In what is shaping up to be a very cold weekend in the Soo, there are a few venues that you can warm up in with some live hard rock-leaning music! Not the busiest weekend going, but there are new videos from two of the bands in question, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!
Former Eclipse/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will bring his acoustic solo act back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" gig TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, he and the venue only announced this show via their respective Facebook pages this afternoon in the 2:00 PM hour. Curt himself apologized for announcing the show last minute, as "I was just asked today if I could make it". If true, that does take some blame off of The Dive for their lack of a monthly concert calendar, which they haven't posted online in months (though I wish they would put those together again). This will be Curtis' first public gig of 2026, having last rocked Beck's two months ago, and he last played at The Dive in October, albeit a "Patio Play" gig when weather was amenable for that. As such, TONIGHT's show is indoors in "the naughty corner", and hopefully there's a good turnout in spite of the bitter temperatures locally!
TONIGHT'S concert is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Hopefully Curtis' hard and alternative rock covers are a hit in their 2026 debut, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Curt live!
Next up, here's some shows that did have advance notice for this weekend, starting with southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225's return to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the third concert of 2026 from "the dirty three" after a Beck's double header three weeks ago, and their first Water Tower Pub stop since December 6th. As always for this Great Northern Road venue, tomorrow's concert will be "uncorked", as their Beck's Sunday matinee gig earlier this month was, so if you like the softer/more intimate side of Bone Yard, circle tomorrow on your calendars! If you'd rather see the guys in their full electric splendour, you can do so next week at The Esquire Club. Tomorrow's unplugged festivities go down at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and if you're curious, the band playing at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday is classic rock trio The Sidekicks.
Visit the above links for more details on tomorrow's acoustic action, and for a preview, here's a new (albeit plugged-in) video from their Saturday, January 3rd show at Beck's Bar! Now, this was live-streamed to the band's Facebook page, so as per the current guidelines for live-streams, the video will vanish from Facebook in under two weeks unless they convert/re-upload it, but it's a song that we've seen the guys play live multiple times on video in the past (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'"). Laid back but sound rendition of this 1970s rock staple, if shot vertically, so give it a watch below while you can!
Also this weekend, we'll stay in acoustic territory (fitting how many artists are staying "chill" given tomorrow's weather!), as prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for another unplugged matinee concert on SATURDAY! After taking last week off from his long run of Saturday concerts at the Second Line West nightclub (though he was at The Dive last Thursday, Tym will return to his most familiar recent confines on Saturday for lots of classic and hard rock covers, and you can expect strong musicianship and a presentation that belies the one man acoustic format, so don't miss out if you want some early rock action! Saturday's festivities are at 4:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge, and if you can't make it, Tym will be back at Misty's in two weeks. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here he is live!
Finally for this preview post, there is some plugged-in classic/hard rock action this weekend, though it will be a bit of a hike for many, as local quartet Generations will return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Three weeks removed from their late notice debut at the local ski resort's on-site lounge and concert venue (with a Full Throttle Saloon gig sandwiched in between), this Saturday's show should provide a solid opportunity for patrons, skiiers, and fans to check out Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's slate of rock covers, so keep this one-nighter in mind, especially as it had plenty of advance notice this time! As usual, this Kiln stop has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's our first public video look at Generations' current lineup, courtesy of the aforementioned Full Throttle Saloon gig two weeks ago!
Uploaded to the venue's Facebook page (one of many videos of artists playing there in their early months), this sees the band covering the Grand Funk Railroad version of Soul Brothers Six's "Some Kind Of Wonderful" with drummer Tony Santoro on lead vocals. Alas, this was also shot vertically, but the filmer did let us get more of an interior view of the former Primavera Hall, and the cover is sound and will appeal to Grand Funk fans! New guitarist Joe Miller fits in fine here, but I know there are songs that would better demonstrate his talent levels. Give it a watch below, and don't miss Generations at The Kiln on Saturday!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!
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