LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), More Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

Here's weekend concert preview post #2 for this busy weekend in the Twin Saults and area! Along with previously known gigs, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and new videos from two of the local bands in question, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished will return to The Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the casino's Facebook page on Wednesday, confirming that their schedule of bands at their new-ish acoustic-leaning lounge are indeed going beyond August. SATURDAY'S concert will be Tarnished's first at Bay Mills in two weeks (albeit a one-nighter due to the new karaoke nights there on Fridays), but they have played since in both St. Ignace and downstate in Cheboygan, reportedly playing on a pirate ship in Mullett Lake this past Saturday. For the life of me, I can't find details on this event (even though it wasn't local, I'd have at least mentioned it here had someone said more), but hopefully it was a swashbuckling good time! Like Tarnished's summer shows at The Lakeside Lounge, SATURDAY's gig will be in acoustic two-man-band form.

As such, don't look for Chris & Ron, who only play their electric gigs, but they should be present for Tarnished's St. Ignace show next weekend. This concert is a 21+ affair at 8:00 PM on SATURDAY with no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a video of Alex & Josh at The Lakeside Lounge back in June! Quietly uploaded to Bay Mills' Facebook page during the show, the vertical video sees half of Tarnished covering Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry" for 26 seconds. Interesting choice that doesn't really suit their background beyond Tarnished leaning to the 1980s covers lately, but Alex's singing is an improvement to me, so check out this new unplugged video from Bay Mills Resort & Casino below!

Next up, let's head north to Ontario, but an hour east of the Soo to Bruce Mines, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will be the featured band for day #1 of this year's Central Algoma Exhibition (a.k.a. the Bruce Mines Fall Fair) TOMORROW NIGHT! Two nights removed from their special midweek Beck's gig with Spencer Pine, "the dirty three" will close out the opening night of the fair, playing immediately after the demolition derby at 6:30 PM, so a start time is not known (the intent may be so you have to see the derby prior). The bulk of the exhibition activities are on Saturday and Sunday, including a classic rock/country-leaning concert on Saturday featuring Sault Ste. Marie cover bands Sunday & The Broken Hearts, Whiskey Hippy, Out & Out Country, The Cloud Bandits, and Evinrude(?!), so be sure to visit the fair's Facebook page's AI-generated posters and schedules for the full itinerary and non-musical event listings.

Tomorrow's Bone Yard show (complete with on-site beer garden and food vendors) will have a $10 gate fee for admission to the fair/demolition derby, but the concert will have a separate $30 ticket price. This may seem steep, but included is admission to Saturday's concert, so keep that in mind! Fun little change of pace for Greg, Alex, and Warren, so if you're up for the drive east for the car smashing action, you'll get some southern fried hard rock as the nightcap! See above for much more on the Bruce Mines Fall Fair, and here's your local 225 live (videos with Spencer are coming soon!)

Now back in Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton-based Led Zeppelin tribute band Led By Zeppelin will make their local debut on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Sault Community Theatre Centre! This show comes exactly eight weeks to the day from a different Led Zeppelin tribute band (London's Zed) serving as the featured headliners at Rotaryfest Stage 1, so Zeppelin fans will get a quality encore if so desired! I'm not one to compare tribute bands against each other, and Led By Zeppelin have a handicap in this regard, as the members don't attempt to dress like Robert, Jimmy, John Paul, or John. Musically, they nail the Zeppelin sound well, so don't miss out what should be a fun concert for classic hard rock fans on Saturday! All of the action goes down at White Pines Collegiate's on-site theater on Saturday night at 8:00 PM, and tickets are on sale for $61.02 (adults), $49.72 (seniors 65+ and students 16-25), and $27.12 (kids 15 and under).

Most center section seats have sold in the first eight rows, but left/right section seats and further back seats in the center are still readily available. The price point compared to Rotaryfest (free) will be a concern for many, but the former Kiwanis Theatre is a fancier, high quality indoor venue, so keep that in mind. Buy tickets online at this link, at the door, or at the Station Mall box office, see above for more details, and here's Led By Zeppelin live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent gigs at Reggie's Place, this will be Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's first stop at the Bay Street casino in over a month. This veteran group should have lots of entertaining classic and hard rock covers in store, so don't miss out if this is up your alley on Saturday! Gateway Casino gigs are all Saturday nighters at 8:00 PM regardless of band, with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of them live at Reggie's late last month! This was filmed by prolific local concert attendee and supporter Audrey Marshall for her personal Facebook page, with half of the band sharing it separately to their Facebook group afterwards.

The 64 seconds long video sees Generations covering "Your Daddy Don't Know" by the early 1980s Canadian hard rock band Toronto. Solid choice that definitely suits Valerie's vocal range, and it's a good, lively performance, though I do wish Audrey had filmed for longer than 64 seconds. Give it a watch below, and look for much more from Generations on Saturday!

That's all for now, but we'll conclude our weekend concert previews with Nate's Chow and Tym Morrison next! Thanks everyone!

Prince Fest, Tarnished, And The Nameless Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's mow through most of the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews today, by looking at Saturday-only Sault Ontario gigs as well as hard rock shows in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, which is where we're leading off, so here's what you should know on this Friday morning! Previews of tomorrow's Bone Yard show and frontman Greg Simpson's Sunday matinee gig will be in our next news post.

Local classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished will return to Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at their new(?) Lakeside Lounge! The last scheduled concerts of any kind for their summer slate there (as per this calendar), Tarnished confirmed on their Facebook page that these will be acoustic concerts featuring just singer/guitarist Alex Traynor and guitarist Josh Fair. This goes in line with the Lakeside Lounge's live music schedule, which has only scheduled solo artists and duos. We'll let you know when they return to the stage fully plugged in with Chris and Ron in tow, let alone with Isaac in Crush! You can enjoy their hard rocking acoustic covers this weekend in Brimley at 8:00 PM both nights with 21+ age limits and no cover, but for unclear reasons, Saturday's show is a half length affair ending at 10:00 PM rather than midnight. See above for more details, and here's Alex & Josh live!

Next up, local hard rock quartet The Nameless are advertised to rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen locally at the finale of the Hell To Paradise motorcycle rally elsewhere at the Soo Kewadin last month (with a road trip to Republic in the interim), The Nameless are getting their maiden bookings at The Rapids Lounge just in time, as it is closing this fall in advance of heavy renovations and the construction of a new sports bar opening at the Sault Ste. Marie branch next year. Bands are scheduled through at least the end of September, but of course, we'll let you know if The Rapids Lounge survives past then or closes early (for what it's worth, the band has not posted on their Facebook page in over two weeks). Assuming everything is a go, the hard rock cover action is at 9:00 PM tonight and tomorrow with 21+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details, and here's The Nameless live!

Now north to Sault Ontario, but 20 minutes down Second Line West, as the first annual Prince Fest takes place TOMORROW! To be held at the corner of Second Line and Airport Road in the baseball field adjacent to co-promoters DeMarco's Boots & Saddles Roadhouse, this festival is being well hyped across multiple AI-generated posters on social media, with vendors, family activities, food & drinks, kids entertainment, and on-site baseball and basketball tournaments, so be sure to visit the DeMarco's Facebook page for full non-musical details! The musical portion will be headlined at 9:00 PM by Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer, who have played here multiple times since the SMS launched (including at the former Soo Blaster three years ago), so it will be good to see their faithful and entertaining take on Kiss' classic catalogue again tomorrow night! Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will play the middle set at 7:00 PM.

Capping off their busy weekend of three shows in three days, hopefully Dustin & Mikey have a solid audience west of the Soo tomorrow evening! Frequently seen Boots & Saddles performer Mike Robitaille will kick off the music with an acoustic country set at 5:00 PM, and both local openers are blocked for two hours apiece. While Prince Fest is an all ages event beginning at 12:00 PM, organizers have clarified that only the first five hours have free admission. The three musical acts will have a separate ticketed admission of $35, which is up $15 from Destroyer's show here in 2023, but remember that that wasn't part of a festival. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for 19-23° temperatures during the band portion of Prince Fest and mostly cloudy skies, plus a slight chance of rain early in Destroyer's set. Keep tabs with your preferred weather forecasts for potential updates. It will be mostly cloudy in the afternoon too with a high of 24°.

Should be a fun time if you're out east or are up for a drive (if not quite as nice for sky conditions as The Northern Vibe Festival will get 90 minutes east), and between Destroyer's well known take on Kiss' hit singles, Dos Amigos' unplugged punk covers, and Mike's own talents, music fans will have a little something to like regardless of genre preference! Visit the above links for much more on what to expect outside of the Boots & Saddles on Sunday, and here's Destroyer live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard/Greg Simpson previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225!!)

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced new concerts for September and October, as per their website's calendar, so where will fans be able to see them next? We'll get into their "uncorked" show on Thursday during our next round of concert previews due to the proximity of the event, as the band did not publically confirm their involvement early enough for us to plug it without being considered "short notice". We already knew about their August 29th show at The Water Tower Pub, and we'll address the band playing there on Friday, August 28th in an upcoming post this week if able, given the ongoing backlog clearout here. The first brand new show will be on Friday, September 11th, when your local 225 will kick off the fall season by headlining the annual Bruce Mines Fall Fair (a.k.a. Central Algoma Exhibition)! Technically, this is the first time that we have covered an SMS-amenable band playing at this event.

However, classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks were among the opening bands for last year's Saturday concert headlined by The Luxury. Apologies for missing that, but remember, I didn't know that they leaned towards hard rock last fall. This year, the band aspect of the Fall Fair an hour southeast of the Soo (basically on the edge of our coverage range going east on Highway 17) will allegedly include a Saturday concert again, even though I cannot find public confirmation of who yet, but Bone Yard will be performing right after the annual demolition derby on the opening Friday night program. If you like seeing cars get smashed up, let alone Bone Yard's hard rocking sound, keep this in mind! Bone Yard's concert and the demolition derby will both take place at the Bruce Mines Fairgrounds at Highway 638 in Bruce Mines, and the only start time given is for the derby at 7:00 PM (implying that they'd prefer if you come for that too and stay for the band.)

This is all ages, but there will be a beer garden on-site, and while admission is $10 for a day pass and $25 for the three day festivities (kids 12 and under are free), the concert tickets specifically are $30, but will include admission to the Saturday concert, whoever is playing. Despite the costs, it sounds like a fun day, so visit the above links for more details, including all of the other family activities at the Bruce Mines Fall Fair in four weeks! Two weeks after this trip east, Bone Yard will also hit the highway (albeit just 20 minutes away) to Echo Bay for a special "End Of Summer Bash" at the Elks Lodge #535 there on Saturday, September 26th! While this really isn't summer anymore by then, the southward equinox is earlier that week, so the shoe fits in that way.  We haven't covered an Echo Bay concert on here since Soundcheck played a couple of shows there in 2024, but alas, I missed one.

As it turns out, Soundcheck played at their slo-pitch tournament again on June 27th of this year, as confirmed via this AI-generated poster on the Echo Bay Elks Lodge's Facebook page. It's tougher to catch some Soundcheck bookings when they update their social media so scarcely, but apologies again, and I hope the guys had a good time and crowd in June! I don't know if there's an official reason for Bone Yard 225's booking next month beyond the end of summer, but hopefully they rock the lodge well and have a strong turnout! The Elks Lodge is located at 96 Church Street off of Highway 17B (that's the old highway.) That concert has an 8:00 PM start time, no stated age limit, and an admission fee of $15 (contact the names on the Facebook event page if you want advance tickets). In terms of typical nightclub gigs in the Soo, Bone Yard 225 will play a rare double header weekend at Beck's Bar in early October!

The former will be a regular nighttime show (their first plugged-in public concert in the Soo in two months) on Saturday, October 3rd at 9:00 PM and the latter will be an "uncorked" matinee on Sunday, October 4th at 3:00 PM. Finally, fresh off of their "uncorked" gig at The Water Tower Pub in two weeks, they will return there for another acoustic show on Friday, October 9th, which will take place on the Thanksgiving long weekend. As always, they exclusively play here "uncorked", so keep Greg, Alex, and Warren's softer side in mind for this upcoming one-nighter, which is 19+ at 9:00 PM with no cover. Busy times ahead for Bone Yard 225 as they round out their summer calendar and enter the autumn, so visit the above links for more on the southern fried hard rock action ahead! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, Tarnished, And The Nameless) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

An extremely eventful and busy weekend of hard rock concerts is in store for the Twin Saults and area this weekend, so much so that I might have to break our previews into three posts! For now, this post is 100% devoted to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P., including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, two on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know to start the weekend!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, I was aware of these shows for a few weeks now after being announced on Kewadin's entertainment page, but they got lost in the shuffle in a very busy month (not helped by the glut of new-to-the-EUP touring bands playing there this summer that I covered initially). Last seen at the Soo Kewadin in May when they were late replacements for The Louie Longoria Band, these will be another good chance to see Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's 1980s-leaning hard rock covers all weekend long, so don't miss out if this is up your alley! No word on if SATURDAY'S booking is why their sister band Crush aren't defending their title at the second annual Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands in Brimley or not though.

As usual for Kewadin lounges, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are 21+ affairs at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charges.  If you can't make their next two shows in St. Ignace, then don't miss out on Tarnished here TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, let's head to Rudyard, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will return to Huck's Pub & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but in a new confirmation, they will also return to the annual Government Bay Barge Bash in nearby Cedarville on Saturday, August 1st! The #summerof906 marches on first tomorrow with a show timed with the annual Summerfest in Rudyard, and while this isn't an official Summerfest event, there should be a good crowd at the former Joe's Bar for Project 906 (or "906 Band", as it were) rocking out tomorrow! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in Saturday's Private Drive concert, and it goes down at 8:00 PM on Friday with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. While we're on the subject, let's discuss the aforementioned Government Bay Barge Bash one week from Saturday, which will again see Project 906 in Cedarville for quite a unique outdoor concert on the local summer calendar!

Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian have played this event many times, which is quite literally named, as the bash takes place on a barge in the water off the coast of Government Island near Bumpas on East Hodeck Street in Cedarville, and attendees are more than welcome to swim or boat over to the stage! 906 and Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore are both returning from last year's Barge Bash, while The Haske Brothers (formerly of Oddfellow fame) will replace The Mark Bowen Band as the third band this year, though of course, Jason Haske was in Mark's band last year. Project 906 are this year's headliners, with their set likely beginning on August 1st at around 5:00 PM, with the Shipheads playing a mid-afternoon set likely around 2:30 PM or so, and The Haske Brothers kicking things off at 12:00 PM  This is a fun event for those in and around the Les Cheneaux Islands, so keep it in mind, especially if you love being out on/in the water!

The Barge Bash is a FREE & ALL AGES event, and remember to please drink responsibly if you are so inclined here, especially given the nature of the concert being literally held on the bay. Visit the above links for more details on the Barge Bash and tomorrow's Huck's show in Rudyard, with lots of hard rocking covers in store from this talented local band at both events, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live! 

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will serve as the musical entertainment at the third annual American Legion Riders' Hell To Paradise motorcycle rally on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for erroneously noting when this was first announced that they'd be at The Rapids Lounge (Tarnished are there, obviously), the band has since confirmed that they'll actually be playing in The Dreammakers Theatre, so the ending banquet will be well staged! The two-day Hell To Paradise rally will see bikers drive north from Stockbridge to the Soo (15 minutes west of Hell & an hour+ east of Paradise respectively) to support awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health, as those battling depression can feel lost between Hell and Paradise. Click here for full details and how you can support the cause!

The Nameless will be rocking out after a buffet dinner and awards ceremony, and as best as I can tell, you do not have to pay a dedicated admission fee or buy dinner to see the concert, which will be 21+ at 8:00 PM. If you'd rather see them in normal concert confines, Kewadin's entertainment page confirms that their previously teased Kewadin dates (lounge then unclear) will indeed be at The Rapids Lounge on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th, so consider those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS too! Same ground rules as Tarnished this weekend. Visit the above links for more on Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie's Kewadin gigs of any scale ahead, and for a preview of the Hell To Paradise afterparty, here are The Nameless live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for previews of Sault Ontario concerts and the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished & Separate Wayz) And Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's the (relative) calm before the storm that is Rotaryfest weekend next week, as this weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews is much quieter by comparison! Still too many shows for one post, so Saturday's previously announced Quite Frankly concert will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to kick off this weekend, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE, and an apology for a missed concert last week!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz (and/or their sister band Soundcheck) will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Separate Wayz first announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday. Now, Jay's Facebook page has an AI generated poster crediting the shows to Soundcheck, a contradictory plug that I have surprisingly never seen since Soundcheck relaunched with a 75% identical lineup. I'm inclined to believe Separate Wayz' own promotion, but at the same time, could Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe be on hand too for another "epic crossover" weekend, or even just a smaller guest spot? Be at Jay's TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT to find out! If truly Separate Wayz-led gigs, these will be their first since rocking Reggie's last month, and their first standalone bookings at Jay's this year.

Hopefully there's a solid crowd TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits, and if this is of note, Jay's now serves Slush Puppies! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's just the second public video from Separate Wayz' Facebook page (at least it's not a "Story"!). This 13 seconds-long clip appears to come from their Reggie's show on June 13th, and features Travis on guitar despite those gigs not being advertised as "epic crossover" dates. He, Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Johnny were filmed here covering Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket", and what we hear sounds good, but look for much longer full performances from Separate Wayz (and Soundcheck?) this weekend!

Next up, let's head across the border to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to Kingston Kitchen on SATURDAY NIGHT, with two more Saturday nighters booked there on August 15th and September 19th! Again, apologies for the short notice on SATURDAY's concert, it was only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Monday. As you may recall, Tarnished debuted at the 250 South State Street Jamaican restaurant last year during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend in St. Ignace, and while unsaid in Kingston Kitchen's promotion, that appears to be the raison d'etre for the September 2026 booking. THIS SATURDAY'S and next month's shows appear to be just standard concerts, and clearly Tarnished's Kingston Kitchen debut went well last year for them to come back thrice this year! Remember, there's more going on in St. Ignace than just the casino, as Tarnished have proved umpteen times lately.

In two more new confirmations, Tarnished will end the summer with shows at The Back Bay Grill & Games Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th, so if you want some hard rock action a little closer to the Soo at our other regional casino, keep these shows in mind! They were announced via this batch Facebook event page for all Lakeside Lounge concerts for the next two months. All five dates (THIS SATURDAY at Kingston Kitchen included) are at 8:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details across the board, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live!

Now back to Sault Ontario briefly for a show that had lots of advance notice, as local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third show in the past week TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! Fresh off of his second Mike Case Memorial Stage show of the year yesterday (I believe the rain held off too), this is the third and last show (so far) for Tym at The Dive, as per his batch Facebook event page for shows there. While The Dive has hosted Thursday acts on their outdoor patio on occasion (including Old Roads last week), their AI generated poster confirms that tonight's "Think It Over Thursday" concert will be indoors in "The Naughty Corner". While we're on the subject, I wanted to apologize for missing a show of Tym's last week, as he debuted at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats this past Friday, in a solo concert that he never publically corroborated on social media, just on his personal account.

While Desbarats (40 minutes southeast of the Soo) only typically comes up on the SMS when referencing CASS, it is good to see a venue there hosting live music on occasion, though I do wish Tym would have said something about that gig, as I'd have happily plugged it had I known about it. Apologies again regardless! Tonight's Dive show (despite Tym's event page listing it as a matinee) takes place at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

We'll close this post by looking at more touring rock band action in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, but unlike the three bands debuting at Kewadin Casinos in the coming weeks, the band playing TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin is quite familiar, namely Traverse City classic metal trio Peril! While not newly promoted on the band's Facebook page, this weekend's shows are confirmed on their summer calendar seen here, and mark their first EUP shows since rocking the St. Ignace branch two weeks ago. Jeff and crew (whether in Peril or their sister band Scarkazm) are not advertised to return to either Kewadin branch, so unless you go see them at the Music In The Park series in St. Ignace, these are your last chances to rock out with either band north of the Mackinac Bridge this summer, so hopefully they have lots of fun covers in store!

As usual for Peril's shows at Kewadin lounges, tomorrow and Saturday night's concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Jeff, Howard, and Brooks' concerts in the Soo this weekend, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Quite Frankly preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished) Plus The Peril And Stones & Crows Concert Previews!!

This packed slate of hard rock concert previews marches on with a second Thursday post, this time looking at SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P., more Michigan concert action related to a big ongoing event this weekend, and a Sault Ontario debut concert, but let's head to Mackinac County to kick things off! Our previews of announced hard rock shows in Sault Ontario on Saturday will be in our next post.

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished will return to St. Ignace for a second straight year of St. Ignace Car Show-timed live music on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, these two(!) shows were first announced on the band's Facebook page. Last year, Tarnished played at The Driftwood Sports Bar during this annual event, but they will actually be playing two shows elsewhere, and they appear to be linked to the car show proper for show #1, a matinee gig from 2:00-5:00 PM outdoors at McGregor Lot, a parking lot behind the former Shell station at 200 South State Street (some vendors from the car show will be set up there, but the actual car show is spread out through town). After things wrap up in St. Ignace, Alex & Josh will disembark from Chris and Ron, taking the 45 minute drive north to Brimley for a rare acoustic duo concert at Bay Mills Resort & Casino that night!

This show will reportedly be in the "Lakeside Lounge", which has been given as the name for their location of their concerts and karaoke nights this month rather than the Back Bay Grill & Games. "Your perfect up north retreat" finished renovations and expansions in January, and it does seem like they're shifting concerts to the new lounge (all of which have been acoustic, for what it's worth) at least for the summer. Hopefully things go well for half of Tarnished there on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Lakeside Lounge show in Brimley is a 21+ affair at 8:00 PM, the car show matinee in St. Ignace is all ages, and neither has an announced cover charge, though click here for full details on what to expect at the car show. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 74° (23° Celsius), so for an outdoor concert, you can't ask for much nicer summer weather than that!

I wish Tarnished had announced their two gigs on SATURDAY with more advance notice, especially with the hype around the St. Ignace Car Show's 50th anniversary, but hopefully this talented hard rock group (in full form in the afternoon or unplugged in Brimley) have a solid pair of concerts with attendances to match! Visit the above links for more details on both, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live and unplugged a few years ago!

Next up, there's one more familiar hard rock cover band rocking the St. Ignace Car Show weekend, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Peril haven't hyped up the car show angle in their own promotion, but Jeff, Howard, and Brooks landed two key timeslots at the casino, as Kewadin hosted and sponsored the cruise night tonight and will be hosting the after-party on Saturday, so it is somewhat of a hub for official events outside of showing/driving the classic cars. If you're not into the car show or would prefer to stay closer to the Soo, they'll be back at The Rapids Lounge in two weeks, but Peril should get a sizable crowd for both of this weekend's gigs, and hopefully their hard hitting and crowd friendly covers go over as well as ever! These are 21+ shows at 9:00 PM with no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where new local southern hard rock trio Stones & Crows will make their live concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's Bar! This new band features Jupiter Marvelous guitarist/ex-Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine (a.k.a. "Bukky VanZant"), Floor Between Us bassist Nicholas Gingras ("Nikki Crow"), and Riverside Stasis/ex-HeadFirst drummer Anthony Boudreau ("Tony Stone"), which is definitely a promising lineup! Stones & Crows have not yet posted public media of them performing in any capacity, but they claim to "hit with a modern hard rock sound rooted in blues & grit", which sure sounds like an extension of Electric Church to me, and it will be good to see Spencer fronting a live band again! Remember, when Beck's does book live bands on Fridays, it's never the band playing the Saturday nightcap, and we'll preview Bone Yard 225's show there on Saturday in our next post.

Just to clarify something, I am aware that Spencer is the owner of local internet radio network Tomahawk 141, and I'd love to talk about it on here, but since I belatedly discovered it (when Stones & Crows launched), the rock/blues station has never worked for me. If Spencer gets it back online, I'll let you know! Tomorrow's Beck's concert will see them "rock the night" and "all night long" (assuming that the night only runs from 9:00 PM-1:00 AM), this is a 19+ event, and there's no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for our Bone Yard, Generations, and A.S.D.P. previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadF1rst & The Nameless) And New Year's Eve Concert Previews!!

In what will likely be our last normal post of 2025 (our annual "year-in-review" post is likely coming tomorrow), here's previews of tomorrow's known hard rock New Year's Eve concerts, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE! Just a reminder first though that Tym Morrison's planned Eagles Club show tomorrow was cancelled. Also, you may have seen reference on social media to a New Year's bash featuring The Apocalypse Afterparty, A.D.S.P., The Spaceship Opening, and Gimiiwan Ikwe, but that is a private event without a publically given address. Inquire with performers if that piques your interest though! Now, let's lead off with our New Year's Eve previews in Michigan!

Local hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will end 2025 in style by making their debut at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley TOMORROW NIGHT for their New Year's Eve party! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig via their Facebook page yesterday, and Bay Mills never acknowledged a New Year's concert on their website's calendar, though head there to see what other seasonal activities are happening there. Last seen on stage at The Merch on December 12th, TOMORROW's concert will be quite a way for Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie to make their first ever Brimley stop, and while no festive frills are hyped on the band's end, hopefully this will be the heaviest way for E.U.P. rock fans to ring in 2026 with! Owing to the New Year's timing, this show has an unusually late start time of 10:00 PM, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's The Nameless live!

Next up, let's take a brief detour from New Year's concerts for a new show announcement for 2026, as Sault Ontario hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will play their... first show of the year at Beck's Bar on Saturday, January 10th! If this show is a surprise to you, I'm not surprised, as it was quietly tucked in their most recent Facebook page posting from this past Saturday, which was primarily to show off photos of them at the same venue back in June. You have to click "See more" to see the show announcement, and while they never did come back for "round 2" in this calendar year, the guys (and Claire) will return next weekend! This will be their first concert anywhere since rocking Shooters on December 6th. HeadF1rst's hard rocking brand of originals and covers will be on display next Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and Beck's should confirm things on their end on Monday!

Now let's head back to New Year's Eve concert previews, and while the mid-week timing of December 31st this year has stunted some concert booking potential, Thursday is a day off, and there are a couple more hard rock concerts in Sault Ontario to take in TOMORROW. Arguably the bigger of the two goes down in the east end, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will end the year in style by headlining the New Year's party at The Moose Lodge tomorrow night! A very rare SMS-amenable booking at the Trunk Road hall, this will be Bone Yard's first show in almost two weeks, and they should be in fine form to send 2025 out on a high note! Along with music from "the dirty three", there will be a pasta dinner and cash bar included, along with other seasonal frills, so mind all that given that tickets cost $50 at The Moose Lodge or via e-mail at lodge535@shaw.ca.

The band's own cache of tickets is sold out, and of course, you can chance paying at the door if this all interests you. If you'd rather see your local 225 with no cover, they'll be back next month with multiple bar gigs that we will be elaborating on here shortly. Doors open at 6:00 PM with the pasta dinner beginning at 7:00 PM, and Bone Yard take the stage at 9:00 PM. If you want the full shebang for your New Year's festivities, then head down to The Moose Lodge tomorrow night to ring in 2026 in hard rocking style! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for TOMORROW NIGHT (and 2025), local hard rock cover quartet Half Past will end the year when they headline the New Year's Eve party at the aforementioned Beck's Bar! Playing their first concert since rocking the same venue in early October, this will cap off what was an eventful first full year back for Half Past after their decade+ breakup, and hopefully their brand of modern-leaning "hard rock (that) you'll actually feel" proves to be the right soundtrack for many to ring in 2026 with! In terms of seasonal frills, Beck's is promising drink specials tomorrow, and while I'm not one to go into massive details on the food offerings and menus at bars here, this is the first Beck's concert that we have covered since they struck a deal for the Matt’s Grill BBQ & Catering food truck to park on the premises daily from 5:00 PM-1:00 AM. Keep that in mind if getting a meal or some unofficial hors d'oeuvres for the New Year is of note! Here is the menu if you are curious. 

Unlike at The Moose Lodge, the New Year's Eve party at Beck's has no cover charge or tickets, but this remains a 19+ event with the band beginning at 9:00 PM, and note that the former Vibe Lounge will remain open until 3:00 AM, one hour later than normal. Hopefully there's a strong turnout at Beck's for their first New Year's bash, let alone Half Past's modern hard rock proficiency, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Half Past live at Beck's! 

That's all for now, but if all goes according to plan, stay tuned for our 2025 "year-in-review" post on the SMS next, with normal weekend concert previews to follow! Thanks everyone!

Sault Michigan Hard Rock Concert Video Showcase!!

Let's tackle some recent videos from bands from or playing in Sault Michigan in today's post, and we'll start with long awaited public videos from the Night Ranger-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino on October 3rd! In the immediate aftermath, videos weren't quick to surface online, but the ever-prolific Christopher Paci was in attendance for this one, and he finally uploaded his videos from the show to his extensive YouTube channel on Friday. No word why these took a month (let alone if he was across for the Trixter show), but better late than never! Chris filmed twelve videos at the show, nine coming from the headlining San Francisco hair metal quintet's set, where they played "(You Can Still) Rock In America", "Sentimental Street", "The Secret Of My Success", a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", their own self-titled song, a cover of bassist Jack Blades' old band Damn Yankees' "High Enough", ...

..."When You Close Your Eyes", "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", and as embedded below, "Sister Christian". While definitely not in the center section and filming from a sharp vantage point, Chris is by no means far from the action, and he zooms in well to capture Night Ranger's return to the Soo! This version of their biggest hit is extended to 8+ minutes, and while the vocals are a little quavery at points (the heavier songs from this show come across better), fans are definitely into it! Note that drummer Kelly Keagy plays live with his kit sideways, so you can see him actually drumming from a straight-on angle (not unlike Stryper). Good stuff, so check out Night Ranger's new Kewadin videos above & below!

Next up, Chris also filmed three videos of opening Santa Monica glam rock duo Nelson, who performed acoustic sets on this tour. Matthew & Gunnar were filmed at the Soo Kewadin playing "After The Rain", "(Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection", and as embedded below, "Two Heads Are Better Than One" (which they co-wrote for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure but was credited to the band name Power Tool). A hard rock band touring in acoustic mode only isn't unheard of for The Dreammaker's Theatre (i.e. Godsmack, Mr. Big), and while there will be a bit of an adjustment, their vocals have held up well over the years, and a reserved performance is well captured for audio with this camera, so give these a watch also!

Let's shift focus to local bands for this post's second half, starting with newly publicized videos from last month's third annual Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands! When I recapped the battle results on the site, I noted that local hard rock/punk band About:Blank's short-handed acoustic set has a video filmed that was uploaded to personal Facebook accounts, and was thusly not shared here because of that. Well, the guys uploaded it (and two more videos) to their Facebook page last week! The video that I knew was uploaded privately saw Parker & Kade (no Nathan) playing their new original "Unfazed", and it is embedded below, but the two other videos saw them play "Infest My Mind" and "Run & Hide". Parker & Kade are really dwarfed as an unplugged duo on the cavernous Arts Center stage, so much so that I won't even complain that these videos are vertical, because everything's in frame!

Effectively, the lack of electric instruments and Nathan made this a reprise of Parker's solo set from last year's battle, just now with percussion, but the songs on offer here are promising, and I do like the grungier ambiance to "Unfazed" that would be well suited to their full presentation. Check everything out above & below, and stay tuned for more from About:Blank!

If you were hoping to see Nathan Webber, good news, as we're closing with videos of his hard rock cover band Exit 808's "Fright Night On The Bay" post-Halloween concert at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley, with eleven videos from that gig now uploaded to guest singer Molly Escherich's Facebook page! Most have Molly taking over for Amy Beach on vocals, with her and Dillion Semasky splitting or alternating vocals on covers of Eminem & Rihanna's "The Monster", Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" (also filmed by a second camera), AC/DC's "TNT", Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box" (which was also filmed twice), Volbeat's "A Monster's Hand", Green Day's "Brain Stew", and Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy". Molly & Amy joined forces to cover Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Love Rock & Roll" and Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)".

Lineup wise, new addition Brad Pringle plays bass on all of these songs aside from "T.N.T.", which had Blaze Beairl on the four strings (I'm to assume he played more often on songs that Molly wasn't singing on). As well, "The Monster" had a costumed guest guitarist in place of Nathan, who waved glowsticks and rocked out from the audience. No definitive word on who he was, but Exit 808 did tease that Project 906's Joe Jenkins would be a guest performer too on this night. Because Dillion's mad scientist costume was still on at that point, I'll embed the Lit cover here, but there's a lot of fun performances on offer, and Molly's developing vocal talents and stage presence are always welcomed! Give these a watch above & below!

That's all for not, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Three Days Grace) & Exit 808 Updates!!

No, I didn't forget the big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT from yesterday morning, so here's what you should know about that, as well as some updates from a local band's recent Halloween gig!

Norwood, Ontario hard rock quintet Three Days Grace will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday, April 28th at GFL Memorial Gardens! Announced yesterday morning as part of the band's world tour in support of their new album "Alienation", this will be Three Days Grace's first appearance in the Soo since headlining at what was then the Essar Centre in December 2009, and third total after debuting at the downtown arena in January 2008. Of course, in that sixteen year gap since we last saw them, singer Adam Gontier left the band and was replaced by bassist Brad Walst's brother Matt, only for Adam to return full time last year with Matt sticking around, giving 3DG two frontmen. We never saw Three Days Grace with Matt Walst as the sole singer here, but they kept on racking up rock radio hits with him like "Painkiller", "The Mountain", and "So Called Life", so how will they sound with Adam singing too?

This won't be Matt's first time performing in the area though, as he fronted his old band My Darkest Days (of "Porn Star Dancing" fame) at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in April 2012, while Adam fronted his own band Saint Asonia at The Dreammakers Theatre in February of last year, shortly before he rejoined Three Days Grace. No matter which singer/era of the band you prefer, it's awesome to see Three Days Grace coming back to the Gardens, especially with current hits like "Mayday" and "Apologies" in their back pocket, so don't miss out in five months' time! Joining them for most of the Canadian leg of the tour is Burlington alt-hard rock quintet Finger Eleven, in their first local concert appearance since opening for I Mother Earth at The Machine Shop back in April 2018, and their (at least) fifth total here, each one at a different venue. Since we last saw them, they just released their new album "Last Night On Earth".

Fans can expect a set full of classics like "Paralyzer", "One Thing", and "Good Times" in Finger Eleven's return to the Soo after eight years, so don't bypass them either! Edmonton hard rock quartet Royal Tusk will make their local debut as the opening act in April, and they have been building decent momentum with their radio-friendly brand of metal originals like "Aftermath" and "First Time" (no relation to the Finger Eleven song of the same name), and they should set things off on the right foot in the spring! No word on whether Rock 101 or 104.3 The Fox will be the presenting radio sponsor for this Live Nation concert, but both local rock stations have announced ticket giveaway contests. Public on-sale tickets go live at the in-person box office or online at this link on Friday at 10:00 AM, and tickets will start at $55 with VIP packages also being available. This will absolutely be an all ages concert, and a 7:00 PM start time is advertised.

Tuesday nighter or not, this will be a huge concert for local hard rock fans, and even if Three Days Grace were coming solo, the sixteen+ year wait alone (and all of the hits they've released since) will ensure a strong reception in twenty-four weeks' time! Visit the above links for much more on Three Days Grace and Finger Eleven's show at the Gardens next year, and get your tickets A.S.A.P., as they are guaranteed to move quick!

Let's close today with some new updates from Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808, starting with the clarification on their Facebook page that bassist Blaze Beairl was definitely at their Halloween weekend "Fright Night On The Bay" concert at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on November 1st. While not seen in videos from the event, they did share pictures featuring him in costume as a rapper, and as it turns out, he was trading off with new band member Brad Pringle throughout the night. Whether the two will juggle/alternate bass indefinitely or if Blaze will hop on other instruments in the future, I don't know, but as the band said, "(we) love our teenagers on stage!". Of note, singer Dillion Semasky appeared to have a mad scientist costume for part of the night but he did not have the coat on in the videos. Speaking of which, we have a new video to share with Blaze on bass, so what should you know there?

Uploaded to their Facebook page on Friday, this Brad and Amy-less cover of AC/DC's "T.N.T." also features guest singer Molly Escherich (as the other two videos did), and has her and Dillion trading verses. Filmed from a strong horizontal angle (if only for 39 seconds), this cover is well handled with the two singers adapting well without cloning Bon's vocal style! No word on how bar patrons were reacting to game 7 of the World Series, but if any Sault Ontarians were in attendance, I feel your pain! Check out Exit 808's AC/DC cover below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!