LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, The Sidekicks, And TNT) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Not the busiest weekend going for SMS-amenable concerts, possibly because Halloween weekend is more of a focus, but there's still enough shows this weekend to warrant two weekend concert preview posts. As such, we'll look at Saturday night's Customer Service and Who Made Who shows tomorrow, as well as Tym Morrison's Sunday matinee. Tonight's post focuses on a big multi-band show in the EUP and SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so let's lead off on the Canadian side of the border!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover duo TNT (Soundcheck's Terry Eaton and Travis Sharpe) will return to Beck's Bar for a matinee concert on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, Beck's only announced the show in their weekly entertainment schedule post on Wednesday (two days late due to ownership's work on the Misty's Fifties renovations). Regardless, TNT still don't have a known public social media account to promote their gigs with. Trav n' Terry last rocked Beck's two weeks ago for the Thanksgiving long weekend (you may have seen "Stories" on Facebook from that gig). If you like Soundcheck and don't hate unplugged covers, then you will enjoy what TNT bring to the table! No word on if cajon player Rusty Barrel will join them on SATURDAY, but he is (at least) a frequent guest, and he was supplying percussion two weeks ago, as seen in the aforementioned "Stories".

SATURDAY'S matinee concert is at 3:00 PM running until 7:00 PM, it is a 19+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. No public/permanent and embeddable videos of Terry n' Trav(is) yet, but visit the above links for more on this show, and we'll let you know if more comes out on TNT!

Next up, who is playing at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT? Local classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks, and they'll also be rocking The Water Tower Pub for their Halloween party on Saturday, October 31st! Again, apologies for the short notice on THIS SATURDAY's concert, it was announced by Beck's when they announced the TNT matinee. Speaking of which, Travis & Terry welcomed Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre into Soundcheck not too long ago, so could there be any crossovers between the two bands at any point on SATURDAY? Fans last saw Dan, Tracey, and Steve together as the closing band at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in July (they are not seen on the weekend nightclub circuit as regularly as many other bands), with SATURDAY'S concert being their first at a standard indoor venue since May. As for next weekend, The Water Tower Pub's Halloween party will be 1980s themed, which will be right up the alley of many concergoers.

The Sidekicks do play their fair share of 1980s covers, and while the AI-generated rendering of the band likely won't represent their 100% attire, costumes referencing the decade are encouraged! There is also a teased costume contest (or "prizes", at least). THIS SATURDAY's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM (TNT aren't "opening" for them, there's a two hour gap between bands), the Water Tower Pub Halloween bash is at 8:00 PM, and both events are 19+ with no cover. Get more details on both events at the above links, and for a preview of THIS SATURDAY's concert, here's The Sidekicks live!

Let's head to Michigan for the back half of the post, and we'll next take the hour's drive west to Eckerman, where local hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will return to the stage at The Strongs Tavern on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, both the band and venue only announced this show via different AI-generated posters on their respective Facebook pages on Tuesday. After a quieter-than-usual #summerof906, the guys will be playing their first publically advertised gig since the Barge Bash in Cedarville in early August, and their first concert at The Strongs Tavern in four months. Good to see Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian back at it, and this could be a good warm-up gig for their Halloween party in Rudyard next week! The Strongs Tavern doesn't book the same band on back to back nights, though note that Friday's 5:00 PM concert from Will Springsteen wouldn't conflict.

SATURDAY'S concert will take place at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Project 906's entertaining mix of hard rock covers should go over well at one of their favourite venues, so don't miss out on the action in Eckerman on SATURDAY, and here they are live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll head back east to Sault Ste. Marie, where the latest multi-band concert in the basement of Pizza Hut goes down TOMORROW NIGHT! Promoted once again by Serious Business, this show will unite three touring acts from points south and west, including headlining Detroit experimental/progressive duo MRKT, who will keep with the promoters' eclectic multi-genre tastes for sure. The other two out-of-town bands are no strangers to the EUP, including Marquette art punk duo Bimbo (who headlined a prior Pizza Hut show in May) and Muskegon punk trio Violet Scum, who you may recall from a Pickles Bar & Grill show in Brimley last year before Serious Business shows largely moved to the Soo proper. Your local openers are punk duo About:Blank, just two days after frontman Parker Talentino competed at the LSSU Battle of the Bands (fallout coming soon).

Parker & Kade were openers at both of Bimbo and Violet Fuse's past local dates, so they're ideal to call on for this show! Tomorrow's festivities at 2255 Ashmun Street will have a $15 door charge, a 7:00 PM start time, and an 18+ age limit. Hopefully there's a sizable turnout of punk fans at the Hut for this concert, and kudos to Brighton and crew for bringing these touring multi-band shows to the area! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bimbo live (gotta love the lo-fi VHS 4:3 aesthetic!)

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The 2026 Lake Superior State University Battle Of The Bands!!)

The fourth annual Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands goes down TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice in two ways, as 1. the band lineup was only revealed on a staggered basis in recent days on LSSU's Arts Centre's Facebook page after registration closed on the 11th, and 2., the battle was quietly moved up a day from tomorrow to TONIGHT at some point last month (this poster is proof that the date was originally on Thursday, as the past three battles were). Regardless, this year's fourth (not third) annual battle will be the biggest yet, as not only are there a record high eight competing acts, but the prize pool is bigger than ever, with $1,000 going to the first place act, $500 for second place, and $250 for third! For context, first place bands previously only won $150. Kudos to Kevin and Pam Cooper for sponsoring the upgraded prize totals! If the same as past years, LSSU faculty and a student representative will judge on differing categories, with bands getting 15 minute sets, and competitors are allowed to play covers.

Of this year's eight competing acts, three are returnees from last year's battle, namely folk singer/guitarist Kevin Blakeney (the only act to have played at all four LSSU Battles), punk/hard rock duo About:Blank (fresh off of their third place finish at the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands in Brimley this summer), and local rap duo Tunngtyed. Last year's battle was won by local acoustic rock act The Dynamic Duo, and while they're not technically defending their title (no winning band ever has), Danielle Petingalo and Ben Huyck have formed a proper four piece sister band named Dynamix to compete TONIGHT! Their lineup is rounded out by bassist Bill Spence (ex-Absolute/NoXcape) and drummer Dan Jackson, and they claim to play "rock, pop, and country", similarly to what Danielle and Ben play unplugged. Will electric instruments and a rhythm section ensure another win? Two more bands are playing tomorrow, one being Fusion Core, a jazz/rock sextet of teenagers, who did win a talent show at Sault High.

New and promising local musical talent is always welcomed, and members do play horn instruments, so it will be interesting to see how Fusion Core fare beyond being the largest and youngest band in the field! TONIGHT's other band is Whiskey Red, a new local classic rock/country duo out of Kinross featuring former Small Town Society frontwoman Holly Sibbald and ex-Full Throttle guitarist Jason Lamoreaux. Photos show them playing electric instruments, but come out to see what else they bring to the table! The field is rounded out by two more acoustic solo musicians, namely Hessel alternative rock singer/guitarist Adam Alford (who has original music on major streaming services) and Dee Homminga, who is active on stage and screen as a singer and guitarist. No solo act has ever won the LSSU Battle, but could Adam, Dee, or Kevin be the first?

The 3rd 4th annual LSSU Battle takes place TONIGHT at 7:00 PM as part of this year's Great Lake State Weekend. It is absolutely ALL AGES, with tickets running for $10 for adults and $5 for kids aged 10 and under, and you can buy them at this link if you don't want to pay at the door. As in the past three years, everything goes down in the theater at the far left of campus (basically Sault Michigan's answer to the SCTC). The field this year is wide open, and it will be interesting to see who joins The Sole Aggressors, Molly & The Other Guys, and The Dynamic Duo as victors of this annual event! Could About:Blank build off of their podium finish in Brimley? Can Dynamix kinda sorta repeat as champions? Is the fourth time a charm for Kevin? Can Tunngtyed impress despite being the only guitar-less entry this year? What about all of the complete newcomers? Find out who comes out on top TONIGHT!

Memo to Sault Ontario event promoters: If Sault Michigan and Brimley can each have successful multi-year battles of the bands, what's stopping a bigger neighbouring city from even getting one off the ground? No preview video today, as I don't want to give any inkling of favouritism in the competition, but visit the above links for complete details on this year's Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Hails), A New Local Punk Band, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we dive into weekend concert previews, here's a new news post for your Tuesday night reading, which includes some shorter recent updates, a new video, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and leading off, a new band making their debut later this month, so here's what you should know!

New local pop punk band Homeroom Hero have launched their own Facebook page, so now we can add them to our active local band links! Debuting on Friday, October 30th at The Art Hub At Spring when they open for The Reeves (details here) with a further gig coming next month at PetFest, Homeroom Hero are hyping themselves up big towards fans of early-mid 2000 pop punk and emo bands, which will definitely be a niche that has been underserved locally in the 2020s. Their lineup includes former No Shadows Cast guitarist Brian Lester, newer local guitarist Dennys Andrade, bassist Paul Fowler, and former As It Stands drummer/Forever Will Be leader Ryan McLaughlin. The band originally had ex-A Dire Setback frontman Larry Babic on vocals, but he has quietly departed Homeroom Hero for unannounced reasons, as per a recent Facebook Messenger conversation with Paul.

Hopefully nothing too serious happened with Larry, as he has been missed on stage since the late 2010s! In Homeroom Hero's first video on Facebook, you can hear their apparent new singer (a woman, based on the voice) covering the last chorus of The Offspring's "The Kids Aren't Alright". Doesn't sound bad to me, but who is she, and will the band reveal her identity prior to Devil's Night? And what other covers do Homeroom Hero have up their sleeve? We'll know more soon, but check out their first audio teaser below!

Next up, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, this time an all-local show from Underground Events SSM on Tuesday, November 10th at The Speak Easy at Algoma University, and despite being on a work/school night, this will have a stacked lineup of five local bands, two debuting! Your headliners are crossover thrash trio Hails, while their former guitarist Mikhal Muto (promoter of this very event) will front his ska/crust punk quartet ASDP as co-headliners. Young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe (or, if you believe the poster, $5 Bribe) will make their Speak Easy debuts here, while the other two bands are brand new. One is The Mario Kwon Quartet, a jazz outfit led by the musician behind the Yecharo solo project that some readers may recall from this year's Go Skate Day, while the other is a debuting skate punk band named Worst Case Scenario. I have no public details on them yet, we'll let you know if something comes out in the next few weeks!

Tickets are on sale at this link for $20, and the price is unchanged at the door, unless you're a current Algoma student with valid student ID, as you'll get in for half that price. The bands start at 6:00 PM and this is absolutely an all ages concert (the bar will not be open and they ask not to bring in outside alcohol). If you can swing coming out on a Tuesday, this should deliver the goods for fans of hard rock and punk, and it'll be interesting to get more on Worst Case Scenario, so visit the above links for more details!

Also today, the above poster (made by Mikhal) sort of ties into our next topic, as Eden Plague guitarist Mitch Sirie starred in this new Facebook video to promote their gig opening for Korpiklaani at Blaster Powerhouse next month. While ostensibly to hype availability of tickets (all members except Justin were credited in the description as having some to sell), Mitch spends most of the video criticizing generative AI usage, especially to advertise events. Veronica Miller of Mother North Studio designed the official poster for the concert, which came about after the former Bear Hunters disapproved of the AI-generated poster that the former Soo Blaster made for the concert (which you can still see on the venue's concerts page; I recall Mitch complaining that the AI program distorted the Eden Plague logo). To their credit, Blaster has used Veronica's poster for all promotion elsewhere since, including physical copies.

Mitch doesn't mince words about his distaste for generative AI posters, while also plugging his hairstylist and locally-made beard oil for good measure. I do agree that you should support real artists, regardless of medium, and I would rather see art made in a legit computer program or by hand, so hopefully we get more of that regardless of source! As for the concert promo, it did take a back seat for much of the video (still no word on who Free Drugs are), but getting Korpiklaani here all the way from Finland on November 7th will be huge, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Mitch's video!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• Local rapper Kodex has replaced Shae Tull on the lineup for this Saturday night's Customer Service concert at Blaster Powerhouse, as per promoters Underground Events SSM's Facebook page. Unspecified "scheduling issues" were cited as to why Shae withdrew from the Halloween-themed concert, and hopefully all is well with her! Kodex's inclusion makes him even more of a genre outlier than Shae would have been at this majority-punk concert, but he is a talented MC, so don't bypass him, and our preview of this show will hit the site in a few days!
• A celebration of life for late local classic rock musician and American Federation of Musicians Local 276 union vice president Paul Leclair will take place at The Water Tower Inn on Saturday at 1:00 PM, as per this entry on SooToday's obituary page. This takes place eight months after Paul passed away at the age of 74, and I am glad to see that his friends and family will finally get a public chance to pay their respects and celebrate his memory. R.I.P. Paul!
• In another "Story" from Riverside Stasis frontwoman Tea Emlaw's solo Facebook page, she shared a brief clip of the band playing at Village Media headquarters this past Friday for the (slightly) relocated Village Sessions kickoff event. I don't understand why you wouldn't let everyone see and share the video whenever we want, but it did give some sense as to the intimate space of the event. Also, ex-Din drummer Brandan Glew was behind the kit for this gig, though the band still has not officially clarified on social media if he has replaced Anthony Boudreau or if he was just filling in. We'll let you know when they formally announce something!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

Early Details On Rock Of Ages & New Headrush Concert Videos!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that former Rising Tide/Steeltown Playboys bassist Marshall Jaaskelainen's obituary was posted on SooToday on Friday, shortly before our scheduled auto-post written the previous night went up. Marshall is survived by his father Harry, two brothers and two sisters, a niece and nephew, and other extended family members. His funeral service will take place tomorrow at 5:00 PM at the Northwood Funeral Home, and the family would appreciate donations to The Summit. As for his celebration of life at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s Tap Room last night, SooToday's Darren Taylor was in attendance for it, posting this article featuring a handful of photos of the event, and it looks like a packed house, which is wonderful to see! The article features remarks from Marshall's siblings Rachel (who organized the event), Heidi, and Byron, as well as his former bandmates Jay Case & Lindsay Pugh, and his friend Kate Mulligan.

Marshall's brother and long-time bandmate Sheldon (who has lived and worked out of town in recent years) was unable to attend, but hopefully we'll see him back home when able. It sounds like the celebration of life was a huge hit to pay homage to Marshall as a musician, friend, family member, and all around good person, and I do hope that tomorrow's services go similarly well for everyone who loved and miss him. R.I.P. Marshall!

Today's post otherwise looks at recent live videos from a local cover band, but first, here's an upcoming show that crosses our radar (if not a traditional "concert"), as The Musical Comedy Guild of Sault Ste. Marie is hosting a local stage production of the musical Rock Of Ages next year! To be held at the Sault Community Theatre Centre from April 28th-May 1st, this is being presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, and will be directed by Andrew Stuetz, who is best recognized in our coverage as the annual MC for Rotaryfest Stage 1 but has a large background in local theatre. Audition info is still to come, but if you're not familiar, Rock Of Ages is a jukebox musical themed around 1980s hair metal, AOR, and arena rock songs, which ran on Broadway from 2009-2015 and received a film adaptation in 2012. This should be an interesting change of pace, so follow the Guild for continuing updates!

The back half of this post is devoted to local classic/hard rock cover sextet Headrush, who have a bunch of new videos to look at, mostly via their new YouTube channel! While launched in June, they only uploaded videos to it last month, all six coming from their Friday night set at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in July (a rare public concert set from them this summer, as they took the season off from bar gigs). Capturing about half of their set on the familiar pop-up stage at Clergue Park, Headrush were filmed covering Prism's "Spaceship Superstar",  AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" (featuring a woman apparently named Rosie dancing on stage!), Journey's "Stone In Love", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Sun", Foreigner's "Double Vision", and as embedded below, Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time". The uncredited filmer was right up in front of the stage and got some really nice quality footage on all fronts, including on the stage at a few points!

The guys were playing at dusk, so thing look that tiny bit more impressive for lighting and ambiance, and everyone sounds good, with John Anderson hitting some strong high notes (mercifully, that weekend's severe wildfire smoke warnings lessened enough to not throw a wrench into the Friday program). Give Headrush's new Rotaryfest videos a watch above & below!

Lastly, the other new video was actually shot by local concert regular and supporter Audrey Marshall for her personal Facebook page before being shared publically, but not by the band. As you may recall, Headrush played their first bar gigs of the fall at The Esquire Club this weekend, and Audrey filmed this video of their encore, where they welcomed former Mustang Heart keyboardist Vito Tassone to guest on a cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"! Frank Mannarino switched to rhythm guitar as a result. The video only runs for 80 seconds, and it is reasonably tight to the stage, but what Audrey shot looks and sounds good, and it is neat to see Vito on stage with a full band again, so give this a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dos Amigos), Recent Facebook "Story" Videos, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of veteran local musician and Soo's Got Talent co-producer Darren Robertson, who passed away at the Algoma Residential Community Hospice on Wednesday, just three days after his 56th birthday. Darren had been fighting esophageal cancer since May of last year, and you can read more about his fight via this GoFundMe campaign on his behalf. He is survived by his parents, wife Judy, his kids Aiyah, Jaeden, and Julian, his brother Ryan, and other extended family. A recognizable face in the local music scene for decades (even if his band work largely predates social media), Darren primarily crossed our radar for his work as a producer, judge, and MC of The Soo's Got Talent, who have done a lot to promote rising local singers and other performers since 2019, while supporting deserving charities along the way, and he was promoting this fall's event online earlier this month.

Darren was also the creator of the free news/entertainment publication Soo Now, and you may recognize him from his one-time day job at Eazy Express. Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of life will be held at a later date, but arrangements were entrusted to the Damignani Burial, Cremation, and Transfer Service. A kind supporter of local music and wonderful causes, and a talented musician in his own right, Darren has been rightfully eulogized by so many people this week, and with The Soo's Got Talent returning with a non-competitive winter gala next month, there will be more chances to remember him and his work to come. R.I.P. Darren!

Today's post otherwise looks at recent video shares that many may not have even had the chance to see, some assorted recent updates, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will play their second show in three days TOMORROW when they return to Thomson Farms Cider & Winery! Apologies for the short notice, Thomson Farms only confirmed that Mikey & Dustin would be playing via this AI-generated poster yesterday. While music has been a frequently advertised component of their fall fair this month, Dos Amigos are the only act credited by name in any of the AI-generated posters, having played at the Third Line West cider mill two weeks ago. Fresh off of last night's intimate Village Media gig, hopefully their unplugged punk covers get another strong reception TOMORROW! As usual, lots of family entertainment and activities are also going on.

TOMORROW's fall fair activities run from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM with Dos Amigos playing from 12:00-3:00 PM, and it is definitely free and all ages, on-site purchases notwithstanding. Assuming the concert will be outdoors (the patio will be open), temperatures will noticeably warm up from what we have seen recently, as 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 15°, and no chance of rain. Thomson Farms says that it will be "at the Wine Barn" (at, not in). Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Also today, a lot of Facebook "Stories" have popped up in recent weeks from concerts at Beck's Bar featuring videos from concerts there. My dislike of "Stories" is well known by now, as even beyond the brief and vertical trappings, they are basically temporary videos that self-destruct and vanish forever after being seen once or twice on your news feed. I'm sure I missed others from Beck's that didn't turn up on Facebook for me, but I can confirm that recent "Stories" of theirs included Curtis McKenzie covering Velvet Revolver's "Fall To Pieces", Stones At The Alter covering Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy", and online page-less Soundcheck sister band TNT covering both Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Fastball's "The Way". Terry Eaton and Travis Sharpe sang each cover respectively, while Rusty Barrel joined them on cajon as a guest percussionist again.

My job isn't to call out Beck's over posting "Stories" (they have their reasons), but if it was me, I wouldn't give a fleeting teaser of a show in progress that people can't re-watch and share, let alone this frequently. If you're one to skip the "Stories" strip, you might want to give it a look, as occasional videos that aren't permanently uploaded elsewhere do turn up there, even if I wish they were!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Local crossover thrash trio Hails will play Sudbury for the first time with their current lineup on November 21st when they head to The Townehouse Tavern to open for Hamilton punk band Losing Streak. Sudbury is, of course, a 3+ hour drive east, but we do have readers who live/work out there, so keep this show in mind if you'll be in the area next month, and best of luck to Brent, Tony, and Keeghan on their upcoming road trip!
• Among recent shares of photos from their ongoing recording sessions at The Loft on their Facebook page, local hard/blues rock quartet The Reeves confirmed on Wednesday that they are indeed working on an EP, something that was previously only stated in public writing in the Rotaryfest program. As of Tuesday, frontman Brad Irwin was tracking guitar parts, and hopefully things are progressing as well as they seem from the outside!
• In one more note from a Facebook "Story", Riverside Stasis frontwoman Tea Emlaw's solo Facebook page revealed last week that the band is recording new singles in studio. The verbiage used was "singles", not an album/EP, though that doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't getting one either. Why you'd want to reveal this in a post that vanishes upon viewing, I don't know, but keep things in mind from this talented group! She also starred in this short black & white video on the band's Facebook page to plug last week's set opening for The Lazys (though oddly not their headlining show at Beck's later that night.)

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The T.R.I.P.) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we finish off this weekend's hard rock concert previews, just a heads up that a celebration of life for former Rising Tide/Wild Turkeys bassist Marshall Jaaskelainen will be held tomorrow night at The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co. at 6:00 PM. The brewery announced this on their Facebook page yesterday, and members of Marshall's family had announced it on personal social media accounts prior. The event will have an open mic aspect where friends, family, and bandmates can talk about Marshall and/or play music in his honour, though as far as I can tell, there are no formally scheduled bands. Of course, kudos to Northern Superior for hosting this, and given Marshall's talents and nature, I'm sure it will be packed tomorrow night to pay tribute to him. As of this writing, an obituary or details of further services have not been publically released, and we will let you know if/when they are. R.I.P. Marshall!

Today's post otherwise caps off this weekend's known and advertised hard rock concert previews in the area, and we'll start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as sporadically seen acoustic classic/hard rock cover band The T.R.I.P. will reportedly be performing at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via personal Facebook postings this week, though note that The Water Tower Pub's October schedule (since yanked off of their Facebook page) originally had TOMORROW as being a Beej Syrette solo concert. As you may recall, The T.R.I.P. (no word on what the acronym means) started as a side project for cousins & then-Double Down bandmates Joel & Beej Syrette, though after that band abruptly disbanded in March, The T.R.I.P. returned for a Beck's Bar gig last month, now with bassist Dan Beaupre joining them.

Now, this show conflicts with Soundcheck's short notice gig TOMORROW NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub (Dan joined them in August). He is listed by name in personal postings referencing TOMORROW'S T.R.I.P. concert, but where will he be? I'll clarify if something comes out! Regardless, if you've missed Double Down over the past seven months, keep this gig in mind, even if it's unplugged and sans Ric! Remember, The Water Tower Pub doesn't host the same band on back to back nights, and classic rock veterans 46th Parallel are playing there tonight. TOMORROW's show is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and no T.R.I.P. videos yet!

Also this weekend are local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations' newest concerts, which will see them rock Reggie's Place TOMORROW NIGHT! They were originally advertised to be playing tonight too, but the band confirmed that they are not playing tonight due to "certain circumstances", as per their Facebook group. As such, their defunct predecessors Jus' Chillin will perform instead with guest guitarist Michael Yurich. Usually, a Jus' Chillin reunion is prompted by Valerie being unavailable, but if Mike is sitting in, maybe Joe is absent (too)? The post said nothing about tomorrow night, so hopefully the status quo returns then. Here's hoping that there's a good turnout downtown regardless! Tomorrow's show is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, guitarist Joe Miller has shared two new videos of them live onto their Facebook group! Both see them covering Pat Benatar songs at their most recent Water Tower Pub show, one being "Heartbreaker", which was originally filmed by attendee Kyle McGinnis.

Sadly, that one is vertical and only 93 seconds long, but it's a strong performance that lets Valerie let loose on vocals! Embedded below is the slightly longer (and horizontal!) video of Generations covering "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which Joe shared from his own personal Facebook page. Not as challenging of a song for Valerie's range, but a classic rock staple that they know well, and despite the venue's extremely blue lighting, this video is well shot and framed. Give these a look above and below, and don't miss Generations at Reggie's Place tomorrow!

We'll close this weekend's hard rock concert previews in Sault Michigan, where local punk/alternative duo About:Blank will play a rare headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Merchant's Bar! The second of at least three gigs (private and public alike) for Parker and Kade this month, this will be their first public show in the Soo since their acoustic matinee outside of Moloney's Alley in June. Coming less than a week before they open for Bimbo at Pizza Hut (no word yet on if they're in the LSSU Battle of the Bands on Thursday), hopefully the guys tear things up at The Merch, where fittingly, they will have new merch for sale! Tomorrow's concert is a short one, running from 10:00 PM until midnight, so no openers and no stuffing four sets with covers.This is a 21+ concert with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's About:Blank live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) And The Headrush & Village Sessions Previews!!

Things have been pretty quiet this week (calm before the Halloween storm?), but this weekend's hard rock concert slate is still big enough to warrant two posts, so this weekend's Generations, About:Blank, and T.R.I.P. concerts will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to start things off, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck (7.3?) will reportedly return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via Jay's Facebook page earlier today, albeit via a re-share of an undated AI-generated  concert poster used for prior events (if they have tacked 7.3 to their name, this poster predates that). Interim matinee gig with TNT aside, these will be Soundcheck's first shows since rocking Reggie's Place two weeks ago, and they last played at Jay's at the end of September. Now, I will note that personal Facebook postings also have new bassist Dan Beaupre playing at The Water Tower Pub on SATURDAY NIGHT too with ex-Double Down members' online page-less acoustic band The T.R.I.P.. a show that was originally advertised as a Beej Syrette solo date.

Is Dan indeed playing with Beej and Joel on Saturday, or will he be with Soundcheck? If the former, will Soundcheck have a guest bassist on SATURDAY? We'll let you know if anything is publically said, but we will address the T.R.I.P. show in our next post. The classic and hard rock action from Soundcheck goes down at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, we'll head downtown for the first installment of Village Sessions, a planned series of outdoor concerts at Village Media's headquarters at 298 Queen Street East TOMORROW NIGHT! Now, the original plan was to host this show on their rooftop concert space The Canopy (which is expected to host the Village Sessions series when it returns in 2027), but weather concerns have led SooToday's parent company to move tomorrow's concert inside Village Media HQ. 9&10 News' forecast for tomorrow has partly cloudy skies (the rain is expected to end overnight), but temperatures will be hovering around 4°, which is pretty cold for an outdoor concert. Our source is this SooToday article by event co-host Andrew Stuetz. As opposed to the corner of Queen & Bruce, the space inside the Village Media building is intimate, and they're only planning to host a maximum of 50 attendees.

I'm not sure why they're calling it a "hybrid format" when it's not still partially outdoors, but organizers are asking people planning to attend tomorrow's concert to RSVP at this link so they can manage the expected turnout and communicate possible changes. None of this is ideal, but even if you love cold weather, there's a reason we don't see very many outdoor concerts of a large scale at this time of year! The lineup is unchanged for the start of this series, intended to spotlight originals-focused local headlining artists, and tomorrow's are alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis, who are one week removed from playing two shows in one night, and their developing original slate and talented lineup should click well here! Note that Big Finish Band/Drifters drummer Brandan Glew filled in for Anthony Boudreau at their gigs last week, but aside from the above image, I have not heard firm public confirmation on who is drumming with Riverside Stasis tomorrow evening.

Opening are acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos in a somewhat rare concert of theirs that has public advance notice, and they should set the tone well! Co-hosted by Andrew and SooToday Spaces music administrator Pat Mackan with audio from 705Live Sound Co., this is a FREE concert (just RSVP first given the space limitations), and it starts at 7:00 PM. A concert inside of a news website's building is a new one for us, but kudos to them for keeping the show scheduled despite the weather, even if it's not going to rain tomorrow. See above for more details, and here's Riverside Stasis live!

We'll close preview post #1 with local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush, who will play their first public concerts of the fall TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Esquire Club! Last seen on a public stage at last month's Laird Fair and publically in city limits at Rotaryfest, this weekend's shows will be Headrush's first standard weekend nightclub gigs since they ended May at The Esquire Club (they and the venue each take the summer off from the weekend bar band circuit). It doesn't look like the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank will be playing next weekend, but if you don't want to pay for their Halloween party with The Killer Hooks at The Bushplane Museum, this might be worth scheduling! You can enjoy their 1980s-leaning covers tomorrow & Saturday at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Headrush live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the second half of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!