LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Aneurysm), Another Brimley Battle Of The Bands Video, And More!!

Our backlog is almost cleaned out, so to continue towards that goal, here's another news post to check out tonight, including one more video from a battle of the bands last year, some assorted shorter updates, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know!

It's been two & a half weeks of putting this show off amidst our severe backlog, but its number has finally been called, as Winnipeg-based Nirvana tribute band Aneurysm will make their local debut on Wednesday, September 23rd at Beck's Bar! The first Nirvana tribute in the Soo since The Pixo Control's one-off turn as Like A Pisces over a decade ago, this show actually has more in common with the Rush tribute concert at Reggie's in July 2022, in that the tribute band is the sister group for a touring original band who will be playing the opening set as themselves. In this case, the band is Winnipeg "nu grunge punk n' roll" quartet The Bloodshots, who alone would be an intriguing headliner here with their up-tempo melodic, yet in your face original sound that blurs genre lines, but they do Nirvana justice in available media, so fans of grunge and alt-rock should have a blast, work/school night scheduling acknowledged!

This concert will have a 9:00 PM start time in "Saulte Ste. Marie", it is 19+, and it will have a $10 cover charge (as best as I can tell, there won't be advance ticket sales). If you can swing a Wednesday nighter in late September, this should deliver the goods for Nirvana fans, let alone The Bloodshots' own entertaining originals, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on all of next month's action!

Next up, I wanted to wrap up our look at Dafter, Michigan singer/guitarist Molly Escherich's videos from her sets at the Superior Whitefish Festival in Brimley, as we haven't talked about her "Music In The Park" acoustic set last year! Molly's solo unplugged sets don't lean as heavy as what she plays in bands (perhaps understandably), but she does throw in some hard rock covers in unplugged settings. Before she and The Other Guys played an abbreviated 10 minute long set in that evening's battle of the bands, Molly played a more standard 40 minute set in the afternoon, which was prefaced by the announcement by her mother Tiffany that she had won a major scholarship award for middle/high school music students, allowing her to afford the tuition at the Interlochen Academy For The Arts. She begins her second year there next month, and of course, belated congratulations to Molly on her success as she furthers her musical career and education downstate!

The actual set begins 5+ minutes in with covers of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down", Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's "Still The Same", Radiohead's "Creep", and Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My Life Away", before playing her own original song "Will This Last Forever". After tackling Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is The Deepest" (perhaps the Sheryl Crow version?), Molly next plays her own original "Cheap Cologne" (which she played with The Other Guys in the battle later on), before finishing out with covers of Zach Bryan's "Something In The Orange", The Doobie Brothers' "Listen To The Music", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain", and Coldplay's "Yellow". If you're curious, all songs here except the four from "Creep" to "The First Cut..." were played in Molly's Music In The Park set this year. Also, only five songs here were clipped out as indivdual YouTube uploads, so use the links above to see everything.

I'm thinking that the other six didn't get singular uploads to minimize on banter with people off-stage and/or false starts/minor flubs, but for a then-13 year old who had just received extremely exciting news about her further education in music, I'm not inclined to be judgy. Molly performed well here, and covered a lot of musical ground in this set, so give her full 2025 acoustic Superior Whitefish Festival set a watch below!

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

 

• A bonus 16th act has been added to the Northern Vibe Festival's Forest Stage lineup this weekend, namely Darius McRae, a teenage acoustic singer/guitarist who you may recognize from local theatrical productions and from performing in Superior Heights Collegiate's student rock band Steel Rock at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in 2024 & 2025. How will he sound on his own? Be in Ophir this coming weekend to find out! The full two day schedule has been released, but as it's now short notice for us (as usual for this event), stay tuned for our extended Northern Vibe preview next week!
• In yet another example of a local band posting a Facebook "Story" that I can't embed or link to here, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly shared a brief vertical video of them covering The Arrows' "I Love Rock N' Roll" (well, the Joan Jett version) at last week's Outspoken Brewing concert. Actually, the show took place outdoors beside Outspoken, which is honestly for the best, as the space for concerts inside is very small, hence why you more hear of acoustic solo artists and DJs there. Hopefully the concert went well for the band and fans, even if I truly don't like the idea of "Stories"!
• Underground Events SSM posted a "Things To Do In The Soo" events listing on their Facebook page on August 15th featuring upcoming concerts from them and other promoters, even ones that haven't been formally unveiled yet. Of note, the second SOOpfest fundraiser will indeed be on September 19th (bands and location to be announced), and there will be a "mixed bill" Thanksgiving weekend concert on October 9th followed by a "metal show" on October 30th. If they're listing them without info, the latter two must be from Underground Events SSM too, so stay tuned for details on both!

 

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

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

A quieter weekend (comparatively speaking) is in store for hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults and area this weekend, so we will be able to address all concerts this weekend within two posts, in all likelihood. Sunday's Krash-headlined concert will be previewed separately closer to the event, but here. let's look at the covers-leaning action over the next few days, including some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will be the headliners of this year's North Shore Agricultural Fair (a.k.a. the Laird Fair) on SATURDAY NIGHT at the Laird Fairgrounds 20 minutes outside of town! Apologies for the short notice, the band oddly hasn't really plugged the booking on their Facebook group (fans confirmed the Laird Fair gig there on August 2nd), but the Laird Fair's Facebook page has been advertising them since late last month. In their first public gig since Rotaryfest, Head Rush (if you believe the schedule) will be taking over the baton as SATURDAY headliners from Silent 9 this year, and according to the AI-generated poster (one of many covering this year's fair), expect "a night of dancing, singing along, and partying". There's plenty of family friendly games, activities, vendors, and much more to take in at the fairgrounds, so click here for the full weekend itinerary and schedule from tomorrow-Sunday.

Like past years with a cover rock band on the SATURDAY, Headrush's concert will be at 9:00 PM with no cover charge (select events have registration fees), but the concert itself will be licensed and 19+. The fairgrounds gazebo is covered but not a completely closed-off building, so just in case, 9&10 News projects a high of 21° in Laird on SATURDAY NIGHT, and there is the potential for rain late, so definitely follow your preferred weather forecast for updates (rain is more likely for the Sunday program though). Visit the above links for more on this year's Laird Fair, and here's Headrush live!

Next up, prolific local acoustic classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will return to Ije's Place in Desbarats for his third show there TOMORROW NIGHT, but in a new confirmation, he will also return to Beck's Bar for a matinee concert on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice on SUNDAY's Beck's concert, the venue only announced the show via their Facebook page this past Sunday as part of their weekly schedule reveal, and Tym followed suit a day later with a batch Facebook event page that confirmed two more Sunday matinee gigs on September 27th and November 1st. No word on if the latter will have any belated Halloween themes, but keep these shows as well as THIS SUNDAY's gig in mind for Tym's unplugged hard rock covers! Counting his Trading Post gig yesterday, tomorrow's and SUNDAY's concerts will keep Tym busy with three shows in five days.

Tomorrow's show in Desbarats is proof that "Tim Morisson" (if you believe the venue's AI-generated poster) has went over well on his road trips 45 minutes southeast, and hopefully he is a hit again at Ije's! That show takes place at 6:00 PM with no cover or age limit (though it will be "happy hour for alcohol!" during Tym's sets), while all three Beck's matinees (THIS SUNDAY included) are at 3:00 PM during their weekly euchre tournament, with no cover and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details on all fronts, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Now to shows that had 100% advance notice, and we'll start with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly, who have a rare double header weekend in store, with two shows in two days! TOMORROW NIGHT, they'll make their debut at Outspoken Brewing at 350 Queen Street East, while they'll return to Gateway Casino on SATURDAY NIGHT (they don't host concerts on Fridays), so you have two downtown options this weekend. Like Headrush, fans last saw Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe rocking out at on Stage 1 at Rotaryfest Friday last month, and while these are indoor shows (and Outspoken is a smaller, intimate space as it is), at least there's no air quality concerns to worry about! The classic and hard rock covers will be flowing regardless, so don't miss out at 9:00 PM tomorrow and 8:00 PM on Saturday! Both shows are 19+ with no announced cover. Visit the above links for more on both shows, and here's Quite Frankly live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head south to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to Kingston Kitchen for their second show there of 2026 on SATURDAY NIGHT! Like last month's concert at the Jamaican restaurant, Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron aren't in St. Ignace for a special occasion (for that, stop by for the truck show next month), so this will just be a good excuse to see Tarnished's hard rocking and 1980s-friendly cover slate, so keep everything in mind if you'll be in Mackinac County or are up for the hour's drive from the Soo! Expect "good vibes and great music" from Crush's sister band at Kingston Kitchen on Saturday night with an 8:00 PM start time, no likely age limit given that this is a restaurant first, and no stated age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live a few years back!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes (plus our Krash preview) in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

A New Addition To Our Band Links, A Mid-Week Concert Preview, And Much More!!

In terms of our backlog clearout, yesterday's posts somewhat set us back, as one was a scheduled feature post and the other only knocked one topic off of the list. However, today's post will clear six items from our list, so here's what you should know via some recent shorter updates, a concert preview for tomorrow evening, and leading off, a belated addition to our band links and full coverage, so here's what you should know!

After their well received closing set on Rotaryfest Saturday last month, it's high time that we finally roll classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks into our full coverage! The band has generally been cagey when it comes to sharing media and setlist hints from their shows, which is what has kept them out of our links for this long, but what they played at Clergue Park last month definitely points to The Sidekicks fitting based on bands that we already actively cover. Active since at least February 2020 when they played at the United We Jam! fundraiser right before the pandemic began, their Facebook page was only launched in August 2021, and they have had a steady lineup since then, featuring singer/drummer Tracey Hilderley (formerly of bands like Tripod The Dog, Boogie Fever, and Domina) alongside guitarist Steve Cardiff and bassist Dan Beaupre (of 100 Gran, Griphook, and Double Down fame).

Pandemic restrictions are partly to blame for their relative lack of shows from before 2023, and while they're not the most regularly seen cover band going, they're probably best recognized from their appearances at The Water Tower Pub in the past three years, along with scattered gigs at venues like Jay's Piston Broke Pub, The Dive Gastro Pub, and Beck's Pub (sorry, Beck's Bar). Tracey, Steve, and Dan have also been seen at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in 2023, that year's Bushplane Days, and a 2024 Summer Concert Series gig at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion. As noted above, The Sidekicks don't post videos of themselves on social media, perhaps with the thought process of "if you want to see/hear us, come to our gigs!", but from what I caught of them on Stage 1 at Rotaryfest last month, they covered the likes of Heart, The Cult, Pat Benatar, Sloan, The Scorpions, The Tragically Hip, and Judas Priest, among others.

The Sidekicks will be a unique band alone from having a frontwoman who sings and drums simultaneously, and while I did find that Tracey's vocals could be overly theatrical on more upbeat rockers, she adjusts well when songs call for it, and they do have some interesting cover selections that other bands don't tackle. Steve and Dan are solid musicians to match, and Steve is (to me) an underrated lead guitarist that I'm surprised isn't talked about as much. There is a new Sidekicks video to share from Rotaryfest shot by an external page that we'll address when we cover the remaining Rotaryfest videos, but click here to see our video of them covering "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" from last month! 

Next up, here's our latest mid-week concert preview concerning the prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison, whose weekly arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post continues TOMORROW! With five more shows to go for the former Caveman Morrison frontman for this seasonal run, tomorrow's date should provide fans with more unplugged rock favourites, so keep things in mind if you're in the area or are up for a drive north! If you'd rather see Tym on a better day for concerts or somewhere else, we will preview his next Desbarats show on Friday in this weekend's previews, plus his new late notice matinee confirmation for Sunday. These shows are 6:30-8:00 PM affairs with no cover charge or age limit, and as this is an outdoor event, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the 20-22° range. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

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

 

• On June 2nd, Kewadin Casinos' Facebook page announced a new series of upgrades at their five locations to begin that summer, including "bar and restaurant/deli renovations". However, in the linked press release, the only way that this may affect SMS coverage is that the Sault Michigan branch is getting a new sports bar that begins construction next summer. Is this replacing The Rapids Lounge or is this something that will exist alongside it? Time will tell, but see above for more on all levels of upgrades at Kewadin Casinos in the coming months!
• The local openers have been announced for Australian hard rock band The Lazys' headlining concert at Blaster Powerhouse in Sault Ontario on October 9th, and surprisingly, it will be folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels! They revealed their involvement last week via the poster for their Full Chisel Tour this fall, though note that the former Soo Blaster has yet to visibly corroborate this in the full concert promotion. While 3/4ths of The Scoundrels have experience in hard rock/metal bands, they are still an interesting genre contrast, so hopefully they help pull a sizeable crowd in two months' time! Tickets are on sale at this link!
• In two more examples of local classic/hard rock cover bands using Facebook "Stories" to share self-destructing vertical videos that I can't link to or feature here, Quite Frankly did so from their April concert at The Water Tower Pub (where they covered Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son"), and Silent 9 just did so over the weekend for a very blurry video of them covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" at a recent private event, with Jess singing on stage alongside an attendee. I will never understand why some bands and venues choose to share videos as "Stories" that can only be seen once or twice before vanishing into the ether, but alas, you may have missed those ones as of late!

 

 That's all for now, but stay tuned for another new SMS post later today! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2026 Fallout (Part 1!!)

It's been over two weeks without diving into fallout and videos from this year's Rotaryfest music lineups from external sources and the performers themselves, so let's start combing through what I'm able to find from YouTube and social media today! Remember, the Thursday lineup on Stage 1 was cancelled due to that weekend's severe air quality index counts, and possibly due to the air quality, SooToday didn't send reporters down to cover the remaining bands with any depth (though a picture of Headrush's set was in this press release). Starting our coverage on the opening music lineup on Stage 1 at Clergue Park on Friday, July 17th, the local Facebook page Seldom Seen SSM was on hand to film local Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band Mellowship Slinky's opening set, specifically of them covering "Can't Stop". Not a hard rock song like early Peppers, but if you miss Anthony rapping, this fit that bill!

Of note, Mellowship Slinky (featuring Reeves frontman Brad Irwin) recruited former As It Stands drummer John Mignacca to fill in for an absent Joe Rosso that day, and it is good to see John behind a drumkit again! Unfortunately for all involved, it was raining very heavily on Friday to kick off the day, so the crowd levels weren't great, and understandably so. I hope the Seldom Seen SSM filmographer had an umbrella to protect their camera, and I hope the stage roof provided sufficient protection for their set! Seldom Seen SSM hung out to film the next band on the Friday, namely local jazz cover quartet The Jazz Cats (featuring Convegence's Jacob Valois and the first of four Rotaryfest sets this year from saxophonist Josh Norling). They played a familiar instrumental that I could not immediately identify by name, and the rain held off for this song! Alas, drummer Nick James was completely obscured by the drumkit at this angle.

The closer angle and drier skies helped the view otherwise, and this was a strong performance by a talented ensemble of true jazz cats! The 7:00 PM third set by country musicians and Way Backs alumni Jeffrey Wright and Meggy Lee was well documented, with attendee Kyle MacGinnis filming thirteen videos for this batch post shared to Jeffrey's Facebook page. Kyle helpfully labelled each video by cover, and generally filmed full songs, and you'll recognize covers of Willie Nelson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Denver, and (of course) Johnny Cash songs among the set. Kyle opted to shoot all 13 videos vertically though, which was really not ideal, both for the distantly tiny zoom on the performers (Jacob Valois among them again) and because he captured many rows of empty chairs in frame on all videos. Blame it on the rain, I get it, but why accentuate empty seats when you can just rotate your phone and zoom in to the stage?

If you like country music, Jeffrey and crew delivered a skilled and respectful set! YouTube user MistressRayvin also posted two videos to her channel of Jeffrey & Meggy, including "Fishin' In The Dark" as a "Shorts" video, and their cover of Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" (which Kyle didn't film). We'll stop for today with a video of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly, who posted a highlight video of their late replacement set onto their Facebook page. The 3+ minute video sees them covering songs by Alannah Myles, The Top Notes, Wheatus, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Shania Twain, Collective Soul, and The Black Keys, among others. I'm no fan of "Teenage Dirtbag" or "Lonely Boy", and I'd far prefer full songs over sub-30 second highlights, but the performances are solid, and I would definitely rather hear Linsaey sing that Wheatus song than hear the original!

The rain looks to have held off for their set too, and the crowd levels seem good from what is visible on screen, though did the video need this much letterboxing? Give it a look below, and don't miss Quite Frankly at Outspoken Brewing and Gateway Casino this weekend!

When we pick things up on Rotaryfest 2026 music fallout (not sure how quickly given our backlog, mind you), we'll look at the closing Friday sets from Just Press Play and Headrush, the Friday Night Blues concert on Stage 2, and if space allows, the start of the Saturday lineups, so stay tuned for all of that and more on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Quite Frankly, Generations, And Viscera) And More Recent Updates!!

As my Rotaryfest review will be quite long, here's a news post to fill some time while that gets written, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some other shorter updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced their August concert calendar via their Facebook group this past Wednesday! After opting to take July off (with a Jus' Chillin reunion gig and Pierre playing with Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers at Rotaryfest Stage 2 in the interim), Generations will return to action on Saturday, August 1st at Gateway Casino, in their first concert there in almost two months, with said gig falling on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many. Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony will pack their bags for The Water Tower Pub (the site of their most recent concert) on Saturday, August 8th for another one-nighter, and they'll end the month at Reggie's Place on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th. Surprisingly, these will be their first Reggie's stops in over a year (and thusly their first there with Joe Miller on guitar), so if you're a fan of this downtown staple, keep this full weekend in mind for your concert planning!

The classic and hard rock covers will be flowing at all four of these 19+ gigs, none of which have an announced cover charge, and while the first two are 8:00 PM shows, the Reggie's weekend starts at 9:30 PM. Good to see Generations back at it, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will make their debut appearance at Outspoken Brewing on Friday, August 14th! Fresh off of their Rotaryfest debut on Friday (fallout forthcoming), this rare double header weekend for Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe will see them kick things off at the 350 Queen Street East microbrewery and nightclub, which only infrequently hosts concerts. Street parties aside, we last caught wind of a hard rock or punk concert there when Dos Amigos played there in May of last year. It's an intimate spot that is arguably better suited to acoustic artists, but hopefully there's a strong turnout for Quite Frankly downtown next month! If you can't make that date, they will return to the aforementioned Gateway Casino the following night. The Outspoken show on the 14th is at 9:00 PM (only for two hours at that) with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's upcoming dates!

Also newly announced is a new fall date from Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera, who will return to the basement of Pizza Hut on Saturday, September 26th! Unlike recent shows at the 225 Ashmun Street restaurant space, this show is a presentation of Viscera's new in-house promotion agency Soo Tang Records, and like their Three One Three show next month, they are the advertised headliners. The concert will see Marquette "ghostcore" band Particle Thrower open in their local debut, returning the favour after Viscera open for them in Marquette on August 1st. Their sound and imagery lean heavily into the original Ghostbusters movie, at least so far, so that will be a fun pull beyond their hard hitting brand of metalcore in two months' time! At least one more band is to be announced. This concert has an 18+ age limit and a 7:00 PM start time, but admission fees have not been announced yet.

The increase in eclectic original concerts in the E.U.P. in the past year has been very welcomed, and Viscera are making solid waves with their brutal genre mix, so visit Viscera's Instagram page for more details on this intriguing concert, and to get details on how to get their debut EP on CD!

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

 

• In a minor spring cleaning note, these are songs recently seen in Facebook "Story" videos posted by band or venue that I was able to see, but alas, not feature here due to their self-destructing nature after one or two views: Bone Yard 225 covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" at their last "uncorked" gig at Beck's Bar, Silent 9 covering DNCE's "Cake By The Ocean" and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" at The Esquire Club in May, and TNT (Travis Sharpe n' Terry Eaton) covering Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars" and Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns" at Beck's last month. I strongly dislike "Stories", but these are setlist hints!
• If you're wondering who The Korner Monsters (the mystery band at this weekend's ARCH Run) are, they are actually a reunion of a local rock band from the 1990s featuring prolific local drummer and Rising Tide alum Chris Johns on guitar. Kudos to him for confirming some details about this band, but will anything extra public come out about them? Stay tuned for our preview of the ARCH Run later this week for more on the festivities in any event!
• New local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will be parting ways with guitarist Liam Dinsmore following this weekend's ARCH Run and Blaster Powerhouse concerts, as per their Facebook page earlier today. A reason for Liam's impending exit wasn't announced, but things are 100% amicable, and it comes off to me like he's moving out of town, but don't take that as gospel. Liam had joined this new band alongside Raine & Anthony when HeadFirst disbanded earlier this year, and while not the loudest or most front-facing member of either band, he is a talented musician that will be an asset at whatever comes next! See him off in style this weekend!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Rotaryfest review and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest Stage 1 Concert Previews, Cancellations, And Air Quality Condition Notes!!

(UPDATED AT 1:09 PM) Today's post previewing Stage 1 of Rotaryfest for 2026 went up when there were still many unanswered questions about the status of the festival given the severely poor air quality due to the forest fires in Northwestern Ontario and the smoke drifting east across much of the province. Festival organizers announced late yesterday that they would monitor conditions and issue updates about closures at 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, and in the latter update on their website, they confirmed that today's Stage 1 lineup at Clergue Park (Encore, Lime, The Lock City Rollers, and The Range Lights) has been cancelled. In fact, every Rotaryfest event today has been called off except for Ribfest, the midway (though hours may be subject to change), and certain vendors at their discretion. Musically speaking, I believe this is the first time that a complete day's worth of music at Rotaryfest has been cancelled due to weather or atmospheric conditions (they tend to tough out rain).

Similarly, the City of Sault Ste. Marie has cancelled the Downtown Street Party scheduled for tonight (concurrently with the Stage 1 timeframe at Rotaryfest), as well as all other City-ran outdoor events today, as per this update. Tomorrow's Rotaryfest itinerary is not yet determined, but the air quality index for Sault Ste. Marie remains at 10+ (very high risk), and unfortunately, the forecast has worsened, as it's now only expected to drop one notch tomorrow to a forecast maximum of 10 (high risk). At this point, I have zero idea if they will chance having bands at Clergue Park tomorrow on any stage, and if so, would there be lineup adjustments based on performers opting out of playing. Pandemic aside, large-scale outdoor concert cancellations like this are new to me, but I will absolutely let you know when/if anything is tangibly announced about the status of Stage 1 and Stage 2 for Rotaryfest tomorrow and/or Saturday.

Regarding our current post schedule, I'll leave our Stage 1 previews as is for tomorrow's and Saturday's programs, as they're still officially on until otherwise stated, and I'm still covering the Second Stage programming in our next post, hitting the site by tomorrow morning, but I'm monitoring everything as much as I can, and so should you if you were planning on going to Clergue Park this weekend. Please stay inside and stay safe, especially if you have asthma or preexisting health conditions, and if you have to go outside or want to chance going to the carnival/getting ribs, please mask up and use common sense. As always, our best wishes go out to those directly dealing with and fighting the forest fires out west!

Assuming things aren't impaired any further by the forest fire smoke (a big if), TOMORROW is the delayed kickoff for the annual Rotaryfest music program, as Sault Ontario's summer festival returns for another year of family entertainment across three two days at Clergue Park and surrounding areas! Visit the official website or read your physical program in your mailbox for full non-musical details, including what's going down at the EDM-focused Stage 3 at the Downtown Plaza. This post will focus on the cover band-centric Stage 1 beside the Centennial Library, which will be curated by stage manager Valerie Pluss once again with Andrew Stuetz returning as MC. In the 25th installment since the familiar blue/yellow stage and modern format debuted in 2001, TOMORROW'S now-opening day on Stage 1 will feature six bands, with all but two making their Rotaryfest debuts (assuming no dropouts or replacements.)

TOMORROW'S day of music on Stage 1 will be headlined by the local debut of North Bay classic rock quintet Just Press Play at 10:20 PM, featuring long-time Rotaryfest sound tech Dan Belanger, so welcome him back in style if you're out! Your Friday co-headliners at 9:00 PM are classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush (who closed last year's festival) in their return from a recent pause, while reunited classic/hard rock quartet Quite Frankly will debut at Rotaryfest in the 8:00 PM timeslot. Remember, they are late replacements for The Sidekicks, following their move to the Saturday bill after a band dropout that day. Way Backs alumni Jeffrey Wright & Meggy Lee will bring country to the big stage at 7:00 PM, preceded by the returning Jazz Cats (featuring three members of Sunday & The Broken Hearts) at 6:00 PM. Your openers at 5:00 PM are Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band Mellowship Slinky, featuring guest drummer John Mignacca (ex-As It Stands).

Between Headrush & Quite Frankly, some early heavier funk rock Chili Peppers cuts, and Dan Belanger's track record guesting with the likes of That's Chester and Obsession at past Rotaryfests, SMS readers should hear some hard rock tunes tomorrow from this stacked lineup, air quality permitting! 9&10 News is calling for 19-21° temperatures during tomorrow's band timeframe, and the mostly cloudy(!) skies have a chance of turning into rain during Just Press Play's set, so follow Rotaryfest and your preferred weather forecasts for updates on that front. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Headrush closing last year's Stage 1! Bassist John Amendola shared this to their Facebook group yesterday, and it's a 100 seconds-long highlight reel edited with Capcut, in which you'll hear fragments of the likes of Billy Squier, AC/DC, Rick Springfield, and Boston.

Alas, this video was shot (framed?) vertically, and I'd really rather see full videos of Headrush rather than short clips, but this does contain high quality footage of their biggest concert to date, and while not capping off Rotaryfest this year, they look to deliver more classic hard rock hits for fans at Clergue Park tomorrow evening! Give Headrush's new video a watch below!

Finally for the Stage 1 program this year, we head to SATURDAY, where 10 bands will (hopefully) rock out on the biggest and last day of the festival! As usual, a local band will cap things at 10:30 PM, and following the withdrawal of Tragically Hip tribute The Luxury for unannounced reasons, classic rock trio The Sidekicks were bumped from tomorrow's bill into this key timeslot, and hopefully Steve, Dan, and Tracey deliver for fans at night's end! This year's featured touring band is London-based Led Zeppelin tribute band Zed, making them the first Zeppelin tribute at Rotaryfest in 12 years (surprisingly, Mothership haven't played here). Zed's faithful take on the British hard rock legends' catalogue will be at 8:30 PM, following the third Rotaryfest set from punk/alternative cover sextet BookcluB at 7:15 PM, featuring The Jazz Cats' Josh Norling, who is scheduled for four bands this year across both stages. Kudos to him for staying busy!

Note that many of the 2:00-6:00 PM band timeslots were shuffled from the original schedule release, but no bands in this timeframe dropped out (yet?). Half of Abba tribute band Abba Soo will play on Saturday in the classic rock duo Just J&M at 6:15 PM, preceded by veteran classic rock quartet RPM at 5:15 PM. Pop rock cover veterans (and Dark Side Of The Soo sister band) Bourbon Blue return to Stage 1 at 4:15 PM, while Superior Heights Collegiate's student rock band Steel Rock will grace Rotaryfest at 3:15 PM once again. Local classic rock staples Mid Life Crysis will play their tenth Stage 1 set (tops among this year's lineup) at 2:15 PM, preceded by the debut of new local classic rock band Hush (featuring Mustang Heart's Vito Tassone, Turner Up's Robert Brown, and Bigsuit's Brian Oja) at 1:15 PM. Like last year, the Saturday bill will lead off with blues rock sextet Rusty & The Soft Parade at 12:15 PM.

Of course, they are led by local legend Rusty McCarthy, and feature the aforementioned Josh Norling once again), but will they play their Rotaryfest set in the rain again? We won't have an hourly forecast until later today, but 9&10 News is currently calling for a 50% chance of rain on Saturday with a high temperature of 21° (low of 12°). If rain is to be the issue rather than the air quality, it will be on Saturday, alas, but follow Rotaryfest's socials and your preferred weather forecast for specifics as we get closer. All three days of Stage 1 music at Clergue Park are FREE & ALL AGES, and there's certainly lots of music to enjoy, including seven debuting acts, so visit the above links for complete details, and here's Zed live!

With Stage 1 covered (as far as we can currently say), our next post will feature our Stage 2 preview for this year, and the rest of this weekend's known hard rock and punk concert previews will fall into place in that post or the next, so stay tuned for all of that! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (ARCH Run & Quite Frankly!!)

This news post had some big changes while it was being written, thanks to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month for a wonderful cause, but first, here's another new show and a related update from a talented foursome who suddenly have a high profile July ahead!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Saturday, July 11th! The band announced the show on their Facebook page on Sunday as a secondary note in a post thanking everyone for seeing them at The Water Tower Pub the previous night, and it's always good to get advance word of shows at Beck's on a band's end! This will be a 9:30 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover as usual. While we're on the subject, Quite Frankly made a big announcement yesterday, as they will make their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut on Friday, July 17th at 8:00 PM! There has been lineup shuffling to create this opening, as local Tragically Hip tribute band The Luxury have quietly dropped out of the closing 10:30 PM set on Saturday the 18th (I have not heard a public reason as to why). Festival organizers opted to move classic rock trio The Sidekicks into that timeslot instead.

As The Sidekicks were originally the 8:00 PM Friday band, that timeslot became available, so kudos to Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe for stepping in to play the Soo's summer festival! Quite Frankly will be the third-to-last band that night, only behind headlining North Bay classic rockers Just Press Play and local veterans Headrush. Click here for the updated Rotaryfest Stage 1 schedule, hopefully all is well with The Luxury, and visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's plans over the next month!

Next up, the full band lineup for the third annual ARCH Run at Jay's Piston Broke Pub has been announced! The annual Algoma Regional Community Hospice fundraiser motorcycle rally will take place on Saturday, July 25th, and along with the rally proper that starts and ends at the former Roosevelt Hotel, there will be a draw for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. If you want to take part as a rider and/or pledge for a great cause, click here. After not plugging a band schedule last year despite reportedly hosting live music all day and night (Bourbon Blue played inside Jay's as the nightcap), Jay's have mercifully publicized a schedule for 2026, albeit via an AI-generated poster on their Facebook page. Country rock cover quintet Elly McWatters & The Drifters will serve as the indoor closing band this year at 9:30 PM, but the rest of the bands will be playing outside on Korah Road, so who all can you expect for the ARCH Run on July 25th?

The closing outdoor band at 8:00 PM will be young hard rock cover quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, in what may be their highest profile gig yet, so keep this one in mind! They'll be preceded by country rock cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride (who played the ARCH Run in 2024) at 7:00 PM, with newer classic rock quartet Doo & The Boyos taking the stage at 6:00 PM. No sign of Stones At The Alter in the advertising here, for the record. New local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis will play another outdoor summertime gig at 5:00 PM (we'll have more on WestFest II when the full lineup goes live), preceded by acoustic 1960s classic rock duo Whiskey Hippy at 4:00 PM. A mystery band named The Korner Monsters are scheduled for 3:00 PM, and while I have zero idea who they are, note that 2024 had a mystery band too (The Hoovers, who ended up being most of Soundcheck with a singer from their old open mic nights).

Could The Korner Monsters be similar? We'll let you know when/if we hear anything! Lastly, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith (or, if you believe the AI bot, Mike Haggath) will kick off the music schedule at 2:00 PM, presumably with The Big Finish Band in tow. Most are playing with The Drifters that night anyway! Nicely varied lineup of music with a lot of hard rock to go around, and kudos to everyone for donating their time to support ARCH! Attending the concert will be free, but donations and pledges would be absolutely welcomed if you are able. The outdoor portion will be all ages, but you'll have to be 19+ to see Elly & The Drifters inside. If you're wondering, this will be the only ARCH benefit rally/concert this year, as the Dragonfly Run (the former Ride For ARCH that was held at Jay's in 2023 before things split in two between venue & organizers) has ended after a decade-long run, as per this statement last month.

Co-organizer Marcy Catherine D'Ettore said that "we have a lot on our plate right now", and that "I don't feel (that) I can give (the Run) the amount of time, effort, and care that it deserves this year, and something this meaningful should never be done halfway". While not mentioned directly, Marcy and her husband (Bone Yard 225 guitarist Alex D'Ettore) lost their daughter Ally in the spring, which must have played a factor into where priorities lie. Marcy & Alex did a lot for ARCH and the community with this ride, and at least they're ending things on a high note in terms of what they did accomplish! Visit the above links for more on the ARCH Run, and look or more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Quite Frankly), The Go Skate Day Concert Preview, And Epic Rush Concert Videos!!

Let's close out this weekend's known hard rock concert previews tonight, along with new videos from a recent tribute band concert, so here's what you should know for this late Friday night post!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band quietly announced the show on their Facebook page on June 2nd and it slipped us by until this week. Last seen on May 1st at Beck's Bar, this will be Quite Frankly's first Water Tower Pub stop in two months. This talented group should have another wide array of entertaining rocking covers in store for central fans TOMORROW, so keep this one-nighter in mind if it piques your interest! The Water Tower Pub never hosts the same band on consecutive nights, and as such, funk rock cover band The Rhythm Junction are playing there tonight (replacing the cancelled Yuk Yuk's comedy night). Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe take the stage TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Quite Frankly live at The Water Tower Pub!

Next up, here's this weekend's last known hard rock concert preview, and it takes us to Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre, where Go Skateboarding Day returns on SUNDAY! After promoters Underground Events SSM's planned debut as hosts of this event last year were severely impaired by heavy rain, I am pleased to report that 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies on Sunday with temperatures ranging from 16-19°, with no likelihood of rain, so Mikhal "Cha" Muto finally gets to put on the Go Skate Day he intended last year! Sponsors and vendors will be on site at the skatepark, and skaters of all ages & skill levels are encouraged to come down to hit the ramps and rails, play games, have fun, and of course, listen to live music! After last year's program was abruptly moved to a private event with late replacement bands, Mikhal has secured six acts this year, the largest Go Skate Day lineup in a decade, so who all can you expect on Sunday afternoon?

The presented lineup order lists the apparent headliners as Half Scoundies (Josh and Todd from The Golden Scoundrels) in an acoustic folk/bluegrass set. Preceding them are this year's two returning acts from Tidal Records-era Go Skate Days, including Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson with his fan favourite turntable mixes, as well as party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (featuring Mikhal on bass). Fast-rising teenage hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe will make their multi-band/outdoor debut on Sunday, preceded by Mikhal's ska punk trio A.S.D.P., who were a late addition to last year's private Go Skate Day rainout concert. Local jazz/EDM solo artist Mario "Yecharo" Kwan is listed last for this year's bill, and while he is a bit of a wild card, he does appear on Underground Events SSM's compilation album. Nicely varied lineup for sure, and the weather should hold up for the duration!

Admission is FREE whether you are skating or not, and this is definitely an all ages event, with bands presumably set up on top of the big ramp at the skatepark like they were under Tidal's supervision. Things seem to be shaping up well on musical and logistical fronts this year, and hopefully things go well at the skatepark on Sunday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Apocalypse Afterparty live!

Let's close today with videos from last week's Epic Rush concert at The Full Throttle Saloon! Like at the Crazy Babies show there, a representative of the venue was filming videos for their Facebook page, but unfortunately, they were all shot vertically. We do get some longer videos this time though (all run for at least 3:45), and they include the former Rust playing the Rush classics "Time Stand Still", "Freewill", and as embedded below, "Red Barchetta". Notably, the latter cover was filmed from the back corner of the stage, giving us a unique angle of the proceedings, especially to really show off drummer Eric Kuthy channelling the late Neil Peart with gusto, but his playing comes off very loud as a result. I do wish that more fans were on the floor close to the band, let alone that the house lighting was at least darkened, but Rush fans got their fill from this talented Sudbury-based trio, so check out all three videos!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) & Sault Ontario Weekend Concert Previews!!

For our last post of April 2026, let's look at most of this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Due to the amount (though we have seen busier weekends), I'll hold our preview of Saturday night's Bimbo-headlined concert in Sault Michigan for tomorrow's news post. Now, here's what you should know in Sault Ontario this weekend in a hard rock/punk context, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover sister bands Soundcheck and Separate Wayz will join forces for another "epic crossover" weekend, this time at The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via Separate Wayz' Facebook page on Tuesday, though note that the venue has not corroborated the bookings on social media. Marking their first joint appearance together since rocking Beck's Bar a month ago, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows will be Soundcheck's first at this Second Line West staple since they played there in February, albeit with no crossover, as Separate Ways singer Nicole Thibodeau was ill that weekend (the shows were originally planned for solely Separate Wayz, but Travis bailed them out on short notice for Soundcheck gigs instead). Of course, remember that the two bands have a 75% identical lineup, just swap Travis for Nicole.

Good to see Terry, Jim, Johnny, and both singers together again for what should be a stacked pair of classic and hard rock shows, so keep both in mind TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Both are 9:30 PM affairs at 9:30 PM with no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's some shows that did have advance notice before Tuesday, starting with a rare punk concert at The Speak Easy at Algoma University, where Flint, Michigan-based ska punk band The Write-Ups will make their local concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT! A spiritual successor to the Quit It! concert at the same venue last fall (if with much better promotion), The Write-Ups have the ska bonafides (including a horn section) and socially charged lyrics to go along with a fun and bouncy brand of punk rock that subgenre fans should easily take to tomorrow, so welcome them north of the border in style! Fittingly, newer local ska punk trio A.S.D.P. will be the local openers in their debut at Algoma University's campus pub, and expect their own original cuts to set the mood right! This is the newest promoted concert from A.S.D.P. frontman Mikhal Muto's agency Underground Events SSM.

This stop on The Write-Ups' "Up North Weekender" is an all ages concert (yes, The Speak Easy is licensed), doors open at 7:00 PM, and admission is $15 for general attendees and $10 for current Algoma University students with valid student ID. If you love ska punk, you don't want to miss out on this one, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here are The Write-Ups live late last year!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to Beck's Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of their debut at Gateway Casino last week, this will be Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe's first stop at the Goulais Avenue nightclub of 2026, having played one of their first post-reunion gigs there in November. The band promises "another night of great energy & your favourite hits", and who am I to doubt that kind of claim? Their blend of accessible but often heavy covers can be seen at the former Vibe Lounge tomorrow at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. In the increasingly frequent cases where Beck's hosts a band on Fridays rather than a DJ, they don't double up a band on both nights, so Saturday night's band there are classic rock trio The Sidekicks. Visit the above links for more on tomorrow's concert, and here's Quite Frankly live!

Finally for this preview post, prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for his second matinee concert there of the spring on SATURDAY! After ending his 2+ month break from concerts at this Second Line West pub in mid-April, this will be the first of three May matinee concerts at Misty's for Tym, so if you're up for a few hours of unplugged rock covers from this veteran talent, then head west on Saturday! Tym will be back every other week for the rest of the month, and we await a public announcement of his schedule at Misty's (and elsewhere) for the summer and beyond. This Saturday matinee concert goes down at 4:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. It's great to see Tym back on a more normal schedule after his finger healed up, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here he is live! 

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