LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Labour Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

We have just one weekend left of the true summer season (equinoxes aside) before fall schedules begin and school re-opens, and in a weekend concert preview sense, we're going out quietly after last weekend's packed schedule required five posts to preview all scheduled hard rock and punk concerts in the area! Barring late notice confirmations that could still come, we only need one post this weekend, and there's no festivals or special charity events to take note of on this Labour Day long weekend. Here's what you should know in rough chronological order, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS alongside two of them!

Joining his previously listed Mike Case Memorial Stage gig outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and his matinee on SATURDAY at Misty's Fifties, local classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will conclude(?) his summer arrangements at both venues with concerts next month! Tym has since clarified that his run of outdoor shows at the Mike Case Stage will only run for two final Fridays in September (the 6th and 13th) before the seasonal stage beside the Big Moose Ice Cream Parlour closes for 2024, so despite initially listing shows after then, do not expect him there beyond Friday the 13th! However, the former Nostalgic Band frontman will be back at Misty's on Second Line West for every Saturday in September (the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th). Being indoors, there's no seasonality to worry about there, but Tym has not listed October dates there or hinted at an extended run, so we'll keep you posted if he does return there beyond next month!

Before those six dates, Tym will rock both venues with his classic and hard rock covers tomorrow & Saturday, so keep both in mind for your long weekend entertainment! None of the referenced shows have a cover charge, with Trading Post gigs being at 7:00 PM with no age limit, and Misty's Fifties matinees being at 4:00 PM and 19+. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with 19° temperatures tomorrow evening, and the forecasted thunderstorms should dry up before 7:00. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live last year!

Next up, we'll head to The Water Tower Pub for the first of two hard rock-leaning cover bands to play there this weekend (the venue never hosts the same band on consecutive nights), as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop there TOMORROW NIGHT for another "uncorked" concert! Fresh off of this year's Dragonfly Run on Sunday, tomorrow's one-nighter will see Bone Yard go acoustic for the first time since they last rocked the Great Northern Road nightclub last month, and will be their first of two straight unplugg.... sorry, "uncorked" gigs, preceding a Gateway Casino stop next week. Hopefully this proves to be another entertaining night of stripped down covers from Greg, Alex, and Warren, so keep their return in mind! This show is a 19+ affair with no cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time. It is worth noting that Bone Yard 225 have already confirmed that they'll back for Dragonfly Run III at The Grand Gardens next year as well!

We're way too soon to be listing 2025 concerts on the SMS, but this has been confirmed to return to The Grand Gardens on August 25th on the band's social media and on this YouTube highlight video of bikers leaving for the ARCH benefit rally on Sunday (as best as I can tell, the backing audio is not played by Bone Yard). The Dragonfly Run is a great event for a great cause, so fingers crossed that all goes smoothly for next year! For now, see above for more on their acoustic Water Tower Pub show tomorrow, and for a preview, here's your local 225 live!

As for the band playing at The Water Tower Pub on SATURDAY NIGHT, that would be local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck! Not counting 3/4ths of their lineup's guest turn with The Hoovers at the ARCH Run this past weekend, this will be Soundcheck's first concert since rocking Echo Bay last Friday, and their first show at The Water Tower Pub in two months. Unlike Bone Yard 225, Soundcheck's shows at the Great Northern Road venue are fully electric, so if that is your preference, head down to see the guys' entertaining blend of genres and covers at this familiar central locale on Saturday! Yes, we will have more on their upcoming Esquire Club gigs in a post on the site soon. Like with Bone Yard, the Soundcheck show on Saturday has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on this one-nighter, and here's Soundcheck live!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head downtown to Shooters Downstairs Lounge, where local hard rock quintet HeadFirst are slated to return for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! While the band hasn't freshly plugged this show on social media in the last two months, it is listed on their summer season concert calendar from June, and will be their first show at the Dennis Street nightclub since dropping out of their planned August 17th show there. Assuming that their lack of promotion for Saturday's gig isn't a bad sign, hopefully their hard rocking originals and covers find a solid audience once again at Shooters this weekend! Also, just as minor clarification, the YouTube "Shorts" video of drummer Anthony Boudreau dancing at the ARCH Run in his work clothes was indeed to Bourbon Blue's cover of Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance". They just dubbed in the original song to give it a wider reach.

Thanks to frontman Red Jettison for mentioning that to me, and even letting me see the raw video in Facebook Messenger! A one-nighter due to Shooters' Friday DJ nights this year, Saturday's HeadFirst concert has a 19+ age limit, no cover, and a likely 9:30 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst live (and yes, our review of "Head Trauma" will hit the site on Saturday!)

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Project 906 Concert Previews!!

After a pair of very busy weekends for local hard rock and metal fans in the Twin Saults, things are slightly less hectic to kick off August 2024, as I'll only need two posts to cover this weekend's heavier concerts! To spread things out, I'll hold our previews of this weekend's Tarnished, Half Past, and Curtis McKenzie shows for our next news post hitting the site hopefully by tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! (Updated at 1:07 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has another full month of acoustic solo concerts ahead at his usual seasonal haunts, starting with a show at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and a matinee at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's non-Dive shows, I should have rolled in all of his August dates on the site last month. While we're on the subject, the former Caveman Morrison frontman will bring his unplugged classic and hard rock covers back to The Trading Post (weather permitting) on Friday, August 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, while west end fans will be able to see him on Saturday, August 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st at Misty's! Remember that he only plays at the former venue seasonally, and that arrangement ends for 2024 late next month.

Yes, this weekend's shows fall on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many readers, while the August 30th-31st shows are on the Labour Day long weekend, so if you get either Monday off, keep the scheduling in mind! Note that Tym was originally scheduled to play a "Think It Over Thursday" concert at The Dive Gastro Pub tonight as well, but it was cancelled due to illness, as per the venue's Facebook page earlier today. No word on if Tym's health will impede TOMORROW or SATURDAY's shows, but we'll let you know if we hear anything, and hopefully he feels better soon! TOMORROW'S and this month's Mike Case Stage shows also begin at 7:00, and SATURDAY'S and this month's Misty's matinees are at 4:00 PM. None have a cover charge, and the Misty's Fifties show is presumed to be 19+. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies TOMORROW with temperatures hovering around 25°.

The forecast implies that we're coming out of the humid snap that has hit the Soo hard this week, but it'll still be a warm one for fans seeing Tym out on Great Northern Road TOMORROW, so stay cool and hydrated where possible! Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details on all of Tym's August concerts, and here he is live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan for some live hard rock concerts this weekend, starting with local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906, who have a busy weekend ahead via two outdoor concerts in the E.U.P.! The guys will first head to Pickford TOMORROW NIGHT for an outdoor set at this year's Pickford Hay Days, taking place this week throughout the town, but 906 will be performing at Pickford Township Park at 287 Harold Street #279. Food trucks will be on hand thanks to the Hay Days festival, but there will be a more poignant cause to support as well. Guitarist Joe Jenkins' wife Mary Jo has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and while tomorrow's concert is free, the band is raising money to help support Mary Jo and the family at this difficult time. The Curbside Cravings food truck at Hay Days will also be donating some proceeds to Mary Jo tomorrow.

Having lost my mother to ovarian cancer, I can definitely relate to what Mary Jo and the Jenkins & Croft families are going through right now, so our best support and wishes go out to her during this fight! You can enjoy Project 906's hard rocking covers tomorrow night at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and weather is expected to be similar to Tym Morrison's Sault Ontario show TOMORROW, with sunny-clear weather at 73-80° Fahrenheit (23-27° Celsius). Visit Hay Days' Facebook page for full details on remaining festival events and the official Facebook event page for more on 906's show proper! That's not all for the #summerof906 this weekend though, as Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason(?) will also head to Cedarville for another special outdoor concert on SATURDAY when they join three other bands for this year's Government Bay Barge Bash, literally playing on a barge on the water off the coast of the Les Cheneaux Islands!

Project 906 will literally be rocking Lake Huron just off the coast of Government Island (near Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street) as the second of four bands on Saturday, joining Sugar Island rock quartet Dirty Musky (more on them soon) at 6:00 PM, Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore at 4:00 PM, and veteran pop rockers The Mark Bowen Band at 12:00 PM (906 are at 2:00 PM). For the record, the Barge Bash is not openly tied to any charitable drives for Mary Jo, but I doubt they'd turn away any support there. There's no age limit or cover charge for the Barge Bash, but as it's being held on the water, attendees with boats or a love of the beach/swimming will obviously benefit. As this is outdoors, the current weather forecast is calling for a high of 84° Fahrenheit (29° Celsius) with sunny-clear weather, so very similar to tomorrow in Pickford. If you love the warm summer weather, it should be ideal waterfront conditions then!

Whether you'd prefer to see Project 906 on terra firma in Pickford or in Government Bay surrounded by water and boats, you have some very appealing outdoor options this weekend! Visit the above links for complete details on both of their shows ahead, and for a preview, here they are live!

That's all for now, but we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) Plus The Bone Yard 225 Concert Previews!!

As we end the month of May and enter June 2024, this weekend's hard rock concert previews straddle the transition from month to month. It's not a busy weekend compared to recent weeks, but due to a heap of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (two on SHORT NOTICE) concerning an artist playing this weekend, I have to break up this weekend's previews into two posts. As such, HeadFirst and Rhythm & Brews, plus any further late notice confirmations, will come up in our next post hitting the site either tonight or tomorrow morning, so stay tuned! Now, here's what you should know to start off this weekend (and beyond!)

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has announced a pile of upcoming concerts for the summer season, starting with returns to  The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on both of this weekend's shows, they were only announced on Monday via their respective official Facebook event pages linked here and here. As has become a tradition post-pandemic, Tym will bring his acoustic rock show back to The Mike Case Stage this summer now that it's open for the summer, but this year, the arrangement will see him play there every Friday at 7:00 PM through the end of September! No breaks or unbooked Fridays this year, so keep Tym's shows at 1332 Great Northern Road in mind before this stage closes for the year in four months! Of course, these shows are outdoors, and thusly, weather permitting.

As for Misty's Fifties, Tym had been booked to play there every second Saturday in recent months, with the last shows of that run scheduled to be on June 8th and 22nd, but clearly his shows at the Second Line West venue have went well, so his run there has been ramped up! Along with a short notice return THIS SATURDAY in what was originally an off day, he will also be playing at Misty's on June 15th, and will similarly return there (almost) weekly through at least the end of September! The only exception on the Misty's side of things is Saturday, July 6th, and while I believe I know why he's not playing that day, we await public confirmation. In terms of holidays, Tym will be pulling double duty on the Canada Day, Civic Holiday, and Labour Day long weekends via these shows. Lastly in terms of Tym's summer concert calendar, he will also return to The Dive Gastro Pub (née Low & Slow) for one night only on Thursday, July 4th!

That show is part of The Dive's new "Think It Over Thursday" series of rotating solo acoustic musicians, which Tym previously played in on May 9th, so keep his Queen Street East return in mind on the Fourth of July! No new Facebook event page was made for that show, it was just added to the May 9th one. For the sake of not overloading our concert calendar, I'll do what I did with Tym's past weekly arrangements and list these shows month by month. As such, only this weekend's and June's shows (plus his Dive show in July) are being listed for now, and I won't roll his weekly July-September gigs into the calendar until late the previous month. TOMORROW'S Mike Case Stage show (and beyond) are 7:00 PM events with no age limits or cover charges, SATURDAY'S Misty's concert (and the rest) are 4:00 PM matinees with no cover and 19+ age limits, and his Dive Gastro Pub show on July 4th is a 6:00 PM matinee.

Like three weeks ago, that should also be 19+ with no cover. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for 21° temperatures and mostly cloudy weather TOMORROW, so it should be a good night to check out Tym's classic and hard rock cover selection at The Trading Post! If you want cooler indoor temperatures this weekend, head to Misty's on SATURDAY, but in any event, visit the above links for more on Tym's packed summer concert calendar, and for a preview, here he is live! 

Next up, let's look at one more local band playing this weekend before we cover the rest in post #2, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub before heading downtown to Reggie's Place on SATURDAY NIGHT! This split weekend is due to The Water Tower Pub (where Bone Yard traditionally plays acoustic, or "uncorked") hosting different nightly bands, but I have not seen a social media reference to what band is playing there on Saturday. As such, Bone Yard 225 will plug their instruments in for a one-nighter at Reggie's on Saturday, so if you'd prefer to see them at this venue or in their electric splendour, you know where to go! For reference, HeadFirst (who have a one-nighter of their own at Shooters on Saturday) will fill in the Friday gap at Reggie's, and those previews will be in our next post.

You can take in Bone Yard 225's southern fried hard and classic rock covers (and select originals) tomorrow at The Water Tower Pub at 8:00 PM, while the Reggie's show on Saturday is at a normal 9:00 PM start time. Both shows are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

That's all for now, but look for our HeadFirst and Rhythm & Brews concert previews (and more?) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nostalgic Band & Tym Morrison), Plus New Guitar Cover Videos!!

Here's another new post for your Friday morning reading, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), and some new Van Halen-related guitar covers, so let's get things rolling!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his summer series at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post for at least one more week TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only launched a Facebook event page for it early this morning. Like in his past seasonal runs at this venue, Tym only announced dates in advance up to August, with anything in September either announced on late notice or not at all, so TONIGHT's show being confirmed the day of is not shocking. The Mike Case Memorial Stage is definitely seasonal with a closing date in September, so this very well could be it for The Nostalgic Band's frontman there in 2023, but if he does happen to continue things there for another week, we'll let you know if at all possible. You can enjoy Tym's classic and hard rock cover selection TONIGHT at 7:00 PM with no age limits or cover charges.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny/clear conditions at 13-14°, and while Tym has called off outdoor shows for being "too cold" due to warmer temperatures than this, the late announcement for what could be his 2023 finale bodes well for it going on, and note that sunset occurs midway through TONIGHT's concert, so the visuals will be increasingly unique! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, Tym's current classic metal cover trio The Nostalgic Band have announced a swath of upcoming concerts via three Facebook event pages covering multiple upcoming dates at three different local nightclubs through the end of the year! Tym, Dutch, and Chet will first return to Reggie's Place next weekend (Friday, September 15th & Saturday, September 16th) before returning there for another weekend on October 20th & 21st, so keep these in mind if you're up for seeing The Nostalgic Band at this Queen Street staple! The week prior, the guys will rock Shooters Downstairs Lounge for the first time (I believe) on Friday, October 13th, with a return booking on Friday, December 22nd (no word on possible seasonal ties for that one). These are both one-nighters, possibly confirming the extension of Shooters' Saturday DJ experiment, but we will keep you posted.

Finally, The Nostalgic Band will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for full weekends on November 3rd-4th and December 8th-9th, so if you'd prefer a west end date or two (or four), keep these gigs in mind! All of these shows are 19+ affairs with no cover charge, and all have 9:30 PM start times except at Shooters (9:00 PM). Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details!

We'll close today with some new videos, including a rare sight: local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary performing on camera! Before that however, Mike has kept fans updated as to his recent quiet activity on his Facebook page over the summer. In July, he noted that he suffered a spinal injury and a separate "pretty significant health scare" that left him unable to play guitar for a few months, but he was able to play again at the time. For future plans, Mike hinted that he may make more instrumental music following how his "Fallout From Midnight Tides" EP turned out, while he is also open to collaborating with other artists. He was honest in noting that he has anxiety about performing live, hence why he isn't in a band and rarely performs concerts, but he is working to improve that. Last month, Mike reiterated that there's no timeline on his next material, and explained some of his issues with past songs of his.

He feels that many of his old songs were rushed and he was unhappy with the final product, which may explain why the vast majority of his back catalog was de-listed from streaming services. It sounds like he wants to take his time to make really good music by his standards, so hopefully things progress naturally! As for the video, it features him covering Van Halen's "Panama", and while he doesn't show much expression while playing, he lampshaded why in the description. Solidly done cover that shows off Mike's guitar abilities, and it's good to see that he's back playing guitar again, so give it a look below!

Finally for today, here's one more Eddie Van Halen guitar cover for you, this time his solo from Michael Jackson's "Beat It", courtesy of Silent 9 guitarist Ryan Robb! This was shared from his personal Facebook page to the band's Facebook page on Saturday, and if (like me) you were unfamiliar with Ryan from prior local bands, this will help show how he got the gig with Silent 9, as the solo is very well done! His shirt (which says "Good things are coming") could be a good omen for their headlining debut at The Water Tower Pub tomorrow night, but give his "Beat It" solo cover a look below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews, just a reminder that Sunday's Tantric-headlined concert with Tarnished, Heavy Lies The Crown, and others is in Gould City (90 minutes west of Sault Michigan) and thusly out of our coverage range. It'll be a huge show by non-Kewadin standards in the E.U.P., so keep it mind if you live out west or are up for a road trip! Now, let's start off our Labour Day weekend concert previews in Sault Ontario (Ripcordz aside, check back by tomorrow morning) with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Nostalgic Band frontman Tym Morrison's weekly summer series at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post will indeed continue for at least one more week when he returns there TOMORROW EVENING! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about TOMORROW'S booking via SooToday's events calendar, as the Facebook event page for his summer 2023 run there did not list anything past August. This is par for the course when it comes to Tym's past Mike Case Stage runs, where he'd only advertise shows in actual summer months, yet still play there for a week or two into September despite not being on his Facebook promotions. Perhaps September bookings are late additions? Assuming that last week's show wasn't called off for rain (he never announced as much on Facebook), TOMORROW'S Trading Post gig will be his eighth of this series, perhaps the final if none more get added.

As best as I can tell, The Nostalgic Band are not playing anywhere this weekend. TOMORROW'S solo acoustic concert has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover charge, while 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather of  21-22°. We'll let you know if Tym's back at The Trading Post next week or not, but visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S show there, and here's Tym playing some classic and hard rock covers live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page yesterday, and neither the band nor venue's Facebook pages have publically acknowledged them at press time. Regardless, Soundcheck are virtually running the place this week, as their usual jam night hosting duties take place tonight as usual (remember, we don't count jam nights as fully fledged "concerts" due to their unpredictability), while singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver was the Wing Wednesday headliner at Jay's yesterday via an acoustic country set. Despite the late notice, hopefully Soundcheck's fully fledged concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY help ring September in nicely!

As usual, these shows (Soundcheck's first non-jam night gigs there in almost a month) have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's shows at the former Reggie's West, and here's Soundcheck live!

Now let's tackle a couple of shows that did have advance notice, starting with a road trip to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril are advertised to play at American Legion Memorial Park as part of the town's Music By The Bay summer concert series TONIGHT! While advertised on Peril's concert calendar for this & last month as seen here, and listed on the concert series schedule linked here, take this concert with a grain of salt, as Peril haven't promoted it anew on their Facebook page despite plugging shows prior and since with new pictures and whatnot. Assuming that tonight's show is still on, it marks a very rare E.U.P. gig for Jeff and crew at a non-Kewadin venue, let alone an outdoor one on a Thursday, so if you want to check out their old school range of heavy covers, keep tonight's show in mind! 9&10 News is calling for sunny temperatures at 64-65°.

If things are still on for Peril tonight, then expect a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover charge, much like Tym Morrison in Sault Ontario tomorrow. If Peril aren't playing tonight, you can next see them in the E.U.P. at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino in two weeks. See above for more details, and here's Peril live!

Finally for today's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be Generations' first date since the block party on Queen Street East earlier this month, and will be their second gig with new guitarist Tony Kajnar, third if you could his guest appearance with them in July (also at The Water Tower Pub). With a couple of weeks to rehearse and get ready, hopefully Generations keep the classic and hard rock good times going as they head to this popular central venue tomorrow! Remember, The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts separate acts on Fridays and Saturdays, though I have not heard at press time who is playing there on Saturday. Tomorrow's show has an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Generations live at the block party earlier this month!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Ripcordz preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

The final weekend of concerts for a busy July 2023 is drawing near, so let's kick off our hard rock previews today! Due to the still high amount of hard rock-leaning shows this weekend, we'll hold Saturday return of Lopstock and Generations' show that same night for tomorrow's preview post, while focusing on bands playing tomorrow in some fashion here. With that said, here's what you should know to kick off the weekend!

We'll start with a pair of linked Friday-only gigs TOMORROW NIGHT, including prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's fourth straight weekly acoustic gig at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post! The Nostalgic Band frontman has been entertaining patrons at the 1332 Great Northern Road outdoor stage all month on Fridays, and this should be no different, as he breaks out some acoustic classic and hard rock hits before zipping to the west end for the shows we're covering next. Hopefully this is a good warm-up for Tym, whether you're joining him at Jay's or not! While we're on the subject, those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS entail adding his previously announced Mike Case Stage shows in August to our calendar, so look for him there on August 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th! While he has played early September shows there in the past, he hasn't announced dates for then (yet?)

Tomorrow's and next month's dates in Tym Morrison's weekly summer series at The Trading Post have a 7:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy conditions at around 22° tomorrow, and while there are thunderstorms in the forecast, they should wrap up late tomorrow morning. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, once his solo show wraps up by 9:00 PM, Tym will drive down to Jay's Piston Broke Pub to join his new Nostalgic Band for a one-nighter TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the second straight week where Tym and The Nostalgic Band double up on the same day, also the second straight week where The Nostalgic Band are playing Friday only (I am unsure who is playing there on Saturday, if anyone). Oddly, tomorrow's show had lots of advance notice, unlike their short notice gig last week, so if you've been prepping to see Tym, Dutch, and Chet's hard rocking brand of classic rock and metal covers, head to the former Rosie/Reggie's West for all of the action tomorrow! Tomorrow's festivities have a 19+ age limit, 9:30 PM start time, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Nostalgic Band live at the downtown Reggie's!

Now let's head to Sault Michigan and area, as both regional Kewadin Casinos are hosting touring bands at their on-site lounges this weekend! Starting in the Soo, fans can see Traverse City classic metal/hard rock cover trio Peril back at The Rapids Lounge TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Certainly no strangers to playing under the Kewadin umbrella, this will be Peril's first concert weekend in the Soo in just over two months, and we will have more from them/Scarkazm in an upcoming post addressing August and September hard rock shows at the casino. Hopefully Jeff, Adam, and Brooks lay down lots of rock favourites for fans in the E.U.P. this weekend as usual! This weekend's shows are 9:00 PM affairs as ever with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Peril's return to Sault Michigan this weekend, and here they are live!

Finally for this preview post, let's head an hour south to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Grand Rapids/Nashville psychedelic hard rock quartet Overdrive Orchestra will rock The Northern Pines Lounge TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fans may recall seeing this band rock both the Rapids and Northern Pines Lounges in the spring of last year, and it is neat seeing Overdrive Orchestra return over a year later, especially as a rare example of a touring band playing here that isn't from the U.P., Northern Michigan, or Sault Ste. Marie. Their distinct brand of keyboard-laden prog rock with lots of hard rock flourish should get another strong reception from fans in Mackinac County this weekend, so don't miss out on Overdrive Orchestra's return! Like with Peril in the Soo, these are 21+ gigs with 9:00 PM start times and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Overdrive Orchestra's Facebook trailer video for this weekend!

That's all for now, but look for our Lopstock and Generations previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

We're still a week out from Rotaryfest, but this weekend is proving to be quite a busy one itself, so this weekend's hard rock concert previews are being broken up into two posts. As such, the Go North Music Festival, Handsome Sandwich, and Project 906 (all previously announced as taking place on Saturday) will be covered in our next post, while the late notice and Friday gigs are in this one. Let's lead off with a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some on SHORT NOTICE), as well as some new live videos of two bands playing this weekend!

Local classic/hard rock cover solo musician Tym Morrison will pick up his acoustic guitar and return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and every Friday of this and next month! Apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW'S show, it was only announced via the Facebook event page for all eight Trading Post gigs. Of course, long-time followers of Tym's solo career will know that weekly arrangements at a non-typical concert venue are nothing new for him, and he has done this at the Mike Case Memorial Stage a few times now, most recently via a (more or less) weekly series last year that took place on Wednesday evenings from June to September (when The Trading Post closes for the season). Having 2023's on Fridays will be better for most schedule-wise, and hopefully there's a decent turnout and weather for Tym TOMORROW, next Friday, and on the 21st, 28th, and beyond!

Like in past instances of a regular weekly series, I'll wait to add Tym's August dates until closer to, and be advised that his September dates last year got short notice announcements at best. You can see the Nostalgia frontman TOMORROW and on the other dates at 7:00 PM with no age limits or cover charges. As the Mike Case Stage is outdoors, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather at 22°, which is a good start for this summer series! Visit the above links for more on all eight of Tym's trading post gigs this summer (so far?), and here he is live!

Next up, newer local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page on Monday. One week out from their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut, this new supergroup of That's Chester, Mojo, Mustang Heart, and 100 Gran alumni will play their first shows at the former Reggie's West since their first gigs there last month. With a talented lineup at their disposal, hopefully the guys deliver a strong weekend of hard rocking classics TOMORROW & SATURDAY! These are 19+ events with 9:30 PM start times and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's two new videos of Double Down live at Jay's their last time out on June 10th! Bassist Brad Stephen uploaded these to his YouTube channel last month, his first videos there in 3+ years.

An uncredited attendee filmed them (horizontally!) covering Mack Rice's "Mustang Sally" (with guitarist Adam King on vocals) and, as embedded below, Sugarloaf's "Green-Eyed Lady" with frontman Joel Syrette singing lead. Both of these songs are 6+ minutes long, so you get a nice sense of Double Down's range and talent as they jam through these, and the dark lighting is actually accentuated rather well once things come on for the songs themselves. Good stuff, so check these out above & below, and don't miss Double Down back at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Also this weekend, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will headline this year's 45th annual Goulais River Community Days on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, Soundcheck only confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page earlier today, but "Sound Check" were advertised in festival promotions beforehand. This is nothing new for Soundcheck, having played at Community Days last year as well, but unlike last year's 19+ "adult dance" at 9:00 PM, this is advertised as a "family dance" at 6:00 PM on SATURDAY. It was confirmed that organizers do not have a liquor license for this year's festival, hence the change for Soundcheck's set, and you can read more about what is and isn't occurring on SATURDAY at the Goulais River Area Recreation & Events Facebook group. Music was also cut back, with only the returning 17 North (at noon) also playing that day.

I rarely promote concerts on the SMS on the basis of "you can drink beer!", as that shouldn't the point over the musicians at most gigs, but this may be a concern for some who are used to alcohol being available at Community Days, so keep that in mind. The music will still be rocking, of course! As best as I can gather, Soundcheck's set/the dance will occur at the Captain Tilley Community Centre at 592 ON-552 once again, though no word on if singer/guitarist Terry Eaton will resume his DJ duties from last year. Admission is $5 for most, $4 for seniors 65+, and free for kids 4 and under all weekend, but SATURDAY is the only day with advertised bands. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

We'll close this preview post with a show that did get advance notice, namely local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard's return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! While not newly promoted by the band this week, this will be Bone Yard's first Shooters gig since playing there for a full weekend just two weeks ago. Like Soundcheck, Bone Yard are not playing at Rotaryfest this year, and with their Sudbury road trip in two weeks, this may be as close as you get to seeing them again this month in the Soo, so consider heading down to the Dennis Street nightclub for all of the action tomorrow! A one-nighter due to or resulting in a video dance party at Shooters on Saturday, tomorrow's Bone Yard concert has a 19+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no cover charge. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's some of Bone Yard's new live concert videos from their concerts this past weekend!

An attendee had cameras rolling for live-streamed videos at both their Jay's Piston Broke Pub show on Friday and Poutine Feast on Saturday (nothing at Jay's on Saturday though), with three videos at the former and four at the latter. I'll save the Poutine Feast ones for an upcoming post, but at Jay's, Bone Yard were filmed covering Van Halen's "Eruption" & The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" back to back, The Foo Fighters' "Monkey Wrench", and as embedded below, Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music". Vertical camera angle aside, these are well shot videos with good close views of Greg, Alex, and Warren playing some covers not filmed often at their gigs, and they sound good overall, so check these out for yourself!

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

A Mid-Week Concert Preview, Spades GT & Chase Wigmore Updates, And More!!

Here's a new news post for your Tuesday evening reading, and it includes some assorted recent updates, a local solo musician's big plans, and the latest from a prominent punk/metal band (in a write-up postponed from our last news post due to a concert preview). Speaking of which, here's a mid-week hard rock concert preview to take in before the month ends!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will likely return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post for another outdoor matinee gig TOMORROW NIGHT! While not currently advertised with a Facebook event page or anything like that, note that Tym only posted a Facebook event page for last week's Trading Post show on the morning of. Good thing I knew to anticipate his regular weekly arrangement there, but time is definitely ticking for The Mike Case Stage in 2022, as it is only open on a seasonal basis and closes for the year at some point next month. As such, I won't rush to include new Wednesday evening gigs from there in advance in our concert calendar, but we'll absolutely let you know if he confirms September dates there or not! As usual for Tym's summer series at The Trading Post, expect no age limit, no cover charge, and a 7:00 PM start time tomorrow. 

Weather wise, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy/mostly sunny conditions, but their temperature projection is 14-15°, which could be enough for the show to be called off due to it being too cold out (Tym has made a call like that for warmer evenings than this). If you're at all concerned, follow Tym above or via his personal Facebook account if you're a friend of his. For now, see above for more details, and here he is live!

Next up, here are some recent updates from local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet Spades GT, who hit the road with Anvil on a few Northern Ontario dates before heading to nearby Ophir for their first ever post-Jack Spades local set at the Northern Vibe Festival on Friday (fallout forthcoming), with a further Anvil support gig planned in Brampton on September 16th (details here). Their August shows were done with a guest fill-in bassist, namely drummer Tyler Reiner's old Caym bandmate Jay Sarrazin (now of the Cornwall metal band Hellrager), so anyone who saw Caym's local concerts will at least be slightly familiar with Jay on stage! A reason for regular bassist Daniel Rodbard's absence from this run of shows wasn't announced, but hopefully all's well with him & the band!

One new, if very brief, video from Spades GT's Sudbury show at The Coulson Entertainment Centre on Thusday was posted to their Facebook page, and it features the end of a drum solo from Tyler shot from behind Jay on stage. He clearly approved, as did the sizeable crowd! Short video, yes, but a good teaser, and hopefully more pops up from their Northern Ontario tour run! Get more from Spades GT above & below!

Also today, here's the latest from prolific local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page, and while he has nothing new to show for videos, he has elaborated a lot on his upcoming studio plans! Two weeks ago, he clarified in a post that the overdub-free album that he's currently working on ("Is This The End Of...?") will focus on multiple genres, and he cited four tentative song names, including "All We Really Have" from his last video upload. He dwarfed that post with a massive one last week which starts by detailing the genesis of a concept album he's had plans for named "The Stone", which would heavily be influenced by and parody religion & the Freemasons (read it for yourself, it's way too deep for me to summarize!). "The Stone" has evolved into an album named "The Chaotic Rite", which he estimated won't be complete until "probably next year or the year after it", but he calls it his "magnum opus".

If "The Chaotic Rite" sounds familiar, Chase uploaded a 12 minute acoustic performance of a song of that name back in March. His ambitious plans call for the album to be across two CDs, and be accompanied by the backing tracks, MIDI files, notation, and supplementary literature and art to fit the album's very deep concept. Yes, he did acknowledge his long-gestating rock opera "A Kid Named Todd" too, but according to him, its second episode is "just sitting on the shelf". It'll be very interesting to see if Chase's plans for "The Chaotic Rite" come to fruition as described, but given the thought and research he's put into these topics, it'll be an event when finished! Read more at the above links!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• If you've been hoping to see more of local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard on public stages in the next month beyond their Shooters gig on September 16th, then the wait appears to be extended, as their newest Facebook page posting noted their thanks for the reception they got at a recent wedding gig, and they confirmed that "more private events (are) coming up". Good to see that Bone Yard are in demand, but hopefully their frequency of normal concerts returns to its early summer pacing at some point!
• In their first Facebook page posting in over a month (the guys didn't even promote their Northern Vibe set), local indie/punk quintet The Northwest plugged this article by Darryl Sterdan of the music website Tinnitist, where their song "Shoreline" was given a showcase on Thursday! The article features remarks by frontman Wayne Watkins on the song's origins, the band's aspirations since receiving an Ontario Arts Council grant, and how the pandemic & social distancing influenced how their new EP "All In" came together. Solid promotion to a largely non-local audience, so give it a look above, and stay tuned for more from The Northwest!
• Don't expect late notice concerts at local venues from classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck this weekend, as they'll be taking a rare road trip to the aforementioned Coulson Entertainment Centre in Sudbury for shows on Friday & Saturday, as per their Facebook page! A road trip four hours east my seem odd, but Soundcheck actually did play two gigs at The Coulson in September of last year, which appear to have went well to warrant an encore road trip almost a year later. Best of luck to Soundcheck on the road! If you really want to see them this week, the guys will host their usual weekly jam night at Reggie's West on Thursday.
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, New Live Videos, And More!!

Here's a new news post for you guys on this Monday night, including some new videos on both sides of the border, an inactive band note, and to start, here's a mid-week concert preview!

Local classic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's seasonal weekly concert arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post is expected to continue THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! As of this writing, there is no Facebook event page for this show, but of course, Tym is no stranger to regular series like this, and time is ticking for The Mike Case Stage for 2022, as it closes for the season next month. If an outdoor mid-week show works better for you than Tym's Shooters matinee on Sunday, then don't bypass his classic and hard rock cover selections on Wednesday evening! As usual, expect a 7:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit at The Trading Post on Wednesday, while 9&10 News is currently calling for mostly cloudy weather in the 22° range. Visit the above links for more details, we'll let you know if the show is indeed off, and here's Tym live!

Next up, I've delayed covering this video for way too long now, as local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's most recent live concert got the live-stream treatment for his YouTube channel! Back on August 6th, Mike took a road trip to Flin Flon, Manitoba to perform at their Blueberry Jam festival, where he was the fifth of eight acts that day on the Museum Stage (despite the name, artists played at the Flin Flon Tourist Bureau & Campground). The outdoor covered stage played host to a 40+ minute set from Mike, who played eight Thompson-era original songs at the Blueberry Jam, including "The Best You Never Had", "Communique", "MorningStar", "If Ever Comes The Day", "21:45", "The Nature Of The Times", "Into The Setting Sun", and "Take Back The Moon". The stationary camera angle frames the stage well, but the fuzzy visuals and low frame rate on the live stream are not ideal, despite good audio.

I will say that Mike looks absolutely isolated on the Museum Stage by himself, especially with the camera not even trying show the crowd, and visually speaking, it may have been a better aesthetic choice to focus on Mike himself over the stage. Still a solid concert from Mike, and his easy crowd rapport is on full display, so give it a look below!

Also today, I have moved local horror punk quintet Frightlight back to our inactive band links. They have not issued a public update on new band activity since the fallout from their set headlining the Friday lineup of last year's Northern Vibe Festival, but their future has been murky since on two fronts. Of course, frontman J.D. "Johnny Pints" Pearce currently lives in Barrie, where he fronts the rebooted Spades GT (nee Jack Spades), so distance will be a huge factor towards future plans. As well, drummer Chris "Freaknstein" Thompson passed away in November of last year, which was a huge loss felt across multiple groups, and there's been no public hints towards a return with a new drummer. After previously rocking the Soo from 2009-2014, Frightlight reunited as an occasional live attraction in 2018, playing at J.D.'s Halloween party that year and opening for Michale Graves in September 2019.

A planned set opening for First Jason in April 2020 was cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown, and J.D. moved out of town that fall, but at least fans got Northern Vibe last year without any incidents. Hopefully Frightlight's spooky brand of Misfits-inspired punk & metal can return in some form down the line if the cards line up, but best of luck to J.D., Rick, Kevin, Mike, and their prior drummers in the future, don't miss J.D. & Spades GT this weekend at Northern Vibe in Ophir, and R.I.P. Chris!

Finally, let's leap across the border for a new video from Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, as shot by an attendee at their show at The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel on Saturday! This video actually captures the first half of Project 906's original song "The Comeback", which you can hear in full at this link from its 2021 studio recording. This song definitely leans to their blues side, and it's well done for blues rock fans, too bad the video only captures the first half! The guys definitely seem to be cramped with The Islander Bar's stage setup, but the audio comes through, and at least they had an electric fan going. Check it out below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

Tym Morrison Concert Preview, Plus Heavy Lies The Crown Updates!!

Two topic post on this Tuesday night, and while it mostly catches up with a prominent local metal band's latest activity, let's preview some live hard rock music to check out in the Soo in less than a day's time!

We'll start with another mid-week concert preview, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT for another gig in his seasonal weekly concert arrangement! The Mike Case Memorial Stage closes for the season in September (not sure the exact week), so there aren't many more chances to enjoy Tym's entertaining and wide setlist of classic & hard rock covers on Wednesday evenings, so if you're up for some live music, don't miss out while you still can! As usual for Tym's shows way down Great Northern Road, tomorrow's festivities are at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and 9&10 News' weather forecast is calling for sunny conditions and 23-24° temperatures. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, stay tuned for our preview of his Shooters show on Sunday, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, let's head to St. Ignace, Michigan for the latest news & notes from local metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown, so what's new in their camp as of late? When we last left H.L.T.C., they were preparing to rock Battle Creek opening for Nagazi on August 4th, which seemed to go over well despite being shorthanded! This cover photo was put up on August 9th that heavily implied that Heavy Lies The Crown were finally going to play an honest-and-truly local concert, alongside local classic rock cover band Aisle8, acoustic rock musician Austin "Grayham" Graham, and rapper Faux. Despite the cover photo, the band never announced a date or location for the teased concert, but it took place this past Saturday, albeit outside of a private residence, not a public venue, which may explain the lack of proper public promotion. Also, it was also in honour of frontman Brandon West's wedding anniversary (congratulations to him & Sara!)

Given the location, I wouldn't have covered it as a public concert as such, but it is still good to see Brandon, Ted, and crew playing a live gig that's actually local for a change, and hopefully there's more to come north of the Mackinac Bridge! Photos from the outdoor house party event only show four members, implying that guitarist Christian Thanasiu was still out sick. H.L.T.C.'s next announced (public) gig will see them back south of the Mack, but still in Northern Michigan, as they'll rock Alpena on Saturday the 27th during that weekend's French Road Bash, where they'll open for Katharsys Theory on the Bluegrass Stage (it's just a name, folks) on night #2. After that, they'll be further south in the state on Saturday, September 17th when they open for Wholeheart and Final Confession at Mulligan's Pub in Grand Rapids, so click here for details if you'll be in the area. No word on if Christian T. will be back for either concert or not.

Also, the Grand Rapids set will feature a fill-in drummer, as Barak Haring from the Lansing metalcore band I Decide I will be sitting in for Jaxon Massaway that night. Brandon announced that in this Facebook video from last week, but did not specify why Jaxon won't be making the trip (hopefully it's nothing too serious!). That video is bookended with footage of Barak drumming along to a Knocked Loose song, and while I'm not a huge fan of theirs, his drum skills are on full display, so don't bypass it! Elsewhere in video land for Heavy Lies The Crown, fans can see this "Reel" of the guys setting up for the Battle Creek concert, this 11 second video of the interior of the venue from that night, another "Reel" with Brandon praising the concert and the possibility of opening for Nagazi again (embedded below), and a 10 second clip of their repaired physical mask for their duck mascot Iggy.!

The newest video appears to show Aisle8 playing at the St. Ignace event on Saturday, so you get a sense of the setup, and while I'm again wary of covering shows at people's homes, it looks like they checked off all of the boxes to make it worth your while! No, Brandon didn't arrange for a fireworks show, St. Ignace has been having fireworks over Moran Bay every Saturday night between the Fourth of July and Labour Day. A lot to take in as usual, but it's good to see Heavy Lies The Crown staying busy & spreading their wings! Get much more from them above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!