LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Downtown Street Party #3), Michale Graves Cancellation Info, And A New Video!!

Today's news post at the SMS is mostly devoted to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (and how) concerning a big community event taking place.... in a few minutes! However, we do have some details on a very recent cancellation to take note of as well, so here's what you should know!

A couple of local hard rock cover bands will perform at TODAY'S third and final Downtown Street Party of 2018, starting with local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns, who will open "Stage 2" near Soo Blaster TODAY (as in, at 12:30 PM!) Profuse apologies for the short notice, The Wyld Stallyns never publically confirmed their participation, though they were confirmed by festival organizers on the Facebook event page 2 weeks ago. In what could be a tune-up before their open mic night on the Norgoma on Tuesday, this should be a prime chance to see their fan-friendly blend of covers, but you've gotta act fast, as they're playing at 12:30 PM, which isn't far away! A DJ from Soo Blaster will headline TODAY at 5:30 PM, while the remaining lineup (with aide from Dryer Fire and ex-Gore Street Cafe owner Nicole Dyble) will see Waterloo folk musician Richard Garvey at 4:30 PM, Wild Iris side project Stone Orchid at 3:30 PM, indie pop singer/guitarist Shae Tull at 2:30 PM, and Sault Michigan solo artist Magnet Moslov at 1:30 PM.

Solid lineup that definitely feels like a "Stage 2", so don't miss this varied roster outside of Soo Blaster TODAY, with The Wyld Stallyns beginning within the hour! For a preview, here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Next up, that's not all for SMS-covered bands at the last Downtown Street Party of the year, as local classic/hard rock quartet Soundcheck will play outside of GFL Memorial Gardens as part of "Stage 1" entertainment! Again, massive apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the set on their Facebook page this morning, though event organizers had also confirmed their involved on the same Facebook event page two weeks ago. This will be Soundcheck's first public concert appearance since the retirement of drummer Scott McLurg, and while the band hasn't announced a permanent replacement yet, Peace Vibe/Flat Stanley drummer Glen Thomas will reportedly fill in TODAY, reuniting him with former Mourning Wood bandmate Terry Eaton. Solid choice, Glen should fit in fine here! Other acts playing outside of the former Essar Center THIS AFTERNOON will include a DJ from Ace Studios at 4:30 PM, country/rockabilly veterans The Steeltown Playboys at 3:30 PM, ...

...new local acoustic rock quintet Chunks of Manh at 2:30 PM, and country duo The Crossroad Magdalenes opening at 12:30 PM, while Soundcheck's set is after them at 1:30 PM. Of course, this is a FREE and ALL AGES event courtesy of the Downtown Association, as the prior 2 Downtown Street Parties were, and fans can expect local vendors, food and drinks, all-day shopping, games, and prizes from Elgin to Dennis, so be sure to visit the above links for complete non-musical details! Sounds like a diverse lineup with a dash of hard rock for good measure, so head down to Queen Street East TODAY (as in, very shortly) for all of the action! For a preview, we have a new public video of Soundcheck to feature here, courtesy of a share onto the event page from Scott McLurg's wife Monique's personal Facebook page, so what should you know on it? Filmed at a rare out of town concert of theirs, this was filmed when Soundcheck played a drag racing event in Wawa last month.

The video features their cover of The Beatles' "Come Together", though I do hear more of an Aerosmith glimmer here. Solid performance and well filmed overall, and it's nice to find a new public video of theirs, so give it a look below, and don't miss Soundcheck (and Glen) TODAY at 1:30 PM!



To close today's post, I wanted to acknowledge what happened to last night's Michale Graves-headlined concert at The Canadian Nightclub. As you likely know by now, the concert was cancelled shortly before doors were to have opened, as all three touring bands were stopped in Mackinaw City due to yesterday's severe wind forcing the closure of the Mackinac Bridge. The same closure also cancelled yesterday's Soo Greyhounds home opener, so this was definitely a serious weather hazard. Promoter J.D. Pearce confirmed to attendees last night and Facebook contacts that he will be making a statement next week regarding refunds and a planned rescheduling of the Michale Graves concert, so keep tabs on that for details on what looks like a new date. In any event, J.D. has confirmed that tickets bought for yesterday's concert can be used for the rescheduled concert, or carried over towards next month's Ten Foot Pole concert at The Harp, or his annual Halloween parties at The Algonquin Pub.

In place of last night's expected concert, planned local openers Jack Spades played alongside friends and special guests for a free all-local jam, which we will be reviewing in our next news post. Alas, Mother Nature had other plans for the horror punk extravaganza last night, but what can you do about that sort of cancellation? This was out of everyone's hands. Hopefully Michale and company can make it here in the future for a second try, as I know how eagerly many fans were awaiting this concert! Stay tuned for more details, and for our review of last night's fill-in show soon! Thanks everyone!