LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Bone Yard 225) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into another weekend of hard rock and punk concert previews today! Not a packed weekend as heavier bands go, but there's enough to fill out today's post, including some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know!

Before their previously announced Shooters Downstairs Lounge concert on SATURDAY NIGHT, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to The Esquire Club for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the Esquire Club show via their Facebook page yesterday. TOMORROW's booking was originally scheduled to belong to local classic rock band The Cloud Bandits as per The Esquire Club's early 2024 concert calendar (pictured here from January), but I have not heard a reason from that band nor the venue over why they're not playing TOMORROW, or if The Cloud Bandits are still playing on Saturday. With Shooters only hosting live bands on Saturdays due to their Friday DJ nights, Bone Yard 225 now have a full weekend in store for fans of their southern and classic rock attack, three nights if you count their jam night hosting duties at Reggie's tonight, so keep that in mind if that interests you!

Both TOMORROW'S Esquire Club concert and Saturday's Shooters show are at 9:30 PM, and they are both 19+ events with no cover charge. Hopefully Bone Yard effectively rock downtown and west end fans this weekend, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via Jay's Facebook page this morning. Of course, Soundcheck are hosting the Thursday jam night there tonight as expected, but this weekend's normal concerts are new to us, so if you want to see Cameron with the guys, let alone a standard night or two of classic and hard rock covers from this talented veteran foursome, head to the former Reggie's West TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! These will be Soundcheck's first non-jam night appearances at Jay's since their 1980s themed party at the start of March. As usual, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live! 

Moving to previously announced concerts, let's head downtown to Reggie's Place, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will take the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fans of this rising young band will recall how all of their solo headlining concerts in 2023 were at Reggie's, but they have yet to play there this year, opting to spread their wings to other local venues in the interim. If you've missed the guys (and Claire) at this downtown staple, be at Reggie's this weekend for their hard rocking and sometimes surprising array of covers and select originals! As usual for HeadFirst's shows here, expect 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits this weekend, and if you can't make it they'll be back at Jay's Piston Broke Pub next weekend. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst live earlier this year!

Finally for this weekend's known local hard rock/punk concerts, we'll head to Soo Blaster, where local punk trio Vanity First will release their new album "Identity Crisis" at its release party on SATURDAY NIGHT! Along with their set, professionally printed CDs made by Kunaki and sold through Mike Haggith's label MorningStar Records will be on sale for $10 (vinyl copies will be sold online for $40), and a digital release is also expected. You can get pre-order details and more about the album via MorningStar's article on the album/band from last week, which heavily pumps the band up in glowing terms! The full track listing is also given, confirming that their late 2022 single "Get Out" will be on the album, as will re-recordings of every song from the February 2022 "Vanity" demo except "Breathe" (unless it was re-titled "When I Fall", which is the sole advertised song that we haven't heard a studio version of then or now.)

Local metal trio The BAG will get things off on a heavy foot on Saturday before Andrew, Mikhal, and Keeghan take the stage, so don't be late for their intensity either! This all ages concert has admission of $10 (if you bought tickets directly from the band) or $15 (at the door), and the concert proper begins at 8:00 PM. Vanity First have sure grown as a band in the past two years, and hopefully their skate punk attack is greeted enthusiastically as headliners tomorrow, with CDs flying off of the merch table to boot! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview of the release party, here's Vanity First live!

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