LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225, Silent 9, And Double Down) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

The first concert weekend of May 2024 is upon us, so let's preview what is known and advertised in today's post! Just as a heads up, this year's Festival of Beer is being held by LopLops on Saturday as an outdoor block party event on Queen Street East, but aside from new local pop rock band The Dead Stops (featuring ex-Garden of Bedlam singer Erik "Buzz" Boissineau), I haven't heard about scheduled performers, let alone if they'd lean heavier. Stay tuned in case anything comes out! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend, along with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will debut their new lineup when they rock Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but in a brand new announcement, they will also make their Water Tower Pub debut on Saturday, May 18th! Of course, they will be at Reggie's this weekend first, marking their return to the stage after taking April off and parting ways with singer/guitarist Adam King, and his replacement was finally announced on their Facebook page last night, namely Beej Syrette, who fans may recognize as a frequent filmer of videos at their concerts (I assume he's related to singer/guitarist Joel Syrette too). I'm unfamiliar with Beej as a musician, but here's hoping he fits in well with Double Down! The Water Tower Pub show will see Double Down play at the Great Northern Road nightclub for the first time, and over the Victoria Day long weekend, which should bode well for turnout!

Remember that The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts different nightly acts, with the Friday the 17th band being fellow classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations (as per the venue's May concert calendar, but Generations already confirmed the booking on their own). Tomorrow & Saturday's Reggie's concerts have 9:30 PM start times, the Water Tower Pub show on the 18th is at 8:00 PM, these are all 19+ events, and none have an advertised cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

Next up, here's a new show announcement for later this month, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to The Water Tower Pub in their own right on Friday, May 31st! The guys have not announced their concert calendar beyond their Reggie's dates next week (Thursday jam night hosting duties at Reggie's aside), but this show is listed on the venue's May concert calendar on their Facebook page. Barring a major change of approach for their Water Tower Pub gigs, this will be an unplugged "uncorked" event, so unless they are playing at the casino this month at some point, this will be their first acoustic show in just over a month. They're off this weekend, but hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren send out May on the right rocking note at this central venue! No word yet on who is playing on Saturday, June 1st. This show is also an 8:00 PM event and 19+ show with no announced cover charge. See above for more details on Bone Yard's next "uncorked" gig!

Back to this weekend's previews, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and while we're on the subject, let's add their shows there on September 6th & 7th to our calendar too! Fresh off of their late notice gig opening for Matthew Good three weeks ago, this weekend's gigs will be Silent 9's first at the Second Line West nightclub in just under a month, and they will be back this fall in their first show after a summer gap (at least at the moment for their schedule). We had waited to list the September shows here until someone else announced shows that far ahead, and the Teenage Head show later that month did the trick. It is great to see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve playing a little more frequently this spring so far, and hopefully their up-tempo and crowd pleasing slate of covers fill the club once again both nights this weekend and in September, so don't miss out on all of the action!

As usual for Esquire Club concerts, these are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. If you can't make it, everyone will be back at the aforementioned Water Tower Pub on Friday, May 24th, but the band announced that show when detailing their early 2024 concert slate. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here for more details, and here's Silent 9 live!

Finally for currently known/advertised hard rock concerts this weekend, Manistique, Michigan hard rock duo Fyrbird will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be Jamie & Rick's first shows in the Soo in 2024, and their second concert weekend in our coverage range of the year, following their shows at the St. Ignace Kewadin in February (they have played elsewhere in the Eastern U.P. since, but at points beyond an hour's drive from Sault Ste. Marie). It's always good to see Fyrbird back in the Soo, and hopefully their minimalist hard rock cover attack finds another solid audience tomorrow and on Saturday! Yes, I will be addressing new May concerts at the regional Kewadin lounges on the site soon, Fyrbird had already confirmed these shows on their own. 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges are in effect. See above for more detail, and here's Fyrbird live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!