LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, The Sidekicks, And Curtis McKenzie) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into another round of weekend concert previews today! The Halloween weekend buzz has definitely subsided, as on the hard rock-leaning spectrum, it's a much lighter weekend of covers-centric bands, but there's still enough to warrant a second post, so Generations and Tym Morrison will follow in a our next post. Now, let's start this round of weekend concert previews with a batch of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local alternative/hard rock singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced last week when he confirmed on his Facebook page that last week's announced Dive concert was off due to a scheduling conflict (I have no idea who The Dive booked on last week's "Think It Over Thursday", as they rarely plug musical performers on social media anymore). As such, the show was postponed one week to TONIGHT, and unless he has a short notice show next week, this will be the former Project 421/Eclipse frontman's last public date before he puts on (and plays at) the first Sault Retro Con next Sunday. Even though he doesn't do "livestream performances" (though I do think he should post more concert videos, at least), his old school slate of rock covers should get a good reception TONIGHT!

All of the action goes down in "The Naughty Corner" TONIGHT at 10:00 PM (do shows at The Dive seem to be drifting later and later?), this is a 19+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. Despite the late postponement and short notice anew, hopefully Curtis' rocking covers go over well at the former Low & Slow TONIGHT! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Curt live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these were a part of the full schedule listing for this month as seen in the venue's November poster, but I held them for this weekend's previews because I couldn't fit them into a post last week. TOMORROW'S concert will mark Tracey, Steve, and Dan's first stop at their most frequent venue since their 1980s-themed Halloween party there, so if you want a more typical night of hard rocking covers with a wider timeframe focus, be at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW for all of the action! As usual, this Great Northern Road nightclub hosts different nightly acts, with sporadically seen local rock cover band Westridge scheduled on Saturday night, but Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre won't be idle that night, as we'll get into in a second. 

As usual for Water Tower Pub concerts, TOMORROW'S Sidekicks gig is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sidekicks live!

Also, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck (7.3?) will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice on this weekend's shows, we only learned about them via personal Facebook postings earlier this week (Reggie's haven't updated their Facebook page in over four months, and while Soundcheck have resumed plugging gigs on their Facebook page as of late, these shows have not gotten any sort of public hype). Fresh off of Esquire Club shows last week, these will be Terry, Travis, Dan, and Johnny's first stops at Reggie's since early last month, and hopefully their retro-leaning slate of classic and hard rock covers go over as well as ever at the Queen Street East staple TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! As usual, these shows will be at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges.

In terms of lineup, no, I don't know who (if anyone) is filling in for Dan TOMORROW due to his being double booked with The Sidekicks, but according to this post from the Sault Live Music Gig Announcements Facebook group, Separate Wayz frontwoman Nicole Thibodeau may join her bandmates (and Travis) on at least one night this weekend. Recent Soundcheck gigs haven't advertised an "epic crossover" with Separate Wayz, who themselves haven't updated social media since September, so whether a guest song or something more, don't be shocked if Nicole takes the stage with the guys TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck (7.3?) live!

Finally for this preview post, here's shows that did get advance notice, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Discounting the private birthday party this past weekend, these will be Headrush's first public gigs since opening for The Killer Hooks on Halloween night, and their first stops at the Second Line West bar in almost a month. There should be a good atmosphere of regulars and fans alike for Headrush's vintage rock cover action this weekend, so don't miss out if this is up your alley! If you can't make it, the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank will be back at The Esquire Club next month. Tomorrow and Saturday night's concerts are both at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges, and you must be 19 or older to attend, while the Facebook event page notes that they will be "hitting the stage hard with new tunes".

No teasers were given as to what new tunes have been prepared for their sets this weekend, but be present at The Esquire Club to find out how they "pulled a switcharoo"! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Headrush hitting the stage hard earlier this year!

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

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Ashoka At The Show

For our penultimate Defunct Local Band Profile of 2026, we're again shining the spotlight on a defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk act that was randomly selected from our band links, and in a sense, this profile is nine years in the making! I had originally tapped this act for a profile in this series in 2017, not realizing they had recently came back from an inactive spell, so I shifted gears at the time. In 2026, however, they haven't been active on social media in over five years, and their number has been called again, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday night!

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Ashoka At The Show (formerly known as Mayadevi)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie/Thessalon/Elliot Lake, Ontario

Genre: Pop Punk/Emo

Lineup: (Members not in their last lineup are in italics. I do not know what Oliver's last name is. Let us know if you can fill in that blank!)

Darren MacDonald, vocals/guitar
Aaron Gasparetto (The Undead Warriors), guitar
Oliver ??????, guitar
Mike Kyle (Sibling, Shit Liver), bass
Don Henderson, bass
Kristan Surge (OBCD), drums
Joey Graham (The Undead Warriors, Kaepora Gaebora), drums

Audio/Video: While a Mayadevi-era studio album named "The Great Panic Attack" was once planned, most surviving material comes from their work as a 2010s solo project. The best surviving source for media is Darren's 184Films channel, which features dozens of acoustic covers and originals, including a handful of free "albums". Public media of the full band is limited to two videos filmed by Kenneth Coventry for YouTube at Central Algoma Secondary School in Desbarats, including Ashoka At The Show playing an apparent original song named "Modest" unplugged at a fashion show in 2008 with Darren, Oliver, and Joey on stage. Featured here is the plugged-in & full colour Mayadevi-era cover of Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance" (with Don in place of Oliver) from 2007 at a CASS Cafe event, but check out Ken's channel for more contemporary videos, including solo performances by Darren that are not tied to the band! Of other band members, OBCD likely had the most musically in common, though the heavier Shit Liver far outlasted them.

Info/Analysis: Originally active from circa 2005-2008, Mayadevi (named for the mother of Buddha) was primarily seen as a live act at CASS Cafe events during members' teenage years, though they once teased playing sets at Oddfellows Hall concerts. The band changed their name to Ashoka At The Show (another reference to a Buddhist figure) circa 2007, and after a few years writing and performing strictly under his own name, Darren resurrected the AATS name for his music in 2013. He would post music frequently through April 2020, though he did take some extended breaks in the late 2010s, and also began focusing on e-gaming videos for NHL video games on a newer channel that once featured music as well. Ashoka At The Show updates ceased during the first pandemic lockdown (ironically considering it was a solo project), though Darren did post NHL 21 videos on their Facebook page upon its release until February 2021. Despite spending most of their active run as an acoustic solo act out of our coverage range, Darren is a talented singer and guitarist, and it would be neat to see Ashoka back at The Show!

Darren managed to get 10,000+ views on seven YouTube videos (three being Avenged Sevenfold covers), and he has a good singing voice, an ease on camera, and solid guitar skills that were all evident even in his CASS Cafe performances with the full band, and his original compositions were also promising, if clearly not fleshed out as much as old Mayadevi fans may have once hoped for. Give his Ashoka At The Show videos a watch, and hopefully we hear more from Darren down the road! 

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series will return on or around December 10th when we look at our last randomly selected past local band of 2026, and it will be 2009-2014 and 2018-2021 local horror punk band Frightlight! Look for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sault Retro Con), A Tuesday Night Concert Preview, And A New Video!!

Let's tackle some news and notes for this Monday night post, including intriguing LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next weekend, a preview of a rare Tuesday night all-local and all-ages concert, and a new video from one of tomorrow's bands, so here's what you should know!

The musical lineup for the inaugural Soo Retro Con has been announced! Unusual among local comic/pop-culture conventions for hosting live musicians in the first place, the Soo Retro Con will take place on Saturday and Sunday, November 20th-21st at Great Lakes Hall, a newer events space at 288 Korah Road that just so happens to be located beside Stuff, the recently refurbished antiques/collectibles store owned by former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie (both are right near Jay's Piston Broke Pub too). For full details on the comic con aspects of this event, including vendors, door prizes, gelball, pool, and even catering, visit the official Facebook event page! Perhaps owing to space in Great Lakes Hall (and even the largest Steel City Nerd/CollectorCons didn't have full bands mid-event), the Retro Con will only be hosting solo musicians on both days from 12:15-4:15 PM, with two of them doubling up.

Your headliner both days is local blues musician Josh "The Preacher" McNally (sans his Jackleg Band) at 3:15 PM, while veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will take the stage in both days' middle set at 1:30 PM. 2024 Soo's Got Talent finalist Celeste Burton will open up the Saturday program only at 12:15 PM, while the aforementioned Curtis McKenzie will kick off the music on the Sunday afternoon (it's his own convention, why not?). Hopefully everyone proves to be a fitting soundtrack while attendees shop for pop culture treasures in the west end! The Soo Retro Con runs from 12:00-5:00 PM both days, and admission is $10 for a single day and $15 for a full weekend pass (kids aged 10 and younger get in free). Tickets are on sale at Stuff, The Skeleton Key Used Bookstore next door, The Dive Gastro Pub, Kanto Kreations, and at the door.

In the wake of the end of the Steel City conventions from Vintage Games N' Junque, a few different conventions have cropped up this year to fill the void (including the Great Lakes Geek Fests from Kanto Kreations and the touring SaultCon in July), but how will Curt do with the Soo Retro Con? Get more details on musical and non-musical fronts at the above links on what to expect at the Great Lakes Hall next weekend!

Next up, here's a special Tuesday night concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as five local bands will join forces at The Speak Easy at Algoma University! Why an all-local concert is on a Tuesday, I don't know (Remembrance Day on Wednesday isn't a statutory holiday), but this should be an early night, as it is an all ages event. Headlining tomorrow night are local crossover thrash trio Hails (who may have teasers of their current studio sessions to show off), and they'll be joined by ska/crust punk quartet ASDP (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) and fast-rising young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe in their Speak Easy debut. Two bands will play their first public concerts here, including The Mario Kwon Quartet, led by the jazz musician behind Yecharo from this year's Go Skateboarding Day and the Underground Events SSM compilation album, so you may recognize Mario thusly.

Opening tomorrow are Worst Case Scenario, a new teenage skate punk band. I was privately shown a video of them covering Pennywise's "Fuck Authority", but there's no public pages or media of them yet. Intentionally a surprise band or not, come to The Speak Easy for the best case scenario for learning who Worst Case Scenario are! This concert goes down tomorrow night at 6:00 PM, the bar will not be open, and admission is $20, with tickets on sale at this link or at the door (if you have valid student ID cards, door admission is slashed to $10). Should be a fun punk-leaning night of live music, with some jazz for good measure, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Hails live!

Finally for tonight, here's a new video from the aforementioned 5 Dollar Bribe's Facebook page! Uploaded two weeks ago in their first Facebook update since August (despite playing shows in the interim), this comes from their set opening for Customer Service at Blaster Powerhouse on October 24th, a show that also featured ASDP on the bill. The video features 5DB playing their new original song "Underneath" with guitarist Jayce Albury on vocals, and if you're wondering why they're in costumes, this was Underground Events SSM's Halloween concert, as they didn't book anything on the actual (and quite busy) Halloween weekend. Looks like Randy was The Cat In The Hat (and the hat/mask must have been hot!), Tyler & Chase seem to be channeling The Misfits, and I'm not 100% sure who Jayce was dressed as. In spite of the promoters crediting them as a "post-hardcore" band for tomorrow's event page, this is a 1990s grunge-inspired hard rock number with a nicely tuned melody and a casual ease as it goes along.

If you didn't know better, you wouldn't assume that this was a band of teenagers, which is a compliment for how they're developing as a live act and as songwriters! The lighting is too red (Halloween mood lighting for a show with a touring headliner, I know), but give this a watch below, and go see 5 Dollar Bribe tomorrow at The Speak Easy!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan Videos, Recent Missed Concert Notes, And More Recent Updates!!

To lead off today's post, I wanted to apologize for missing a show in this weekend's previews and note another that I didn't cover due to its private nature, even though it did get a public shoutout. In the former case, I profusely apologize for neglecting to preview Nate's Chow's announced concert at the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023 tonight after the VFW's fifteenth annual Veteran's Day ATV ride. While I covered it when first announced late last month, it was regrettably bypassed in culling this weekend's previews, despite covering Nate's Chow's upcoming Kewadin Casino gigs in yesterday's post. Given the charitable aims of helping military veterans, I should have caught this event, especially as it wasn't announced on late notice on the band's end, but I'm sorry, and I hope that everyone had a great time in Brimley tonight! Note that Nate's Chow erroneously gave the date on their AI-generated poster as being on Friday, November 7th, rather than Saturday.

The other note is in Sault Ontario, where Headrush bassist John Amendola posted on the band's Facebook group last night "Happening now at The Rockstar (Bar)!! Come on down!", which heavily implied that they were playing a gig there. From what I have gathered from photos and John's later replies, this was a birthday party (the decorations and balloons helped give that away), and unless there was firm public advertising with ticket sales or open admission, I likely wouldn't have covered it here anyway... but yet John was encouraging fans to come on late notice? Regardless, I hope the party went well, and we'll let you know when Headrush return to the public stage!

Today's post otherwise looks at new videos from two Sault Michigan bands, plus some assorted Sault Ontario news and notes, but we'll start with videos from the EUP, including this one of local punk duo About:Blank live at The Merchants Bar on October 17th! Belatedly uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, this features Parker and Kade playing their original song "What You Wanted" during this rare headlining gig. The performance is sound with a grungy essence, but the recording quality isn't fantastic. Already shot vertically, the filmer set the phone up on a table at such an angle where the lower third of the screen is just the table surface, and while they do slightly nudge the phone to the right as it goes, you never see Kade beyond his drumsticks at this vantage point. I'm glad that the video was successfully filmed while the phone had battery life though, as at 12%, they were cutting it pretty close!

As you may recall, About:Blank had to withdraw from the annual LSSU Battle of the Bands last month when Kade was called into work late that night, so Parker played on solo and still came in third. This was the band's last show before the battle, so if you want a preview of how things may have sounded at The Arts Center had Kade been present, give the full video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from About:Blank soon!

Next up, local hardcore punk trio Viscera have shared two new videos exclusively on their Instagram page from their latest out-of-town concert, and following the recent Meta decision to link Facebook and Instagram accounts and whatnot, video embedding appears to work for Instagram again! Both of these come from Blind Bob, Chris, and Mitchell's set at the Marquette Fringe Festival (similar to the former Fringe North in Sault Ontario) on October 24th, where they played on a bill alongside Marquette power pop band Addicus. You may have seen the two bands together here at Three One Three On Ashmun back in August. The gig proper took place at Ore Dock Brewing Co., and as you can see in this photo, they do have a merchandise table for gigs, including CD copies of "From Feast To Famine", DIY t-shirts, and some very politically charged stickers. The two videos include this vertical clip of them in an instrumental stretch, and it's good to see an animated crowd!

Embedded below is a highlight reel from their set, featuring multiple camera angles of them in action, including one much closer to the stage that shows off members' face paint(!), and this was ran through some post-production filters prior, including a fish eye lens and one replicating a VCR on a CRT TV (even though you weren't likely to find a 1:1 square aspect ratio TV monitor). I would far prefer full recordings of these songs rather than assorted clips, but Viscera sound good and as varied for styles as listeners of their EP can expect, and the wood pallet paneling on the stage is sure distinct, so give Viscera's new Marquette Fringe videos a watch above & below!

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

 

• Over a month after their successful debut at Punk Rock Fiesta at The Rockstar Bar, new local punk quartet Dead II Society will release their second studio single "Lean On" on Thursday! Like with "Dead & Buried", it will be on major streaming platforms and will have a Spacebag Productions-shot music video once again. On their Facebook page, D2S showed still preview images of the video, featuring acting roles by guitarist Mike Yakasovich's old Northwest bandmate Greg Callaghan as well as frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau's son Silas. We'll have more when things go live!
• On October 17th, local crossover thrash trio Hails revealed on their Facebook page that they were recording at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, with that being day 1 of the sessions, and photos were included. Updates have not publically followed, so it's not immediately clear if they're working on an album, EP, or just a single or two, but the song(s) in question would mark the studio debut of new guitarist Anthony Orazietti. Whether the Dag Nasty song is a hint towards how things are sounding or not, I don't know, but Ha!ls may have previews of what's being worked on at The Speak Easy on Tuesday, preview forthcoming!
• Local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis have indeed parted ways with drummer Anthony Boudreau, as per his removal from their Instagram page's bio. A reason for his departure was not publically announced, but note that Liam got an announcement when he left, so I hope things were at least amicable. Tony had drummed with the HeadFirst successors for their six summer gigs, but was replaced by Big Finish Band/Drifters drummer Brandan Glew for their dates last month, though Brandan has not (yet?) been publically confirmed as his permanent replacement. Best of luck to Anthony in whatever is next, as he's a solid drummer across different genres!

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nate's Chow, Generations, And Tym Morrison), And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews tonight, but we also have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month of the covers-centric variety, so here's what you should know for this weekend and beyond in the Twin Saults!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on Saturday, November 14th! Fans last saw this veteran foursome in a one-nighter at Reggie's last month, after they dropped out of that Friday's gig there (Pierre & Tony's former classic rock band Jus' Chillin were brought back as late replacements, perhaps a sign that Valerie and/or Joe's absence was the "certain circumstances" being alluded to). Generations last rocked the downtown casino in mid-September, and hopefully next Saturday's show provides more of the old school rock favourites that fans are used to, especially as they skipped the Halloween concert crush! This concert is at 8:00 PM, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the band's Facebook group for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations on the SMS when announced!

Next up, here's a new show tied to a weekend concert preview, as local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will be the first SMS-leaning artist to play at the relocated Full Throttle Saloon on Monday, November 16th, eight days after his next acoustic matinee concert THIS SUNDAY at Beck's Bar! While this Sunday's show is the last currently scheduled show at Beck's for him at press time (more could easily be announced at any moment), next Monday's will be our first covered show at the new Full Throttle Saloon, now located inside Cravings Diner at Market Mall on Second Line West. The peculiar Monday scheduling appears to be an attempt for Rosa and staff to spruce up their new Monday wings & fries night, plus Mondays aren't common for booking regular cover concerts, so why not try and see if it sticks? Leslie Cook and Nelson McKay were the first two Monday night artists there.

Outdated pre-haircut picture on the AI generated poster aside, next Monday's concert is at 7:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit and no announced cover, though note that the new Full Throttle Saloon has a limited capacity. This Sunday's show at Beck's (his second straight there) again soundtracks their weekly euchre tournament with a 3:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover. Visit the Beck's Facebook event page at the above links for more on Tym's unplugged concerts ahead in the west end, and here he is live!

Now, let's briefly head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow will be the apparent penultimate band to rock The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 20th & Saturday, November 21st! Newly confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page, these shows were not on the band's AI-generated calendar from late August, though at the time, we thought that The Rapids Lounge was closing earlier than it is. The heavy renovations (for a waterpark and new sports bar) won't begin until at least December now, so The Rapids Lounge will survive for at least this month, with The American Band slated to be last up in three weeks' time. These will actually be the only Nate's Chow-era gigs for them at The Rapids Lounge, as Jody and Jason last played there in December of last year when they were still known as Unfortunate Sun (with Skip and Tony still in the fold, even).

Nate's Chow will actually kick off a busy run of three shows in six days here, capped off with their annual "Drinksgiving" show on the night before Thanksgiving at The Merch on November 25th. Their Kewadin gigs will both be at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and we'll let you know when more comes out on both the band and Kewadin Casino's remodel!

We'll close tonight's post by heading back to Sault Ontario for this weekend's main event, as Finnish folk metal veterans Korpiklaani will make their local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at Blaster Powerhouse! Arguably the biggest band brought to town by Underground Events SSM (on an international scale, no doubt), Korpiklaani's brand of medieval influenced extreme metal will bring crushing extremity and fun party vibes to the former Soo Blaster, and with twelve albums of accordion and violin-implemented original material to source from, it should be a blast seeing legit Scandinavian metal on local soil tomorrow night! Toronto melodic death metal quintet Crimson Shadows will be joining Korpiklaani on their Canadian tour with their own power metal-influenced original onslaught, while your local openers tomorrow include death metal quartet Eden Plague (f.k.a. The Bear Hunters) and debuting local "midwest screamo" band Free Drugs.

In the past month+, I have seen no public posts of any kind about who Free Drugs are or what they play, so be at Blaster tomorrow to learn more! Notable in the promotion from Eden Plague spearheading a new poster to replace the venue's AI-generated one, this is an all ages concert starting at 8:00 PM, and tickets cost $25 via local openers, at this link, or at the door (there has not been anything said about a hike for paying thusly). It's rare for touring original bands from Europe of any genre to play here, so make it to Soo Blaster tomorrow if you can! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Korpiklaani live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Soundcheck, & Bone Yard 225) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

(Updated at 9:49 PM) This post originally had a preview of Curtis McKenzie's announced concert at The Dive Gastro Pub tonight, but he has since confirmed on his Facebook page that it has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict (note that The Dive rarely announces scheduled concerts on social media anymore). We'll address the new date in an upcoming post, but to keep our weekend concert previews on track and free up space in our second preview post (featuring Korpiklaani and Tym Morrison) for other stories, I have added extra previews to replace Curt's show. Now, let's lead off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!    

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play at least one more show before Toystock, as they'll go "uncorked" for an acoustic concert at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the show was first announced via the venue's November concert calendar on their Facebook page yesterday, and we'll outline relevant shows ahead there in upcoming posts. Also, note that Bone Yard did not announce TOMORROW's show on their website's concert calendar, hence why I didn't allude to it in our post yesterday, and that would point to it legitimately being booked on late notice. Regardless, this will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first stop at this Great Northern Road nightclub in almost a month, and hopefully the good unpl... er, "uncorked" vibes are flowing all night TOMORROW! As usual, this is a one-nighter, with Tex Riviera & The Ride playing there on Saturday.

Everything goes down TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. This should be a good night of chiller and intimate tunes from your local 225, as Bone Yard don't play electric shows here, so visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S short notice action, and for a preview, here are "The Dirty Three" live in concert last year!

Next up, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where reports of The Rapids Lounge's closure were slightly premature, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will play at the local Kewadin Casino's nightclub for one final weekend TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday. Kewadin Casino is definitely still closing The Rapids Lounge to make way for heavy renovations at the Soo branch (including a water park and a new replacement sports bar), but there has been a stay of execution, as their entertainment page now lists bands all month, and we'll address the pre-Thanksgiving weekend performers in an upcoming post. In fact, Tarnished had previously indicated that their Kewadin gigs in August would be "the last show(s) at the Rapids (Lounge) for us", so if you enjoy Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's retro hard rock cover attack, why not one more go-around while you can?

Assuming the closure isn't delayed again, the final scheduled Rapids Lounge concerts will be headlined by local classic rock veterans The American Band on November 27th & 28th. Fresh off of their Halloween road trip to Engadine, Tarnished are up TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:00 PM at The Rapids Lounge, with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Tarnished's Rapids Lounge swan songs (2.0), and here they are live!

We'll hop back to Sault Ontario next for concerts from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck (7.3?) at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but in a brand new confirmation, they have been tapped to headline the New Year's Eve party at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Thursday, December 31st! Jay's Facebook page confirmed that booking via this AI-generated poster (that notably doesn't include the 7.3 in the name or branding), which also indicates that it will be a 1980s-themed party at year's end. New bassist Dan Beaupre will be used to that, as his other band The Sidekicks' Halloween concert at The Water Tower Pub was identically themed. No word on if costumes will be encouraged, but expect lots of 1980s covers and retro frills then, and as the guys set up shop in the west end this weekend, more vintage rock covers from Terry, Travis, Dan, and Johnny are to be expected! Neither this weekend's nor next month's shows are marketed as "epic crossovers" with their recently quiet sister band Separate Wayz.

Note that the aforementioned Water Tower Pub's concert calendar lists "The Guilty Party" as playing there on November 21st. That was the band name briefly used by Terry Eaton alongside the retired Jim Michaud and drummer/singer Brent Royer in late 2025 just prior to the Soundcheck revival (Brent left beforehand due to scheduling difficulties). Is that band back in some fashion, or was the name not corrected when booking long-term? We'll let you know! This weekend's shows and the New Year's party are all 19+ with no cover charge and 9:30 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details on the Soundcheck shows ahead, and here they are live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll bop back across the Michigan border for shows at the not-closing Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Munising classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will play their last EUP shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen there back in May, the current group from former Swayze Train & Electric Motor Fish frontwoman Melissa Strand have become a fan favourite live act across the peninsula, and hopefully their often heavy slate of covers find a good audience in St. Ignace on both nights this weekend! As usual for their (or any) concerts at The Northern Pines Lounge, tomorrow & Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the nightly event pages on the band's Facebook page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live in Munising last year!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & Homeroom Hero Updates!!

For our first proper news post of the month, we're diving into LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and related updates from a veteran local rock band, plus new info on a recently debuted punk band that they'll be sharing the stage with later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local southern/hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced concerts through August 2027 on their newly redesigned website's concert calendar earlier this week! Our rule of thumb re: our own local concert listings is to only go as far in the timeline as where multiple bands have announced shows that far ahead, so we'll stop in May for now, and will address Bone Yard's June-August bookings once other shows from other artists are announced in that timeframe. "The Dirty Three" are next scheduled to headline the previously announced Toystock on November 29th, but the first of the brand new confirmations will be on Friday, December 11th at The Water Tower Pub. As usual for gigs there, this will be an "uncorked" show, not a full electric date (even though they do host plugged-in bands regularly), and it will be a one-nighter, as the Pub doesn't book the same band on back-to-back nights. This will be at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover.

All other new Bone Yard dates (so far) are at Beck's Bar, all being Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders on January 23rd & 24th, March 6th & 7th, April 17th & 18th, and May 22nd & 23rd! If they're playing single night bookings at all at Beck's in early 2027, they're to be announced, but all four weekends will see Greg, Alex, and Warren in their full electric splendour as the Saturday night headliners before playing "uncorked" Sunday matinees. Of note, the May shows will be on the Victoria Day ("May 2-4") long weekend. The three current public local dates for the summer will be confirmed when someone else confirms shows that far along, but keep all of these shows in mind for your local 225 fix! The Beck's shows are at 9:00 PM on Saturdays and 3:00 PM on Sundays, with 19+ age limits and no cover charges across the board. Visit the above links for more details, but while we're on the subject, let's look at their new website!

The front page goes into greater detail about their cover range live than I have ever seen, and of note, it really downplays the southern rock/country side, perhaps a definitive sign of their drift from country to rock (insert Q104/The Fox analogy here) by the late 2010s. Interestingly, their electronic press kit is now password locked, perhaps to ensure that only prospective bookers can see the numbers, but Bone Yard are definitely taking bookings for next year, so we are bound to see them at other nightclubs and events in 2027. In fact, to hype that search for 2027 bookings, they posted this hype video to their Facebook page featuring clips of them covering The Tragically Hip, Golden Earring, The 4 Non Blondes, and Pink Floyd at various venues here and afar, plus an instrumental section and one of their originals. Hard-coded captions run on the screen to point to what they offer as a live band.

I'm not sure that "What's Up" is an ideal example of an audience participation song (I may be biased from local band overplay of it), but it's an effective highlight reel to show off a range of what the 2022-present version of Bone Yard bring to the table, and hopefully we see the guys at lots more local and out-of-town dates in the new year! Give the new video a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Bone Yard 225!

Lastly for today, I wanted to mention the live debut of new local pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero at The Art Hub At Spring this past Friday, so first off, who has replaced Larry Babic as their new lead singer? Former Quite Frankly frontwoman Haley Alopaeus, who was a semifinalist in The Soo's Got Talent in 2024 and guested with her old band at their Prince Township show last month. If you missed the Devil's Night concert with Ha!ls, you may have been able to see a video featuring four covers from their set, but alas, it was only uploaded and shared as a "Story", meaning that it was only viewable for a day, was forciblty letterboxed into vertical dimensions, and if you watched it, it vanished forever. I do not like "Stories", and I'd want new fans to be able to see the video in perpetuity, especially given that they're relatively original as current local bands go, but what can I do? The video featured clips of Homeroom Hero covering My Chemical Romance's "Helena", ...

...Green Day's "Holiday", Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Goin' Down", and SR-71's "Right Now". I typically don't review "Stories" as they're not something that I can link to, but as this was our first proper video of Homeroom Hero, I did check it out when able, and they have a good sound that mid-2000s Oddfellows Hall concert-goers should appreciate! Maybe a little stiff yet, and you could tell that Haley was unsteady with these songs, but that will surely improve by the time of their next show (PetFest at Blaster Powerhouse on November 21st). Hopefully some permanent and linkable videos will surface soon, but see above for more on Homeroom Hero, and look for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!