LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Soundcheck, Rhythm & Brews, And Bone Yard!!)

Before we commence a massive weekend concert preview schedule, here's an all-LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post to get some upcoming shows on both sides of the border out of the way before things get hectic around here. With that said, here's what you should know in chronological order!

Local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only on Friday, July 22nd! This will be Bone Yard's first announced concert following their Rotaryfest-closing set on Stage 1 this Saturday (preview coming in the next day or two), and will be their first Shooters gig in almost three weeks.  This hard working & frequently seen trio should have another solid night of southern fried classic and hard rock covers in store next Friday, so don't miss out on all of the action then! A one-nighter due to or resulting in the show coming up next, Bone Yard's concert on Friday the 22nd has an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit, as usual for the Dennis Street nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will also return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only, that being the very next night, on Saturday, July 23rd! Like Bone Yard, Soundcheck are also returning to Shooters next weekend for the first time since Canada Day weekend, but unlike Bone Yard, they're not playing Rotaryfest this year (they had previously in 2017 and 2019, for the record). No word yet on if they'll be playing somewhere this weekend or not (their own online show advertising is usually on short notice), but good thing Shooters launched a Facebook event page for this show too to get the word out! Terry, Cameron, Paul (or Rob), and Glen will deliver their often hard rocking covers on Saturday the 23rd at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge once again. See above for more details, and we'll tell you about this weekend's late notice Shooters gigs in the coming days!

We'll close this post by heading south to Sault Michigan & area, starting with local hard rock quartet Tarnished, who will play a rare heavier concert at The Merchants Bar (or just The Merch) on Friday, July 29th! This was actually added to their Facebook page's schedule post after the fact, which is why we didn't mention it in our all-Tarnished post last week, so good thing they plugged it separately! While The Merch (at 108 West Spruce Street) used to be a relatively common venue for local hard rock shows, I couldn't find much about it hosting heavier events since around 2013, so it's great to see Tarnished there near the end of the month, and hopefully their hard rocking originals & covers find another solid audience! This concert has a 21+ age limit, no cover charge, and an 8:00 PM start time, but that's not all from Tarnished, as one more date has been added to their calendar!

On Saturday, August 6th, both Tarnished and fellow local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will head south to Cedarville to take part in the Government Bay Barge Bash! Hosted by Cedarville nightclub Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street, the Barge Bash is an outdoor concert festival held since 2017 in Cedarville (except 2020 for obvious reasons), after originating in nearby Hessel on Liberty Bay at The Islander Bar there. Details on this year's Cedarville Barge Bash are forthcoming, but both Tarnished and Rhythm & Brews confirmed their involvement on their respective Facebook pages, and if past years are anything to go by, the lineup will likely have just those two bands, maybe a third at most. Yes, the festival's name is apt, as bands will be playing on an actual barge floating in Government Bay, so how's that for some unique optics? Yes, the bay will be unsalted and shark free.

From what I can gather, the Barge Bash is an all ages, free event with matinee run-times from 11:00 AM-5:00 PM, though I'm unsure when the band timeslots are. Given the setting, boaters seem to be welcome too. Definitely a unique event for SMS purposes, but the setting and (hopefully) the weather should make this a can't miss event if you're in the area! Visit the above links for continuing details, and stay tuned for a LOT of weekend concert previews starting tomorrow! Thanks everyone!