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

This busy weekend concert preview slate begun early with Thursday nighters yesterday, and moves into Friday-Saturday shows in Sault Ste. Marie city limits for post #2. The plan is to preview the Northern Vibe Festival next (I did get a tentative schedule from one of the performers), with this weekend's two ARCH benefit motorcycle rally concerts and Wax Mannequin to follow where space and time allows. Stay tuned on those fronts, but here's what you should know for this weekend otherwise, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will head just outside of town to Echo Bay TOMORROW NIGHT for a second concert at The Elks Lodge there linked to slo-pitch baseball! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via the band's Facebook page yesterday, though the Echo Bay Sunday Slo-Pitch League Facebook page first confirmed their involvement last week. Soundcheck had first rocked Echo Bay in June as part of the Elks Bay Days tournament, but things clearly went well for the baseball players and fans in Echo Bay then, as their return TOMORROW's concert is for the league proper's end-of-season banquet, and will be preceded by a catered dinner with cash bar. This is a ticketed and publically attendable event, and admission will be $20 (kids 10 & under are free), which will also enter you for the door prize.

Soundcheck's set TOMORROW NIGHT at 96 Church Street is at 9:00 PM running for your standard nightclub runtime, and free on-site camping is also available. Hopefully TOMORROW's concert is another home run for Soundcheck as they rock Echo Bay one more time to end the slo-pitch baseball season there, so don't miss their fan friendly hard rocking covers there or this evening at the newer A&W for the Cruisin' The Dub car show! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, joining his regular weekly concerts TOMORROW at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post and on SATURDAY at Misty's Fifties, local acoustic classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will play a rare gig at a more standard nightclub when he returns to Reggie's Place on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Reggie's gig, it was only announced on the venue's Facebook page yesterday. Tym is way more commonly seen at atypical and more unplugged-friendly venues than he is at nightclubs known for hosting bands regularly, so keep his return to Queen Street East in mind on SATURDAY NIGHT for his own entertaining blend of classic and hard rock covers! Remember, he had played in the vicinity of Reggie's at the former Tazzi's a few times in the past year. Of course, his regular weekly shows at The Mike Case Memorial Stage tomorrow and at Misty's on Saturday prior are still going on as those series march on into (at least) next month.

The Reggie's show is a one-nighter due to or resulting in a karaoke night there tomorrow. Tym's triple header this weekend has start times of 7:00 PM tomorrow, 4:00 PM at Misty's on Saturday, and at 9:30 PM at Reggie's on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Trading Post show has no age limit, and none have a cover charge. Weather-wise, tomorrow's Mike Case Stage show is looking to have cloudy weather at 21°, but it's not expected to rain. Click here & here and visit the above links for more details, and here he is live!

Now let's head to Sault Michigan, where "weird Wisconsin hard rock" trio Sunspot will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Sunspot's fourth annual trip from Madison to Sault Ste. Marie to coincide with the annual Michigan Paranormal Convention, which returns to the Soo Kewadin this weekend from today through Saturday for what will actually be its final year (click here for more details on why the MiParacon is "bidding the mortal realm adieu"). Suffice to say, if you are at all into ghosts, aliens, cryptids, and anything else paranormal, you'll definitely want to check out all of the action at the Kewadin ballroom this weekend, and click here to see who all is coming to the Soo for this year's festivities! Of course, you don't need a MiParacon wristband to see Sunspot at The Rapids Lounge, but they're quite fitting for the weekend.

Sunspot actually have ghost investigators in their lineup, many of their songs are about mythical and fantastical concepts, and their hard rock/power pop hybrid sound (including some violin input) has definitely turned local heads since 2021, and hopefully the end of the convention doesn't mean the end of Sunspot making 7 hour trips northeast to play here! Expect 9:00 PM start times and 21+ age limits tomorrow and Saturday, and these absolutely have no cover charge, paid MiParacon admission isn't needed. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Sunspot live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their last date at Shooters alongside bassist Pierre Anthony Vaillancourt's son Liam as a guest singer, regular frontwoman Valerie Powley will be back on Saturday, in what will be their first show at the downtown casino since they ended Rotaryfest weekend there. Hopefully Generations' skilled blend of classic and hard rock covers find another solid audience of fans and casino patrons alike on Saturday! No, they're not playing elsewhere tomorrow that I'm aware of. Saturday's concert has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' casino return on Saturday night, and for a preview, here they are live at Rotaryfest last month!

That's all for now, but look for our preview of this year's Northern Vibe Festival next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sunspot & Peril) Plus New Sault Michigan Videos!!

An all Sault Michigan post lies ahead on this Saturday evening, including some new videos from two prominent local acts, but leading off, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

New hard rock dates at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino branch for next month have been confirmed via Kewadin's entertainment page, so what should you know there? Not counting the Tarnished and Fyrbird shows next month (the bands revealed those first), the first of the brand new dates will see Traverse City classic metal trio Peril return to the Soo for gigs on Friday, August 12th & Saturday, August 13th! After playing at Kewadin branches in the E.U.P. in both May and June, it's great to see Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' hard rocking and fan friendly selection of classic covers back in the Soo next month, and hopefully there's another great turnout for Peril on both nights! As usual for their Kewadin lounge gigs, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more updates on Peril's trips north of the Mack when they roll in!

The other new Rapids Lounge hard rock concerts are courtesy of Madison, Wisconsin hard rock trio Sunspot, who will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, August 26th & Saturday, August 27th! As you may recall, Sunspot headed east to Michigan last year to perform during the Michigan Paranormal Convention (or MiParacon) which is held at the Sault Kewadin branch at the end of August annually (save 2020), and you can click here for full details on the convention. I'm not a massive paranormal follower, but if you are, this looks to be another huge weekend! Sunspot are actually releasing a new album next week, and it promises to have more of their requisite "weird Wisconsin rock anthems" that apply some deep and otherworldly topics to a fun power pop-laden hard rock sound with electronic and string influences. Had band to pin down, but definitely give them a listen for yourselves!

Like with Peril above, Sunspot's Kewadin shows next month are 21+ affairs with 9:00 PM start times and no cover charge (attendance at The Rapids Lounge is not conditional on buying MiParacon tickets, public attendees can come as normal). Obviously a huge weekend for alien, ghost, and Bigfoot fans in the E.U.P. ahead, and Sunspot should deliver some fitting tunes for attendees and general fans alike, so visit the above links for more details!

We'll close today with some new videos, starting with a live concert upload on blues/hard rock quartet Project 906's Facebook page on Sunday! Filmed at their Bird's Eye Outfitters show last week, this features 906 (who are just shy of 906 Facebook followers, incidentally) covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", though based on how Billy's singing, they're definitely more doing the Shinedown cover than the original. Not badly done at all, though the vocals can be a little forced on the verses. The venue lighting seems too fancy given that it's not dark in the store, but it's a solid quality behind and in front of the camera, so check it out below!

Finally for today, here's a couple of new solo performance videos from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel earlier this week! Both uploaded in black & white, they are erroneously labelled as "shorts" despite not being in the TikTok competitor format. One features guitarist Steve Giles delivering "some 80's style shred goodness" for one minute via multiple stationary camera angles, and it gives a nice pure showcase of his talents that won't come amiss to old Dust N' Bones fans! Embedded below is the longer upload, which features keyboardist Craig Harrison playing an original composition named "Live Without Your Love" that he calls "a songwriting idea in short, raw form". It's a dramatic yet surprisingly lively piano piece that fans of Theatre of Night's more orchestral side will appreciate, though it's definitely unfinished. Check out both of their new videos above & below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile and much more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril), New Videos, And More Updates!!

It's time for another new news post for your Monday afternoon, so what's in this post? Fallout from a recent event with some hard rock representation, new videos from each side of the border, and to lead off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS concerning a pair of rescheduled dates in the E.U.P., so without any further adieu, here's what you should know!

Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for shows on Friday, August 31st and Saturday, September 1st! The shows were announced on Friday in a comment reply on Peril's Facebook page, and are not on Kewadin's entertainment page at press time. This fan favourite group will be making their first appearances at the Soo Kewadin branch in just over a month, but these shows actually appear to be re-schedulings, as they were announced in the comment thread for the cancellation of this past Friday & Saturday's shows there! We covered them on the site when first announced, but I admittedly forgot to note their cancellation (due to unspecified "scheduling conflicts") during last week's concert previews, which I do apologize for. That said, the shows will take place in four months' time on their new dates, so don't miss Peril at the turn of September! Expect 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charge. See the above links for more details!

Next up, here's some new videos, starting with a clip from Sault Ontario/St. Catharine's grindcore trio Shit Liver's current Hitting the Fan tour of Canada, as posted to their Facebook page on Sunday! Filmed while on the road to Winnipeg (where they play tonight), this 20 second video features frontman Josh Penno reflecting on how good it is to be back on tour, before the guys abruptly revive a bridge-crossing tradition that you may recall from their prior national tour run. I won't spoil it, but it's a fun shock to the system, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more!



Also today, here's a new video from Sault Michigan classical metal project Theatre of Night's Facebook page, as shared from keyboardist Craig Harrison's personal Facebook page yesterday! Described as a "late night jam session", this features guitarist Steve Giles and an uncredited bassist and drummer in the midst of an instrumental performance (Craig isn't visibly playing, as he filmed the video.) The drummer looks like Erik Sales from their Christmas tour, but the bassist definitely isn't Scott Andringa. In any event, the performance is solid, and might this be leading to more live band work from Theatre of Night? Give it a look below!

Finally, I wanted to acknowledge some recent press coverage on the first annual Twin City Tattoo Convention at The Tech's gymnasium on Saturday night, which as you may recall, featured local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison as one of the musical performers! While we did cover this on the site when first announced last month, I forgot to include it with our previews of this past weekend's shows of Tym's, which I profusely apologize for. I guarantee this won't happen next year if there's hard rock acts playing at year #2! In fact, Tym was the only musical performer from this weekend photographed for Riley Smith's Sault Online article on the convention, and you'll get a nice write-up on the convention, it's motivations and aims, and what was seen and expected across the weekend. SooToday's Darren Taylor was also on hand with photos of his own, and while Bearded Lounge frontman Greg Simpson is pictured (with ink) in one shot, no musical performance pictures made the cut.

It looks like the Twin City Tattoo Convention was a hit for it's debut installment, and while I myself don't have any tattoos at present, there are some great designs and artists out there that deserve the attention, so hopefully this comes back in 2019! Maybe a local comic book convention isn't too far off now? That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Id Iota & Tym Morrison), Oh!No Concert Festival Updates, And More!!

Here's another new news post to check out on this Tuesday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some shorter assorted stories from recent days, a video remembering and hyping up past and future installments of a concert festival, and LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spring, but we'll start with one on SHORT NOTICE and a related apology!

Former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to Mark's Breakfast Plus for a special matinee concert TONIGHT, after previously playing there yesterday! Profuse apologies for the short notice (and for missing last night's concert), Tym only announced them via his personal Facebook page yesterday at supper time, with a Facebook event page that listed the shows as being on February 12th and 13th being taken down after the fact. These will "mark" Tym's first shows at the Market Mall restaurant since the end of February, and if you're up for some skilled (if late notice) acoustic hard rock classics, be at Marks TONIGHT! While we're in the business, Tym will also bring his acoustic solo act to The Tech on Saturday, April 7th for an afternoon set during the first annual Twin City Tattoo Convention, which will definitely be a unique showcase for his material! Tym will be playing before acoustic country duo The Bearded Lounge and blues veterans The Swamp Cats that day.

TONIGHT'S (and yesterday's) Mark's shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no announced cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, while the Twin City Tattoo Convention may or may not have age limits and cover charges, so check the above links for full details therein. Time-wise, he's on at 12:30 PM, with The Stray Cats at 3:00 PM and The Bearded Lounge headlining at 6:00 PM. Whether you want some imminent supper-time music or want to rock out amongst local inked brethren, Tym's staying busy! Don't miss out, here's Tym live, and apologies again for missing last night's Mark's gig! We'd have plugged it here had it received advance notice!



Next up, here's a couple of new shows regarding local alternative hard/indie rock quartet Id Iota, who will make their long awaited return to the local stage for the first time since May at three upcoming shows this spring! To start, the guys will join drone rock trio Pointless for a joint concert at LopLops Lounge on Friday, March 30th, in what will be the Soo debut of Id Iota's still-unrevealed new bassist, as well as an early live appearance for Pointless with Id Iota's own Dustin Goodall on bass in place of the relocated Jordan Leach. Nice to see both bands back on stage, and this should be an interesting style contrast at LopLops at month's end! If you can't be at that show, both bands will also join forces at the same venue on Saturday, May 19th when they open for Sudbury garage rock trio The Almighty Rhombus, whose contemporary and lively sound is well suited to the venue, and they should attract an audience along with the locals in May as well!

For the former, a $5 cover charge, 19+ age limit, and 9:00 PM start time are in effect, and while online advertising for the latter has not commenced, I imagine all three will translate to that show except for maybe a higher cover. Id Iota have been busy in studio since last year working on their first full length album, and have teased that we may see it this year finally, but look for originals from it and some surprise covers at these two shows, and remember, Pointless are fronted by Bill Priddle of Treble Charger fame! Visit the March 30th gig's Facebook event page and above for more details, and stay tuned for more from Id Iota!

Next up, here's a retrospective video from/teaser for the Oh!No Music Festival in nearby Leeburn, Ontario, courtesy of co-promoter/AlgomA drummer Jamie Vincent's YouTube channel yesterday! The 2 minute clip features high quality footage from the Robbie's Church-held festival from Six, Two, Oh., as set to "The Sweat of a Hero" by Sudbury punk trio Lightmares (who were on last year's bill), though to my knowledge, the full footage from the cameras used here, let alone with original audio, isn't publically viewable yet. In this video, you'll see performance footage of every single band or solo act that played last year (even DJ Seith), and it's well edited, letting us see everything without giving much away! The video's end implies that the Oh!No Festival will return to Leeburn on Friday, September 8th, and while I don't think the logo at the end is anything more than a new Oh!No logo, there are more questions. Who's playing this year? Will it be at the church again? Will the ground rules change? Keep tabs for more details, and look back on last year below!



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

• In a post on their Facebook page yesterday, The Canadian Nightclub indicated that they were looking for bands to play at the venue and upstairs at The Upper Deck Lounge (adding "WE PAY! YOU PLAY!"), as well as a mention that they are "looking at hosting a battle of the bands in the near future" with "great prizes". It'd be great to see a new battle there, not to mention more bands playing regularly at this fan favourite venue, so see above to inquire on how to play at The Canadian in either setting!
• Local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and sister punk trio Stegadeth will both be heading out to Meyersburg for this year's Spiderfest on Saturday, July 14th! Both bands will be playing on night 2 of the annual punk/extreme metal festival, where they'll open for such past local performers as The Ripcordz, Random Killing, and The Union Thugs. Jack Spades have spoken very highly of the Spiderfest experience in the past, and here's hoping both bands deliver a knockout blow again this summer!
• Former That's Chester drummer Ric Datson (now of Bone Yard & Mojo fame) is featured in the cover story of the new issue of The Soo Profile Magazine, featuring interview remarks from him and an outline of his musical, professional, and charitable endeavours. Very entertaining interview that paints a quality picture of Ric in varying facets, and it's well worth a read at the above links and/or at participating local merchants!

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