LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, BookcluB, And Headrush), Plus A Monday Concert Preview!!

With a special Monday night concert to preview, let's fill things our with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the summer, so here's what you should know as we kick off May 2025's last work week!

Local alternative/punk sextet BookcluB have announced their "summer series" via this picture on their Facebook page, so when will fans be able to see this supergroup next? In Prince Township on Thursday, June 12th, as they will be kicking off the summer concert series at the Prince Township Pavilion at 3042 Second Line West. Keep this one in mind if you're in Prince or are up for the hour's drive west! This all ages event has a $10 cover charge for attendees over 10 years of age (kids are free) and BookcluB take the stage at 7:00 PM. Two days later on Saturday the 14th, BookcluB will perform at this year's Beerfest Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer, with a musical lineup setting up shop at the Downtown Plaza while attendees buy and sample craft beer at this LopLops-curated outdoor event on Queen Street from 12:00-7:00 PM. We await confirmation of when exactly BookcluB are playing, who else is, and more finer details, so stay tuned!

While listed after their planned Rotaryfest Stage 1 return on Saturday, July 19th (I'm waiting for the full schedule reveal from organizers), they'll also previously return to Thomson Farms Cider & Winery on Sunday, June 22nd to serve as musical entertainment for their teddy bear picnic for a second straight year! Fun excuse to bring the family/kids to the farm to see their operations, enjoy kids entertainment and treats, and teddy bears are welcome! Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and it should start at 1:00 PM once again. BookcluB performed outdoors under a tent last year, so fingers crossed that the weather holds up for all three of these shows! Visit the above links for more on BookcluB's June concert slate!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion for the first time on Saturday, June 28th when they open for Toronto-based Eagles tribute band Hotel California! This has to be the biggest concert yet for Headrush, even if their own sound descriptions pin them as playing "80's music at its finest", whereas The Eagles broke up for the first time in 1980, but they'll cover a lot of bases that way! While The Eagles don't really fit the SMS' coverage (the occasional Don Felder or Joe Walsh song acknowledged), Hotel California will be a familiar tribute band for fans, having played at The Sault Community Theater Center multiple times in the past, most recently in December, and they have been a touring presence in Canada for decades. Fans of classic rock and country rock should have a ball next month, so keep this outdoor-ish show under the big downtown tent in mind!

This is absolutely an all ages show with a 7:00 PM start time, and tickets are on sale at this link for $37.27 apiece. Visit the above links and this SooToday press release for more details on this concert, and don't miss Headrush at The Esquire Club this weekend, previews forthcoming!

Also upcoming on Saturday, June 28th is the return of Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley! The band has yet to publically confirm this booking on social media, but Bay Mills' website's calendar lists the date, complete with this poster advertising it on its own event profile page (the band photo used doesn't include hand drummer Brian Duford, but I wouldn't read anything into that, as that was the casino's call to reuse an older band photo). Project 906 were last seen live in Hessel earlier this month, with their Brimley gig next month being their first at The Back Bay Grill since early April. Hopefully a strong turnout of hard rock fans gives Project 906 a solid reception for their quality rocking covers at Bay Mills next month! As usual for concerts there, this is a 21+ event with a 9:00 PM start time and no cover. See above for more details!

Finally for today, here's a special Monday night concert preview for TONIGHT, as Victoria, British Columbia noise rock duo Pet Retina and drummer Max Patterson's solo project i.o will both return to Sault Ontario, this time at The Art Hub At Spring! This special concert will see the touring bands opening for a local artist, that being outsider folk musician Shae Tull, who is launching her new album "Statues Of Teeth On Every Street Corner" following its digital release in March. Hopefully Shae gets a great response for the new material, and check everything out on Bandcamp! Readers may recall seeing Pet Retina & i.o here just over a year ago when they rocked The March Street Stage (which, like The Art Hub, is technically on Queen Street East), but now they get to take their creative original music indoors, and hopefully old and new fans alike take to the noise rock cacophony ahead tonight!

Promoted by Piecing It Together Shows (née Dryer Fire), this all ages concert has an advertised start time of 7:15 PM on the Facebook event page, and admission is $15 or "pay what you can" (last May's i.o/Pet Retina show was strictly "pay what you can" but remember that it was outdoors and had no local album release attached). The work night scheduling isn't ideal, but it should end early, and it'll definitely be a unique night of talented noise and outsider music, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Pet Retina & i.o live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!