Downtown Street Party #3 Info, New Live Concert Videos, And More!!

I hope everyone's Labour Day long weekend is starting on the right foot! Today on the SMS, we have new live videos from three different acts plus some related updates, but first, here's early info on what to expect for a downtown concert event later this month!

Initial details on the third and final Downtown Street Party for Queen Street East in 2026 have been announced via You Belong SSM's Facebook page! We already knew that it would take place on Thursday, September 17th on a closed section at the western end of Queen East from Dennis Street to Gore Street (bus terminal onward), and things will likely be similar in scope to street party #1 from June, as there's no doubling up due to forest fire smoke cancellations. Expect family entertainment, a kids zone, a vendor market at Queen & Tancred, businesses open along the way, beverage gardens, and much more, and the likely cooler temperatures will appeal to many as well! Live music will return, but unlike the last two parties, organizers have yet to make a distinction on where specific artists are playing, other than saying that there will be two stages, one per block. Local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith is the only SMS-amenable act confirmed here.

Mike (presumably with his Big Finish Band) will be joined somewhere that day by country singer/guitarists Brian Tremblay and Jeffrey Wright, jazz group The Hustle Brothers, Dustcovers frontman "Just" Tom Peer (who played with Mike & crew on The Canopy last month), "and more". I'm not calling this as a concert yet, as I don't have a firm location for where everyone is performing, but keep things in mind over the next couple of weeks! For the record, no artists announced for this party were scheduled for the cancelled July party, so that musical lineup was sadly a complete wash. Visit the above links for current details on the last street party!

Next up, here's some recent live concert videos, starting with a video of Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer's headlining concert at the first annual Prince Fest last week! This was filmed by Mike Blair of 705Live Sound Co., who were running sound for the festival outside of DeMarco's Boots & Saddles Roadhouse in Prince Township that night. The not-quite 1 minute long video sees Destroyer playing the Kiss classic "Rock & Roll All Nite" with an uncredited special guest helping on vocals. A comment on the Facebook upload suggests that he could be named Frank but I can't confirm anything beyond that. How Frank(?) got to sing on stage, I don't know, but it's a solid cover for what we do hear! I wouldn't have done the "pan from the soundboard to the stage" thing that Mike likes doing though, as it gave too much away about crowd levels in the field. Give 705Live's Destroyer video a watch for yourselves below!

Also today, here's the latest updates from local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis, who may be remaining a quartet following Liam Dinsmore's departure, as their Facebook page's description now calls them "a a four piece indie, blues/pop rock band". We'll let you know if they add a new second guitarist though! The Handsome Sandwich/HeadFirst successors announced via this vertical video from The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir that they now have official t-shirts on sale, and you can see the band opening the box of shirts to sell for the first time there. No word on if using The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" as backing music was a hint to anything, but the black shirts feature the band's new logo in white. Given where the river flows in the logo, it does look like "Riverside Stassis" to me, but buy yours at their next shows! The band has also confirmed last month's venue announcement that they'll be opening for The Lazys at Blaster Powerhouse on October 9th!

This adds to what should be a fun night of varied hard rock stylings next month, and The Lazys are very much a known commodity on Canadian rock radio, so click here for more on this concert! Lastly from Tea and the guys, they uploaded their first ever live concert video onto their new YouTube channel on Wednesday, which sees them playing their new original song "Run" at Northern Vibe. Filmed by the aforementioned Mike Haggith, he moved around a lot to get lots of distinct and close angles of Riverside Stasis from all angles on the Forest Stage. Chorus is slightly repetitive, but this is a harder rocker than "The Fool" was, and a really strong video of the full song, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Riverside Stasis!

Finally for today, this is a new live video that I considered using for recent concert previews, but seeing as the venue that uploaded it opted to include hard-coded captions in post-production to promote concerts that only happen there, I opted to just share it in a normal post. As you may recall, classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison played two solo headlining acoustic gigs at The Up & Down Lounge on Second Line West a month ago, and for gig #1 on July 31st, the bar/indoor golf lounge's Facebook page shared this video of Tym covering Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?". Like with the Destroyer video above, this doesn't quite hit 1:00 in length, but the biggest issue is that it's way too zoomed out, complicated by Tym sitting as usual for his solo dates. If you zoomed in to focus on Tym and not the lounge interior, you could even completely crop out the unnecessary caption!

Video choices that I wouldn't have made aside, Tym does well with this CCR classic, so fans of his solo unplugged concerts will appreciate it! The Up & Down Lounge have been cagey at best when plugging who has played at their recent Thursday evening concerts, but we'll let you know if hard rock shows get firmly announced there, and give Tym's promotional video from last month a watch for yourselves below! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next month! Thanks everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Prince Fest), The Next LSSU Battle Of The Bands, And New Videos!!

In what will be a productive day re: knocking items off of our backlog that began building up last month, we have another packed news post today, including new videos from two bands seen on stage together earlier this month, initial details on a returning annual battle of the bands, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a new regional festival. Here's what you should know on this warm Tuesday evening!

A debuting summer concert festival in Prince Township (20 minutes west of the Soo) named Prince Fest goes down on Saturday, August 29th, and it will be headlined by Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer! While this is being co-promoted by DeMarco's Boots & Saddles Roadhouse at 2667 Second Line West, Prince Fest will be an outdoor event in the adjacent baseball field at the corner of Second Line and Airport Road. Along with live music, advertising so far (the AI-generated posters linked here & here) indicates that there will also be local food and craft vendors, a beer garden, children's activities, at least one food truck, an on-site barbecue, a baseball tournament, and 3-on-3 basketball. More updates are sure to follow! Destroyer are by far the best known touring Kiss tribute to Sault Ste. Marie fans, having played here at least 6 times in the last 15 years, most recently at the former Soo Blaster in October 2023.

Good to see their faithful take on the Kiss back catalogue here again, if a little further west than you may expect! Local support will come by way of acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos and country rock solo musician Mike Robitaille, who has frequently played at the Boots & Saddles. Prince Fest is expected to run from 12:00-7:00 PM, it is absolutely all ages, and I have not seen any reference to a cover charge or ticket fee. 705Live Sound Co. will be on hand here too. Why not add one more community festival before the summer ends, and it's neat that one is happening so far west, so hopefully Prince Fest is a big hit at month's end! Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, get ready, as the fourth annual Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands returns to Sault Michigan on Thursday, October 22nd! Now, the official advertising on LSSU's Arts Center's page erroneously lists this as the third annual battle there, even though this is 100% year 4 (The Sole Aggressors won in 2023, Molly & The Other Guys won in 2024, and The Dynamic Duo won last year), so hopefully that gets fixed in time for the Facebook promotion to begin. Thanks to generous sponsorship, this year's LSSU Battle will have the biggest prize purse yet, as after three years of $150 and $50 gift cards for first & second place, there will be prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 for first-third place! If the same as the last two years, judges (primarily made up of LSSU faculty) will assess the competitors, who will each have 15 minute sets to compete this fall. The past three LSSU battles had six or seven acts apiece, though 2024 was once slated to have eight.

Video auditions are now being submitted at this link, and while last year's battle curiously only had solo artists and duos, the raised cash prizes should ensure a wider swath of artist submissions. We'll let you know when the official competitor lineup is announced, but could The Dynamic Duo attempt to repeat as champions where the prior winners didn't? Admission for general attendees will be $10 USD ($5 for kids 10 and under), and yes, this is a Thursday nighter, as the previous three LSSU Battles also were. Two EUP battles of the bands in a three month span with $1,000 top prizes ain't a raw deal, so visit the above links for more details, and click here to buy tickets!

We'll head back to Sault Ontario for the back half of today's post to look at some new videos, starting with the first 2026 concert videos from local space/hard rock duo The Spaceship Opening! On August 1st, Andrew and Ralph played their first show of the year when they opened for 5 Dollar Bribe at a multi-local band concert at Blaster Powerhouse, and they shared photos from it the next day to their Facebook page. While they teased that "videos (are coming) soon", only one has followed since, a video shot by an attendee named Kayla of them playing "a little ET cover". Whether they mean ET: The Extra Terrestrial or not, I can't identify the 22 seconds of music being played here, but the chugging riff sounds good, and being a duo, they are better framed for the vertical dimensions! I'd still have zoomed in a bit more though. Give this a look below, and hopefully The Spaceship Opening have more videos soon!

Finally for today, let's look at some new videos from the aforementioned 5 Dollar Bribe, who spent some time posting some non-concert videos to their Facebook page in late July and into this month that largely call to mind their pre-debut viral/comedy uploads on Instagram. To promote the aforementioned August 1st concert at the former Soo Blaster, drummer Chase Chapman starred in this video from July 28th where he demoed a kickflip, and had some help from "Jimbo Jenkins". Watch the video to find out who "Jimbo" is! Another video followed two days later that started with an attempted cover of the intro of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" before abruptly phasing to waking up in a field where Jayce and Tyler were, and beyond plugging the Soo Blaster show, I'll let you decipher what happened next! The day of the show, they posted an episode of "Dwayne's World" (one guess as to what they're parodying) where Chase was a guest of Dwayne and Garth(?) to promote the band and concert. 

Always good to see homages to classic SNL, even if needlessly letterboxed into vertical dimensions despite being a square video! Lastly, on July 31st, they covered At The Drive-In's "Patterns Against User" with Jayce on lead vocals, though for one reason or another, I can't embed it here. The level of covers that 5 Dollar Bribe will source from is always impressive, especially for their age, and they have a good tight sound on this post-hardcore deep cut, even if the video quality itself is fairly blurry. As it's apparently unembeddable, here's the "Dwayne's World" video, but give all of 5 Dollar Bribe's new uploads a watch at the above links!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down), The Destroyer Concert Preview, And New Videos!!

As promised, we're wrapping up this weekend's hard rock concert previews in today's post, with added SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to boot! As well, we have some new videos on both sides of the border to look at also, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday, and the venue didn't acknowledge them until after the band did. We haven't seen Double Down live in over a month, last seen rocking Reggie's, with TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows being Joel, Adam, Brad, and Ric's first at the former Roosevelt Hotel in over three months. We haven't heard too much from Double Down since the summer, but it is good to see this familiar veteran outfit back at it, and hopefully their hard rocking covers go over well in the west end TONIGHT & TOMORROW! These shows have 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Next up, here is one more hard rock concert preview for this weekend, and it's arguably the big one, as Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT! Certainly no strangers to Sault Ste. Marie, this will be Destroyer's (at least) sixth headlining concert here, last seen locally at Soo Blaster in April 2022. If you're a Kiss Army soldier, you'll be right at home with Destroyer's faithful sounding & looking stage show, and after so many prior appearances in city limits, you know that they pull a decent crowd, so if you want the best, this is the next best thing! Like last year, there will be a local opening band, with this show being led off by new pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue (featuring Cherry Crush and Settle For Silver alumni). Admittedly, Bourbon Blue do not lean towards hard rock from what I have seen, but they have a talented lineup and should get things off on the right foot tomorrow!

This 19+ concert has doors opening at 7:00 PM and $20 advance admission (well, $22.63 with taxes/processing fees) at this link, and the door charge jumps to $25. VIP booths will also be available, expense acknowledged. Kiss fans will absolutely want to head to Soo Blaster for all of the action tomorrow, so see above for more details, and here's Destroyer live!

Also today, let's zip over to Sault Michigan for a lengthy new video from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel! In July, they posted this 92 minutes-long video featuring 24 original instrumental metal songs, so if you want to hear their recent non-Christmas output in a convenient and free place, this is a good way to do it! With one exception (two if you count the intro), these songs are otherwise compiled on their "Compilation: Epic Instrumental Metal" album, which quietly received a paid release in May of last year on Amazon for $9.49, and is also available on iTunes/Apple Music. Note that this image is the cover artwork, despite singer Rachel Mender being pictured on the cover of an instrumental album. I wish Theatre of Night had better promoted releasing a new album, even if just a compilation of one-off metal songs, as I'd have formally reviewed it on the site last year when it was still new & timely!

Given our backlog of new albums to review already, I won't be able to get to this (or any unreviewed past) Theatre of Night album until next year at the earliest, but give it a listen above, on Spotify, or on YouTube below, complete with dark and suitably epic imagery to accompany each song! I'll hold comment pending a possible future review, but if you like progressive and classical-inspired metal, you'll take to this release! No word on if the track listing being almost alphabetical is intentional or not though. Stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night soon!

Finally for today, here's a new performance video from veteran Sault Ontario hard/progressive rock guitarist Mike Cliffe's YouTube channel, his first there in over a year! The video has Mike "noodling" a song that he self-deprecatingly named "'Scuse the Bad Note or Two Around the 2:13 Mark". You can see what he means when 2:13 hits, complete with a momentary head shake, but the performance is otherwise solid and all-business, with the Audiofumes podcast host showing his underrated skill on this short instrumental, so definitely check it out for yourselves below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Destroyer & The Wyld Stallyns), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

A relatively quiet concert weekend is upon us for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults, but we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) to pad things out with, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will provide musical entertainment at TOMORROW'S street party on Queen Street East to coincide with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' home opening game! Apologies for the short notice, I only heard about this show earlier today via SooToday, but a Facebook event page had been online for the past two weeks. Regardless, The Stallyns have not confirmed their involvement on their own Facebook page, but given drummer Derek Turner's ties with Village Media, them playing makes sense when you realize their precise location TOMORROW. Queen Street will be closed between Bruce & Dennis (naturally given where GFL Memorial Gardens is), but rather than play at street level on a pop-up stage as normal, the band will be playing on the rooftop of Village Media headquarters at 298 Queen Street East!

Very Beatles-esque conceit there, but totally unique for this city, so look up for The Wyld Stallyns' rocking covers TOMORROW! Food/alcohol vendors, OLG promotions, and family activities will also be on tap for this all ages event, which takes place at 3:00 PM in the leadup to the Greyhounds hosting the Sudbury Wolves in the Gardens at 7:00 PM. Likely one of this year's final outdoor hard rock shows in the Soo, 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather of around 20° TOMORROW during the festivities. Visit the above links for more details, here's The Stallyns live, and go Hounds go!

Next up, we'll pause our weekend concert previews for a second for another new concert taking place further in the timeline, as Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to Soo Blaster for a headlining concert on Saturday, October 14th! Announced oddly late given who the headliners are, this will be Destroyer's (at least) sixth local headlining concert, most recently taking the stage at Soo Blaster in April of last year. Fans who have seen Destroyer live will know that they deliver a faithful rendition of Kiss classics in visual and auditory senses, so if you want the best, the next best thing will be here in a little over two weeks! Local support this time will come by way of new local pop rock cover quartet Bourbon Blue (featuring Turner Up and Soo Fighters alumni), and while not as heavy as Fort Creek from last year, there's a lot of talent in their ranks, so don't be late for their lead-off set next month!

Admission for this 19+ & 7:00 PM concert is $20 in advance (on par with last year) or $25 at the door, and VIP booths will be available if desired. No word on online ticket sales yet, but last year's Destroyer show did have them. Should be a good time for Kiss Army members in the Soo, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Moving back to this weekend's concert previews now, we'll next stay downtown on Queen Street for local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard's scheduled return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! A one-nighter due to Shooters' fall decision to host DJs on Saturdays, this show was announced via the venue's Facebook event page last month, but has not received active promotion on their end nor the band's since. Assuming that all is well, Bone Yard should have a solid evening of hard and southern rock favourites in store for fans and Shooters regulars alike tomorrow, so keep this show in mind for your end-of-month delectation! This 19+ show has a 9:00 PM start time and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Lastly for this weekend's known hard rock concerts, we'll head to the west end, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck are slated to rock The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their first of two concert weekends booked for the last third of 2023 at this venue, these will be their first shows since playing at Jay's last week with guest singer Darrel Ford, and as far as I can tell, their full lineup (with Cameron) will be back in full force for this weekend's gigs. While the band proper hasn't publically acknowledged them on Facebook, The Esquire Club has, so fingers crossed that the guys have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock favourites ready to go for fans this weekend! As usual for their gigs here, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges tomorrow and/or Saturday. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live last year!

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

Handsome Sandwich Release Concert Preview, Plus Destroyer Concert Videos!!

As promised, we're rounding out this weekend's concert previews today with a special extended preview of a big event tomorrow night, with some concert videos from last month to round things out with. Here's what you should know, starting with that concert preview!

An album release date months in the making comes to fruition TOMORROW NIGHT when local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich release their debut album "Deconstructed" at their release party at The Loft! As a refresher, The Loft is the concert venue on the third floor of the Algoma Conservatory of Music at 75 Huron Street (the former St. Mary's Paper building), and is managed by Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, whose bandmate Bill Priddle was very much involved in the "Deconstructed" recording sessions. By all public accounts, The Loft is very high end as concert venues in Sault Ste. Marie go, both from attendance and performance standpoints, so click here for full details on the amenities and technical qualities that are in store for this and other concerts. We have not seen Handsome Sandwich on stage since The Soo's Got Talent finals in October, though they've hardly been idle since then!

It's also been at least since T.S.G.T. last year that they had May 6th dialed in as a release date for this album (I still don't know the significance of May 6th), and after 7+ months of final studio work, video shoots, mastering, and promotion, we're almost over the finish line for "Deconstructed"! In the pandemic era, heavier album releases on physical media have been the exception, not the rule, so fans of physical media will love that "Deconstructed" will be on sale tomorrow on CD (price unclear), so bring extra cash to get yours! I do not know if streaming copies of the album go live before the show or afterwards. Set-wise, Handsome Sandwich plan to play every song on "Deconstructed" in order, allegedly the only time that they plan to do this live, and the set will be filled out by newer original songs not on the album (no word on possible covers).

Their set is at 8:30 PM, while local indie rock quartet Man Feelings will open the proceedings at 7:30 PM. Not a hard rock or punk band, but they're a talented group in & of themselves, so don't miss them either! An all ages event, admission is $25 at the door or via this link, though seating is limited. If you can't make it, Handsome Sandwich have confirmed that at least their set will be "live recorded" (The Loft is adjacent to a recording studio and is wired for soundboard audio/HD video), but what form they mean for the recording is not known. This is primed to be a huge night for Taylor, Jesse, Mitch, Rafael, and Johnny, so don't miss out tomorrow, visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's the Sandwich live!

We'll close today with videos from the concert from Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer at Soo Blaster on April 15th! Apologies for the delay in these making the site. Filmed for Christopher Paci's excellent YouTube channel, he uploaded ten videos from this show, including eight of the headliners tackling the Kiss classics "Firehouse", "Shout It Out Loud", "Calling Dr. Love", "I Was Made For Loving You", "Love Gun", "Detroit Rock City", "I Stole Your Love", and as embedded below, "Rock & Roll All Nite". Really nice seeing a sizeable crowd on the floor for this show, and while the audio can be scratchy with the audio setup and/or through this camera (I can see why Chris didn't title "I Stole Your Love"), you get a really good sense of Destroyer's authentic sounding and looking presentation! I wonder if the Kiss cabbie was there? I imagine he'd approve! Give these a watch for yourself a look above and below!

Chris' other two videos are of local openers Fort Creek, with their videos being of them covering Black Stone Cherry's "White Trash Millionaire" and, as embedded below, The Goo Goo Dolls' "Long Way Down". Unexpected cover in the latter case, but the southern hard rockers pull it off well and it lets Justin flex his melodic vocal abilities! Possibly thanks to not being on the floor while filming, the audio quality is clearer on these too, so check them out for yourselves above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fyrbird & Peril) Plus This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Today's post is devoted to new or upcoming concerts, both to preview this weekend's slate and to announced LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS ahead! We're mostly looking at E.U.P. gigs here, with a Sault Ontario stop for good measure further down, so here's what you should know!

Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts on Friday, May 12th & Saturday, May 13th! Announced via this concert calendar shared to their Facebook page earlier this month, these have since been confirmed on Kewadin's entertainment page's listings of lounge bands through the end of May (we will address Tarnished's return to the Soo Kewadin in an upcoming post). These will be Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' first shows at The Rapids Lounge since playing there in late January, and will hopefully prove to be another entertaining weekend of hard rocking covers for fans and lounge regulars alike, so don't miss out on next month's action! Peril will be on both nights at 9:00 PM with no cover charge and a 21+ age limit, as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and we'll look at their sister band's Kewadin gigs this weekend in a bit!

Next up, let's dive into this weekend's concert previews, starting with the return of Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino themselves TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, but that's not all from them! Last week, band representative Shannon Hider posted their current schedule through the end of the year on their Facebook group (we had previously known about their E.U.P. gigs through next month), so when else can you see Fyrbird in our neck of the woods? The next new-to-us gigs within an hour of the Soo will see them rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on September 22nd & 23rd, before returning to The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie on November 17th & 18th. More spread out, but they will be back! Also, note that they'll be seen often in Paradise, Newberry, Gould City, Curtis, and Naubinway as well, which are not in our coverage range.

Remember, we stop at an hour's drive from Sault Ste. Marie, but of course, those towns are in Chippewa, Mackinac, or Luce County, so don't disregard them if you happen to be in the area, as they play there more than under the Kewadin umbrella. Tonight, tomorrow's, and this fall's Kewadin gigs from Fyrbird are at 9:00 PM with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Hopefully Fyrbird's hard hitting two-man cover attack goes over well for Yooper fans this weekend and beyond, so visit the above links for more details, don't miss them tonight and tomorrow in the Soo, and here's Rick & Jamie live and in concert last year!

Also, let's head further south in Michigan for the aforementioned shows this weekend from Peril's sister band, namely Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm, who will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace branch TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT themselves! Fresh off of rare gigs in Indiana this past weekend, these will be the Peril sister band's first shows in St. Ignace since February, so not a huge time between gigs there, but definitely still another fine opportunity or two for their hard hitting yet fan friendly covers & originals on a local stage awaits local fans this weekend! Like with Peril in the Soo next month, Scarkazm's concerts tonight and tomorrow have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details on Scarkazm's St. Ignace shows this weekend, and here they are live!

Finally, let's head north to Sault Ontario, as Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will make their (at least) fifth local concert appearance here TOMORROW NIGHT, when they rock Soo Blaster for the first time! Fans of Kiss may recall last seeing Destroyer give rock n' roll to you at the former Canadian Nightclub in March 2019 (with a planned May 2020 return cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown), so it'll be great to see Destroyer's faithful take on Kiss' classic original hard rock sound and stage show on a local stage again, and fans should be in good hands after their prior gigs here went well! Support will come by way of local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, who are stepping out of the studio for their first set since their headlining weekend at Jay's last month and their first appearance at Soo Blaster since playing there in December. With Fort Creek's long-gestating new album still in the works, look for new studio material mixed into tomorrow's high profile set!

Sponsored by Sessions Cannabis, this 19+ concert has doors opening at 7:00 PM, and tickets run for $20 (up from $15 in 2019) or $25 for VIP passes, perks unclear, though note that on Eventbrite, the only advance tickets there cost $27.96 with taxes/service fees already applied. If you're a fan of Kiss, you owe it to yourself to check this show out, as Destroyer are the next best thing to the real thing, and Fort Creek will be a good match to kick off the evening, so don't miss out tomorrow, visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Destroyer live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Destroyer, Leash, And Bone Yard) & Spades GT Updates!!

Today's post was reshapen in progress due to discovering some concerts taking place next month that I hadn't heard about as soon as I probably should have, so factoring them into what we already knew, we mostly have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS today, plus updates on a prominent local band's album recording sessions. Here's what you should know!

Hamilton-based Pearl Jam tribute band Leash will make their local concert debut on Saturday, March 4th when they perform at Soo Blaster! Given the touring tribute bands that usually make their way to Sault Ste. Marie, one paying homage to a grunge/alternative rock band is definitely unique, so that alone should get many readers curious! While the vocals aren't a perfect match to Eddie Vedder, Leash have the musical chops to pay justice to Pearl Jam, and it'll be interesting to see how Leash go over next month! There are no advertised opening bands. Announced by Soo Blaster's Facebook page in a relatively quiet fashion (hence why I only just heard about it today), this is a 19+ event with doors opening at 7:00 PM, and tickets run for $25 in advance at the venue or this link or $30 at the door. A $320 VIP booth package with bottle service is also available as an option for online ticket buyers if you are so inclined.

Hopefully Leash go over well in just under two weeks, as it'd be neat to see more musical diversity in the tribute bands that stop in the Soo (especially post-pandemic wben more bands are touring), so visit the above links for more on this show next Saturday!

Next up, local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard will be in concert elsewhere on Saturday, March 4th, specifically The Water Tower Pub on Great Northern Road! This show was quietly announced at the end of a post on their Facebook page earlier today where they were otherwise hyping up remaining availability of their recent run of official Bone Yard t-shirts, but it's a surprise announcement in another way, as they were slated to play at The Coulson Entertainment Center in Sudbury next weekend, as per their Facebook concert calendar from last month. According to The Coulson's website's concert calendar, Bone Yard are definitely not playing there on March 3rd & 4th (giving way to Sudbury's own Natalie Crispo Band), and were instead postponed to/re-booked for March 24th & 25th, so Sudbury genre fans and relocated Saultites should keep their delayed trip in mind!

As far as The Water Tower Pub goes, the venue has yet to confirm this booking on their Facebook page, but Bone Yard are not playing on Friday the 3rd, as The Water Tower Pub usually books separate acts on Fridays and Saturdays. If they (or The Bearded Lounge?) play anywhere else next Friday, we'll let you know! Next Saturday's concert will have an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Bone Yard soon!

Also, Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return to town on Saturday, April 15th when they rock Soo Blaster themselves! Their first local gig in just over four years (last seen at the former Canadian Nightclub in March 2019) and their fifth date here since 2010, some readers may recall that Destroyer were slated to play at The Canadian in May 2020, a show cancelled for very obvious reasons. It's great to see Destroyer bringing their impressive brand of Kiss tribute action back to the Soo for a relocated make-up date, so if you want the best, they'll be the next best thing to the best! Local support will come by way of southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, in a familiar spot for them following opening for Metallica tribute Sandman at Soo Blaster last year. Unless dates in the interim are announced, this will be Fort Creek's first show in three months, and it should prove to be another solid platform for their hard hitting covers & originals, so don't miss out!

Sponsored by Sessions Cannabis, this 19+ event has doors opening at 7:00 PM. Despite the Facebook event page and poster indicating that you can buy tickets online via Eventbrite, I have not found a working link for online sales, so contact Soo Blaster directly by phone if you want yours immediately (for reference, Destroyer's 2019 show had $15 tickets, and prices for the pandemic-cancelled 2020 date were never publicized). The local contingent of the Kiss Army should circle this date on their calendars, especially given the Saturday night timing, so visit the above links for more on Destroyer's return in two months!

Finally, here's some more details on local/Barrie crossover thrash quartet Spades GT's ongoing recording sessions for their first full-length album, courtesy of their Facebook page! On Sunday (day 6 for the former Jack Spades in studio), they revealed that frontman J.D. Pearce had begun tracking "some heavy vocals" for the album, and they shared this photo of the band with producer Kyle Marchant later that day. Despite Monday being Family Day, the guys were back in studio and welcomed two guest musicians in to record appearances on the record, one being Andrew Moorehouse, who is the lead singer of Innisfil punk band The Fast Life. Spades GT guitarist Daniel Horton joined The Fast Life last year, so some synergy between the two bands can't hurt! The other confirmed guest is none other than Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow, which is a huge get on paper, but has closer ties than you may recall!

Remember, Lips' long-time bandmate (drummer Robb Reiner) is the father of Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner, so they definitely had a leg up to give him a call, especially being based in the GTA now! The pictures posted on Facebook suggest that Lips will be guesting on guitar. Sounds like Spades GT are building up anticipation and content the right way for this album, so definitely stay tuned for more updates as they roll in, and look for weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

More Likely Concert Cancellations, Plus Tarnished's Newest Live-Streamed Shows!!

For this 69th straight daily post at the SMS, we do have new video content, but let's start with the latest on the local concert calendar and the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer extended the state's stay-at-home order until Friday, June 12th, and you can read more about this announcement at this link or your preferred Michigan news sources. Businesses cleared to re-open in the Sault Ste. Marie area can still do so, but this order means that casinos must remain closed through at least this date, Kewadin Casinos included. As such, I have removed The Lows' concert at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo on June 12th from our calendar, as well as Peril's scheduled June 12th weekend shows at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace. The one-nighter at The Rapids Lounge on June 13th from Pontiac hard rock band Tripp 'N' Dixie will remain in our listings for now.

Note that Tripp 'N' Dixie have not posted on their Facebook page at all since February, so if the show is publically cancelled, it may be through Kewadin or the state government before the band. In Sault Ontario, the only remaining concert scheduled this summer in our calendar is the Alienator-headlined show at Soo Blaster on June 4th (next Thursday), and I have reluctantly opted to remove it as well. As of this writing, Soo Blaster have not announced that they'll be re-opening in time for this show, and even if, I can't see this going on when everything else around it has been cancelled. In any event, neither Alienator nor local openers The Bear Hunters have publically acknowledged the show on their Facebook pages. If I am wrong, I'll redact this! Lastly, I have to give a huge apology, as a hard rock concert (obviously now cancelled) was scheduled for yesterday in the Soo that we completely forgot to cover on here, to be headlined by Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer!

To have been held at The Canadian Nightclub, this show was announced back in January via it's Facebook event page, and it would have been Destroyer's fifth local concert appearance since 2010, and first since rocking the same venue in March of last year. Promotion of it didn't visibly get far (ticket prices weren't even listed), and while I definitely regret not covering this one in the winter, it never took place anyway for sadly obvious reasons. Hopefully Destroyer return to the Soo when things settle down!

The second half of today's post takes us back into live-streamed concert territory, as Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished held their 13th & 14th at-home concerts on their Facebook page on Friday and yesterday! After switching to a two hour set for the prior two installments, and dealing with a mid-show power outage on night #2, Alex & Josh has originally planned to do two hour sets again last week, but both only ran for an hour (or so) due to warm temperatures during recording. That said, the audio quality remains poor across both live-streams for my setup, so Audacity manipulation and maximum volume may be necessary. Friday's live-stream again has the wide-screen video letter-boxed in standard definition, but they finally corrected the aspect ratio problems in yesterday's live-stream, so that one is embedded below. Starting with Friday, that set features 2/3rds of Tarnished covering Three Doors Down's "Kryptonite", Incubus' "Drive", ...

...Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl", Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World", Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue On Black", Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love", Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock & Roll", Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me", Bob Seger's "Turn The Page", Skid Row's "18 & Life", and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising". As for yesterday, Alex & Josh tackled Sublime's "What I Got", REO Speedwagon's "Take It On The Run", The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishin' In The Dark", and Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", before Josh swapped out his guitar for his acoustic bass. Afterward, the guys play a new original song named "Cabin Fever" from their upcoming EP, Lou Bega's "Mambo No. 5", Billy Idol's "White Wedding", Alex's own solo track "Crazy World", Green Day's "Basket Case", Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust", The Romantics' "What I Like About You", and Cameo's "Word Up". This was a nice selection of tunes overall from these two nights!

The audio quality remains a deep concern, but the guys seem to have a strong handle on these covers, new and old alike, and the stage lighting does add some visual flair to the performances! No word on when we'll see Tarnished back with more live-streams (and for how long), but give these a watch above and below, and stay tuned for more from their camp!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into the last concert weekend of March 2019 in today's post, luckily without any short notice shows (at press time?) That said, we do have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to add to our listings for next month, so here's what you should know for hard rock bands this weekend and beyond!

Prolific local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant with acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY, but while we're at it, I'm rolling his April concert schedule into our listings too! Remember, due to their length and amount, we approach Tym's concerts (particularly the Gliss ones) a month at a time for our coverage on the SMS. As such, expect Tym's ongoing run at Gliss to continue unabated through next month (and beyond), with April dates scheduled twice weekly on April 5th & 6th, 12th & 13th, 19th & 20th, and 26th & 27th. Keep these supper-time shows in mind at this popular Spring Street restaurant next month, plus tomorrow & Saturday's March-closing gigs as well, for more strong entertainment! As well, Tym has two traditional nighttime shows next month at different frequent venues of his, both on Fridays, including at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on April 5th and at Room 21 on April 19th.

Tym's busy schedule is always welcome to see, so keep these shows in mind if you're up for some hard rocking unplugged covers this spring! If he is returning to Mark's Breakfast Plus or elsewhere next month, then those gigs haven't been publically announced yet. Tomorrow's, Saturday's, and next month's Gliss shows all have 6:00 PM start times and no stated age limits or cover charges (but mind the locale), while the Roadhouse & Room 21 shows are 19+, at 10:00 PM, and have no cover. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here , and here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, Tym does have one more show this weekend, as he's opening for new-ish power rock band Re:Born in both acts' Soo Blaster debut TOMORROW NIGHT! A precursor to Re:Born's set opening for The Killer Dwarfs at the same venue next month, this will be the Project 421 successors' first concert of 2019, just their fourth total, and their first public appearance since Elly McWatters replaced Robert Nevitt as their new lead singer last fall. Headlining a warm-up gig is a great way for Re:Born to shake off the stage rust, so prepare for a classic metal cover and original blast tomorrow at the former Woolco/NCO building on Queen Street East! Remember, their set will be as a four-piece due to guitarist Frank McGillivray's out of town work commitments. Of course, the aforementioned Tym Morrison is opening in a rare supporting appearance at standalone non-charity concert, and his unplugged hard rock covers should set the tone well tomorrow night!

A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ concert, which will have a $5 cover charge. If you love old school hard and classic rock with an increasing slate of original tracks, you'd be well served by going to Soo Blaster tomorrow to see Re:Born's return after over 5 months away! Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Re:Born live!



In a brief detour to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, fans can see Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril back at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These shows were originally advertised as taking place at the St. Ignace Kewadin via this concert calendar in January, and if this wasn't a typo, a reason was not publicized for the concerts' relocation. Marking their first Soo Kewadin stops of 2019, Peril's hard rocking brand of classic covers always a welcome sight when they travel north, fans should give Jeff, Adam, and Brooks a solid welcome back this weekend! No word yet on shows in the second quarter of 2019 or beyond for Peril, we'll let you know when they're confirmed, but their sister band Scarkazm will be in the Soo in May.

Tomorrow & Saturday night's concerts have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. In spite of the mistaken/outdated venue listing from January, Peril should put on a great show both nights in Sault Ste. Marie, so keep tomorrow & Saturday's shows in mind, and stay tuned for word on when Peril will return to St. Ignace! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Peril live!



Finally for this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where Windsor-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer will return for a well anticipated headlining concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Canadian Nightclub! Last seen locally in May 2015 (with their planned July 2017 gig here cancelled on late notice), Destroyer's well regarded brand of Kiss tribute action has proven to deliver the auditory and visual goods across Canada, and if you're up for a night of authentic Kiss action, you know where to be on Saturday! The local openers will be local hard rock cover quartet Griphook (who opened for Destroyer here in 2015), ending a nearly two year-long stage hiatus of theirs dating back to Rotaryfest 2017. It's great to see Joel, Brian, Dan, and Tony back after far too long, but how much stage rust will Griphook have after the long layoff? Head to The Canadian on Saturday to find out, and hopefully there's much more to come from!

Admission for this 19+ concert is a flat $15 at the door, which is cheaper than in 2015, but that event did have discounted advance tickets, so take that for what you will. A 10:00 PM start time is advertised, and if you're a loyal Kiss Army member, you won't want t miss out on Destroyer's first Sault Ste. Marie gig in over 4 years! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Destroyer live last month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates, plus this month's CD review in the coming days! Thanks everyone!