LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, Rhythm & Brews, And Project 906), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's about time to round up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, including some intertwined (and mostly SHORT NOTICE) LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! There is a concert cancellation to take note of too, but as the replacement are a heavier act also, info on that is included in the same write-up below. Now, here's what you should know for this weekend!

Local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via its Facebook event page earlier today, but The Islander Bar's Facebook page had acknowledged it since late last month. Not many hard rock acts regularly play there that I know of, but I will try harder to keep tabs on their live concert schedule, especially as TOMORROW'S show is not 906's only October gig there. If you're in a spooky mood, Project 906 will return to Hessel to headline The Islander Bar's annual Halloween party on Saturday, October 29th, so costumes will presumably be encouraged for the occasion, and The Islander's second annual pumpkin carving contest will also take place on this day. Two big shows ahead, so hopefully Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Odin's hard rocking covers & select originals find a solid audience at both!

TOMORROW'S show and the Halloween party are both one-night-only arrangements, no word on if a different act is playing this Saturday or on Friday the 28th. Both shows have 8:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no advertised cover charge (though bring cash just in case on the 29th given the teased Halloween frills). Remember, The Islander Bar is at 134 South Pickford Avenue in Hessel, 45 minutes due south of the Soo. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live!

Next up, fellow local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show only came to our attention via Kewadin Casino's entertainment page, newly updated to reflect October dates at both the Rapids and Northern Pines Lounges, but TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are the only new-to-us hard rock dates at either, with other scheduled hard rock acts already getting the word out through their own channels. Rhythm & Brews have not plugged these dates on their Facebook page at press time, but personal accounts have mentioned them, which is sadly not an isolated occurrence. In any event, TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT'S shows will be Brandon, Chris, Brett, and Ron's first publically advertised shows since playing at Oktoberfest in Barbeau last month.

Though Rhythm & Brews' public online presence remains slight (perhaps intentionally to encourage people to actually see them live rather than just on video), hopefully this local supergroup delivers the hard rock cover goods for fans at the Soo Kewadin this weekend! They'll be on TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:00 PM with no cover charge and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details on these concerts!

Heading north to Sault Ontario next, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge as advertised TOMORROW NIGHT, but that's not all, as they'll also be playing there on SATURDAY NIGHT as well! Apologies again for the short notice on SATURDAY'S gig, drummer Glen Thomas only confirmed on his personal Facebook page earlier today that they'd also be playing that night. Originally, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard were advertised to play on SATURDAY, but they withdrew from that date for unannounced reasons, so Soundcheck will step in for the full weekend set, which is not unheard of at Shooters but also not common. Hopefully this talented veteran foursome have lots of hard rocking hits for fans at the Dennis Street nightclub tomorrow & SATURDAY, and hopefully all's well in Bone Yard's camp!

As usual for Soundcheck's Shooters dates, expect 8:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits for both nights. Should be a solid weekend for fans of Soundcheck's standalone concerts apart from their Reggie's West jam nights (yes, including tonight), so visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert earlier this year!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, here's a show that had 100% advance notice, as Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will return to Sault Ste. Marie THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they headline at Soo Blaster once again! Just under three months removed from their well received third local appearance in July, this Helix alumni-laden tribute have gotten a solid reception at their prior local gigs then and in 2008 & 2015, and it'll be great to have Sandman's faithful and talented throwback to Metallica's thrash metal glory years back on stage way sooner than normal this weekend! Taking over for the still-on-break Fort Creek as openers on Saturday are local Foo Fighters tribute band The Soo Fighters in their second gig of 2022 and with their new lineup, but first for either stat in city limits. The Foos aren't as heavy as Metallica, but they definitely have their moments, so don't bypass them!

Of course, Jules and company tackle Foo Fighters hits skillfully and with good energy, so we'll be in good hands this weekend! As in July, this 19+ show has an 8:00 PM start time and $20 advance tickets ($25 at the door), and you can get them beforehand at this link or at Soo Blaster. Whether you saw Sandman in July or missed out, this should be a can't miss show for early Metallica fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Sandman live earlier this year!

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