Thursday, September 19, 2024

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Curtis McKenzie) & Friday Concert Previews!!

Another busy weekend is upon us, so we'll have to split up our hard rock/punk weekend concert previews into two posts once again. As such, this post will look at shows taking place tonight and tomorrow in some form or fashion, with shows on Saturday only (Stephen Pearcy, Teenage Head, Project 906, and Tym Morrison) being previewed tomorrow, so look for those then! Now, let's lead off this weekend's previews with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced yesterday on both Curt's Facebook page at The Dive's new Facebook page (they deleted their old one and started anew for unannounced reasons), with Curt indicating that he "just got the invitation". TONIGHT's show is effectively a rescheduling of Curtis' once-booked Dive show this past Thursday, which was never publically advertised until he revealed that there was a double-booking, so no harm no foul there! Fans may have last seen him break out his acoustic guitar for sets at the Rowdy Ranchers Horse Show in Laird this past weekend, and while he has yet to post any videos of his 2024 gigs on social media, you can see his full setlists and some photos from the weekend on his Facebook page!

TONIGHT'S indoor concert at the former Low & Slow has an earlier 7:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on what should be a fun night of hard and alternative rock covers, and for a preview, here's Curt live a few years ago!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced yesterday on the band & venue's Facebook pages. These will be Soundcheck's first shows in three weeks, and first at Jay's (members filling in with The Hoovers at the ARCH Run aside) since early July, so if you've missed Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen at this Korah Road staple, be there TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! In fact, the guys (sans Cameron) will dust off their old jam night hosting hats tonight as well, returning to be the house band for the conceit for one night only, so if you want to enjoy the music or join in with ¾ths of Soundcheck, keep tonight's festivities in mind as well! Just a reminder that we don't cover jam or open mic nights as "concerts" on the SMS due to their in-built unpredictability for who performs what on any given block.

Note as well that Soundcheck will reportedly be playing at one more car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road on Sunday, and I will be previewing that in Saturday's news post given that it's further out and so much different from the Jay's shows (incidentally, they played an A&W car show the weekend they last played at Jay's, but at least this one had better online advertising!). You can enjoy Soundcheck's hard rocking and varied covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover, and jam night would be much the same. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Now to two big shows that did have advance notice, starting with a special benefit concert TOMORROW NIGHT called Band Together To Rock Cancer! As you may know, Mustang Heart guitarist Lorenzo Fabbri is battling cancer, so his bandmates are returning to the stage tomorrow at The Tarentorus Sports Club at 56 Avery Road alongside other local cover rock bands to help raise money for his family at this difficult time! Four bands will take the stage at the west end curling rink/events hall tomorrow, including classic/hard rock cover quartets Double Down and Generations, classic rock veterans RPM, and Mustang Heart themselves in their first show of 2024, with Lorenzo's Stages bandmate Sam Spadafora and ex-Double Down guitarist Adam King joining them as special guests. Refreshments and a cash bar will also be available for attendees tomorrow night, and there will be a door prize for attendees & support ticket buyers.

Admission tomorrow night is $20 at the door or via advance tickets available through Mustang Heart members, and support tickets are available for $15 for those who want to help Lorenzo but don't want to/can't attend the concert proper. Doors open at 7:00 PM, and there's no stated age limit. It is great to see four local rock bands join forces to help Lorenzo and his family at a trying time, and hopefully lots of donations and good will are raised at the Tarentorus Club tomorrow! Having lost my mother to cancer, I can absolutely relate. See above for more details, here's Mustang Heart live at Rotaryfest 2022, and get well soon, Lorenzo!

Finally for today's preview post, we'll head to The Whisky Barrel, where Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will play his fifth local headlining date TOMORROW NIGHT! An outlier in multiple ways from the Gore Street nightclub's usual acoustic music fare (The Devil's Sons at month's end acknowledged), this will be B.A.'s first Sault Ste. Marie date since he rocked Outspoken Brewing in August 2023. All of his shows here have been at different venues, so a wide array of audiences have bore witness to his irreverent sense of humour, audience interaction, and punk-infused brand of self deprecating acoustic punk music, and trust me, it's far better to see B.A. Johnston in person than to read some guy's write-up on his live show! Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers will open tomorrow as he continues his ever-busier slate of acoustic gigs away from the band. Hopefully he warms things up well before B.A. hits the stage!

Despite the touring headliner, tomorrow's concert has NO cover charge, it is 19+, and it has an early-ish run time of 8:00-11:00 PM. Bring Hawkins Cheezies at your own discretion, but B.A. does like them! Fans of acoustic rock, especially on the more eclectic and humorous side, won't want to miss tomorrow's action at The Whisky Barrel, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's B.A. live!


That's all for now, but look for more weekend concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

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