This Weekend's Local Metal & Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's time to preview this weekend's metal and hard rock concerts in the Sault Ste. Marie area, and the next three days are notable for a number of beginnings, debuts, and ends for local bands in the area, including a new band's debut, another band's rebirth, a new lineup's first shows, and a local band's last shows in the Sault area. What all should you know for your weekend concert plans? Read on for all the details!

Firstly is TONIGHT'S 40th Roosevelt Hotel metal night, which is also the third under booker Stephane Vincent and (reportedly) the final one of 2011. Once again, three local metal bands are lined up with a mix of new and old to be seen, including headliners The Bear Hunters & Shit Liver in their record 17th respective appearances at Rosie metal nights! Be it a melodic death metal onslaught or a grimy and crusty brand of death metal, these two talented local bands will be sure to deliver some moshing good times tonight once again! Also joining them tonight is a brand new local band (the first to debut at a Rosie metal night in six months) and they are General Striker, a possibly one-off metal trio made up of the members of Late & Loud (minus Brendan Christie.) How will they sound? What's their setlist like? There's only one way to find out, and that's to head to The Rosie TONIGHT! As usual, there is a 19+ age limit tonight, there's no cover charge, and everything should start at around 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! And remember, there will not be a Rosie metal night on the current bi-weekly schedule on December 22nd for unknown reasons, so if you love this Thursday metal tradition, be at The Rosie TONIGHT!

This should be a very good concert with lots of heaviness in store for fans, and it will sure be interesting to hear General Striker in their debut as well, so definitely keep TONIGHT's show in mind! Be it death metal or some more classic old school metal, you'll find something to enjoy for sure! For a preview, here's The Bear Hunters playing their song "Karma" at The Rosie earlier this summer!



Also in concert previews, while we have a band debuting tonight, another local band makes their long awaited return to the local stage this weekend, as Caveman Morrison will rock The Roosevelt Hotel TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a 5 month hiatus & a concert cancellation two weeks ago, this talented local metal cover trio will play their first concerts since July in Goulais River this weekend, in what will also be the debuts of their current lineup! Since their last shows in the summer, bassist Jacques Marceau has been replaced by James White of Redundant, while drummer Willie Bellerose was replaced by James' brother Rick, who himself returns to Caveman Morrison over a year & a half after leaving the band's bass position. How will the new Caveman Morrison lineup sound this weekend? I've heard positive things, but the only sure way to find out is to head to The Roosevelt Hotel tomorrow or Saturday night! There's is no announced cover charge for either stop this weekend, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is announced. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's about time that Caveman Morrison returned to the stage, and I know that their new lineup has a lot of promise for their fans, so definitely consider heading to The Rosie this weekend to take the new lineup in! Besides, if you're used to frontman Tym Morrison's solo shows, The Rosie isn't far from The Service Grill, so it's no issue for location either! Best of luck this weekend for sure, and for a preview, here's an older Caveman Morrison lineup featuring Tym and Rick covering Metallica's "Seek & Destroy" in 2009!



Amidst all the lineup debuts this weekend, there is a notable end in the area as well, as Sault Michigan hard rock quintet Splitshot will make their final local concert appearances tomorrow & Saturday night at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino. As previously reported on November 23rd, bassist Kyle Beaumont had told me that Splitshot were disbanding at the end of the year for unannounced reasons, with most of their lineup (save for Dave Menard & Gary Beaumont) moving on to Trail's End full time next year, leaving just their previously announced dates in the U.P. on their schedule, with their last shows in Sault Michigan lined up for this weekend. Note that these are not the last Splitshot concerts, as they'll be rocking the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace over New Years' Weekend, but St. Ignace is just out of our "local" range. Still, keep those dates in mind as well! Details are mostly scant for this weekend's shows, however, but I'd assume a 10:00 PM start time, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge will be in effect as usual. Check the above links for more details! Though the end of Splitshot isn't here yet, it is disappointing to know that these are their last local concerts after over a year of successful and well recieved shows in the Upper Peninsula.

Despite never having media to share from their concerts, I know that the members of Splitshot have carried the torch from Nixxon Dixxon well over the past year, and we'll be sure to follow Trail's End next year as most of the band continues their musical journey! For one last chance to see Splitshot live in Sault Michigan, head to Kewadin Casino THIS WEEKEND, and also keep their New Years' Weekend shows in St. Ignace in mind as well, and if I hear anything more, I'll definitely let you guys know!

And finally for this weekend, it's the rebirth of Turner Up this Saturday night at Feedback! Nine months after the original Turner Up morphed into what is now Full Circle, the classic hard rock quintet has been reborn as a new band separate from Full Circle, and that means that for the first time since May, a band named Turner Up will grace a local concert marquee this Saturday! Their new lineup includes founding guitarist Robert Brown, longtime drummer Scott McLurg, and returning frontwoman Krista Marshall alongside new guitarist Jason Roy & bassist Travis Sharpe, and you know they'll have a great setlist of classic hard rock covers for fans at the former Foggy Notions on Saturday night! This is a one night only show this weekend, so don't miss the rebirth of Turner Up on Saturday, where there will likely be a 10:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and probably no cover charge. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Turner Up back, and even if they're not as frequent of a sight as Full Circle, the talent will surely be there when they do take the stage, so don't miss their return this weekend! For a preview, here's the old Turner Up covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone" in January!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news by the weekend, along with this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles on Garage Inc. & Savage Roar on Saturday! Thanks everyone!