Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews!!

For this penultimate concert weekend of May 2025, things are actually busier than they were for the Victoria Day long weekend, so we'll hold our previews of Saturday night's Dos Amigos and Curtis McKenzie shows for tomorrow's post. Today, we're looking at hard rock/punk shows taking place tomorrow at least partially, so here's what you should know to kick off your weekend!

We'll start at Soo Blaster, where Toronto progressive metal quintet Derev will headline in their first local concert appearance TOMORROW NIGHT! Derev bring a unique blend of influences to the table with their melodic prog rock sound, with a strong technicality supplemented by Middle Eastern influences, and they'll be an interesting change of pace for metalheads looking to hear something different! Learn more about Derev via this SooToday press release. While a search for a formal co-headlining band didn't lead anywhere, promoters Heavy North Entertainment did secure a strong support lineup of local talent, including hard rock quartet Sylo in their first gig of the year and first with new guitarist Owen Middleton, party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in their first show since opening for Robbie G at Soo Blaster last month, and a set from prolific folk punk/extreme metal artist Chase Wigmore.

Diverse lineup of strong local talent, so don't be late for this one! The third post-relaunch concert from Heavy North Entertainment and their first not headlined by Selias, this show (named "Mayhem 2025") has no age limit, a 7:00 PM start time, and admission fees of $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. This will be an entertaining night of "mayhem" for metal and hard rock fans, so visit the above links for more details on this concert, and for a preview, here's Derev live!

Next up, there's more touring action TOMORROW NIGHT, this time at Venue (the new public events space at the former Fortune Shop/Void Vinyl location at 482 Queen Street East), where Hamilton outsider folk/acoustic punk musician B.A. Johnston will take the stage once again! While this was (by my count) B.A.'s sixth local date, B.A. figures that he's played here at least fifteen times over the years, as noted in this brand new SooToday article by Kenneth Armstrong, featuring solid interview remarks from B.A. about his style of music, Canadiana-influenced songs, comparisons to Stompin' Tom Connors, and how he never plays the same local venue twice. Solid article to help set things up, but of course, B.A.'s comedic and audience participation-laden live shows are very hard to describe in text alone, so watch some videos of him to get an idea of what to expect at Venue tomorrow! Former Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers will open tomorrow's festivities, as he did when B.A. rocked The Whiskey Barrel last fall, so don't be late for his acoustic covers!

There's no announced age limit for tomorrow's show, which has a $10 cover charge and 8:00 PM start time, though be advised that Venue is a very intimate locale for concerts, with their website listing a capacity of 60 guests, 30 seated. Always good to see B.A. on a local stage, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here he is live!

Also taking place TOMORROW NIGHT is local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only! Their first stop at this popular Great Northern Road nightclub for 2025 will also end their early 2025 concert calendar in terms of standard bar gigs, as like they have since their debut, they're taking the summer off aside from private bookings, benefits, and festivals. We will see them back out there a bit (they will reportedly be at Rotaryfest Stage 1 again), but if you want to take in Silent 9's fun and upbeat blend of classic and hard rock covers, don't bypass tomorrow's central gig, as they won't have a solo headlining one like it until the fall! Remember that The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts different nightly musical acts, with the band playing on Saturday being new local soft rock cover quartet North Channel Sound. As usual here, Silent 9 take the stage tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge.

Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new clip of Silent 9 in concert! Uploaded to their Facebook page on May 13th (and cross-posted from Instagram), this video is of them at The Esquire Club earlier this month covering Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" with drummer Steve Porco on lead vocals. Now, very early in the clip, Steve drops his left drumstick, but he doesn't miss a beat with the song and improvises well for drumming one handed before frontwoman Jess Amadio (on backing vocals) locates the stick and gives it back to him. Nice save, and the cover is well done for what we hear, though alas, the video is vertical. Check it out below!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head west to Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will mostly hit the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While fans last saw Double Down at the former Reggie's West early last month, this weekend's shows will be very different, as singer/guitarist Beej Syrette will be absent for unannounced reasons, according to band members' personal Facebook pages. In his place, Double Down have enlisted bassist Dan Beaupre's Sidekicks bandmates Steve Cardiff and Tracey Hilderley to join him, Joel, and Ric for a joint concert! The branding suggests that the two bands are both playing separate sets this weekend, which makes sense when you realize that Tracey's involvement means that there's two drummers present, but some of the advertising is left vague, and there is at least an implication that Steve is sitting in for Beej in Double Down's sets.

Regardless, it'll be a unique weekend, and while The Sidekicks never leaned heavier from my knowledge of what they play, it'll be neat to see both of Dan's current bands join forces! And of course, hopefully all is well with Beej and that he's back with Double Down before long! This weekend's shows both have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live with Steve earlier this year!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Curtis McKenzie and Dos Amigos previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Virvum & Convergence), Derev Concert Updates, And More!!

Before we begin this post, we have a concert cancellation to take note of, as The Raygun Cowboys are not playing at The Whisky Barrel tomorrow night due to "an artist scheduling error", as per promoters Piecing It Together Shows' Facebook page yesterday. The show is still being advertised by the Edmonton psychobilly/punk band on social media, but note that they are scheduled to play in Ottawa tonight, and did not have a show lined up afterwards until Thursday in Alberta. Hopefully all is well with The Raygun Cowboys and that they try here again on a future tour! Remember that this show was always going to have no cover charge or tickets.

Now, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and related updates on the heavier side of things! Firstly, if you missed the all-local metal concert named The Pit at Soo Blaster on Good Friday, then you'll want to take note of its sequel, named The Upheaval, and it goes down at the same venue on Saturday, June 28th! This is a very similar show, with two returning bands both making their second local concert appearances on this night, including headlining progressive/djent metal quartet Convergence and new local hard rock quartet Maynard Hayes! No word yet on the former's teased tour run, but we can now confirm (most of) Maynard Hayes' lineup, which features singer/guitarist Damon King (ex-Infamous) and Convergence drummer David Peredun alongside guitarist Nathan Snider and a bassist who uses the handles "gabdontlike" and "gabnolike" on social media (I don't know his real/full name to my knowledge). 

Maynard Hayes still have no public videos on social media, but there is some personal media out there! The third and final band at The Upheaval will be The Sault Side Squad, the online page-less (not even Instagram) metal supergroup that played three shows in mid-late 2024, most recently opening for Cross Dog in October. Good to see them back in the new year, but hopefully they get some public online material soon! Despite having one fewer band than at The Pit, this show has a $15 ticket cost and $20 door charge, $5 higher in both cases. Click here to get your tickets for this all ages show, which has a 7:00 PM start time. Another intriguing show for metalheads, so see above for more details!

Next up, here's some more extreme metal action taking place deeper into the summer, as two Swiss death metal bands will be rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub on Sunday, July 6th! Yes, as in from Switzerland! The bands in question are Zurich progressive death metal quintet Virvum and Geneva blackened death metal band Stortregn, obviously both making their local debuts. Fans of extreme and death metal will be very interested in this show, with Virvum's technical brutality and Stortregn's more atmospheric intensity both boding well, so definitely check both groups out to prepare for this intriguing concert! Local support will come by way of metal trio The BAG, who are also opening for Sentiment Dissolve at Jay's on Monday, preview hitting the site tomorrow. I don't know if The BAG are the promoters/facilitators for the former Roosevelt Hotel's return to hosting touring extreme metal bands, but hopefully things go well both tomorrow night and in July!

This 19+ concert on Virvum's Canada Takeover tour starts at 8:00 PM and has an advance ticket cost of $15.99 at this link (I don't know if you can buy advance tickets at Jay's or via BAG members, or if admission fees will jump at the door). Just from being hosting two European metal bands alone, this show will be of note, even on a work/school night for many, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more on this huge death metal show!

Also today, promoters Heavy North Entertainment finally announced the local openers for the Derev-headlined concert at Soo Blaster on Friday via the new official Facebook event page on Tuesday, so what familiar faces are opening for the Toronto progressive metal band next week? One will be local hard rock quartet Sylo in their first public concert set since their Soo Blaster headlining date in August, and if you want to know more about them, bassist Alder Devries actually has launched a website for them on Wix! As such, we can finally give them a proper link here that doesn't reflect their original run as Raincourt (though their two singles from then are linked there). The site hasn't been updated to reflect new guitarist Owen Middleton joining the group yet, but if lack of content and information on Instagram has stymied you on Sylo, do check out their website! A video of Sylo is also there, so what should you know on that?

The clip sees Eli, Alder, and Jakob playing "War Times" at Soo Blaster last summer, and it has a good casual hard rock groove that will serve them well during their (summer?) return! You can watch the video at this link, but be warned that, while Sylo aren't on Facebook, this is basically a Facebook "Reel", as it's vertical, unplayable in background tabs, and unembeddable on external websites. Also, why would the filmer have shot it vertically to accentuate the crowd levels on the floor like that? Back to the Derev show, your other openers on Friday are party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty in a rare Soo Blaster appearance opening for an actual band as opposed to a touring rapper, while prolific local folk punk/extreme metal solo artist (and new Eagles Club jam night host) Chase Wigmore will open in an increasingly rare appearance at a multi-band concert like this. Solid lineup of diverse opening local talent!

Note that, as of Tuesday, Heavy North Entertainment were openly looking for a co-headlining band for this concert (none of the three openers were labelled as such), but at press time, one had not been added. We'll let you know if they find one late! As for other specifics that this show didn't have when it was first announced, a start time of 6:30 PM is listed on the event page, and tickets run for $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Nice to get some big specifics about the "mayhem" in store on Friday, so visit the above links for more on this concert, and stay tuned for more news and notes over the long weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Raygun Cowboys, Derev, Danger Box, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

Today's post is 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including one that I should have gotten to last month, but there's some intriguing acts hitting Sault Ontario in the next few weeks, both local and touring, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday morning!

Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box will headline at The Distraction on East Street on Thursday, May 15th! Announced on less than two weeks notice on Friday, this show will be highly worth checking out for punk fans, with Danger Box's raw but melodic (and occasionally hardcore-tinged) original sound definitely up the alley of many genre fans, so don't bypass this show next week! Support will come by way of local crossover thrash/skate punk quartet Hails (featuring this show's promoter Mikhal Muto), who will be one week removed from opening for The Dayglo Abortions at Soo Blaster, preview forthcoming. This will be Ha!ls' second show of 2025, so pack the venue to rock out with them! This show is once again being held in the basement space, not the former barbershop upstairs, and at this point, I'm going to assume that this has been a permanent change dating back to last summer.

Also, they haven't used the Stellar Door name for the basement venue in months, so that's clearly now officially The Distraction, no name distinction needed. We'll let you know if concert bookings clearly happen upstairs again though! A 7:00 PM start time is in effect for this ALL AGES concert (the venue is not licensed), and admission is $20 or "pay what you can". Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this high energy show next week!

Next up, Edmonton psychobilly/punk quintet The Raygun Cowboys will make their local concert debut (as far as I'm aware) on Sunday, May 18th when they invade The Whisky Barrel! Apologies for the delay in this making the site since being announced in mid-April, this show fell through the cracks. A familiar veteran presence in the Alberta music scene with their brassed-up brand of punk and rockabilly, The Raygun Cowboys deliver a fun and loud sound with their genre hybrid attack, distinctly gritty vocals, and upbeat, crowd-friendly energy, and it will be fun to see them in town! There are no advertised local openers whatsoever. A still relatively rare concert from a touring act at The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street, this show is a presentation of Piecing It Together Shows (the former Dryer Fire). It's a 19+ event with an 8:00 PM start time, and has NO COVER CHARGE. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, Toronto progressive metal quintet Derev will play Sault Ste. Marie for the first time on Friday, May 23rd at Soo Blaster! Announced in this SooToday press release on Sunday, this show has oddly only seen minimal promotion on social media so far, but it will be the third post-relaunch concert promoted by Heavy North Entertainment, and their first modern show not headlined by Selias. Derev will be a relatively unique local headliner as touring acts go, combining melodic progressive rock, metal, and Middle Eastern influences (two band members met in Kuwait before forming the band in Toronto), and with their intricate & technical music and solid baritone vocals, Derev will be bound to turn local heads in 2+ weeks! As of Saturday, Heavy North Entertainment were still looking for local support bands for this concert, so message them at this link if your band wants in!

Tickets for this all ages show were supposed to go on sale on Eventbrite in the last full week of April, as per H.N.E.'s Facebook page, but I have not found any public link to that end. We'll let you know when more comes out about this show's opening band(s), start time, and/or admission fee, but hopefully things are on track, especially as the concert isn't that far away. Visit the above links for more details on Derev's local concert on the 23rd!

Lastly for today's new concert announcements, former Eclipse/Project 421 singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will bring his solo acoustic show back to the stage for two shows later this month, including a Saturday matinee at Beck's Bar (the former Vibe Lounge/White Eagles Club on Goulais Avenue) on May 24th before rocking The Dive Gastro Pub once again for a "Think It Over Thursday" gig on May 29th! These shows will end a nearly 2 months-long public break for Curt, who last played an acknowledged concert in early April at The Dive, so it will be good to see this prolific local hard rock/grunge musician back at it with more entertaining cover sets at month's end! Both gigs are 19+ affairs with no cover charges, and while his Dive show is at the usual 9:30 PM start time, the Beck's show on May 24th is in the 3:00 PM matinee timeslot (I do not yet know what band is playing there that night). Visit Curt's Facebook page for more details!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!