LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Double Down, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

A busy weekend is upon us in the Sault Ontario the E.U.P., so much so that we'll need a second post to cover all of the hard rock action ahead! As such, our previews of this weekend's Bon Jovi Forever, Bone Yard 225, and Nameless shows will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to start via an all-SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will rock The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Curt only announced the booking last night via his Facebook page, and The Dive have not corroborated the announcement on theirs whatsoever (they haven't posted a monthly calendar in a few months either). Surprisingly, this will be Curtis' first stop at the former Low & Slow in almost three months, having exclusively played at Beck's Bar in the interim, so if you've missed him at this cozy downtown bar & restaurant, keep his alternative, hard rock, and grunge cover action in mind TONIGHT! Curt will be back in "The Naughty Corner" at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, as usual for The Dive. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's latest unplugged concert of his, and here's Curtis live!

Next up, we'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will continue spreading their St. Ignace wings by rocking The Driftwood Sports Bar again TOMORROW NIGHT before debuting at Kingston Kitchen on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band first announced these shows on their Facebook page yesterday, but the Kingston Kitchen show was first announced on their Facebook page last month. The raison d'etre for Tarnished to rock two St. Ignace venues in one weekend is the annual Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show, which takes place all weekend at the Mackinac County Airport, so see above for full details on the events relating to the show, parade, and everything else. The airport is just a four minute drive from The Driftwood (which Tarnished first played at back in March), and it is neat to see Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron back there on a busy weekend in St. Ignace TOMORROW!

Technically all on the same street, The Driftwood Sports Bar (590 North State Street) is just three minutes away from Kingston Kitchen (250 South State Street), which happens to be the brand new sister location of a popular Jamaican/American fusion eatery on Mackinac Island, and they have been hosting live music on occasion since the summer, though this is the first weekend that they've hosted advertised rock bands. Kudos to Tarnished for helping diversify where rock bands can play in St. Ignace, as they've now had shows at four different spots there this year. It's not just Kewadin Casino there, after all! Whether due to or the result of these extra bookings, the off nights at both venues will have music to check out too for truck show weekend. Friday at Kingston Kitchen, fans can check out Cheboygan classic rock cover quartet The Lonely Pines, while a DJ party takes place at The Driftwood on Saturday, so keep these in mind as well if you'll be in the area.

TOMORROW'S Driftwood show is at 9:30 PM with a 21+ age limit, the Kingston Kitchen show on SATURDAY is at 7:00 PM with no stated age limit, and neither has an announced cover charge. Hopefully Tarnished make the most of the extra people in St. Ignace for the truck show with lots of hard rocking classic tunes, so visit the above links for more on their busy short notice weekend, and here they are live!

Finally for this all-late notice weekend concert preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will formally end their summer break TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies again for the short notice, these shows were first announced via their Facebook event page last month, but by the time we could get to them for coverage here, we were only a week away. After eleven weeks away from live concerts (not even for a festival), the guys will set up shop at the former Roosevelt Hotel all weekend long in their first of four monthly bookings there to end 2025, and they have teased having lots of new songs in their setlist TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so come down to Jay's to see what Double Down have in store for their return! However, note that the band will be not feature bassist Dan Beaupre for either of these gigs.

A public reason for his absence wasn't given, and while I did hear what happened, I'll refrain from giving details other than to say that there's no issues in the band. Hopefully Dan comes back soon! Former Soldiers of Misfortune/Cowboys & Indians bassist Alex White will step in this weekend, which will definitely be interesting to see! Double Down and Alex take the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here they are live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (BookcluB, Curtis McKenzie, And Tym Morrison) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this final concert weekend of August (also the Labour Day long weekend), we have an eventful but not overly busy weekend in store for hard rock fans in Sault Ontario, mostly including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, plus a quiet cancellation. Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison's acoustic solo act will set up shop once again at The Dive Gastro Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via Tym's Facebook event page on Sunday, with the venue following suit on their Facebook page not too long ago today. The Dive hosting live music on Fridays is not common based on prior months with a calendar, but Friday nighters have happened once in a while, and TOMORROW'S show is likely so booked given that it's the long weekend and the arguable final weekend of the summer season. After we missed Tym's Think It Over Thursday show there last week, good thing we didn't miss TOMORROW's return! Note that, while his Facebook event page still says that he is playing a matinee show there on Saturday, we can confirm that Tym is not performing at Misty's Fifties that day.

Country veteran Allan Mooney has confirmed that he is playing there instead, as per this new plug for the booking, and note that Tym was also once scheduled to play at Misty's last week but that show wasn't even covered on the SMS (he was playing at The Eagles Club that night and there was never fresh promotion for Misty's). A reason for the cancellation of tomorrow's (and last week's) Misty's gigs was never announced, but hopefully his show there next Saturday is still on!  TOMORROW'S 19+ and free show at The Dive is on the patio once again rather than "the naughty corner", with 9&10 News calling for clear skies and cool temperatures hovering around 13°. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, local alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB and their unplugged sister duo Dos Amigos will take part in BookcluB guitarist Brandon Ruch's local farewell concert at The Whisky Barrel TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via its Facebook event page on Monday. Dubbed "Branstock: A Ruch & Roll Event And Moving Away Party", TOMORROW'S concert is the final one for Brandon before his impending move to Barrie, following a prolific three year run in active live bands after graduating from Algoma University's music program. The former Generations & Handsome Sandwich guitarist will pull double duty TOMORROW, as he will be headlining with his folk/country band The Golden Scoundrels, while the lineup will be rounded out by indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (formerly The Hollow Heads), so there's a little something for many tastes at Branstock!

While this will presumably be Brandon's farewell with Bookclub after over a year & half with them, he is not leaving The Golden Scoundrels, who have been ramping up their touring schedule as of late anyway. This 19+ concert has no cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time. Brandon will be missed locally for his prolific multi-genre talents, so help send him off the right way TOMORROW, especially given how this package of bands will be rocking an unusually small and acoustic-leaning venue for the occasion! Visit the above links for details on Branstock, best of luck to Brandon in Barrie, and for a preview, here's BookcluB live!

Next up, former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will bring his solo acoustic show back to Beck's Bar for one night only on SATURDAY! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Wednesday when they announced this weekend's live music schedule. In his last post on Facebook before this week, he thanked fans for going to see him at Beck's on August 2nd before noting that he wouldn't be able to perform live for 4-6 weeks due to recovery from dental surgery. SATURDAY is exactly four weeks since, to the timeline lines up, and hopefully he is fully healed to sing his hard and alternative rock covers in the west end once again! On SATURDAY, Curtis is in the 3:00 PM matinee timeslot, and the band playing the 9:00 PM nightcap there are new local country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters.

Remember, Curt isn't "opening" for Elly, he and her band both have four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart, but there's no cover charge if you want to hang out to see both on SATURDAY! Regardless, there's a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Curt live!

Finally for this weekend's known heavier shows, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will end their summer slate with regular concerts at Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at the Dragonfly Run this past weekend, these will be their first traditional nightclub concerts in three weeks, and cap off a busy month of shows on the road and at charitable motorcycle events. With Greg, Alex, and Warren also working on their long gestating debut album this month, they should be in fine spirits to rock Reggie's for fans looking for live rock and roll over the long weekend! Note that a live-streamed video from the Dragonfly Run was shared to the band's Facebook page, but new 30 day time limit or not, the video just features attendees and riders before the bike rally proper began, and does not feature any live music performances. Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges.

Also, your local 225 will have fresh stock of official band merchandise on sale this weekend, and they are now taking pre-orders for official band hoodies, so if all of that interests you, have cash on hand at Reggie's! Visit the above links for more details, and here's "the dirty three" live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bookclub, Tym Morrison, And Dodge This) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this second post on our 18th anniversary, we're continuing this weekend's concert previews by looking at Saturday nighters, along with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly of the SHORT NOTICE variety! Sunday's death metal concert featuring Swiss bands Virvum & Stortregn will be in tomorrow's post to give it proper emphasis given its scheduling. Here's what else you should know for this weekend & beyond!

Local classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced yesterday via the venue's Facebook page's concert calendar for this month. This is Dodge This' only advertised gig at the former Low & Slow this month (two open Saturdays on their schedule acknowledged), and fans of their hard rock-infused batch of covers should find a lot to like from Jason, Jamie, and Jeff TOMORROW, so don't miss their latest Queen Street East stop then! As usual for Dodge This shows in "The Naughty Corner", TOMORROW'S Dive concert takes place at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dodge This live!

Next up, prolific local classic/hard rock singer/musician Tym Morrison will continue his busy summer of acoustic solo dates when he rocks Misty's Fifties TOMORROW for another matinee concert! Most of Tym's 2025 dates ahead are at this Second Line West staple, and while we're on the subject, let's add two more shows of his to the calendar now that things aren't as clogged for announcements late in the year from just one artist. Among other still-too-distant dates, Tym will set up shop at Misty's for Saturday matinees on September 27th & October 11th, so while we'll be seeing him six times there prior (tomorrow included), keep those two fall gigs in mind! Meanwhile, Tym will also return to Beck's Bar on Sunday, September 28th for another matinee there, via those shows' Facebook event page. Regardless, Tym's ample setlist of classic and hard rock favourites should pull a solid reception tomorrow, so don't miss out! 

Tomorrow's gig and this fall's at Misty's are 4:00 PM matinees with 19+ age limits and no cover, and while the Beck's show in September is similar, it starts earlier at 3:00 PM. Visit the Misty's shows' batch Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also, here's a brief detour from this weekend, as local alternative/punk cover supergroup Bookclub will rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Tuesday, July 29th as part of the City of Sault Ste. Marie's annual Summer Concert Series! The lineup for 2025 was announced via this concert calendar post from the city's Facebook page on Wednesday, with Bookclub being the only SMS-amenable band scheduled for this year. This year's Summer Concert Series kicked off with Angry Joe & The Growlers yesterday (Generations' Canada Day show on Tuesday was separate), with the big downtown tent playing host to live musicians every Tuesday and Thursday ahead until August 21st. Good to see Bookclub back at it with another fan-friendly night of unique rock covers, so don't miss Mikey, Brandon, Dustin, Al, Erin, and Josh there later this month! The Facebook post plugging the series notes that the shows are "weather permitting", so the tent may not be enough rain cover for comfort. Keep tabs on the forecast if you can!

All concerts in this series are FREE & ALL AGES, and run from 7:00-9:00 PM (the Growlers show last night was an hour later though). While largely more for general audiences than SMS loyalists, it's always good to see lots of live music at the Pavilion, and hopefully all of the shows ahead have a solid turnout, Bookclub included! Visit the above links for more details!

Finally for this post, let's head back to Beck's Bar for this weekend's entertainment, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage there TOMORROW NIGHT & SUNDAY for a unique double header! Fifteen years after the then-country cover quartet debuted at what was then The Vibe Lounge, Bone Yard will return to this Goulais Avenue nightclub with a full plugged-in concert there tomorrow, and it will be fun to see how things go as they conduct their next sermon at a new-ish locale, especially given how Greg and crew have changed since the last time! However, in a rarity for Beck's since opening, the same band is playing consecutive nights there, as Sunday's matinee slot goes to your local 225 "uncorked", a'la their acoustic Water Tower Pub and Gateway Casino gigs. Interesting to see Greg, Alex, and Warren playing both formats at the same venue, let alone the same weekend, so keep both in mind depending on what you like!

As hyped by Greg in this Facebook "Reel", tomorrow's Beck's concert is at 9:00 PM, the Sunday matinee is at 3:00 PM, and things are 19+ with no cover charge regardless. Dodge This singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer is the Saturday matinee performer at Beck's tomorrow, but remember that this is a fully blocked matinee concert of its own, and he isn't "opening" for Bone Yard (and yes, Separate Wayz/ex-Soundcheck frontman Terry Eaton is this week's DJ tonight). Visit the above links for more details on this weekend's concerts, and for a preview, here's "The Dirty Three" live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Curtis McKenzie) & The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Another busy concert weekend is upon us, so we'll have to break up this round of hard rock and punk concert previews in two, so look for our CO2, Tym Morrison, and Bookclub concert previews next. Here's what you should know to start, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Former Haggith/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub TONIGHT for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert! Apologies for the short notice, Curt first announced this show via its official Facebook event page on June 3rd but it completely slipped me by in the past two weeks. Last seen at Beck's on June 1st, TONIGHT's gig will be Curtis' first at the former Low & Slow in three weeks. If you like hard and alternative rock covers from a familiar and experienced local musician in a more intimate setting, then you won't want to miss Curt's latest stop in the "Naughty Corner" TONIGHT! As usual for The Dive, this show has a 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's concert, and here's Curtis live!

Next up, local acoustic classic/hard rock trio Dodge This will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of their most recent stop at The Dive on Saturday (apologies again for missing that one here), this will be their first stop at this long-standing Great Northern Road venue since March, unless I missed something else in the interim. It will be good to see Jason and the Julys setting up shop in a more central venue than normal for them, and hopefully their unplugged covers go well tomorrow with a solid turnout! With The Water Tower Pub historically hosting different bands nightly, don't go there on Saturday expecting to see Dodge This (classic rock cover trio The Sidekicks are playing there that night). Tomorrow's Dodge This show is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Also this weekend, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take things to The Roberta Bondar Pavillion TOMORROW & SATURDAY as the musical entertainment for this year's Queen Street Cruise once again! For an eighth straight year, and third under the big tent downtown, "The Dirty Three" will be rocking out for attendees at home base for the annual Cruise and its related Show-N-Shine car show, with tomorrow's concert being at 6:30 PM during the cruise proper and Saturday's being a 12:30 PM matinee during the car show itself. Visit the official schedule for the full daily itineraries to know what's going on when, whether you're a spectator or entering a classic car for any official events. As community events go, the Queen Street Cruise is right up Bone Yard's alley, and hopefully they provide another apt soundtrack for all of this weekend's downtown action! This is FREE & ALL AGES unless you registered for the vehicle-involved events.

While your local 225 are playing under The Roberta Bondar Pavilion's tent, it is not a fully indoor locale. Tomorrow evening is looking like mostly cloudy weather at around 20° but with a 30% chance of rain after 8:00 PM, as per 9&10 News. At present, the temperatures are projected to be similar on Saturday afternoon, albeit with a risk of thunderstorms, so while the tent is acknowledged, double check the weather forecast closer to if you are at all concerned about the car show. Check the above links for more details on the Cruise, and here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Finally for this preview post, the tenth annual local celebration of Go Skateboarding Day (and ninth with an attached concert) is scheduled to go down on SATURDAY! Of course, I just mentioned that there was currently a thunderstorm risk for the Queen Street Cruise, but there's even less protection from that at Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Center, so definitely keep tabs on local weather forecasts in the next few days to see how that pans out. For 2025, promotional duties have passed from Dustin Jones and Tidal Records to Mikhal Muto, though Tidal remain sponsors of the event, which features free & all ages skateboarding with local vendors and sponsors on-site, some with refreshments on sale as usual. This year's music lineup at the stage atop the big ramp will feature Mikhal's crossover thrash quartet Hails (in their record-tying third set at Go Skate Day) and death/thrash metal trio Pillory.

Newer and online page-less space rock duo The Spaceship Opening will also rock the ramp on Saturday, while Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson will perform turntable mixes at Go Skate Day as well, in his first appearance at this annual June 21st event since 2016. This year's festivities take place from 1:00-5:00 PM on Saturday, this is completely free whether you're skating or not, and again, double check the weather forecast closer to just in case the current forecast bears out. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Ha!ls live at last year's Go Skate Day!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our CO2, Tym Morrison, and Bookclub previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Due to a trifecta of hard rock concerts later today in Sault Ontario, this round of weekend concert previews is up on the site nice and early so that there's time to get info on them! Well, most of them, as I'll cover Bone Yard 225 and The Nameless' gigs on Saturday in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Joining his previously announced matinee concerts at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY and at Beck's Bar on SUNDAY, local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will also hit The Dive Gastro Pub for this week's "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on TONIGHT's show, it was only announced via the venue's concert calendar on their Facebook page on Saturday. Last seen at Misty's two weeks ago after his Eagles Club show last week was cancelled, this unusually busy stretch (at least as far as publically advertised gigs go) will see Tym rock three different local venues in a four day span. Hopefully all three shows go well for Tym, including at Beck's, marking his first show at the former Vibe Lounge since his early 2010s gigs there with his band Caveman Morrison! TONIGHT'S show at The Dive's "Naughty Corner" is at 9:30 PM, but the two matinees are at Misty's at 4:00 PM on Saturday and at Beck's at 3:00 PM on Sunday.

None of these shows have an announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here for more details, and for a preview, here's a new original song on Tym's YouTube channel from last month! Entitled "Hypocrisy", this is about the hypocrisy of religion (Tym is a devout Christian), and features a video with lots of stock and AI footage relating to his viewpoints. I won't go into detail on all of that, but this is an intense classic metal song that will play well for fans of his "Solo Project" CD and 1980s speed metal, complete with a quality solo! Not that this will be very indicative of his acoustic concert sets, but check out "Hypocrisy" below!

Next up, there's two big touring headiners hitting Sault Ontario TONIGHT, starting with the long awaited return of Victoria, British Columbia hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions, who will be taking the stage once again at Soo Blaster! Punk fans will have seen The Cretin and gang at Soo Blaster two years ago, with tonight's show being their fourth in the Soo in the past fifteen years, out of town gigs with Spades GT acknowledged. The Dayglos' hard hitting and in-your-face brand of hardcore punk always draws a local crowd, and while the mid-week timing will be difficult for some, I fully expect a strong turnout! Joining The Dayglo Abortions on tour are Vancouver "west coast skacore" band Dirtnap and Prince Edward Island folk punk outfit The Devil's Punchbowl, who bring their own distinct styles to the table in their first Soo concert appearances, though Dirtnap have a more aggressive punk base.

Don't bypass either group tomorrow, nor the local openers, namely crossover thrash quartet Hails (featuring this show's promoter Mikhal Muto on guitar) in their first public concert set of 2025, and while they're getting a later start to the year, what a way to get back at it! No word on if they'll have copies of "Punk Canada Vol. 4" on sale though. This ALL AGES concert has admission of $20 in advance through Ha!ls members or $25 at the door (online sales have ended) and doors open at 6:30 PM. You won't want to miss out on this diverse punk attack at Soo Blaster tonight, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Dayglo Abortions live here in 2023!

Also taking place TONIGHT is the third local concert appearance of Australian tribute band Queen: It's A Kinda Magic at the Sault Community Theatre Centre! After not stopping here for their 2024 tour run, Queen: It's A Kinda Magic will rock the former Kiwanis Theatre tonight for the first time in two years, and if you are at all a fan of Queen's, you won't want to miss their faithfully presented and performed take on the British hard rock legends' back catalogue, particularly what was played on their 1986 world tour! This concert at White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School's on-site theatre takes place tonight at 8:00 PM, and tickets have sold very well, with just two floor section seats still available as of this writing, along with a selection of gallery seats. Regardless of location, tickets cost $69 in advance ($40 for kids 13 and under) at this link or at the Station Mall box office, and presumably at the door if any are still available then.

QIAKM have proven to be a steady local success in their prior local stops, and with their huge stage show and replication of Queen's music (let alone touring to support the 50th anniversary of "Bohemian Rhapsody"), you won't want to bypass this one if you're a huge Queen fan! Visit the above links for more details, and here's a kinda magic live!

Finally for this preview post, let's head to The Esquire Club, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will set up shop TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at Northern Superior Brewing Co. last month, these will be the first shows at this Second Line West staple from "the Sault's premier party band" since late March, and according to their Facebook page, "our last one until the fall". By that, they mean bookings at The Esquire Club, as Silent 9 will again take the summer off from regular bar/nightclub concerts in favour of festivals and private events, as per their website's concert calendar. They are scheduled at The Water Tower Pub in two weeks, but that'll be their last normal bar gig for the spring, and their next public concert afterwards will be at Rotaryfest Stage 1 on Thursday, July 17th. I traditionally wait to cover all of that for when the full schedule is dropped, but it's good to note that they'll be back there in two months!

For now, you can enjoy Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve's eclectic mix of classic and hard rock tunes at The Esquire Club tomorrow and Saturday at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Silent Nin9 live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard 225 and The Nameless previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

The Dodge This Concert Preview, Headf1rst Updates, And More News & Notes!!

Here's a surprise news post on this Saturday evening! This came together quickly because of a show that completely slipped me by for this weekend's hard rock concert previews despite covering it when first announced on here, so rounding things out, we have new updates from a prominent local band, and lots of shorter updates. Let's get things rolling before the hockey game!

My apologies for the delay in this preview making the SMS, but local acoustic hard rock duo Dodge This will hit the stage TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! We had covered these shows when first announced by the venue on April 3rd, but they completely slipped me by among other posts and previews this weekend, not helped by the fact that they haven't updated their Facebook page this month at all. At least I got to it with time to spare, and apologies again for the late preview! This will be Dodge This' first publically advertised concert since they rocked The Water Tower Pub just over a month ago, and comes three weeks after they dropped out of their planned April 5th date in "The Naughty Corner" (Tym Morrison replaced them on short notice), though singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer did play a solo date at The Dive in the interim. Good to see Dodge This back, and hopefully Jay & Jamie deliver lots of fun rocking covers!

Note that The Dive did not reference occasional percussionist Jeff July (Jamie's brother) in their newest Facebook plug for tonight's event, which has a 9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dodge This live!

Next up, here's the latest from local hard rock quintet Headf1rst, which isn't a typo, as they have officially replaced the letter I with a number 1 in their name! This goes along with their official logo anyway, but the name change appears to be similar to that of Bone Yard 225: Keep the existing branding but make it more unique to distinguish themselves from similarly named groups elsewhere. Works well enough for me, but when will Facebook update the band name? Yesterday, Headf1rst released the first single from next month's sophomore album "Road Trippin'" to major streaming services, with the song in question being "Slay The Dragon", which is "a passion filled, action-packed joy ride" conceived by bassist Claire Jeffrey. This was produced by Treble Charger's Bill Priddle (who guests on additional guitar) and was recorded at Unsalted Audio with mixing by Dustin Goodall, who has also been working with Convergence in recent weeks.

Another teaser clip for the album, song to be clarified, can be heard in this Facebook "Reel"  hyping a "listening party" to be live streamed on Vintage Games N' Junque's Facebook page on Tuesday featuring select material from "Road Trippin'" and the bands opening for Headf1rst at the release party/Steel City Collector Con pre-party on May 3rd, plus an interview with Headf1rst. That should be interesting, so stay tuned for more on that next week! The cover art for "Road Trippin'" can be seen above in Facebook advertising for a raffle at the Soo Blaster-hosted concert, where winners will win all three acts' newest albums. Exciting times for Headf1rst, so see above for more details, and here's "Slay The Dragon"!

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

 

• I have removed local punk band F.F.B. from our inactive band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook page, which was their only known social media account. A revival of a 1999-2000 band featuring Telephone & Address' Christopher Shoust and Damjan "Spider Fingerz" Binda, F.F.B. had reunited in 2016 to release a film about the band's original 1999-2000 run and put out their unreleased studio material, but there was little follow-up on these plans. Hopefully we hear more from Chris, Damjan, and Kyle in time!
• In their first Facebook post in over a month, local southern hard rock quartet Fort Creek revealed yesterday that they are "currently plugging away at what will be our second release", namely an original song named "Sweet Rosie" that will serve as their first "full band song", as opposed to the acoustic "One For The Road". Good to hear that the guys are busy behind the scenes, and we'll let you know when more on this song and/or their long-gestating debut album come out! Also, is "Sweet Rosie" a reference to the former Roosevelt Hotel? We'll know for sure soon!
• This year's Fringe North Festival has been postponed due to "unexpectedly diminshed leadership capacity and reduced funding", as per the festival's Facebook page. While not a SMS-amenable haven, occasional punk acts have performed the diverse & multicultural arts festival, which had been held in August at the Sault Ste. Marie Museum post-pandemic (with punk solo act Slumshine being most prominent in our coverage there). In its stead, Fringe North will instead host a "New Works Series" in conjunction with the Museum, and we await details on what this will entail, let alone if the Fringe North of old will return in 2026. Hopefully things work out regardless!
• As of April 6th, new local industrial metal solo act The Realignment Project had finished recording their second EP "The Frustration Sessions", as per updates to their Facebook page, and as of April 18th, project leader Matt Hicks was "waiting for the EP to hit streaming services" while also working on lyric videos for YouTube for its songs. A sample for the lyric video of the song "Static" was shared in this Facebook "Reel" (unembeddable as always), but I'll hold comment pending the EP's eventual release. Things can come together very fast for a one man band like this, so stay tuned for more on The Realignment Project's sophomore release!
• At the Room 206-headlined reunion concert at Soo Blaster earlier this month, they were indeed represented by their classic lineup (Mike Yorke, Brad "Example" Lacell, and Allan Watson) alongside guitarist Dave Bahun, who wasn't on "2 Innies & An Outie" but performed with them in later concerts and material, and also joined Brad in The Inner City Surfers that night. Our source is photos from SooToday's Donna Hopper's Facebook photo album from the concert, featuring 54 shots from the night's punk festivities, albeit all black & white. Great pictures as always from Donna, and stay tuned for more from this huge reunion show next week!
• Last week, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 shared a "Reel" of them covering Poison's "Nothing But A Good Time" at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s Tap Room on April 12th onto their Facebook page! The short, vertical, and unembeddable trappings of "Reels" aside, Silent 9 sound good in this brief clip while it lasts, and you get a nice view of the unique staging at they have at the downtown craft brewery here, so give it a watch above, and don't miss Silent 9 at The Esquire Club in two weeks!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next, for sure! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Who Made Who & Pet Retina), Convergence Updates, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a late notice concert in this past weekend's concert previews, as local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison played at The Dive Gastro Pub on Saturday night, replacing acoustic rock duo Dodge This. A reason for the late lineup change wasn't publically announced by the venue or musicians, but Tym only launched the Facebook event page for the gig earlier that day at 1:03 PM, so it must have fell into place late. Hopefully Tym's show went well, apologies again, and hopefully we see Dodge This back out there soon!

Now, today's post otherwise has LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming months, updates from a local metal band, and some new original material, but let's start with the new shows, as Victoria, British Columbia noise rock/synth duo Pet Retina and drummer Max Patterson's solo project i.o will both return to the Soo on Monday, May 26th at The Art Hub At Spring! These two creative acts last came here to rock The March Street Stage (which, like the Art Hub, is technically on Queen Street) in May of last year, but their return just over a year later will actually be as support bands for local outsider folk musician Shae Tull, as this show is the release party for her new album "Statues Of Teeth On Every Street Corner", which came out digitally last month. No word on if there will be physical copies, but hopefully Shae gets a strong response to the new material at the show and in general!

Noise rock fans will take to Pet Retina and i.o in their opening sets, so don't be late for all of this diverse action next month! The first SMS-amenable concert booking of 2025 for Piecing It Together Shows (née Dryer Fire), doors open for this all ages concert at 7:00 PM, and tickets run for $15 at this link (at the door, admission is via a "pay what you can" model). Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this intriguing concert!

Next up, the headline band for this year's Rotaryfest Stage 1 at Clergue Park on Saturday, July 19th has been announced, and unlike in recent years, you may know them from prior local headlining dates, namely Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who! High voltage rock n' roll fans may recall seeing Who Made Who last when they rocked the former Canadian Nightclub in November 2019, after previously playing at least four prior local gigs dating back to at least 2010. We've seen multiple different AC/DC tributes here in the past decade, but Who Made Who always delivered the goods in the past, and how does an outdoor nighttime concert on the big stage at Rotaryfest sound for their return after 5+ years? We await full confirmation of the Rotaryfest lineup on any stage, as applications for local bands are still ongoing until April 16th, so click here for details on how you can get consideration for 2025!

As per this SooToday press release, the full musical lineups for the Sault's summer festival will be released in "late May", which would beat last year's June unveiling if that holds. Who Made Who would likely take the stage on July 19th at 8:30 PM, with a local cover band closing out the night & festival at 10:30m if things are the way they were in eight of the past ten years. Rotaryfest is FREE & ALL AGES as usual. This has to be the heaviest touring headliner that Rotaryfest has ever had on the big Clergue Park stage, so definitely stay tuned for more updates on this year's stage lineups!

Finally, here's the latest from local progressive/djent metal band Convergence, starting with the long awaited confirmation of their newest member, as they have enlisted singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio into their lineup. Steve's biggest band role that I'm aware of is as co-lead vocalist in the local disco tribute band The Saturday Nights, but his tenor vocal range has been put to good use in multiple local stage productions, most notably when he played Frankie Valli in last year's production of Jersey Boys. That's a demanding role in & of itself, but how will he handle metal? Stephen actually joined Convergence as far back as December, as per this Sault Star article from Brian Kelly which focused on guitarist Brendan Christie's own Woodward Avenue Studios (née Yellow Room Studios), but elaborated on how they decided to add him to the group. The article is a good read, and Brendan does quality work for original artists!

As for Convergence at large, they are continuing the lead-up towards their live debut at The Pit at Soo Blaster on April 18th, and have continued posting "Reels" to their Facebook page to hype their preparation process for the concert (just a reminder, "Reels" are unembeddable on external websites). Four new ones have been posted since we last left off with Convergence on March 24th, with the March 25th "Reel" features what they call "more writing/arrangement shenanigans" where they're working through how many choruses that one of their songs should have. Four days later, guitarist Jake Valois revealed in this "Reel" that "the drums are tracked", their live setlist is finalized, tickets for The Pit are selling well, Steve is writing and helping finalize lyrics, and the band was planning to rehearse with their full live rig last week. On Sunday, that "Reel" saw the guys setting up their gear at the Algoma Conservatory of Music.

Their newest "Reel" from yesterday has Stephen jokingly (thank goodness) promoting Convergence's official cryptocurrency and also playing piano, before we see out first rehearsal video of the band in action as a four piece, albeit not for long. These "Reels" tend to end abruptly, and who knows what content they're leaving on the editing room floor, but it looks like progress is making its way up for Steve, Brendan, Jake, and David, and here's hoping their live debut is a hit! Visit the above links for more from Convergence, and that's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS as this week continues! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Double Down, And Curtis McKenzie), Plus Related Updates!!

A busy concert weekend is upon us, so we'll have to break up this weekend's hard rock/punk previews into two posts once again. As such, look for our previews of this weekend's Scarkazm, Tym Morrison, Generations, and Dodge This shows next, with Saturday's Room 206/Inner City Surfers concert rounding things out in a separate news post (possible late notice shows that I don't know about yet acknowledged). Stay tuned, but let's lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, all involving SHORT NOTICE ones for the next couple of nights, and in one case, shows well beyond, plus some other updates from two of the bands in question!

Former Eclipse/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Curt only announced this show via his Facebook page on Saturday, with The Dive's Facebook page only following suit yesterday via this concert calendar for the month. Fans of Curtis' hard and alternative rock covers last saw him at the former Low & Slow two weeks ago, and hopefully his return to "The Naughty Corner" will go smoothly TONIGHT, so keep things in mind then for both his music as well as The Dive's atmosphere! We'll touch on Dodge This' shows at The Dive this month in tomorrow's post. Curt's on TONIGHT at 9:30 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and here he is live!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via its Facebook event page on Sunday, and The Merch rarely promotes concerts on social media. Last seen in Manistique three weeks ago, TOMORROW'S show will be Tarnished's first truly local date since playing at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino in early March, and will be their first in the Soo proper since rocking The Merch in January (three planned interim dates in the city were called off since). And notice above that I said "quartet", as Tarnished has finally confirmed via this official photo on the Facebook event page that Rhythm & Brews bandmates Chris Leask and Ron Suchey have indeed joined Tarnished as official, full-time band members, replacing the already departed Parker Talentino on bass and current guitarist Josh Fair on drums respectively.

Chris & Ron have been playing with Tarnished on the regular since August (albeit not at the LSSU Battle of the Bands), and had guested at a few prior 2024 dates when Josh was beginning his exodus from the drumkit, with Parker moving to rhythm guitar in such gigs before he left. Nice to finally get solid public online word that Chris & Ron aren't just session players, and while there is an age gap, their talents and chemistry are well known! You can see Tarnished rock The Merch TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally for now, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down have announced shows for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies again for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook event page this past Friday. These will be Double Down's second and third shows with new bassist Dan Beaupre, following his debut at Jay's on Friday, March 7th (he missed the next day's gig due to being double booked with his other band The Sidekicks), so if you want to see what he brings to the table alongside the Syrettes and Ric, then TOMORROW & SATURDAY are your next chances! Beyond this weekend, Double Down have also announced a series of upcoming dates through the fall at two locations, including returns to Jay's on May 23rd-24th, June 6th-7th, and September 12th-13th, so click here for each booking's individual Facebook event page!

Elsewhere, the new Double Down lineup will debut at The Water Tower Pub for Friday nighters on May 2nd and June 27th, so if you want to enjoy some entertaining classic and hard rock favourites, you know where to go then! The September date there will be held for a later SMS post due to the distance and to not glut our concert listings with the same band in a clump at the end (also, are they taking July-August off?) The Jay's shows (TOMORROW & SATURDAY included) are at 9:30 PM, the Water Tower Pub shows start at 8:00 PM, and all are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video from Double Down's Facebook page! Uploaded on Sunday, this sees the guys covering A Flock Of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)" in Dan's debut gig at Jay's last month.

Drummer Ric Datson sings lead on this cover, which is filmed across two cameras angled towards the stage, one pointing at the band from the right and one focused on Ric from the left. Mixed lighting, and Ric's tone of voice does need some adjusting here, but it's a well played tune, one of 15 new covers that the band learned with Dan as of March 30th, so it'll be interesting to hear more of them! Check it out for yourself below, and don't miss Double Down back at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site by tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone!

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

With the busy and green beer-laden holiday weekend in the rear view mirror, here's a quieter batch of hard rock weekend concert previews to kick off! There are still a little too much for one post, so I'll hold our extended preview of Saturday's Musicians Unite multi-band benefit concert in Sault Michigan for tomorrow's post. Don't worry, it is absolutely on the way, but here's what you should know from other hard rock-leaning artists this weekend!

We'll start things TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub, where former Haggith/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to the stage for another acoustic concert! This "Think It Over Thursday" booking will be Curt's first at the Queen Street nightclub and restaurant in almost two months, and on this quieter post-St. Patrick's Day weekend, hopefully Curtis' hard rock and alternative covers find a solid audience in "the naughty corner"! Remember, to get a sampling of what Curt's solo sets have in store, click here for his most recent public setlist image from a Dive show that he played in September. As usual for The Dive's biweekly concert nights, expect a 9:00 PM start time tonight with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Consider stopping by The Dive for all of tonight's action, and for a preview, here's Curtis live!

Next up, let's take a brief detour to Michigan, as Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The second announced 2025 concert weekend in our coverage range from this entertaining veteran twosome, this weekend's shows will be Jamie & Rikk's first in St. Ignace since rocking that Kewadin branch four months ago, and first within an hour of the Soo since their Rapids Lounge dates at the beginning of January. The band still hasn't posted a 2025 concert calendar on their Facebook group like normal, so I don't know when we'll see them next, but way before that, the band oddly hasn't plugged this weekend's shows there yet. Kewadin's entertainment page has advertised them right along, so they appear to be on as normal, but keep Fyrbird's lack of advertising in mind if you're at all curious.  

Fyrbird take the stage with their rollicking covers tomorrow and/or Saturday night at 9:30 PM with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Fyrbird live!

Back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return to The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Mildly surprisingly, these will be Silent 9's first traditional nightclub dates since November, exclusively playing private events and fundraisers since, aside from Bon Soo. Their next few shows are all at standard venues, but if you've been missing Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve's upbeat and fan friendly cover mix over the winter, you'll want to swing by the Second Line West nightclub tomorrow and/or Saturday night for all of the action! As usual for bands at The Esquire Club, this weekend's shows have 9:30 PM start times and no announced cover charges, and you must be 19 or older to attend. If you can't make it, Silent 9 will be back at The Esquire Club in early May. Visit the above links for more details on this weekend's concerts, and for a preview, here's Silent 9 live!

Finally for this preview post, veteran local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY! This will wrap up a three week run of Saturday matinees from Tym at acoustic-amenable venues, following playing at Misty's two weeks ago and at the Eagles Club last week (he will also play two Saturdays per month at Misty's through the end of May). If you enjoy Tym's classic and hard rock covers, and all of the professionalism and stacked setlists behind them, then don't miss out on all of the action on Second Line West on Saturday at suppertime! As usual for Tym's multiple Misty's gigs in the 2020s, this has a 3:00 PM matinee start time, no announced cover charge, and a presumed 19+ age limit, and if you can't make it this weekend, Tym will be back at Misty's Fifties in two weeks. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Musicians Unite benefit preview (and more?) next! Thanks everyone!