Rudyard Musicians Festival Preview, A New Solo Video, And Much More!!

As promised, our extended preview of a major returning music festival is leading off today's post, but we also have a recent video upload and a few recent news and notes, so here's what you should know!

The second annual Rudyard Musicians Festival goes down TOMORROW, where 13 regional music acts will rock out at Rudyard Township Park (18725 South Mackinac Trail) all day long, and despite the earlier indication of "NO METAL", there will be some hard rock acts to help close out this sophomore installment! Harbouring a largely similar lineup to last year (only Stoned Ape Evolution, Second Offense, and The Gaskins aren't back), this year's Musicians Fest will be headlined by Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 at 11:00 PM, fresh off of their recent Moloney's Alley gigs, while classic rockers and festival organizers Steelhead (with guest performer Jimmy Bishop) will co-headline at 10:00 PM. Online page-less experimental hard rockers and festival newcomers The Karstens will return to the stage at 9:00 PM, while classic rock band The Whole Shabang will also debut here at 8:00 PM. Remaining acts are largely country or bluegrass-centric unless otherwise stated, and they include The North Country Band at 7:00 PM...

...The Wednesday Night Headliners at 6:00 PM, Robert & Bob Malaski at 5:00 PM, Jimmy Williams at 4:00 PM, pop singer Hayley Malaska at 3:30 PM, the solo festival debut of Kevin Blakeney at 3:00 PM, Crossroads alum Denny Verrett at 2:00 PM, Traverse City experimental outfit The Neighbourhood Dogs at 1:00 PM, and The (New?) Jazz Trio opening the day's musical entertainment at 12:00 PM. In a related musical note, TONIGHT will see an open mic "free for all" at Rudyard Township Park, as organizers feel that they might as well use musical equipment that's already set up, so keep that in mind if you love open mic nights and jam sessions! As was the case last year, the Rudyard Musicians Festival is a charitable event with all proceeds going to Rudyard Area Schools' music and band programs, which is a great gesture on their part! An ALL AGES event, admission is $5 tomorrow save for kids 10 years old and under, who will get in FREE.

Concessions will be available all day, including a $5 pig roast (again, kids eat free here), while camping on site will be available free to festival patrons today through Sunday, so keep all of these details in mind! This is shaping up to be another entertaining installment of this E.U.P. festival, and it could serve as a fine sequel to the musically similar Sugar Island Festival last week, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, stay tuned for potential fallout, and here's Project 906 live at last year's Rudyard Musicians Festival!



Next up, here's a new video of Sault Ontario hard rock/experimental guitarist and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe, courtesy of his YouTube channel on Tuesday, and it's of a work in progress guitar track named "Afro Shuffle". With a name inspired by the backing African drum tracks, this song is less heavy and honestly has a bit of a progressive/world music vibe that even has some country-ish tinges. Hard to explain, but well performed and melodic, so give it a look below, and check out more above!



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

• Apologies for the delay in this making a proper news post ("Where Are The New Albums?" aside), but the title and cover artwork for AlgomA & Shit Liver's upcoming split cassette tape were each revealed via both bands' Facebook pages on August 1st! Entitled "Trading Faces", the artwork (by frequent AlgomA collaborator) puts a sludgy spin on the movie "Face/Off", I'll say that much! No word yet on the release, other than a tease that it will be posted on Bandcamp before tapes themselves are put out, but stay tuned for updates on this anticipated split in any event!
• Nova Rex bassist Kenny Wilkerson was interviewed by Brian Kelly for a Sault Star article yesterday, where Kenny discussed the Florida hair metal band's first Canadian tour in 2 decades (including their Rockstar Bar show on August 30th), their new album, past tour memories, and more. Nice interview overall, especially to prime fans who may not be familiar with Nova Rex, so give it a look above or in yesterday's paper! Unfortunately, it also appears that local classic rock openers Nikkfitt have disbanded, as per the deletion of their Facebook page, and the above article indicates that the opening act is now "to be announced".
• The Oh!NO 2017 Music Festival at "Robbie's Church" in nearby Leeburn on September 9th has one more confirmed act, as DJ Seith will now close the night with a set of his turntable mixes. Solid choice, and some added variety, so look for him to wrap things up in three weeks! Also, despite earlier advertising in the affirmative, plans to have a shuttle bus to get fans to and from the event have been cancelled, with co-promoter Jamie Vincent citing the bus' cost for the change in plans, though he encouraged ride-sharing or Union Cab as alternatives. Good to know in advance, and see above for more festival updates as we approach the 9th!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned, The Elements, And Tym Morrison) & Most Weekend Concert Previews!!

I know things have been quiet on the site over the past week, and while the weekend's two day break was partially for personal reasons, the last two days were definitely due to a recent slow patch for stories at our news desk. That said, a busy weekend of concerts is upon us, including a few SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for good measure, so we'll tackle most of those today, while saving Saturday night's Rudyard Musicians Festival for tomorrow's post to give it proper emphasis given it's scale and timing. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend!

Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned will play a rare concert at The Savoy Bar in Sault Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. A one nighter due to Banned's road trip to Gould City for a concert there on Saturday, TOMORROW'S show is, as best as I can tell, Banned's debut at the 117 West Portage Avenue nightclub, as hard to believe as that is. Fresh off of their successful return to the annual Sugar Island Music Festival, this should be another solid local showcase for Alex, Don, and Wayne, so keep TOMORROW'S show in mind for some hard hitting and fan favourite covers! A 10:00 PM start time is in effect, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Banned live!



Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements have reportedly been named as openers for TOMORROW NIGHT'S long-anticipated K.I.C.K. headlining concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Apologies again for the short notice, this show had been advertised for weeks as a solo event for the indie rock quartet, but The Elements were only just publically confirmed yesterday to kick things off. Arguably their biggest headlining concert yet, the Keep it Cool Kids will be playing multiple sets at The Canadian TOMORROW from their upcoming album along with new cuts, and this should be a prime opportunity for fans to check out K.I.C.K.'s skilled originals! As for The Elements, they're riding high off of their own headlining set last week at The Rockstar Bar, and their ska-influenced mix of heavy and alternative styles should help set the tone TOMORROW, despite their late confirmation! Another 19+ event, a 9:00 PM start time is advertised, though have money on hand in case there happens to be a cover charge.

K.I.C.K. have impressed fans routinely with their smooth indie rock sound in the past few years, and The Elements will add their own "element" to give fans of a heavier persuasion a little something TOMORROW NIGHT, so keep this huge show in mind, and here's The Elements live!



Lastly for new announcements, prolific local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall THIS MONDAY & TUESDAY to go along with his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Mark's gigs, these were only just announced via their own Facebook event page on Sunday, and while their timing would suggest that we'd cover them closer to Monday, I'm lumping them with the Gliss shows for synergy & to ensure that the Rudyard Musicians Festival gets proper emphasis in our next post. Three weeks removed from his debut "weekend" at the new breakfast-centric diner at the Second Line West mall (with collectibles store and ice cream parlour from the same owners also now open there), Tym will have two more evenings of unplugged rock classics in store for fans and patrons there on MONDAY & TUESDAY!

And of course, Tym's ongoing weekly run at Gliss marches on with evening gigs tonight through Saturday, so keep this run of 5 matinee shows in 6 nights in mind! All of these shows have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that both venues are sit-down restaurants, albeit with very different menus and environments. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and above for more details on these 5 upcoming shows, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today's preview post, we'll close with a show that entirely had lots of advance notice, as Vancouver hardcore punk quintet The Alien Boys will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock The Rockstar Bar! Don't let their name fool you, this band is actually an all-female group, and are the current project from former Rebel Spell guitarist Erin McGillicuddy, so if you've missed that band on a local stage, here's a quality alternative! The Alien Boys' brand of upbeat yet edgy punk rock should find another solid audience tomorrow night, so keep them in mind for your weekend concert plans! Local openers will include online page-less death metal duo Twistory (in just their second public concert set of the year) and new local indie/hard rock trio Vol. in their second public concert total. If you missed Steve, Shane, and Matthew earlier this month, and don't want to wait for online media to be posted, come to The Rockstar Bar tomorrow to hear what Vol. have in store in their sophomore outing!

A rare Six, Two, Oh. concert to take place at The Rockstar Bar, tomorrow's 19+ show has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. This should be a solid night of diverse musical action with some punk and metal sprinkled throughout, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Alien Boys live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Rudyard Musicians Festival preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dour & Project 906), The Wolves Of The North, And More!!

After a much needed weekend off from the site, I am back in full force with a stacked news post today, featuring two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and a new video from one band in question, and some assorted updates from a local promoter, so here's what you should know!

Saskatoon grindcore band Dour will make their local concert debut on August 23rd (one week from Wednesday!) when they headline at The New American Pub! Another talented extreme metal attraction to help end the summer season with, Dour's sludgy and crusty originals provide a solid punk-tinged attack with lots of brutality to go around, and they should rock The New A sufficiently next week! Local openers will include death metal favourites The Bear Hunters (in their first New A set of the year) and the long awaited return to the stage of extreme metal quartet Winkstinger, ending their year+ long hiatus with their first show since May 2016. It's great to have Winkstinger back in action in advance of their Oh!NO Festival set next month, but are there any changes or new additions? Be at The New A next week to find out! Notably, this show is being co-promoted by Slumshine's Brenton Ellis and Gore Street Cafe owner Nicole Dyble, despite not being held at the laundromat, which is interesting to see!

This late stop on Dour's No Sign of Grief Canadian tour has a $7 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 10:00 PM start time. This should be another brutal concert to help send August out with, especially with Winkstinger's return and The Bear Hunters continuing to re-assert their place in the scene, so stay tuned for potential updates, and look for our preview next week!

Next up, we'll head across to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 have one more new show to announce, as they'll return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only on Saturday, September 23rd! Announced last week in a schedule posting on their Facebook page (though this was the only show there not previously acknowledged publically by the band), this will mark Project 906's first trip to this venue in over five months, and it should provide another solid opportunity for fans in this area to hear their entertaining cover selection! A 9:00 PM start time is announced for this 21+ show, which has no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and before we forget, here's a new Facebook video of Project 906 from their outdoor Moloney's Alley set this past weekend during Moloney's Michigan Beerfest, and it's an amusing cover of The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?"!

Project 906 will look different here, both via guest bassist Barney Gravelle for a mini-Ten Kings reunion, and by featuring drummer Will Storey on vocals (I assume Billy moved to drums here.) Despite the vertical camera angle and distant filming location from the stage, the rendition is funny, and should bring to mind Shit Liver's own humorous take on this song from shows on the Canadian side of the border! Give it a look below, and don't miss them at the Rudyard Musicians Festival THIS SATURDAY!



Finally for today, here's the latest from Jack Spades frontman and local concert promoter J.D. Pearce, who's been busy over the past week! His promotion agency's Facebook group has been renamed "Northern Superior Brewing Co. Presents", reflecting his recent working relationship with the local brewery. This also returning his agency to a sponsored name after previously aligning with Tidal Records, hence their recent "wolves of the north" teasers. Hopefully this is a fruitful partnership on both sides, and it's great to see two different local entrepreneurs joining forces! To that end, J.D. has announced a few new events, including a mini-tour of Northern Ontario in early November entitled "Wolves on Parade", where Jack Spades and bassist Rob Speers' other band The Elements will open for Sudbury death metal band Archelon, who have played in the Soo before, most recently in October 2014. A local date hasn't been confirmed publically for before or after the tour, but of course, we'll let you know if one is set up!

In any event, this should be a fun tour, also giving fans a rare chance to see The Elements on the road, so see above for details on the Sudbury, North Bay, and Timmins gigs! The other new show from J.D. will be the return of his X-Mess acoustic punk concert event after a two year hiatus, with local punk mainstays Lucas Schmiedendorf and Greg Callaghan scheduled to perform alongside other acts on Saturday December 23rd at 9;00 PM. The cover will be $10, but a venue has not been publically confirmed as of this writing. Stay tuned for updates on that front, but it's great to have X-Mess back for the holidays, and click here & above for current details on J.D.'s late-2017 plans!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and features as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sugar Island Music Festival), Plus More Recent Updates!!

(Updated at 8:42 PM) I wasn't planning a news post today, but when I realized that there was a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for an annual festival this weekend featuring an established hard rock band, I couldn't knowingly ignore it! To round things out, we have news on a surprising move to our inactive band links, a new cover video, and some assorted recent updates, so here's what you should knowon this rainy Friday!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned will return to The Sugar Island Music Festival in nearby Sugar Island (of course) for shows once again TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Profuse apologies for the short notice, Banned only acknowledged their return to the annual festival on their Facebook page today, and while the lineup was previously listed at some point after June 20th on the festival's newly redesigned website, I can't confirm how soon that was. Either way, I should have checked in advance! Banned's sets this year are as the headliners TONIGHT at 9:30 PM and as the 9th of 13 bands at 6:30 PM TOMORROW,  and as usual, the lineup is largely comprised of country and folk acts without online pages. Save for Jack Grim & Friends, all of TONIGHT'S acts are playing TOMORROW, so keep that in mind as well! Look for recent regular bands 3-Zip, All Arms, 3½ Men, and 2¢ both nights, plus Grassholes17 opening both lineups, and Gary's Driving as headliners TOMORROW, among many other performers!

Click here for full schedule details, including on the largely different lineup of Sunday musicians. TODAY'S lineup started at 5:00 PM, remaining days start at 11:00 AM, this is an ALL AGES event with $10 admission for attendees over 12 years old (kids are FREE with an adult), and there are no single day passes. Admission buttons are available at at Crooked Music in the Soo, or at The Hilltop Bar, Ed's Bayview Store, and the Westshore Convenience Store on Sugar Island, and click here for info on additional camping and vendor fees. Hopefully the weather cooperates TONIGHT & TOMORROW, so keep the festival in mind for you Yooper readers, and here's Banned at the fest!



Next up, this post originally had a note regarding local hardcore punk quintet Destroilet being moved to our inactive band links due to the deletion of their Facebook page, but reports of their demise are premature! Drummer Matt Waples revealed on a post there that the page unpublished itself for one reason or another, hence it's apparent removal, and they confirmed that they are still active, just in the midst of jam space renovations, and will be back "later, rather than sooner." Crisis averted, it's great to see that they're alive, so they're back with Facebook page in our active links, and apologies for any inconvenience this write-up caused!

Also, here's a new YouTube channel upload from prolific local hard rock guitarist and Audiofumes podcast host Mike Cliffe! A cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" (specifically the more famous Johnny Cash version), this features Mike on both guitar & piano alongside Swedish singer Karin Beckerus and bassist Stuart Geary, who you may recognize from prior Audiofumes collaborations of Mike's posted to YouTube, like this Stranglers cover from 2014. The vocals seem a little tersely worded, but it's a well done cover that preserves the Cash version's mood, so give it a listen below!



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 punk/country quintet The Billy Bastards will reunite for a set at Destroilet guitarist Christian Foisy's stag & doe on October 21st at The Croatian Hall! We don't cover stag & does as public concerts on the site, given their personal nature, but it's great to see The Billys back together after 2 years away, so keep this event in mind if you know Christian & Katlyn! Unless public confirmation comes out to say otherwise, we're currently treating this as a one-off reunion.
• Local hard rock quintet Skeyes of Seven have been added to the lineup of the Eye of Horus concert at The Canadian Nightclub on August 27th, as per the official Facebook event page on August 1st! This will be Skeyes of Seven's first concert since June 2015, their Live705 debut, and their first gig with new second guitarist Kyle Sweet. It has been way too long to see Skeyes of Seven rock a local stage again, so keep their return in mind for in two weeks! Note as well that the show's lineup order is newly finalized, with The Bear Hunters headlining and the touring bands playing second & fourth for unannounced reasons.
• Curious for more details on Slumshine, the new band playing the Oh!No 2017 Music Festival in Leeburn on September 9th? Well, as it turns out, they're the new (solo?) project from former Detroit/Maximum RNR frontman and Lion Ride bassist Brenton Ellis, and you can hear him/them before the festival when Slumshine opens for Montreal folk act The Ghostly Hounds at The Gore Street Cafe the week before! This scheduling suggests to me that Slumshine aren't a heavier or punk project (at least, not an electric one), but if we hear anything to the contrary, we'll let you know. Either way, it's great to see Brent back in a new musical act!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Din & Project 906), Plus Remaining Weekend Concert Previews!!

Here's our last weekend concert preview for this batch of shows, and just off the bat, I wanted to acknowledge that the Elements' preview should have been yesterday instead of Peril due to the Friday-only placement. Blonde moment, but I hadn't forgotten the show, and it's previewed here, along with two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, despite their attachment to big festival events, with a new video from one! Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Project 906 will provide musical entertainment at the fourth annual Moloney's Michigan Beerfest at (and outside) Moloney's Alley on West Portage Avenue TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement via their Facebook page this past Saturday, and with no posts scheduled until Monday, we opted to hold them for this weekend's previews. A festival devoted to craft and independent breweries in Michigan, 17 in-state breweries will be on hand with their wares for fans to try for themselves, which will be very exciting for beer aficionados, so visit the official Facebook event page for complete non-musical details! It's also worth noting that half of the proceeds will go towards the ongoing cancer battles for young area residents Jessica Jorgensen (who was similarly supported at Pop Evil's 2013 show here) and Alex McCready, so keep them in your thoughts when attending Moloney's Michigan Beerfest TOMORROW!

And yes, this is the latest Project 906 event at Moloney's Alley, which they have played prolifically in recent weeks, though they will look slightly different, as bassist Dustin Paras will be out of town this weekend. Filling in is former Scofflaw/Broke on Sunday bassist Barney Gravelle, who you may remember from playing with Joe Jenkins & Will Storey in 906's predecessor band Ten Kings, so keep that angle in mind TOMORROW! Moloney's Michigan Beerfest begins at 3:00 PM, but Project 906 will be on at 6:15 PM as a (the?) featured band, and tickets are $20 in advance, $25 on Saturday, with 4 drink tickets included, 5 if bought in advance. Tickets are available at Moloney's Alley, The Palace Saloon (just down the road) and the Downtown Development Authority office at 511 Ashmun Street. Visit the above links for complete details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Project 906 live at last week's Sidewalk Sales event at Crooked Music!

Though the weather wasn't as bad as forecasted, the downtown music store still hosted their musical entertainment inside, with their Facebook page confirming the day's musicians mid-sale, including Dead Water Tapes guitarist Garrett Chevrette, two-man-band The MC Experience (featuring Connor Tetzlaff & Tantrym Tyme's Mike East), former Half Stupid bassist Matt Williams, and a joint set from Stuck In Reverse's Raven Griffin and Retro Troop's Cliff Schaut. Project 906 (sans Dustin again) headlined, with a store staffer filming them covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See". Solid acoustic performance of this southern rock classic, if a little pixellated, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Project 906!

Next up, here's one more late notice show announcement, as Sault Ontario alternative/hard rock trio The Din are back at it TOMORROW NIGHT for a special Roberta Bondar Pavilion concert as part of the inaugural Fringe North International Theater Festival! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday, and hadn't previously been advertised on the festival's website at that time (though it's on their schedule now.) An early event in this Buskerfest-succeeding festival of theatrical, street, and musical performers at varying downtown locations, TOMORROW'S show will double as the anniversary concert for their debut studio album "Give In To The Din", which came out on August 12th last year. In honour of the anniversary The Din will play the entire album from start to finish, as well as selections from their upcoming second album, so keep all of this in mind!

Though not advertised by the band, Fringe North's website lists local Christian rapper Bold Noize as opening, which does make sense, given his past guest appearances with The Din. Look for him to start the night and on three future days under the tent! Fringe North vendors will be on site for this FREE & ALL AGES concert at 9:00 PM TOMORROW, and of course, finally we'll see The Din rock the border at a (partial) music fest! Despite the unusually late notice, this should be a fun concert to commemorate The Din's one year old CD, so see above for more details, and here's The Din live!

Finally, here's a preview of one more previously announced concert taking place TONIGHT, as local funk/ska/hard rock quartet The Elements will play a rare headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar! Preparing a set chock full of varied covers and all of their originals for tonight's concert, this will definitely get a ska kick compared to their other recent shows, as saxophonist Josh Norling will return as a guest performer for the first time this year, so look for some smooth sax to compliment The Elements' hard hitting covers and originals tonight! Local alternative/hard rock quartet Bizotic will open tonight's proceedings in a rare Rockstar Bar stop, giving both bands some horn instrument action, and they should compliment things nicely, so don't be late for their set either, or to get some new stickers! A 19+ concert, expect a 10:00 PM start time and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on this intriguing concert, and here's The Elements (and Josh) live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The 3 Day Millionaires & Tym Morrison), And Some Weekend Concert Previews!!

(Edited at 12:54 PM) Before we begin this post, we have a cancellation to note for shows originally listed here, as classic/hard rock quartet Soundcheck are not playing at The Esquire Club this weekend. Despite being listed on the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page's latest round of show dates on Tuesday, drummer Steven Flint confirmed in an e-mail this morning that these dates had previously been cancelled due to a prior engagement for half the band. Thanks to Steven for letting me know, and hopefully we see Soundcheck back out there soon! Now, here's the first of this weekend's concert previews, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will rock The Canadian Nightclub with a solo headlining concert TOMORROW  NIGHT ONLY! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via their official Facebook event page on Sunday. One week removed from Soundcheck's Canadian debuts last week, these shows mark The Canadian's second apparent week in their latest trial run into booking cover rock bands on weekends alongside(?) DJs and dance parties, so if you want to ensure that more rock action hits The Canadian on weekends, come see The 3 Day Millionaires' hard hitting and familiar covers TOMORROW NIGHT! Note that the band is advertising these shows as their "debut at The Canadian", and while this is true for solo events, they did play there back in May during the Rock 4 Autism fundraiser.

Also, I apologize for erroneously reporting that The 3 Day Millionaires were playing Saturday night at The Canadian too. This is why you have to pay extra attention when writing up an SMS post after midnight, assume nothing. Thanks to bassist Bill Brouillard for the heads-up! This 19+ events has no cover charge and 9:00 PM start times, so see above for more details, and here they are live at this venue in May!



Next up, local hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for solo headlining gigs TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, but alongside these matinees, Tym will also play newly announced debut gigs at Room 21 at 480 Albert Street West TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on the Room 21 gigs, Tym only just announced those via their Facebook event page on Monday. In case you're not familiar, Room 21 is a new nightclub that opened above the popular barbecue restaurant Low & Slow last month (I believe they share ownership too), and while they don't have their own Facebook page, Low & Slow's has covered events for the new bar, including concert sets from acts like The Peach Thieves and Steve Yukich, and even a few theme nights. Tym is no stranger to playing venues unfamiliar to our coverage (remember his Mark's debut last week?), and he is a friend of the owner, so it'll be interesting to hear how he does TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at another new venue!

In case you didn't hear, Low & Slow moved from their original Gore Street location to the former Fresco European Grill building last summer, and is now just a 5 minute walk from The Rednecks Saloon on the same street. And yes, Tym's regular Gliss shows will also provide fans with an unplugged dose of hard rocking cover favourites, so don't miss them either! The Room 21 shows are 19+ events at 10:15 PM, while the Gliss shows have no age limit and a 6:00 PM start time, with no cover charges to be had. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & above for more details, and here's Tym live!




Moving to previously announced concerts, we'll actually head back to The Canadian for the latest concert from Live705 taking place TONIGHT, as local punk quartet A Dire Setback and alt-hard rock trio The Din will be among the opening roster for the return of Montreal power pop band Dany Laj & The Looks to the Soo! After two well received headlining shows here in the winter of 2015 & 2016, this upbeat power pop outfit will be back in our neck of the woods for another set of original music action, and while I wouldn't say that Dany and company are a "heavy" band, there's lots of talent and chemistry to be had! Those looking for a heavier or punk bite will get their fill via A Dire Setback's reliable fan favourite originals and The Din's precursor to their upcoming CD release anniversary show (more on that tonight or tomorrow morning), so don't miss out on their sets! Indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. will "kick" off the show in a prelude to their solo headlining Canadian concert next week, so don't be late for their set either!

An ALL AGES show to go along with Live705's recent focus on such events (wristbands will be issued to 19+ attendees), this 7:30 PM show is promised to end by 11:00 PM due to the mid-week scheduling, and may also help explain the unusually small lineup. As this is Live705's first show without discounted admission vouchers since January, tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door, and tickets may still be available pre-show from performers. This should be a fun and varied concert for fans of alternative and indie rock, with dashes of punk and hard rock within, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's A Dire Setback live!

With Soundcheck's cancellation, we'll add one more previously announced concert weekend to this preview post to re-fill it out, so we'll head to The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return north for shows there TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Continuing their recent streak of shows only at regional Kewadin branches, these will be Peril's first shows anywhere since rocking The Rapids Lounge two months ago, and first in St. Ignace since the end of May. This should be another fun weekend of hard hitting cover action from Jeff, Adam, and Brooks, so definitely consider a trip to St. Ignace to rock out with Peril either tomorrow or Saturday before the summer's out! As usual for their Kewadin gigs, these are 21+ events with no announced cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a few years back!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our remaining weekend concert previews (including even more on short notice) either tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: The Scary Uncles

With a busy concert weekend looming, I don't want this to get lost in the shuffle, so here's this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This ongoing monthly feature series is back with another profile on a randomly selected local metal, hard rock, or punk band in our links that is functionally inactive or dissolved, in order to spotlight them for modern readers! This month's random choice was a very prominent punk band in the scene of the late 2000s, so here's what you should know on them!
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The Scary Uncles

Genre: Punk

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics.)

Justin Langlois (Redundant, Fitswitch), vocals/guitar
Andrew MacDonald (Winkstinger, Fitswitch), bass
Mark Mullin, drums
Matt Sibilo (Gianni Gagoots, Redefined, Late Shift), guitar

Audio/Video: Though a planned studio album was never visibly released, two demo recordings from those sessions ("Labatt 50" & "Andrew's Song") can still be heard via The Scary Uncles' MySpace and Reverbnation pages, though their old Supernova page was taken down when that site migrated in full to Facebook. Scattered videos exist on YouTube as well, with Justin's YouTube channel being the best source for uploads for both these and other original songs and select covers. Here's their trio lineup playing their song "Should've Known" at a 2008 jam session!

Info/Analysis: Formed by long-time friends (including 2 Fitswitch alums within them) in 2007, The Scary Uncles quickly became one of the most prominent pure punk bands in the Soo area of the late 2000s, which saw them open for bands like SNFU, Less Than Jake, and The Spades, as well as play notable events like Lion Ride's CD release party, the 2008 Skid Row Battle of the Bands (where they finished in second place), and charitable events like Algoma Hope 4 Haiti, among others. Surviving specifics on their run are in short supply today, but The Uncles disbanded after opening The Mark Rand Band's sole local concert in December 2010, with Justin carrying their sound over to his current punk band Redundant, who continue to play "Labatt 50" under the name "What'll You Do". While I admit that The Scary Uncles and Redundant are sonically very similar, the elder band delivered with their Green Day-inspired sets that were lively and aggressive when need be!

Currently available media showcases The Scary Uncles well, despite some mixed video quality from the chosen cameras, and compared to Redundant, this band did vary things a little bit via the mid-paced "Andrew's Song", and with solid chemistry and catchy originals, it's easy to see why they came close to winning the 2008 battle of the bands! Give The Scary Uncles a listen above, but look for new Redundant shows for similar modern day sets!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month in this series, our random selection will break us away from our recent lucky streak of punk bands from Sault Ontario, as we'll be spotlighting inactive local classic/hard rock cover quintet That's Chester next! Look for that profile on or around September 10th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!