LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, The Sidekicks, And TNT) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Not the busiest weekend going for SMS-amenable concerts, possibly because Halloween weekend is more of a focus, but there's still enough shows this weekend to warrant two weekend concert preview posts. As such, we'll look at Saturday night's Customer Service and Who Made Who shows tomorrow, as well as Tym Morrison's Sunday matinee. Tonight's post focuses on a big multi-band show in the EUP and SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so let's lead off on the Canadian side of the border!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover duo TNT (Soundcheck's Terry Eaton and Travis Sharpe) will return to Beck's Bar for a matinee concert on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, Beck's only announced the show in their weekly entertainment schedule post on Wednesday (two days late due to ownership's work on the Misty's Fifties renovations). Regardless, TNT still don't have a known public social media account to promote their gigs with. Trav n' Terry last rocked Beck's two weeks ago for the Thanksgiving long weekend (you may have seen "Stories" on Facebook from that gig). If you like Soundcheck and don't hate unplugged covers, then you will enjoy what TNT bring to the table! No word on if cajon player Rusty Barrel will join them on SATURDAY, but he is (at least) a frequent guest, and he was supplying percussion two weeks ago, as seen in the aforementioned "Stories".

SATURDAY'S matinee concert is at 3:00 PM running until 7:00 PM, it is a 19+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. No public/permanent and embeddable videos of Terry n' Trav(is) yet, but visit the above links for more on this show, and we'll let you know if more comes out on TNT!

Next up, who is playing at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT? Local classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks, and they'll also be rocking The Water Tower Pub for their Halloween party on Saturday, October 31st! Again, apologies for the short notice on THIS SATURDAY's concert, it was announced by Beck's when they announced the TNT matinee. Speaking of which, Travis & Terry welcomed Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre into Soundcheck not too long ago, so could there be any crossovers between the two bands at any point on SATURDAY? Fans last saw Dan, Tracey, and Steve together as the closing band at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in July (they are not seen on the weekend nightclub circuit as regularly as many other bands), with SATURDAY'S concert being their first at a standard indoor venue since May. As for next weekend, The Water Tower Pub's Halloween party will be 1980s themed, which will be right up the alley of many concergoers.

The Sidekicks do play their fair share of 1980s covers, and while the AI-generated rendering of the band likely won't represent their 100% attire, costumes referencing the decade are encouraged! There is also a teased costume contest (or "prizes", at least). THIS SATURDAY's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM (TNT aren't "opening" for them, there's a two hour gap between bands), the Water Tower Pub Halloween bash is at 8:00 PM, and both events are 19+ with no cover. Get more details on both events at the above links, and for a preview of THIS SATURDAY's concert, here's The Sidekicks live!

Let's head to Michigan for the back half of the post, and we'll next take the hour's drive west to Eckerman, where local hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will return to the stage at The Strongs Tavern on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, both the band and venue only announced this show via different AI-generated posters on their respective Facebook pages on Tuesday. After a quieter-than-usual #summerof906, the guys will be playing their first publically advertised gig since the Barge Bash in Cedarville in early August, and their first concert at The Strongs Tavern in four months. Good to see Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian back at it, and this could be a good warm-up gig for their Halloween party in Rudyard next week! The Strongs Tavern doesn't book the same band on back to back nights, though note that Friday's 5:00 PM concert from Will Springsteen wouldn't conflict.

SATURDAY'S concert will take place at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Project 906's entertaining mix of hard rock covers should go over well at one of their favourite venues, so don't miss out on the action in Eckerman on SATURDAY, and here they are live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll head back east to Sault Ste. Marie, where the latest multi-band concert in the basement of Pizza Hut goes down TOMORROW NIGHT! Promoted once again by Serious Business, this show will unite three touring acts from points south and west, including headlining Detroit experimental/progressive duo MRKT, who will keep with the promoters' eclectic multi-genre tastes for sure. The other two out-of-town bands are no strangers to the EUP, including Marquette art punk duo Bimbo (who headlined a prior Pizza Hut show in May) and Muskegon punk trio Violet Scum, who you may recall from a Pickles Bar & Grill show in Brimley last year before Serious Business shows largely moved to the Soo proper. Your local openers are punk duo About:Blank, just two days after frontman Parker Talentino competed at the LSSU Battle of the Bands (fallout coming soon).

Parker & Kade were openers at both of Bimbo and Violet Fuse's past local dates, so they're ideal to call on for this show! Tomorrow's festivities at 2255 Ashmun Street will have a $15 door charge, a 7:00 PM start time, and an 18+ age limit. Hopefully there's a sizable turnout of punk fans at the Hut for this concert, and kudos to Brighton and crew for bringing these touring multi-band shows to the area! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bimbo live (gotta love the lo-fi VHS 4:3 aesthetic!)

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The T.R.I.P.) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we finish off this weekend's hard rock concert previews, just a heads up that a celebration of life for former Rising Tide/Wild Turkeys bassist Marshall Jaaskelainen will be held tomorrow night at The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co. at 6:00 PM. The brewery announced this on their Facebook page yesterday, and members of Marshall's family had announced it on personal social media accounts prior. The event will have an open mic aspect where friends, family, and bandmates can talk about Marshall and/or play music in his honour, though as far as I can tell, there are no formally scheduled bands. Of course, kudos to Northern Superior for hosting this, and given Marshall's talents and nature, I'm sure it will be packed tomorrow night to pay tribute to him. As of this writing, an obituary or details of further services have not been publically released, and we will let you know if/when they are. R.I.P. Marshall!

Today's post otherwise caps off this weekend's known and advertised hard rock concert previews in the area, and we'll start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as sporadically seen acoustic classic/hard rock cover band The T.R.I.P. will reportedly be performing at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via personal Facebook postings this week, though note that The Water Tower Pub's October schedule (since yanked off of their Facebook page) originally had TOMORROW as being a Beej Syrette solo concert. As you may recall, The T.R.I.P. (no word on what the acronym means) started as a side project for cousins & then-Double Down bandmates Joel & Beej Syrette, though after that band abruptly disbanded in March, The T.R.I.P. returned for a Beck's Bar gig last month, now with bassist Dan Beaupre joining them.

Now, this show conflicts with Soundcheck's short notice gig TOMORROW NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub (Dan joined them in August). He is listed by name in personal postings referencing TOMORROW'S T.R.I.P. concert, but where will he be? I'll clarify if something comes out! Regardless, if you've missed Double Down over the past seven months, keep this gig in mind, even if it's unplugged and sans Ric! Remember, The Water Tower Pub doesn't host the same band on back to back nights, and classic rock veterans 46th Parallel are playing there tonight. TOMORROW's show is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and no T.R.I.P. videos yet!

Also this weekend are local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations' newest concerts, which will see them rock Reggie's Place TOMORROW NIGHT! They were originally advertised to be playing tonight too, but the band confirmed that they are not playing tonight due to "certain circumstances", as per their Facebook group. As such, their defunct predecessors Jus' Chillin will perform instead with guest guitarist Michael Yurich. Usually, a Jus' Chillin reunion is prompted by Valerie being unavailable, but if Mike is sitting in, maybe Joe is absent (too)? The post said nothing about tomorrow night, so hopefully the status quo returns then. Here's hoping that there's a good turnout downtown regardless! Tomorrow's show is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, guitarist Joe Miller has shared two new videos of them live onto their Facebook group! Both see them covering Pat Benatar songs at their most recent Water Tower Pub show, one being "Heartbreaker", which was originally filmed by attendee Kyle McGinnis.

Sadly, that one is vertical and only 93 seconds long, but it's a strong performance that lets Valerie let loose on vocals! Embedded below is the slightly longer (and horizontal!) video of Generations covering "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which Joe shared from his own personal Facebook page. Not as challenging of a song for Valerie's range, but a classic rock staple that they know well, and despite the venue's extremely blue lighting, this video is well shot and framed. Give these a look above and below, and don't miss Generations at Reggie's Place tomorrow!

We'll close this weekend's hard rock concert previews in Sault Michigan, where local punk/alternative duo About:Blank will play a rare headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Merchant's Bar! The second of at least three gigs (private and public alike) for Parker and Kade this month, this will be their first public show in the Soo since their acoustic matinee outside of Moloney's Alley in June. Coming less than a week before they open for Bimbo at Pizza Hut (no word yet on if they're in the LSSU Battle of the Bands on Thursday), hopefully the guys tear things up at The Merch, where fittingly, they will have new merch for sale! Tomorrow's concert is a short one, running from 10:00 PM until midnight, so no openers and no stuffing four sets with covers.This is a 21+ concert with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's About:Blank live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (PetFest & Bimbo), Plus The Sale Of Misty's Fifties!!

Let's try to quell a new backlog of stories that's growing around here, via two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming weeks, plus news on a familiar local nightclub changing hands, so here's what you should know!

The next multi-band concert at the Pizza Hut in Sault Michigan will go down on Friday, October 23rd! Just one day removed from this year's LSSU Battle of the Bands (auditions close on Sunday), this Serious Business-promoted concert will actually feature three touring bands, two of which have been in the EUP in the past. Your headliners here are Detroit experimental/prog rock duo MRKT, while also making the trip to the Soo in two & a half weeks are Marquette art punk duo Bimbo (who headlined at Pizza Hut in May), and Muskegon "weirdo punk" trio Violet Scum, who you may remember headlining at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in May of last year. There's a lot of eclectic sounds from these three bands, so do check them all out for a sampler of what to expect! Local punk duo About:Blank (who opened for both Bimbo and Violet Scum's prior shows in the EUP) will kick off the evening.

Parker & Kade will be less than a week removed from their headlining show at The Merch, and hopefully they keep their recent momentum up well here! This 18+ concert has a 7:00 PM start time, and admission will be $15, identical to the Bimbo show in May. Looks like another intriguing concert on Ashmun Street ahead, so if you're in the EUP or are able & willing to cross the border, don't bypass this action! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, a huge fundraiser concert will take place at Blaster Powerhouse in Sault Ontario on Saturday, November 21st named PetFest! As the name may suggest, this event will be in support of The Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society, with 100% of proceeds going there, so if you wanna help animals in need and the work that goes into their care and adoption, consider coming out! Based on band stature, I'm assuming that the lineup listed on the poster and Facebook event page is the planned running order top-to-bottom and left-to-right, so if that is true, death metal veterans Eden Plague (the former Bear Hunters) are headlining in a rare appearance at the former Soo Blaster. Expect some "life metal" from these brutal local mainstays next month! Sporadically seen alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will co-headline in their second show of the year, and if you know anything about frontman Chris Nielsen's day job, you'll know that they'll be on board with a pet charity concert like this!

Also scheduled next month are hard/blues rock trio Stones & Crows, alt-hard rock quartet The Reeves, blues rock musician (and mayoral candidate!) Josh "The Preacher" McNally & his Jackleg Band, new local pop punk/emo band Homeroom Hero in just their second concert (interesting seeing Larry sharing a bill with A Dire Setback for the first time since he left that band), and talented young hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe. The show will be opened by former Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci, who is actually promoting this concert, so kudos to him for supporting a great organization and cause like this! Andrew has been slowly re-acclimating into the live scene in mid-late 2026, as fans who recall his wildfire smoke-cancelled open mic appearance at Rotaryfest will be aware, but how does his modern acoustic solo set sound? Find out next month! PetFest takes place eight days before this year's Toystock, in case you were wondering.

Tickets for this all ages event will be $20, and are on sale at this link and presumably at Blaster Powerhouse (no idea if Andrew or the bands can hook you up, or if at-the-door admission will stay at $20). The concert begins at 4:00 PM and will run until midnight, but I don't know if every act gets an hour's timeslot to perform, set up, and tear down, or if there will be variable set times. This looks like a great time and great value for fans of active local bands, especially original ones, so visit the above links for more details!

Finally, here's some big news for fans of a local venue or two, as Beck's Bar owner Becky Sawyer has bought a second local nightclub, namely Misty's Fifties! The news was announced in this SooToday article by Brandon Walker last week. A reason for Lori selling the 658 Second Line West nightclub after 33 years was not announced, but Becky used to work there, and spoke positively of the memories behind the bar there. Of course, she has done a very strong job with the former Vibe Lounge in the past year+, and Beck's is just a 3 minute drive from Misty's straight down Goulais Avenue, so oversight of the two bars should be simple enough. Misty's Facebook page was last updated on September 1st, and Becky has signalled "that there are some amazing changes coming". One appears to be new signage at the building proper, as that was recently taken down (not the proper street sign yet.)

Misty's will be closed "for a few weeks" for the revamp, renovations, and some training, but Becky vows to honour the history of the bar since it opened in the 1990s. SMS readers will best know Misty's from frequent matinee concerts from Tym Morrison and, most recently, TNT, but its size has left it more amenable to acoustic acts (nothing that I was aware of was scheduled there during the renovations). Will that continue? What all is and isn't changing beyond the signage? We'll let you know when the bar reopens, but visit the above links for more details, best of luck to Lori in what's coming next, and stay tuned for more news and notes shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Headrush & About:Blank) And The End Of The Sault Star In Print!!

Before we get into today's news post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Canadian hard rock icon Sass Jordan, who passed away on Friday at the age of 65. Sass had cancelled a number of concerts since last month due to a serious medical issue, and is survived by her husband, former Guess Who frontman Derek Sharp and their daughter, among other extended family. Born in England as Sarah Jordan and later raised in Montreal, Sass broke through on Canadian radio and on MuchMusic with her debut album "Tell Somebody" in 1988, and became a major hitmaker in the early-mid 1990s with songs like "Make You A Believer", "High Road Easy", and "Sun's Gonna Rise". She also made a new generation of fans in the 2000s as a judge on all six seasons of Canadian Idol on CTV. Sass had played multiple shows here in the 1990s, including at least once at The Eastgate Hotel.

Her final local concert appearance was when she opened for Kim Mitchell on night #2 of the Bell Border Jam at Runway Park in August 2008, which is her only local date that is well documented online. Sass Jordan's accessible bluesy take on hard rock helped her win a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989 and further nominations, and she will be missed by many fans and friends. Visit your preferred music and news websites for more information. R.I.P. Sass!

Today's post otherwise features big news from local news and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll actually start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock/punk duo About:Blank will play a rare headlining concert on Saturday, October 17th at The Merchant's Bar! The band announced the show on their Facebook page on Friday, and it will mark their first public date since the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands in Brimley in July. Parker & Kade did acknowledge playing at the Highland Clan Motorcycle Club's East Coast Fall Fling in the Soo yesterday, but in researching HCMC events, they are all at a private location that you have to inquire within about if not already a member. The club has brought in other local hard rock bands like Tarnished and The Nameless for recent events too, and photos can be seen on their Facebook group, but despite public acknowledgements, they were not fully public concerts.

It will be good to see About:Blank back on a fully public stage in just under two weeks as part of a busy month for them (more on their other show this month soon), and note that they will have new merchandise on sale here. Yes, new merch at The Merch! This concert has an oddly short 2 hour run time starting at 10:00 PM, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and we should have more from them next week!

Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for another entry in what will be a packed Halloween weekend for concertgoers, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will open for local/Toronto pop rock cover veterans The Killer Hooks at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on Saturday, October 31st! Entitled "Fright Night At The Museum", this special event will mark the first hometown appearance from The Killer Hooks (led by former Gsis Murphy frontman Tony Marcello) since headlining a video dance party at Blaster Powerhouse in April. This show too will see them break out their video dance party format, which will be a fun multimedia experience to go along with a talented live band, and they do have occasional hard rock covers! Headrush will be two weeks removed from their next gigs at The Esquire Club, and their heavier 1980s-leaning covers should set the right tone on Halloween night as their fall schedule begins taking shape!

Presumably on a similar scale to this summer's Cory Marks show in the hangar, expect "goolish (sic) times" and "killer music" along with a costume contest, with prizes going to the best individual and group costumes. Sadly, this will be a 19+ event, doors open at 8:00 PM, Crank Sound Distribution will reportedly be on hand, and tickets cost $35 (up $10 from The Killer Hooks' April show here, but that didn't have Halloween frills). Tickets are on sale at this link, at the Bushplane Museum, or at sponsors Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site Tap Room. This will be another strong contender to your Halloween schedule, so visit the Facebook event page for more details!

Finally for today, this doesn't bear directly on our coverage, but it was announced last week at The Sault Star and its sister newspapers in Northern Ontario will end print operations at the end of October. In this CBC article, it's noted The Sault Star's parent company Postmedia is transitioning to a digital-only distribution format for their news outlets here and in Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Elliot Lake, and Espanola, while the Cochrane Times-Post will end operations outright. No local jobs will be lost, as the paper was being printed in North Bay, where its printing press is closing and will see those cuts. Affected markets will still get a once-a-week newspaper, namely Northern News This Week, which will feature curated articles from Northeastern Ontario communities, but I have read conflicting reports on if it will be free like the former Sault This Week or only to paid subscribers. Stay tuned to the newly redesigned Sault Star website for updates.

The closest print newspaper after this will be The Sault Evening News in Sault Michigan, while St. Joseph Island still prints the weekly (if small) Island Clippings. The slow decline of The Sault Star to an ever-thinner three days-a-week publication was a hint that this was coming, alas, but The Sault Star lives on as a digital news outlet up against SooToday, and in our coverage of relevant Sault Star articles, I never assumed that they were print-only anyway. As long as we have effective local journalism for years to come, but it will be strange to not have the paper of old when we want it. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

The 2026 Superior Whitefish Festival Battle Of The Bands Review!!

It's been way too long since I've made the point of crossing the border to see and review a concert in Sault Michigan or the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and with last night harbouring the second annual Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands, that seemed like as good a reason as any! I made the half hour drive southwest to Brimley (nice country drive there), and for context, the festival was set up not far down the road from Bay Mills Resort & Casino, and you also passed Pickles Bar & Grill en route. While I didn't take part in the bulk of the non-concert festivities, the layout by the Riverview Park & Campground saw food trucks, vendors, and tents bordering an open area for games and activities to take place. Like last year, bands performed under a large white tent that had room for some attendees to be under in case of inclement weather, though many were happy to sit and watch outside.

Skies were cloudy and overcast all evening, but there was zero precipitation, and temperatures were reasonable. The battle format saw bands play 45 minute sets with 15 minutes for teardown and setup, and all got a "one song left" warning from the sound guys (there was no dedicated battle MC, but there were PA announcements regarding festival events, last call for whitefish meals and drink sales, and the battle awards). The battle was judged, but there was no announcement made concerning judging criteria or who was on the judges panel. Good crowd of people too, and there was a real community/family aspect to who stuck around all night!

The opening set at 7:00 PM went to local southern rock/country duo Blood, Sweat, and Beers, who were playing their first show in 2½ years last night. This is the old/new band from former Fake Chow/Unfortunate Sun singer Skip Parish, who was joined on guitar by his brother Stephen, and their set definitely leaned away from the rock covers from Skip's recent band work. The all-covers set saw them tackle songs by Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Mellencamp, Deana Carter, The Eagles, Zach Bryan, Eddie Rabbitt, Post Malone, and Steve Earle. I'm not a big southern rock or country guy (let alone The Eagles), and I do think Skip's vocal range suits rock more, but the Parish brothers had a good sound going and a fun camaraderie! I especially liked Stephen's stage presence, coming off amusingly aloof and oblivious to the setlist and what was happening. Nice and casual southern fried unplugged set to lead off!

Second up last night was local punk/hard rock duo About:Blank, who were the only band present with any substantial inclusion of original songs, playing nine of their own tracks here, including "Shedding Skin", "Tread On", "Peaches", and "Run & Hide". A mix of familiar and unfamiliar acts were covered also, including Adult Books, Green Day, Turnstile, and The Orwells. I did see Parker Talentino solo at the LSSU Battle of the Bands in 2024, but in a full band setup (current duo lineup acknowledged), About:Blank delivered a set that had a lot of nods to early 1990s grunge with punk and hardcore influences, including some screaming for effect. He and drummer Kade DesArmo paired well for a chaotic but well composed batch of songs, including when Parker switched to bass for their closer "Unheard" (with its very "Barracuda"-ish riff). Good stuff, and hopefully we hear more from About:Blank before long!

The third band last night was reunited local classic/pop rock cover quartet The Whole Shabang, with singer Candy Fultz and her husband Lawrence (on guitar) back alongside bassist Mitchell Willis. On drums here was Mark Livermore, who was recently seen in The Chris Barker Band. Playing their own first show in two years, The Whole Shabang covered songs by Trick Pony, The Neon Trees, Robert Palmer, Billy Joel, Elle King, The Cranberries, Aretha Franklin, Radiohead, and Gretchen Wilson, for a set that really was a jack of all trades range of covers (dare I say, "the whole shabang"?). There was a hang-up when they restarted "Respect" after Candy got her foot caught in the microphone cord, but they had a fun and lively sound with everyone performing well, and lots of dancers hit the front of the stage, which is quite welcomed! You'd never guess they'd been inactive for as long as they were!

Closing the battle past sunset were The 8th Fire, who are the new local hard rock band from Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich alongside her former Other Guys bandmate Jackie Moon (ex-Exit 808) on drums, plus Proiect 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins on guitar. We'll have more on them in an upcoming post, but they look to be more than just a short term band made for a battle, as there are 8th Fire t-shirts! No word on what the first seven fires were though. Molly actually kicked off the set with an original country song about a perfect boat day with her dad, but the full-band songs were all covers, where they tackled Redbone, The Doobie Brothers, Green Day, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Judas Priest, and Ozzy Osbourne. Joe even took over lead vocals for a cover of Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome", and killed it on guitar, especially on "Mr. Crowley" (including playing behind his head at one point!) If only we had gotten that Project 1327 crossover!

Molly has improved vocally since I last saw her in person at the 2024 LSSU Battle, and while some songs were still out of her range, she adjusted well (and remember, she is fourteen years old). Jackie drummed well with enthusiasm, and Molly's bass work was strong, though Joe did break a guitar string late in "Billie Jean". Not a bad debut set at all, and hopefully we hear more from The 8th Fire before Molly heads back to Interlochen!

After judges' deliberations, the PA announcer revealed the winners of the battle, and the $1,000 first place prize went to.... The Whole Shabang! The 8th Fire debuted with a $750 second place finish, while About:Blank won $500 for third place, and Blood, Sweat, and Beers claimed $250 in fourth place (so everyone got something for showing up). The Whole Shabang also earned the right to play a bonus set (or as the announcer called it, a "jam sesh") in the 11:00 PM hour, but I didn't stay for that, owing to a combo of depleting camera batteries and the half hour drive back to Sault Ontario. I don't know what the judges criteria amounted to for the battle proper, but the order did fall in line with who had the biggest and fullest live band presentations, not to mention the crowd engagement levels. I will say that I don't think originality was supremely high as a criterion for the judges, as About:Blank would have ran away with that.

Still, this was a triumphant return gig for The Whole Shabang (they look ready to play regular shows again instantly), and kudos to everyone for an entertaining night of live music! No word on if the LSSU Battle will return for year #4 this fall or not, we'll keep you posted, but I do need to come across to the EUP for more concerts already! You can check out our photos from last night at this link or at our Facebook page, and here's Blood, Sweat, And Beers covering Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason", About:Blank playing "Dilletante", The Whole Shabang covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" (with flute!), and The 8th Fire covering Hole's "Malibu"!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for much more on the SMS this week, feature posts and regular news posts alike! Thanks everyone!

The 2 Stoned Crows In The River Concert Preview, New Videos, And More!!

Before I kick off this post, I wanted to apologize for two missed concerts for coverage on the SMS in this busy month. The most recent is an apparent gig by local punk/alternative cover sextet BookcluB at Peace Restaurant at 250 Queen Street East this past Friday, a show implied to be on their outdoor patio based on the Facebook "Stories" promoting it (the only way the band even acknowledged it on social media; Peace never said a thing). The possibility exists that this was a private event, but if it was public, I do apologize, but I can't cover something that no one announces in a permanently sharable way! The other show was a bonus Mike Case Memorial Stage concert for Tym Morrison, who played outside of The Trading Post on Friday, July 10th, as per this Facebook event page separate from his every-Wednesday summer concert arrangement there.

Alas, this would be easy to miss given that the only distinguishing characteristic of the event page compared to his batch one for the Wednesday shows is the date, especially as a Friday show is far more amenable for concert-goers, but the event page went up with less than 3 hours to go before showtime, so it was extremely late notice anyway. Was he a last minute fill-in for someone else? Still, I do apologize, but Tym will be back there on Wednesday! Now, here's one more weekend concert preview to cap off this beyond stacked run on the SMS and some new videos from both sides of the border as we start playing catch-up!

In the last show of this final full concert weekend of July 2026, an all-local concert named "2 Stoned Crows In The River" goes down TONIGHT at Blaster Powerhouse! Promoted by Underground Events SSM, this show is so named because of two bands each with "Stone" and "River" in their names, with a "Crows" reference for good measure. In presented band order on the Facebook event page, tonight's bands (all relatively newer ones to the local scene) include indie/southern rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools, alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis (in their final gig with outgoing rhythm guitarist Liam Dinsmore), "diamond rock" quartet/Doo & The Boyos spinoff Stones At The Alter, and blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows. Not a bad lineup of rising local talent, and in many cases, familiar faces in new projects! Of course, props to Anthony Boudreau (a.k.a. Tony Stone) for drumming with both Stones & Crows and Riverside Stasis tonight too.

This is an all ages show as usual for the former Soo Blaster, it has a projected 7:00-10:00 PM runtime (just as well on a work/school night), and admission is a flat $15 at the door with no advance tickets. Whether you saw The River Fools and Stones & Crows at Rotaryfest Stage 2 last week or not, there's a lot to like from this mix of bands tonight, and while Eli's new band isn't as hard rock leaning as their fellow performers, don't bypass their talented original sound either! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, best of luck to Liam in his swan song with Riverside Stasis, and here they are live!

We'll close today with new videos, and we'll start with the first public video (that I am aware of) from yesterday's ARCH Run outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub, specifically of local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe's closing set! This was uploaded to drummer Chase Chapman's mom Jodi's Facebook page before being shared publically to the band's Facebook page, and sees them covering Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy". I don't think this song suits Jayce's vocal range, especially with how low the original's are, but it's well covered overall! Bands again played on a flatbed trailer, and a tent was put up there as well, but I believe they mostly dodged rain despite cloudy overcast skies all day. Alas, while the video was shot in horizontal landscape mode, it was uploaded into vertical letterboxed dimensions, making it tiny, and I'll never understand how that keeps happening. Check out the new 5 Dollar Bribe video below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan punk/hard rock duo About:Blank's Facebook page from two weeks ago! Remember, Jon appears to have been just a guest bassist in their video from last month. This video sees Parker and Kade playing a new original song named "Pollution", which notably starts off with a 30 second clip where Parker expresses his frustration with pollution and they agree to write (and immediately perform) a song on the idea. A surf punk-inspired number that has a "Crocodile Rock"-ish vocal melody at points, it's a fun song, but this clearly isn't an ideal setup in terms of capturing the audio, as the guitar is extremely muffled. Not badly performed all the same, so give it a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile and CD review before the month is up! Thanks everyone!

The Superior Whitefish Festival Battle Of The Bands Preview!!

Next up as we wind down this weekend's concert previews is a road trip 20 minutes southwest to Brimley, Michigan, where the second annual Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands goes down TOMORROW NIGHT! I completely missed last year's for coverage on here until after the fact, and I'm not letting year #2 slip past me, especially as this is shaping up to be another intriguing event! As you may recall, the Superior Whitefish Festival returned after a decade+ hiatus last year, and they had a battle of the bands to help end the festivities, which was won by Tarnished's then-new and all-original spinoff band Crush. While five acts played last year, only four are doing so tomorrow night, but the prizes are still the same, with a whopping $1,000 going to the first place band, as well as the right to play an encore set at night's end! Second-fourth place will receive $750, $500, and $250 apiece, meaning that everyone gets $250 to just show up. That's not a raw deal!

The Superior Whitefish Festival is brought to you again by the Bay Mills Indian Community, and honours the importance of whitefish in Anishinaabe communities. It will feature whitefish meals alongside with local vendors, family entertainment, competitions, and cultural displays, so visit the official Facebook event page and the host links for non-musical details. Everything goes down tomorrow at 12099 West Lakeshore Drive (near the Riverview Park & Campground), and if the battle is staged similarly to last year, there will be a large tent for bands to play under with space for attendees. Unusually compared to other local battles (even compared to last year) is that competing bands have one hour timeslots, and while I have not seen confirmation as to whether a judges panel, an audience vote, or another method determines the winners, you will have ample time to assess!

The Bay Mills Indians Community Tribal Chairperson Facebook group has a schedule of all events posted, confirming set times for tomorrow's battle, including that the opening band at 7:00 PM will be Blood, Sweat, And Beers, who are a revival of former Fake Chow/Unfortunate Sun frontman Skip Parish's old band with his brother Stephen. They get sporadic mentions on personal Facebook postings, and played occasional shows in Brimley and Hulbert Township in 2024 and 2025, the former being acoustic. Will that be the form that they take tomorrow evening? The 8:00 PM set belongs to local punk/hard rock band About:Blank, who played at the pre-battle Music In The Park concert at the Whitefish Festival last year, and were competitors at last fall's Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands. Recent promotion on their Facebook page indicates that they will play tomorrow night as a duo.

They never did confirm Jon Stone by name as a permanent band member, so the video of him playing with Parker & Kade must have been on a guest basis. Regardless, will About:Blank keep up their recent live momentum? Reunited local cover rock band The Whole Shabang will play their first show in almost two years as the 9:00 PM band, and while not familiar from our coverage, their lineup at least used to feature Stoned Ape Evolution alum John Napoletano, while Candace Fultz was their lead singer. Infrequently seen on the stage as recently as 2024, what do they play, and do they indeed provide "the whole shabang"? Find out tomorrow! Last up at 10:00 PM is Dafter singer/guitarist and Interlochen Academy student Molly Escherich, who you may recall fronting The Other Guys to victory in 2024's LSSU Battle and also competing in last year's Superior Whitefish Battle. Molly will be fronting a new band named The 8th Fire tomorrow though.

The 8th Fire actually have a Facebook page (something that The Other Guys never had), which implies that we'll be seeing Molly and them again, but who all is in the band, what do they play, and do they hew close to the hard rock-leaning stuff that Molly has played in full band settings previously? And Molly is just fourteen years old, but plays at a level well beyond her age, so don't sleep on them tomorrow night! Note that I read on personal Facebook shares that local folk musician Kevin Blakeney wanted to sign up to compete again this year, but organizers opted to exclusively host full bands this year (he and Kaleb "NDN Summer" Shannon played solo sets in last year's battle, where Kaleb finished in second with Kevin in fourth). If you're curious, the day opens with the acoustic-leaning Music In The Park concert, which includes veteran duo Whistle & Fish at 5:00 PM, Seth Haske at 4:00 PM, ...

...Molly Escherich solo at 3:00 PM, Mark Bowen at 2:00 PM, and "Family Band" (credited to "Christian P" in the schedule) at 1:00 PM. I am not seeing anything about an admission fee for the Whitefish Festival, but it is absolutely an all ages event, and it is expected to end at midnight, given that the battle winners will be playing a bonus set at 11:00 PM. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies turning into rain by Molly's set, so hopefully the tent is big and well covered just in case! Temperatures for the battle will be 66-73° tomorrow evening (19-23° Celsius). This battle looks well formatted with great prizes again, and it still amazes me that the EUP is eating Sault Ontario's lunch in terms of actually hosting battles successfully in the 2020s, so best of luck to all four bands tomorrow night, visit the above links for full details on the Superior Whitefish Festival, and we'll let you know when results come out! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (5 Dollar Bribe & The Superior Whitefish Festival Battle Of The Bands!!)

We have a lot of stuff to get to on the SMS this month (July is our busiest month every year), so today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS of distinction, one on each side of the border, but we'll first head to Michigan for a returning battle of the bands later this month!

Local punk/hard rock trio About:Blank will be among the competitors at the second annual Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands on Saturday, July 25th in Brimley! As you may recall, this community festival returned after a decade's hiatus last year, with two distinct music events being held for 2025, including a "Music In The Park" concert and a battle of the bands. An official performer lineup for the former has yet to be announced, but it and the returning battle of the bands will take place again at the festival's stomping grounds opposite the Riverview Park & Campground at 12084 West Lakeshore Drive. This year's battle of the bands only features four advertised performers, none technically returnees from last year's battle (won by Crush), though About:Blank were Music In The Park performers last year. Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich (on summer break from Interlochen) will also compete in the battle on the 25th, but in what form?

Last year, Molly fronted a variant of her 2024 LSSU Battle-winning live hard rock cover band Molly & The Other Guys, but according to her Facebook page's 2026 summer tour poster, she will be playing with a band named "The 8th Fire" (all of her other listed summer dates are solo acoustic concerts, including a Music In The Park set). No word on who is in The 8th Fire or if Molly & them will play her originals and/or similar covers to The Other Guys, but we'll let you know if we hear anything! Of course, About:Blank (sans then-guitarist Nathan Webber) played an acoustic set at last year's LSSU Battle, but with Jon Stone now on bass, will that help them make the podium a half hour southwest? Two other bands are advertised to be competing, including The Whole Shabang and Blood, Sweat, and Beers. The former name was used by a classic rock cover band that regularly played the former Rudyard Musicians Festival in the late 2010s, but is it the same band?

Note that The Whole Shabang (who did play Brimley concerts in the past) featured John Napoletano from the later masked metal band Stoned Ape Evolution. No word on who Blood, Sweat, and Beers are, but we'll let you know if anything comes out to answer these unanswered questions! Like last year, the Superior Whitefish Battle will award a $1,000 top prize, with $750, $500, and $250 awaiting the second-fourth place bands (and seeing as there's only four acts, everyone basically gets $250 for showing up). The battle is advertised to take place from 7:00 PM-12:00 AM, and About:Blank are reportedly playing from 8:00-9:00 PM with Molly at 10:00 PM, so if bands do have an hour apiece, that's abnormally long for a battle. It is definitely all ages, and if similarly set up to last year, it will be outdoors but with bands performing under a tent. I don't know if the battle will be judged by a fan vote, by an actual judges panel, or via another method.

There are still blanks to fill in re: this battle, but at least I heard about it before it happened this year! It still baffles me to an extent that battles of the bands have been thriving in the E.U.P. in the mid-2020s where Sault Ontario hasn't had any to successfully take place since before the pandemic, but clearly the Whitefish Festival and LSSU (more on year #4 of theirs soon?) have working formulas, and look at the payouts in Brimley again! Stay tuned for more on this battle and potential other music at the Whitefish Festival as the month continues, and visit the above links for more details! 

Finally for this post, we'll head north to Sault Ontario for another intriguing all-locals concert from Underground Events SSM on Saturday, August 1st at Blaster Powerhouse, this time headlined by fast-rising high school hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe! Fresh off of their public multi-band concert debut at Go Skate Day, 5.D.B. will make their first ever appearance at the former Soo Blaster in four weeks, and hopefully they turn some heads with their talents and surprising cover choices! Also playing that night are hardcore punk/crossover thrash trio Hails in their first Blaster show with new guitarist Anthony Orazietti, and their first concert at an event promoted by Mikhal Muto since he left Ha!ls at the end of 2025. Good to see that there's no hard feelings! Veteran punk supergroup The Gambit (née The Sick Sons) will play an extremely rare live concert set on the 1st as well, marking their first live appearance since Rotaryfest Stage 2 in 2024 and only their fourth under this name.

While active as a recording act on Bandcamp last year, it will be good to see The Gambit on stage again! Opening this show are space/hard rock duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring Mikhal's A.S.D.P. bandmate Ralph Barber) in their first show of the year, so look for some interesting original content from him and Andrew to kick off the night! An 8:30 PM start time is advertised for this Civic Holiday long weekend concert, it is all ages, and this will have a flat door charge of $20 with no advance or online ticket sales. Looks like a fun night of punk and hard rock action for new and familiar faces alike, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Fyrbird, And The Nameless), Plus About:Blank Updates!!

Today's post does indeed wrap up our weekend concert previews, but things fell into place for an all-Sault Michigan/EUP post, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and new videos, so here's what you should know!

Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will set up shop at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace TONIGHT, but they will also return there for a special Thursday night concert on June 25th! Both shows were announced on The Driftwood's Facebook page (thankfully with lots of advance notice each), and both line up with special events for vehicle owners in and visiting Mackinac County. As noted yesterday when we previewed Tarnished's shows at the St. Ignace Kewadin, tonight's show takes place during the Bronco The Mac Festival (whether you have a Ford Bronco or not, click here for details), but the Thursday the 25th show coincides with an even bigger institution, namely the 50th annual St. Ignace Car Show Weekend! Kudos to Fyrbird and The Driftwood for jumping in on this too, and there should be a sizeable crowd tonight and on the 25th for Jamie & Rikk's minimalist hard rock covers! The show on the 25th is a nightcap for the cruise night.

Both tonight's and the 25th's are 9:00 PM concerts at The Driftwood with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Unless they've played in our neck of the woods (an hour's drive from Sault Ste. Marie) in an unadvertised gig, we haven't seen Fyrbird locally in around a year, so even with the expected large turnout for both car shows, keep their shows in mind, starting with tonight! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fyrbird live!

Next up, that's not all for hard rock fans in St. Ignace during the Car Show weekend, as Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will reportedly make their Driftwood Sports Bar debut on Friday, June 26th! The venue announced the show via their Facebook page on Sunday, and at press time, the band has yet to corroborate this booking on their own Facebook page. Fans last saw The Nameless at The Merch two weeks ago, but this will be their first show outside of the Soo in 2026, and their first in St. Ignace in two years, believe it or not. Fingers crossed that Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie recruit a strong turnout for this one-nighter on what will be a very busy weekend for St. Ignace at large! This concert will also serve as lead-out entertainment, this time for that evening's Down Memory Lane Parade, and if you're curious, The Driftwood will be hosting DJs on Saturday the 27th.

Like with Fyrbird the previous night, The Nameless take the stage at 9:00 PM on Friday the 26th with no cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, but is that all for the St. Ignace Car Show Weekend in a hard rock context?

Nope, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril have booked The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for shows on Friday & Saturday, June 26th-27th! Like with The Nameless, Peril have not corroborated the booking on social media yet that I have found, but Kewadin's entertainment page confirms that these well travelled Northern Michigan live favourites have snagged the casino's lounge for what should be a busy and lucrative weekend! The guys are no stranger to the conceit of a well timed weekend at this Kewadin branch, as their last St. Ignace shows were in February during the Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championships. Jeff, Howard and Brooks should deliver a fun weekend of rocking classic covers for Car Show participants ans fans alike later this month, so keep these in mind as well! These shows are also at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details!

We'll stay in the E.U.P. to close, via two new videos from Sault Ste. Marie hard rock/punk band About:Blank! On May 4th, the guys shared a clip on their Facebook page of them playing their new song "Dilettante" when they opened for Bimbo in Pizza Hut's basement a few days prior. The 44 seconds-long video sounds promising with a 1990s alt-rock flourish, but the video is fuzzy, Parker completely obscures Kade at this vantage point, and the video was (sadly) uploaded in vertical dimensions with letterboxing despite being horizontal from the off. Embedded below is About:Blank's newest Facebook video, and while it also has a horizontal video forcibly crammed into vertical "Reel" dimensions with major pillarboxing. How does that happen twice in a row? In any event, the video sees the guys jamming their song "What You Wanted", albeit for 48 seconds. The big scoop is that there is a third performer in the clip!

About:Blank have not firmly or publically said if they have finally replaced Nathan Webber in their lineup after four months as a duo, or if this musician is just a guest/fill-in, but based on appearances, this looks like local rock bassist and visual artist Jon Stone (please let me know if I am incorrect). Assuming that they have added him full time, it is good to see About:Blank without a blank in their lineup, and while the tight camera placement doesn't do Kade many favours here either, the guys deliver some good intensity in what we do see, so check it out for yourselves below!

That's all for now, but we'll catch up with recent Sault Ontario news and notes next! Thanks everyone!