Friday, January 20, 2023

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm, Fyrbird, And Tarnished), Plus The Project 906 Concert Preview!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's concert previews on the SMS today, but as it turns out, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS have surfaced for later this year, and as everything on the docket today is from Sault Michigan and area, things were timed well in that regard! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend (and beyond) in the E.U.P.!

Local hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, February 3rd & Saturday, February 4th! The only completely brand new hard rock shows announced in the wave of February concerts at either regional Kewadin lounge's entertainment pages (unless the online page-less 2nd Hand Band fit), Tarnished confirmed the dates themselves via promoting the venue's Facebook event page. At least the guys plugged these shows with lots of advance notice, unlike their New Year's Eve gig in Hessel! While not explicitly tied to that event, Tarnished will be playing over the International 500 snowmobile race weekend, so a large crowd is expected at the casino both nights, especially as the Sault Kewadin is hosting many of the I-500's pre- and post-race ceremonies. If you're curious as to the I-500, click here for more details!

It's also worth noting that these will not be Tarnished's first gigs of 2023, as they're actually taking a 5 hour road trip to Grand Rapids tonight to open for "death pop" band Ellie Blackout at Turnstiles. Best of luck to Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh on the road, and hopefully they make lots of fans downstate! As for their Rapids Lounge gigs in two weeks, expect 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start time, but again, expect a busier crowd given the I-500. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, here's some more new Kewadin Casino lounge concert dates, but not from the venue's own advertising (they have went month by month as of late), as Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm have unveiled their E.U.P. shows for the rest of the year via a series of Facebook event pages! All were recently shared on the band's Facebook page, and the event pages are linked below via the dates of the gigs. The most active of Jeff Hudson's three live bands, Scarkazm are certainly no stranger to the Kewadin umbrella, and following their previously announced February 17th-18th shows at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace branch, they have four further concert weekends scheduled north of the Mack. Sault Ste. Marie returns are scheduled for March 17th-18th and then on November 3rd-4th, so Rapids Lounge concertgoers have chances ahead to see Scarkazm's hard hitting covers & originals in 2023!

Meanwhile, Scarkazm will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace on April 14th-15th and finally on December 8th-9th, so hopefully that will satiate fans in 2023! For what it's worth, the band has no public dates advertised anywhere over the summer.  All eight of these new Kewadin gigs have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges, all as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and don't miss their sister band Peril at The Rapids Lounge tonight & tomorrow night!

Also new in the realm of "touring hard rock bands announcing Kewadin lounge dates before the venue does", Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird will be back at both Kewadin Casino branches themselves in 2023! On November 23rd, frontman Jamie Hider's wife Shannon posted a vast listing of Fyrbird's scheduled dates for this year (primarily in the central U.P.) on their Facebook group, but they currently only have two weekends booked this far east, namely Rapids Lounge gigs in the Soo on April 14th-15th, followed by Northern Pines Lounge shows in St. Ignace on May 5th-6th. Fyrbird will actually be more active at venues in Paradise (in northwestern Chippewa County), Newberry (in Luce County) and Gould City, Curtis, and Naubinway (all in Mackinac County) this year, but all are past our coverage range of one hour's drive from the Soo, if not by a lot.

Keep all of these in mind if you're closer to them or if you're up for a road trip! I try to keep our coverage to a local range as much as possible, especially to avoid encroaching on other markets, but of course, what's local to someone in the Soo isn't necessarily identical to what someone an hour away has available, so I didn't want to ignore those shows/communities completely. The Kewadin shows are the same as above, 21+ with 9:00 PM start times and no cover charges. Fyrbird's minimalist but hard rocking sound should find a solid audience in the spring, so see above for more details!

We'll close today by wrapping up this weekend's known hard rock concert previews in the area, as local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Their first show of the year and their first stop at The Strongs Tavern in two months, this concert will be themed similarly to that November date, which helped celebrate numerous staff/patron birthdays, staff member Heather among them. Tomorrow's concert coincides with Heather's seven year anniversary working at the tavern, so hopefully there's a great turnout for her sake, let alone the band's, given the occasion! You can take in Project 906's fan friendly blend of hard rock and classic rock covers (and select originals) tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

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