to play Calgary tonight! Last time we were supposed to play Calgary we rolled our van on the way. It’s been too long!  Come out to Dickens tonight Calgary! Come Rock with us!

 

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

Iron Kingdom is back on the Road! We are still in the opening days of the tour but the last couple days have been incredible and this tour is shaping up to be incredibly memorable! So much has happened that it’s a little hard to know exactly where to start, but let’s try to start at the beginning.

Thursday August 11 was a day we spent a very long time preparing for. Months of planning and preparation went into this show and we are all so very happy with how it all turned out. Months ago, when we first conceived of the idea for the show, we asked ourselves if we were being crazy. If we would be able to pull off the show we saw in our heads. I am happy to announce that as far as I am concerned it was success! We had a great turnout and it was incredible to see so many familiar faces in the crowd. It was amazing to share the night and our love of music with people who have been with us for the last five years. As I looked out from the stage and into the eyes of friends and family, both old and new, I was struck by the most intense emotions. These were the people who have stood by us the last 5 years, who have come to almost every local show and supported us countless times and in countless ways. Thank you so much to everyone who came out and helped us make the video shoot and show a success! It was an incredible night and it wouldn’t have been possible without you! We had so much fun there has already been talk about the possibility of doing something like this again. 

After very very little sleep we hit the road the next morning on the way to Vernon. It was our first time playing Vernon so we were looking forward to breaking new ground and playing in new territory. After finding the venue, we were a little surprised to discover it was in one of the ballrooms of a hotel. Not really knowing what to expect now, we set up and waited. Everyone at and involved in the show were super nice and very welcoming. We had fun and look forward to building a stronger relationship with Vernon.

Metallion! We had so much fun last year and we were looking forward to coming back this year! I am so glad we came back and I enjoyed this year more than last. The festival gave me a chance to see a good friend that lives up in Prince George and catch a number of friend’s sets. Festivals are awesome to play and we always have a blast up here. Our set time had us playing as the sun went down and it was really cool to watch fire works go off as we played on stage, I’ve never experienced that before.

Tonight we are in Grand Prairie at Better Than Fred’s and again we are breaking new ground. The show should be pretty wicked tonight. I love playing new places and meeting new people. I’m excited to see what tonight has in store for us. This tour is truly going to be memorable!

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

After the whirlwind that has been the last week or so, it is great to be able to kick back and relax. I guess the last update was Timmins so I really have a lot to talk about this time!

Timmins was a blast! This years show was just as fun as I remember it being 3 years ago. It was a small crowd but everyone who came out came right to the front and banged their heads off! It was a small crowd but everyone who came out came right to the front and banged their heads off! It was really cool to see some familiar faces in the crowd as well as all the new! Thank you to everyone for coming out on a Monday and staying late to rock with us!

The next night we playing the nation’s capitol. We had a lot of fun playing Ottawa for the first time! The House of Targ was a cool venue to play despite all the stairs and the low ceiling. The walls were lined with pinball machines and other arcade games as well as cool artwork. It was awesome to meet so many new people and wicked to see the place so full on a Tuesday. Our old friend Alex came out to catch the set so it was awesome to be able to catch up with him, both the night of the show and the next day. Thanks for the new stage pants man! The promoter made the claim that Ottawa has better poutine than Montreal so I had to get some while we were there and size it up compared to the poutine I was planning on consuming the next night!

From Ottawa, it was back to Quebec for our show at the Piranha Bar in Montreal. I had a lot of fun at this show because I got to see my oldest brother, the one who got me into metal in the first place! Our superfan Josie came out again so it was great to see her again and the bands we played with were really nice. We managed to keep our streak of not paying for parking despite a close call with parking enforcement, and had delicious poutine from the place downstairs from the venue. My comparison of Ottawa and Montreal poutines was inconclusive as they were both incredibly delicious and tasted just as good to me!

Montreal to Woodstock, ON was a long drive but worth it as we were treated to pizza and a hotel room by the promoter Kristina Killkrist. It had been about 4 years since we worked with her on a show in Kelowna during our first tour, so it was cool to see her again and get caught up. The hotel room was good for a shower and it was amazing to lay on a real bed for the first time in over a month! Ultimately we, in true Iron Kingdom fashion, used the room mainly for showers and a place to count our merch in preparation for crossing the border the next morning. We stayed until the continental breakfast was rolled out and we could eat our fill before hitting the road back into the States. Breakfast was an interesting experience as, unknown to us, there were a good number of Amish people staying at the hotel that night. They seem to be on their way somewhere and had hired two drivers to take them where they needed to go. It was kind of funny to watch them, with matching clothes, hair cuts and beards, trying to figure out how the toaster worked and a couple of the other modern devices we take for granted on a regular basis. It took me by surprise a little to see them and made me wonder if they indulged a little while in the modern electronic world. For instance, did they watch a little bit of tv, or sit in the dark all night?

Back on track, we crossed the border with little trouble and made our way just outside of Detroit to play at the Rockery. The staff were incredibly nice and there wasn’t a dull moment all night, in fact the night was actually kind of wild. We met a lot of great people, both other bands and new fans. One guy even asked me for some advice on bass playing, that’s never happened before! Thanks to everyone who came out to support us and every other band that played!

Naperville, IL was awesome for a number of reasons, not least among them was we were only about 5 minutes away from Aurora, IL setting of Wayne’s World; there was free popcorn and we again met great people, including some we would see again Monday. We really felt taken care of by the venue and we had a good time hanging out as well as playing. It really meant a lot to us at this time because we were all dead tired and the relaxed environment really helped.

Minneapolis, MN was one of the shows I was really looking forward to last year and especially looking forward to this year! It was great to finally get there and play and almost right away we got the impression that people were really disappointed when we were forced to cancel last year and were really looking forward to finally seeing us. The crowd went nuts multiple times throughout our set and afterwards a couple different people told us it was the craziest they had ever seen a crowd get there. Minneapolis was a really positive experience to me and a real affirmation to keep doing what we do!

The Murder Junkies were playing Minneapolis the night after us, at the same venue we just played so we returned to hang out and catch their show as it is the last time they are going to be touring. Kenny and Joey are more into punk than Chris and I but we all had a good time. It was one of those rare times where Chris drinks so it was hilarious watching him walking around all night decently smashed. One of the bands we played the Naperville show with was opening the Murder Junkies show so we got to hang out with them again, as well as see a bunch of people from the night before.

I usually kind of complain about days off but I’m really excited for the next couple. We have short drive to get to Sioux Falls, SD and plenty of time to do it, as well as a hotel room waiting for us when we get there. I think we are all looking forward to relaxing in an air conditioned room with access to a pool and showers. In fact I think one of the first things I am doing is jumping in the pool! It’s about time we kicked back and relaxed and caught up on sleep! Working is fun but sleep is going to be amazing! We are still having a blast and it’s a little sad to think that we only have 3 more shows left on this tour, but not too sad as it means we leave for Brazil soon! Check out the event page here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/136510290089997/?notif_t=plan_user_invited&notif_id=1464734310732651

 

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

http://www.iron-kingdom.com

http://www.facebook.com/ironkingdom

Friday night was not only the first night of a glorious May long weekend, but also our debut in Quebec City! Quebec is a beautiful city, with a long and rich history and it was wicked to finally get a chance to check it out! QC was also the most Eastern point on this tour, so everything now is all roughly back in the direction of home. Scanner’s Bistro was very fun to play and we were made to feel very welcome by both the staff and regulars. Our long time superfan from Montreal came out to say hi and catch our set. Great to see you again Josie, see you in Montreal!

Saturday we were in Toronto for our first show in Ontario in 3 years. It was awesome to return back here partly because, some of you might not know this, I was born in Ontario and still have friends and family here. It was good to see some familiar and friendly faces in the crowd as one of my brothers and my oldest friend came out to see us play! It’s been about 3 years since I last saw my buddy so it was a great night! Cherry Cola’s is a really cool venue and we had a great crowd. Even before we loaded into the venue there was not a dull moment, as we were we accosted by a man who was clearly very drunk and possibly on something a little harder. He didn’t seem to speak any English and possibly wanted to fight us. At least he seemed to want to show us his kung-fu skills, before he passed out next to the bus. We ended up getting him some medical attention and I hope he is doing alright.

Last night in Sudbury went a lot better than my expectations for it, in fact it surpassed all of our expectations. We had only passed through Sudbury, never played there, so it all in all it was a good first time and I would say we won over the crowd fairly quickly. The venue had a good vibe and it was a good turnout for an all ages show. We wish them all the best in their quest for a liquor license.

Tonight we are Timmins Ontario, birth place of Shania Twain and Skullfist. They really let you forget the Shania part, there were 2 separate billboards on the way into town that stressed to remind you. We are returning to the Victory Tavern for the first time in 3 years, the last time we were here Timmins proved to be a highlight of the tour, we have good memories of this town and are looking forward to playing tonight. We are the only band playing this show so we will be doing a longer set. If you are reading this in Timmins, come on out and rock with us tonight!

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)

In previous blog posts I have complained about days off being boring, with little to nothing to do, but yesterday we actually did something! Taking advantage of our proximity to Boston, we hit up the historic USS Constitution. Commissioned in 1797 by President Washington, the Constitution has a very long and proud past, including many victories. I had heard of this ship many times due to my love of history, but honestly my interest in seeing it came from playing Fallout 4! The game is set in Boston, though in an alternate time line and in the future, but it was cool to see monuments like Bunker Hill and Faneuil Hall as we drove past them. The museum was very informative and it was really cool to walk across the deck of such a famous ship. Also in the dry dock was a ship I had never heard of, the USS Callus Young. The Callus Young is a destroyer class warship from WW2 and also has a storied past including involvement in Pearl Harbour and Korea. Both were really cool to see and I’m glad we took the time to do it!

After Boston, we headed over to Salem to walk around a town steeped in allegations of witchcraft. Where over 200 people were put on trial and 23 were put to death in the 1600’s. Of the 23, most were killed by hanging but one of the most famous executions, Giles Corey was put to death by pressing. Pressing is a brutal way to die, involving being crushed to death by the weight of stones and iron. Giles’ last words were reportedly “more weight” what a badass! Salem boasts the 2nd oldest European graveyard in North America and is home to many, including at least one Mayflower pilgrim. Walking around town was really cool! There is only one house remaining from the Witch Trial days and it was owned by one of the judges involved. 

We got into town too late to check out any of the museums but the staff at the Salem Witch Trial Museum were still very helpful in pointing out interesting landmarks around town for us to check out! All in all it was a very interesting day and I recommend anyone that is in the area to check these places out!

Keep the Faith,

Leighton Holmes

(Bass Guitar)