LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished), Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

I hope that our American readers had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! Let's dive into this weekend's concert previews (minus Toystock, coming later this weekend, but plus some new videos), and we're leading off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Local classic metal/hard rock trio Tarnished will return to the stage for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! Apologies for the short notice, these were quietly announced on the 12th via Facebook event pages (linked here and here) that slipped us by at the time, and they have since been backed up on Kewadin's entertainment page. These will be Tarnished's second & third public gigs, and first full solo concerts, since adding Parker Talentino as their new bassist last month, so if you're curious to see how he fits in with Alex & Josh for longer than 15 minutes, head to The Rapids Lounge TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY to see the new lineup! While Tarnished didn't make the podium of the (fan-voted) battle of the bands at Lake Superior State University last week, their talents and notoriety in the E.U.P. are certainly not unrecognized, and they should draw good crowds!

TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video we have yet to share from the battle last week.... well, before it! Filmed by battle runner-up Molly Escherich for her YouTube channel, this features Tarnished covering Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Old Time Rock & Roll" during a rehearsal before the event at LSSU's Arts Center. Of course, there's no need here for the guys to vamp it up for an absent audience, but it's a fine cover of this classic rock staple, vertical camera angle acknowledged. Check it out below!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will kick off a busy weekend of three shows in three days, all as hyped in this new Facebook commercial for the gigs making optimal use of sound effects (I won't spoil things further!) Things start TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock Shooters Downstairs Lounge for the first time in just over a month, but as this venue has been hosting DJs on Saturdays in the fall, where will Bone Yard play on SATURDAY NIGHT? Gateway Casino, in fact, and like their recent gigs there, this will be an unplugged event, so if you'd rather see Bone Yard strip things into acoustic mode (or miss The Bearded Lounge), the downtown casino is not too far away! The weekend caps off with Greg, Alex, and Warren headlining at Toystock on Sunday, which will be previewed separately on the site in our post on Saturday. 

Both of these shows are 19+ affairs with no cover charge, and while the Shooters gig begins at 9:00 PM, Gateway Casino concerts begin at 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new live-streamed video of Bone Yard covering Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" at The Esquire Club this past Saturday, courtesy of their Facebook page! Vertical camera angle aside, this is well shot and the filmer gets some nice & close angles of Bone Yard playing that funky music, with the talent and energy fans have come to expect, so give it a watch below, and look for our Toystock preview this weekend!

Speaking of Bone Yard, their former rhythm section can also be seen live this weekend, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will take the stage at Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at Jay's last month and Reggie's in September, this weekend's shows will reportedly be Double Down's last gigs of 2023, if their Facebook page is to be believed, so if you like their Cancon-heavy array of classic and hard rock covers, you might not want to miss out tomorrow and/or Saturday! Double Down don't (yet?) play most weekends as it is, so all the more reason to come out! As usual for Reggie's, these shows have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live at Reggie's!

Finally, we'll return to Sault Michigan, where local classical metal band Theatre of Night will return to the local stage for a headlining show THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Soo Theatre! After pausing their annual Christmas tours amidst the pandemic and not playing locally upon bringing it back last year, Theatre of Night will finally return home for this concert, their first in town since 2019's Kewadin Casino headlining date. The tour kicked off in Hillsdale this past weekend, and more downstate shows lie ahead, but Saturday's concert here will be their first local set since Marquita & Luke Bernard replaced Rachel Mender & Scott Andringa in Theatre of Night's live lineup. Roster changes aside, expect more proficient metal takes on Christmas carols as this talented quintet weaves their way through retelling the story of the Nativity, and with the Christmas season fully upon us, this should be a good early taste of the holidays!

Presented by Sharp Talent Productions, Saturday night's event is an all ages show with a 7:00 PM start time and admission by donation (they suggest $20). This will also be the first heavier concert that we've covered at the newly renovated Soo Theatre, so if you haven't seen the Ashmun Street venue's refreshed digs, keep that in mind also! Hopefully there's a great turnout as Craig, Steve, Erik, and the Bernards ring in the holidays as only they can, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Theatre of Night live in Sault Ste. Marie!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!