Before we dive into this weekend's concert previews, here's a new video-heavy post on this Thursday morning, including new preview audio recordings from two solo projects and assorted related updates, but let's start with some very belated new concert videos from a major concert!
Here's a surprise find many months after the show proper, as seven videos of Rockford, Illinois hard rock/power pop quartet Cheap Trick's opening set at the Goo Goo Dolls concert outside of the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino in August 2021 have made their way online! YouTube user Thomas LaVictor (who also filmed this summer's Bone Thugz-N-Harmony show in the Soo) uploaded these to his YouTube channel in June, and no word on why it took 10 months to post them, but better late than never, especially as he tried to film Cheap Trick's whole set! Despite the pure wattage of content, Thomas' videos aren't fantastic quality, shot from a distant side-stage angle with quiet, muffled audio, but again, he got almost the whole show. The first video (embedded below) features Cheap Trick playing "Hello There", "Elo Kiddies", "Big Eyes", "He's A Whore", and the start of their cover of The Move's "California Man".
Again, the quality here is mixed, and it's very hard to make out the band on stage from this angle, but kudos to Thomas for filming all of this and uploading it eventually! Cheap Trick are showing their age to an extent but their set was lively and got the crowd on the right foot before The Goo Goo Dolls' headlining set (yes, Thomas filmed almost their whole set too in a similar fashion, but they're not as amenable for the SMS). Give all of his Cheap Trick videos from St. Ignace last year a look above & below!
Next up, here's the latest from Sault Ontario industrial metal project Molten Imp, starting with the surprise reveal on their Facebook page last week that they have pulled out of the Garbageface concert at the temporary Dryer Fire venue on Wilson Street on October 21st. Other than noting that "it's all a learning experience and I promise you I'll be more prepared", project leader Boyd Rendell didn't give a reason for their withdrawal, but note that Boyd never publically revealed Molten Imp's live lineup beforehand. Their exit has been confirmed in new Dryer Fire advertising for the show, and while there's no 100% verifiable metal/punk acts on the bill now (the show has been removed from our listings as such), note that the mystery act No Funeral is a new "indie noise" band from Boyd's old AlgomA bandmate Jamie Vincent, most recently seen with The Dynowaves. We'll let you know if more comes out on them, especially if they trend heavier!
Back to Molten Imp, Boyd turned his personal YouTube channel into a Molten Imp-centric channel (BeeFMouTH content, we hardly knew ye), uploading the six public tracks from their three virtual singles there, so the paid exclusives from the first two remain as such. One non-single track made its way there in August, namely a song named "Kick Rocks" recorded live in studio, and at 6:32, it almost matches each single's full public length alone! A percussion heavy composition with a low grind, guttural Blood Shed-esque growling, and the occasional spacey sound effect, it's an interesting prelude to their third single, so give it a listen below!
Finally, here's some new updates from local hard rock musician Mike McCleary, who has been hard at work on a new instrumental solo album since the spring! Updates on his Facebook page have been sporadic, with Mike making a new home studio along the way, but Mike has reiterated plans to have seven instrumental tracks on the album, three being 7+ minutes in length, with a total length of around 35 minutes. Mike has intentionally not put a timetable on the album, but has praised the writing/recording process and how much fun it has been, which is great to see! Unfortunately, Mike revealed on Saturday that the hard drive he uses to back up his new and old original material (including all of his prior albums) has crashed, and things will be delayed as he tries to recover the files. Hopefully he can get everything saved, it'd be a shame to lose everything so suddenly! Mike doesn't post a lot of videos on social media, but he did post a teaser for the new album back in May, so what can you hear in this one?
The 68 seconds-long video features assorted clips from different songs/phases of the album, as segmented by static so you know when a clip ends and another begins. The image above is a still from the end of the video, heavily implying that Mike is calling the album "Fallout From Midnight Tides" and that this is the cover artwork, but he has not confirmed that in writing on Facebook. What we hear sounds very promising, with some good heavy parts strewn about, so give everything a listen below, and apologies for the delay in mentioning the video on here!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin this post, I want to apologize again for missing a recent Soundcheck concert, as the classic/hard rock cover quartet returned to Reggie's West for an apparent one-nighter this past Friday. This show was only announced at 2:03 PM the day of the show, and they have not announced a non-open mic night on more than 12 hours notice since August. I profusely apologize, but with such short notice combined with out general slowdown of news stories lately, this doesn't bode well for our chances of catching them in time. Hopefully last weekend was a hit, and I will double check Soundcheck's Facebook page tomorrow for obvious reasons!
Now, let's get to some recent news, a video, and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, starting with one on SHORT NOTICE, as prolific local hard rock musician Tym Morrison will play a rare concert at The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page
on Monday. As best as I can tell, this is the first public concert on
record (at least with Facebook promotion) that Tym has played at the 602
Bay Street venue, and it's the first New A show we've covered on the
site since Fluid 5ive played there in December 2019 (you can guess why
it's taken this long). The New American has sporadically been hosting
live music during the pandemic, most recently bringing back classic rock
cover acts in September after last pausing that schedule during the
April lockdown, and it's good to see that Tym's extensive and often
heavy setlist will find its way there TOMORROW!
This one-night-only
concert has a special 6:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover
charge. Vaccine passports must be shown upon entry as per Ontario public health guidelines, while as usual, please
follow the venue's public safety measures to ensure that everyone has a safe time. Visit
the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym's newest
original song, as uploaded to his YouTube channel
on Saturday! An instrumental entitled "In All God's Glory", the song is
set to assorted clips and stock footage of a religious or ethereal
nature, but the song is definitely an upbeat metal track complete with a
killer shredding solo. Nicely done composition for long-time fans, so
give it a listen below!
Next up, Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a concert on Saturday, November 6th at The Rockstar Bar! This show comes almost two years after Just Leppard made their local debut at the former Canadian Nightclub, and I believe this will mark the first show from any touring band at The Rockstar Bar since before the pandemic began. Just Leppard had only played their first ever live concert three months before the November 2019 show here, and even then, they had a strong handle on Def Leppard's classic singles, so with two years to hone their craft (pandemic acknowledged), they should deliver even more for hair metal fans next month! This 19+ concert has tickets running for $15 in advance (buy them at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk) or $20 at the door. Admission is limited due to social distancing measures at the venue.
Vaccine passports must be shown to enter The Rockstar Bar for this event, and while this will be taking place after the reported introduction of QR codes as an alternative to the existing passport forms, I don't know how that will work in regards to this venue and concert. In any event, please follow any and all social distancing and public health measures to ensure that everyone has a safe time and that The Rockstar Bar might bring more touring bands here short-term. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Also, here's the latest from local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp, who do have some new material to check out on their Bandcamp page! If you recall Boyd's teaser/admission about wanting to cover Deep Purple's "Space Truckin'" but waffling on finishing it after discovering that Ministry already covered it, then I have good news, as Boyd did release it after all! Featuring guest vocals by Swampgut's Frank McCormick, this cover is over eleven minutes long, and it's definitely distinct from Ministry's version. I don't find that Frank's vocals suit music this tech-heavy, but it's a unique take with a nice long stretch of noise rock between key verses, so give it a listen above to see what you think! Afterwards, Molten Imp starting hyping up the release of their second virtual single "Constable Sewage", which was successfully released on Sunday, so what should you know there?
Featuring two (kinda three) songs running for an equal length, you can buy "Constable Sewage" above for $5 or stream it for free. It's great to see that Molten Imp finally have their teased follow-up single out, but might it be our next CD review on the SMS? Stay tuned in any event, and check out all of Boyd's new musical exploits above, and/or via their new Twitter page!
Finally, here's a new video from August's Goo Goo Dolls/Cheap Trick concert outside of the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! This was uploaded by the YouTube channel of Audio Allegro, a Traverse City, Michigan-based music review website that frequently posts videos to their TikTok page, often from major Lower Peninsula concerts. The video was first posted on TikTok shortly after the concert took place, but Audio Allegro only posted it to YouTube on September 17th, hence why we didn't discuss it when the show was timely. TikTok recently increased it's maximum video length to 3 minutes, and this one is just over 2 minutes, but what is there to see? After the channel owner introduces what show he's seeing, we get brief clips of him driving across the Mackinac Bridge and a POV angle of him walking to his seat before the concert began. Cheap Trick are only featured via 13 seconds of them playing "The Flame" & "Surrender".
Naturally, The Goo Goo Dolls get the rest of the video's runtime, given that they were the headliners, and you get a lot of clips of familiar songs like "Slide" & "Iris" over the last 90 seconds or so. It's a short video in vertical portrait orientation, but Audio Allegro's footage was of solid quality, and it was interesting seeing the seating layout before the bands began! I'd have included more of Cheap Trick, but give the whole thing a quick watch below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the days ahead! Thanks everyone!
Today's post is devoted to fallout/videos from the Cheap Trick concert outside of the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on August 19th, as lots of attendees got videos of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted quartet during their opening set! Of course, they were opening for The Goo Goo Dolls on this night, and they definitely got their fair share of videos too, but they're not a hard rock act. Still, I'll acknowledge videos shot from their set as we come to the respective channels, and if you're curious, at least two attendees (YouTube users Victoria Cherrington and The Fugitive Kind) only filmed The Goo Goo Dolls that night, and have definitely seen them live multiple times based on their channel contents! I've largely heard positive things from this concert on social media, and I don't believe it was a superspreader event, so hopefully this won't be the only major Kewadin show of 2021!
YouTube user phoenixrising1122 was the most prolific Cheap Trick filmer on the 19th, posting seven videos from their set, but despite filming The Goo Goo Dolls at multiple prior shows outside of Michigan, none of their St. Ignace videos are of the headliners. Cheap Trick songs filmed here include "If You Want My Love", "Elo Kiddies", "California Man", "Surrender", "The Flame", "She's Tight", and as embedded below, "Ain't That A Shame". The vertical camera angle on these videos is very unfortunate, but at least phoenixrising1122 zooms in a fair amount, and the visual quality is great in spite of the orientation! Good thing the weather held out. Robin Zander's voice is a little rough around the edges at times, but he, Rick, Tom, and Daxx have a solid handle on these classic songs as you may expect, so check out all of these videos above & below!
Next up, YouTube user goochick22 filmed five videos each of both bands on August 19th (given her username, you'd expect she filmed The Goo Goo Dolls!), so if you want to see as much of the show as possible, this would be the ideal channel. Yes, she has filmed The Goo Goo Dolls multiple times in prior concerts out of state too. As far as Cheap Trick goes, goochick22 filmed them playing "If You Want My Love", "The Flame", "I Want You To Want Me", a medley of shorter clips (mostly featuring "Big Eyes" and Rick Nielsen's infamous five-necked guitar), and as embedded below, "She's Tight". These videos are shorter on average, but thankfully, goochick22 did have the camera in a sideways landscape orientation here, and the video and audio quality are smooth and very respectable! Give these a look above & below!
Also, YouTube user James Hollopeter posted two videos from Cheap Trick's set on his channel (nothing of The Goo Goo Dolls here), and his videos feature their classic songs "The Flame" and, as embedded below, "I Want You To Want Me". The former is in vertical orientation, alas, but the latter isn't, and while the visuals are jitterier than preceding channels, the audio quality is clear enough, and you get the best view yet of the fans enjoying the show and singing along, so that all works out! Give James' videos a look above and below, and stay tuned for a video from 2019's Tea Party concert in Sault Ontario that James only uploaded earlier this month!
Finally, YouTube user DeniseRenee40 also filmed Cheap Trick playing their hit hair ballad "The Flame" at the St. Ignace show, but unlike everyone else, this was her only video of their set, hence why I didn't embed anyone else's video of this song. Denise also filmed eight videos from The Goo Goo Dolls' set, and previously shot videos of them at a dozen or so concerts from around this part of the continent, so she too is clearly a fan of theirs! As for the Cheap Trick video, it's sadly another vertical upload, but you get basically the full song here. Robin's vocals are shaky here, but the fans are in the palm of his hand to sing along, and it's a well performed rendition, so give it a watch!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
Given the ongoing pandemic and the rise of the Delta variant, this weekend's hard rock concert schedule is surprisingly robust, but alas, the summer months are winding down, so better to get everything in before the fall regardless. Due to the amount of shows, I'll hold our previews of the Saturday-only gigs from Tarnished, The Wyld Stallyns, and The Uncanny Valley for tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know to start off the weekend, courtesy of a few bands playing before Saturday, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE!!
Signaling an apparent weekly arrangement at this locale (even without publically confirming it as such), prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his fourth straight weekly concert at The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only confirmed this date via it's Facebook event page yesterday, but given that this is the fourth consecutive Friday nighter there (and fifth in six weeks), fans can't be too shocked that he's back like clockwork TOMORROW. As such, like we did with his prior weekly concert arrangements elsewhere (like at The Motley Market last summer), I will be adding his shows there month by month to our calendar unless otherwise announced, so in another new concert, expect Tym back at The Trading Post's outdoor stage on Friday, August 27th! We'll approach Friday night gigs in September when we get to that month.
Of course, between the increasingly cooler autumn weather and the still-in-limbo return to weekly Friday nighters at Gliss when the pandemic allows, Tym's run at 1332 Great Northern Road may not be destined to be a long-term thing, but enjoy it while you can! As usual, TOMORROW'S and next week's Trading Post gigs are 7:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges or age limits, but please respect social distancing and pandemic restrictions where applicable. Visit the above links for more on Tym's entertaining classic/hard rock cover shows ahead, and here he is live!
Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Soundcheck only announced these shows via their Facebook event page on Tuesday. This will be Terry, Cameron, Paul, and Glen's first concert weekend at the downtown Reggie's in four weeks, and as recently usual, these will follow the band's engagement as open mic night hosts at Reggie's Westtonight, so keep that event in mind if you want some more varied live entertainment. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows will give fans the unfiltered Soundcheck experience, including at least one new song for their extensive setlist, so prepare for classic and hard rock hits from them downtown this weekend! These gigs take place TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:00 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits.
And as usual at this point in the pandemic, please respect and honour any & all pandemic precautions and social distancing measures being followed at Reggie's to ensure everyone's safety, especially with the new variants and not everyone being vaccinated. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert at Reggie's West!
Moving to a previously announced concert in Michigan to close, let's head to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where the first major touring hard rock-featured concert of the pandemic era hits their outdoor stage TONIGHT, as Rockford, Illinois hard rock/power pop quartet Cheap Trick will rock the Eastern Upper Peninsula for at least the fourth time as openers for Buffalo alternative rock band The Goo Goo Dolls! Before we get too far, know that this concert is still taking place, and was not cancelled as part of the recent wave of Delta variant-linked tour cancellations in the United States (Goo Goo Dolls members even plugged the show in this Facebook video yesterday). That all said, masks may be mandatory, and there will no doubt be pandemic-related restrictions and guidelines to follow, so please use common sense if you are able to attend to ensure everyone's safety, though being an outdoor show will help the cause.
This will be Cheap Trick's St. Ignace debut after playing at The Dreammaker's Theatre in the Soo at least thrice in 2001, 2014, and 2019, and with classic songs like "Surrender", "The Flame", and "I Want You To Want Me", you know they'll deliver a fun set of classic tunes for fans tonight! While not a heavier group, The Goo Goo Dolls have their share of familiar 1990s rock radio songs like "Iris" & "Slide" in their back pocket, and they should win over lots of fans in their own right! Presented by Glen Arbor's own Classic Rock: The Bear (as heard in the St. Ignace area on WWSS 95.3 FM), general admission tickets are still available for $50 for this all ages, 7:00 PM concert, and the weather forecast looks good for this waterfront show. Buy your tickets online at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office, and stay tuned to official Kewadin outlets for updates on pandemic protocols.
While it is a little odd that this concert isn't in Sault Ste. Marie, keep in mind that the Canada/U.S. border is still closed for Canadians to visit the States for non-essential reasons, so why not host a big concert in St. Ignace instead, where they can target fans in the Lower Peninsula who can freely cross the Mackinac Bridge? I would have had Cheap Trick headlining, but a nice 1980s/1990s contrast will appeal to a wide range of fans tonight, and hopefully everyone has a great (and safe) time, especially if things get restricted further afterwards! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Cheap Trick live in the Soo in 2014!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
We have a bounty of big updates and show announcements ahead, so let's start cutting some of that down with today's post, which is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in Sault Michigan and St. Ignace! Yes, concerts are good to go in The Great Lakes State, and it's definitely showing with some of the news ahead, so here's what you should know from both a prominent young hard rock band, as well as a huge touring concert later this summer!
Local hard rock trio Tarnished have announced some new regional concert dates for August! The band revealed an updated summer concert schedule on their Facebook page on Thursday, which includes new dates outside of our coverage range in Newberry yesterday and in Grand Marais on July 3rd. Oddly, neither has a listed venue, despite the Newberry gig being on two days notice and never being plugged by the band on Facebook otherwise. In terms of the new dates that are within a one hour's drive of the Soo, Tarnished will now apparently return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, August 6th & Saturday, August 7th, marking their second weekend engagement there in a four week span! This isn't all for Alex, Nathan, and Josh under the Kewadin umbrella, as the casino has finally announced their concert schedules at their regional lounges for the second half of 2021, as weekly live music will resume in five days!
While not yet advertised by Tarnished, The Northern Pines Lounge's official schedule confirms Tarnished's prior announcement of dates there on July 16th & 17th and August 6th-7th, but they also list Tarnished as playing Friday & Saturday nighters there on September 17th & 18th, so now fans in St. Ignace and area have six opportunities to see Tarnished live in the back half of 2021! Don't worry, Saultites, Tarnished will also make their Rapids Lounge debut at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, November 12th & Saturday, November 13th, so while dates there are less and further away, you'll get your Soo Kewadin fix of Tarnished in time! Yes, The Rapids Lounge's official schedule is out too and booked solid through year's end. Finally for new Tarnished dates, they will return to The Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast in Hulbert Township for a one-nighter on Saturday August 21st!
Coming one week after they open for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys there, it's not yet clear whether it'll be an outdoor gig too or indoors, but with the summer still on then, I'd be surprised if they weren't on their proper stage! Assuming it's similar to their Summer Rock Party show there, expect a 6:00 PM start time, and a cover charge or age limit wasn't announced. Meanwhile, the Kewadin dates at both locales are all 9:00 PM events with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for current and continuing details, and hopefully Tarnished's hard rocking sound proves to be a hit this summer!
There is a lot to get to from the Kewadin Casino lounge umbrella, but before we get back there, here's a big outdoor concert hitting the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Thursday, August 19th, as Rockford, Illinois hard rock/power pop quartet Cheap Trick play their first local date since July 2019 when they open for Buffalo alternative rock band The Goo Goo Dolls! Of course, readers should recognize both bands, with Cheap Trick being Rock & Roll Hall of Famers off the strength of classic songs like "I Want You To Want Me", "Reach Out", and "The Flame", while The Goo Goo Dolls had steady mainstream success in the 1990s & 2000s with hits like "Name", "Iris", and "Slide", and while I personally feel that Cheap Trick are more obvious headliners, there's a nice swath of music to enjoy for many fans! Yes, this is outdoors, much like 2017's Great White/Lita Ford show there.
This concert is sponsored by Glen Arbor radio station Classic Rock: The Bear (yes, formerly heard locally on 97.9 FM), which currently simulcasts to the St. Ignace area via WWSS 95.3 out of Tuscarora Township. You can pick up The Bear in Sault Ste. Marie with the right antenna and/or location, but the St. Ignace locale and Lower Peninsula station sponsor seem like a good way for Kewadin Casino to bring back major touring bands before the Canadian border is opened. If you can't cater to and get ticket money from Sault Ontario, why not aim for rock fans in the tip of the mitt that are able to attend? A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for this concert, which has no advertised age limit, though face masks may be required to attend (check back for further details on that front.) Tickets run for $85 (first 10 rows), $75 (rows 11-30), or $50 (general admission on the lawn), and can be bought at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, or at the in-person box office.
I'm not a huge fan of either The Goo Goo Dolls or Cheap Trick, but both bands have a lot of hits to offer, and it's great to see Cheap Trick back in the E.U.P. for their fourth time, at least (having played the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino in 2001, 2014, and 2019), and hopefully this is a great show with great summer weather! Stay tuned for updates if they roll in, and we will have much more from Sault Michigan and the new Kewadin Casino lounge schedule later this week! Thanks everyone!
