As promised, here are this weekend's final hard rock and punk concert previews as we finally wrap up this extremely busy slate of concerts! This last post looks at concerts taking place in Sault Ontario tonight, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!
Despite dropping out of his planned "Think It Over Thursday" gig at The Dive Gastro Pub yesterday, former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will instead return to this venue TONIGHT as part of their "Patio Play" series of Saturday night outdoor concerts! Apologies for the short notice, Curt only announced the new date via his Facebook page on Wednesday, with a Facebook event page following the next day. For unannounced reasons, Curtis was bumped ahead two days at the former Low & Slow (half of Soundcheck played inside The Dive on Thursday instead), and while the scheduling TONIGHT leaves its own variables due to weather that Thursday wouldn't have had, fans of outdoor patio performances will like hearing Curt's hard rock and grunge covers thusly if Mother Nature plays ball! Curtis' fifth 2024 date at The Dive (indoors or out) has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge.
As noted in our prior weekend concert preview posts this week, rain is very much in the forecast TONIGHT, with 9&10 News currently calling for a 60% chance of showers & thunderstorms during Curt's expected showtime of 9:00 PM-1:30 AM (temperatures will be hovering around 14-15°). Normally, I would say to keep tabs with Curt and/or The Dive if you're concerned about this show being cancelled or postponed, but given how The Dive hosts musicians indoors on Thursdays, it seems way more likely that they'd just move him indoors if weather necessitated it. Don't miss Curt TONIGHT in any event, and for a preview, here he is live!
Next up, here is arguably this weekend's main event for many punk fans, as Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz will play Sault Ste. Marie for the ninth time in eleven years and first time since last fall TONIGHT! Unlike last year's upscale confines at The Loft, The Ripcordz have the honours of kicking off public concert bookings inside The Stellar Door, the new basement level venue at The Distraction at 72 East Street. Bookings here are limited and somewhat seasonal, and I understand that it's an intimate space, but hopefully it proves inviting and well suited to Paul Gott and crew's intense hardcore punk favourites as prior local venues have done! Local support bands tonight include crossover thrash/skate punk quartet Hails and alternative rock quartet The Haze (née Skinbox), so hopefully both bands' familiar lineups continue riding their own summer momentum tonight! This ALL AGES show begins at 7:00 PM.
While advance tickets were limited to just 30 people, admission tonight is $20 or via a "pay what you can" entry model. The Stellar Door is accessible via a back door leading to the basement at the former barbershop (it should be obvious once you get there). If you have enjoyed The Ripcordz' other local dates in the past decade+, or want to experience raw and unfiltered hardcore punk by subgenre icons, be at The Distraction (well, below it) tonight! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Ripcordz live here last year!
Also TONIGHT is a scheduled joint show from local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich and their sister bluegrass/folk quartet The Golden Scoundrels at Soo Blaster, but I do have concerns that this show is not taking place. Announced in late May as part of Soo Blaster's summer concert series of (generally) Friday night gigs from solo musicians and duos, I have found no further public advertising of this event on social media from band or venue in well over a month. Yes, this show was always advertised for tonight, yesterday's Rent Strike concert was booked separately and was never listed as part of the Friday series, but Handsome Sandwich & The Golden Scoundrels splitting the bill tonight was always an outlier in the series given that it is (was?) a double band event. Both bands (who both feature guitarist Brandon Ruch and drummer Johnny Belanger) have had a busy summer, and momentum is theoretically on their side!
IF this show is taking place (I'll let you guys know if I hear public confirmation that it's not), it starts at 8:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Handsome Sandwich live!
Finally on this exceedingly busy slate of weekend concert previews in the Sault Ste. Marie area, we'll head to Shooters Downstairs Lounge TONIGHT, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage! Last seen at Gateway Casino to cap off Rotaryfest weekend last month, tonight's show will have a big change from what fans of theirs will be used to, as singer Valerie Powley will not be present tonight due to "a prior commitment", as per drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group. Rather than play as a trio a'la in the Jus' Chillin days, they've called in bassist Pierre Anthony's son and former Fluid 5ive bandmate Liam Vaillancourt to fill in for the night! Yes, Vaillancourt is Pierre's real last name, but he's always been billed as Pierre Anthony since Generations formed. Liam is better known to me from his guitar work in bands like Smokehouse, so I couldn't tell you how his vocals are (let alone that he's filling in for a female singer.)
Liam also presently lives out of town, so it is neat to see him back home playing in a band with his dad once again, and it'll be interesting to hear how this one goes! A one nighter due to Shooters' DJ nights on Fridays this year, tonight's concert has a 9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, hopefully all is well with Valerie, and for a preview, here's Generations live!
That is all for this weekend's stacked roster of hard rock and punk concert previews! There's a lot of news and notes to touch on here in the next week, including this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, so stay tuned for all of that starting later today! Thanks everyone!
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