LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Nameless), And Halloween Concert Previews, Part 2!!

For Halloween weekend concert preview post #2, we're heading largely to the Eastern Upper Peninsula via two concerts tomorrow (one a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), but to fill things out and commemorate this rare Saturday timing for October 31st, I'll take some time in the back half to note what non-hard rock/punk acts are playing publically verified concerts tonight or tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know in the EUP (and remember, bridge fares are slashed to $1.50 USD or $2 CAD tomorrow from midnight to midnight to celebrate the International Bridge's 50th anniversary, so if that's an incentive to head across to enjoy concerts for cheaper on either side of the border, keep tomorrow's discount in mind!)

Local hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar to headline their Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on their Facebook page this past Saturday, and as usual, The Merch doesn't acknowledge bands playing there by name on social media. This actually won't be The Nameless' first Halloween concert of the month, as they hit the road to play at The Paradise Inn's annual Halloween bash two weeks ago. Paradise is just outside of our coverage range (an hour's drive from the Soo), but hopefully The Nameless had a good show out west! If you're wondering, The Paradise Inn has their Halloween party early because they close for the season in late October. TOMORROW'S Merch show (their first in the Soo since August at Kewadin Casino) promises "fun", "music", "prizes", "Lume (Cannabis Co.) swag", and "gift cards", presumably as prizes.

As you'd hope for Halloween night, there will be a costume contest TOMORROW, where the top three costumes will net their wearers $300, $200, and $100 (Not bad!). The Nameless have also revealed that TOMORROW'S concert will be their final one with drummer Jamie Costner, who is "shipping off downstate" next month. As old Dirty Musky fans know, she is a talented drummer, and best of luck to Jamie in her move and in whatever comes next! Everything goes down TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's The Nameless live earlier this year!

Next up, let's take the half hour drive southwest to Rudyard, where local blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will headline the Halloween party at Huck's Pub & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen in Eckerman last week and in Rudyard during Summerfest weekend in July, tomorrow's concert will be far from 906's first rodeo as Halloween headliners, and they should have some fun costumes to go along with their hard rocking cover slate! In terms of seasonal frills, Huck's hasn't given much away, but there will be a costume contest, with prizes going to those with the best overall, funniest, and best couples costumes. Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian hit the stage at the former Joe's Bar tomorrow at 8:00 PM, expect a 21+ age limit, and there's no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of the action at at Huck's tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's Project 906 on Halloween at The Islander Bar in Hessel a few years ago!

To cap off this post (the other heavier previews are coming), as a public service, I wanted to run through all of the other known musicians playing shows tonight and tomorrow in the region that aren't hard rock or punk acts. Halloween on a Saturday only comes once every 6-11 years, after all! In Sault Ontario tonight, RPM plays at The Water Tower Pub, The Preacher & His Jackleg Band will be at Outspoken Brewing, and Frankly Speaking will rock The Whiskey Barrel. For bands doubling up tomorrow & Saturday night, Jay's Piston Broke Pub will host Bourbon Blue and Reggie's Place will welcome Smokehouse. Tomorrow only, Beck's Bar will welcome The Stumpy Coldwater Trio (matinee) and Elly McWatters & The Drifters (night), the relocated Full Throttle Saloon hosts Flathead Ford, Matthew James will be at the aforementioned Whiskey Barrel, and for Saturday matinees, Leslie Cook is at the Royal Canadian Legion and Forty Creek (not Fort Creek) are at The Moose Lodge.

Over in Sault Michigan and the EUP, NuCorp will be the final band to ever play at The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino tonight & tomorrow night before their heavy renovations begin, while Tom Katalin & Highway 41 will be playing at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin those same nights. Tomorrow, Viscera frontman "Blind" Bob Quinn & Louie Radecki will be playing at Moloney's Alley, Shipheads On Shore will be at The Islander Bar in Hessel, and Frank Gillotte will be performing at The Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley. Note that this just counts bands within an hour of the Soo, but if you're up for a drive, Tarnished will be playing at The Pine Bar in Engadine on Saturday. Remember, levels of Halloween celebration and frills (from decor to drink specials to costume contests) will vary from venue to venue, so check in with each establishment and/or band before you commit to anything.

If you're free and able, go occupy a venue this weekend! The calendar blessed us with an ideal weekend for Halloween concerts, and there won't even be an October 31st on a Friday until 2031, so take advantage where you can. We'll wrap up our Halloween previews with three shows tomorrow night and one short notice Sunday matinee, so stay tuned then! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Dos Amigos) And Devil's Night Concert Previews!!

Halloween weekend is upon us and for the first time since 2020 (when the pandemic threw a monkey wrench into the holiday for many), October 31st is on a Saturday! There's no shortage of live music to take in at local concert venues this weekend, and things will need at least three posts to get to everything! We'll start here with Devil's Night shows tomorrow, including two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and one previously announced Friday nighter, so here's what you should know for the end of spooky season!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will cap off their run of fall festival gigs at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this booking via (you guessed it) a Facebook "Story" shared by the band members' personal accounts, as the band's social media hasn't publically acknowledged TOMORROW'S booking, let alone the mill, whose AI generated poster for this weekend's festivities doesn't even mention live music. For the closing day, Thomson Farms will have the haunted corn maze open for one more night, and the usual family entertainment, vendors, and refreshments seen throughout October should also be on hand. Dos Amigos will be playing from the 5:00 PM opening TOMORROW until 8:00 PM, this is definitely all ages, and there are no cover charges. Proceeds TOMORROW will be helping the U12 AA Soo Jr. Greyhounds hockey team.

The haunted maze proper costs $15, and while Halloween decorations are certainly implied, the farm hasn't 100% confirmed anything about costumes (they don't appear to be open on Saturday, so I assume they'd be okay with costumes TOMORROW). 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures of 7-8°. I do wish that Dos Amigos were plugging events in permanent posts through the band's own accounts, but hopefully their unplugged punk covers provide a fun soundtrack to the evening! Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S festivities at Thomson Farms, and for a preview, here's Dos Amigos live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Beck's Bar for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this Devil's Night gig when Beck's announced their weekly entertainment schedule on their Facebook page on Tuesday. Now, these shows were originally announced as being for fellow classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 on that band's website's calendar, but it has was quietly updated in recent weeks to remove both tomorrow's gig as well as one at Beck's on Saturday, November 14th (all that is listed there now are private events). A reason for Silent 9 dropping out of both dates has not been publically announced, but hopefully all is well in their camp! Soundcheck have taken on TOMORROW'S gig, and in a mild surprise given their increasingly rare social media updates, they have plugged them on their Facebook page!

As such, they have finally acknowledged the "Soundcheck 7.3" branding from their recent AI generated artwork on Facebook, but have yet to confirm online if they have indeed changed their name or if it's just a logo element (let alone what "7.3" means. Richter scale?). Also, TOMORROW'S show is not advertised as an "epic crossover" gig with their sister band Separate Wayz, who have not updated their Facebook page in over a month. In terms of Halloween accoutrements, while Beck's is hosting Elly McWatters & The Drifters on Saturday night, TOMORROW will also be a Halloween party, with costumes encouraged, and there will be a contest, with prizes in store for those with the scariest and funniest costumes, as well as the best character impersonation. Soundcheck will kinda sorta have an opener TOMORROW, namely local magician Ryan McFarling at 7:00 PM.

I say "kinda sorta" as Ryan's show will be ticketed, whereas Soundcheck have no cover charge for their 9:00 PM-starting concert, which is 19+ as usual. There's a lot more than this going down at Beck's, so be sure to check their Facebook page for the complete weekend itinerary (Sunday matinee included), but hopefully Soundcheck (7.3?) hold up their end of the bargain with their hard rocking old school covers at the Goulais Avenue nightclub TOMORROW! See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll head to The Art Hub At Spring (technically at 504 Queen Street East) for a FREE multi-band Devil's Night concert TOMORROW NIGHT, but there has been a late headliner switch. Originally, local alternative/hard rock quartet The Reeves were supposed to headline, but they dropped out "due to unforeseen circumstances" on Monday, as per the official Facebook event page, though they promised that "we will still be in attendance". If they'll still be there, is someone sick or hurt? No idea, but hopefully everyone's alright! Replacing The Reeves tomorrow are local crossover thrash trio Hails, who are no strangers to The Art Hub following frontman Brenton Ellis' recent art exhibit residency there, and with the cancellation of the private Devil's Night At Dirtbag's tomorrow, their schedule was open! Ha!ls will be joined by debuting pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero.

This promising band has yet to reveal the identity of their new female singer, but you can be the first to find out tomorrow (possible Halloween costume acknowledged), and click here to sample them covering The Offspring! Opening is former Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci, so if you've missed him and were curious what his solo material sounds like following the cancellation of his open mic set at Rotaryfest Stage 2 following the air quality index concerns, keep this in mind! A dance party is planned after the bands, there will be complimentary food and drinks, and costumes are welcomed (no word on a contest). While this will be a free and all ages concert at 8:00 PM, organizers recommend RSVPing first, and while the event page suggests contacting performers/organizers to "get on the list", I did see a reference on Facebook where just saying that you're going on the Facebook event page would be enough. I'm assuming all of this is due to The Art Hub's smaller size.

Compared to some of the other multi-band events for Halloween downtown, this one's punk slant, price point, and Friday scheduling will definitely appeal to some, and while it is unfortunate that The Reeves aren't playing despite their promotional involvement, hopefully there's a strong turnout at The Art Hub tomorow night! See above for more details, and here's Hails live!

That's all for now, but our weekend concert previews continue tomorrow with shows actually on Halloween night! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Headrush & About:Blank) And The End Of The Sault Star In Print!!

Before we get into today's news post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Canadian hard rock icon Sass Jordan, who passed away on Friday at the age of 65. Sass had cancelled a number of concerts since last month due to a serious medical issue, and is survived by her husband, former Guess Who frontman Derek Sharp and their daughter, among other extended family. Born in England as Sarah Jordan and later raised in Montreal, Sass broke through on Canadian radio and on MuchMusic with her debut album "Tell Somebody" in 1988, and became a major hitmaker in the early-mid 1990s with songs like "Make You A Believer", "High Road Easy", and "Sun's Gonna Rise". She also made a new generation of fans in the 2000s as a judge on all six seasons of Canadian Idol on CTV. Sass had played multiple shows here in the 1990s, including at least once at The Eastgate Hotel.

Her final local concert appearance was when she opened for Kim Mitchell on night #2 of the Bell Border Jam at Runway Park in August 2008, which is her only local date that is well documented online. Sass Jordan's accessible bluesy take on hard rock helped her win a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989 and further nominations, and she will be missed by many fans and friends. Visit your preferred music and news websites for more information. R.I.P. Sass!

Today's post otherwise features big news from local news and two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll actually start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock/punk duo About:Blank will play a rare headlining concert on Saturday, October 17th at The Merchant's Bar! The band announced the show on their Facebook page on Friday, and it will mark their first public date since the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands in Brimley in July. Parker & Kade did acknowledge playing at the Highland Clan Motorcycle Club's East Coast Fall Fling in the Soo yesterday, but in researching HCMC events, they are all at a private location that you have to inquire within about if not already a member. The club has brought in other local hard rock bands like Tarnished and The Nameless for recent events too, and photos can be seen on their Facebook group, but despite public acknowledgements, they were not fully public concerts.

It will be good to see About:Blank back on a fully public stage in just under two weeks as part of a busy month for them (more on their other show this month soon), and note that they will have new merchandise on sale here. Yes, new merch at The Merch! This concert has an oddly short 2 hour run time starting at 10:00 PM, a 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and we should have more from them next week!

Next up, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for another entry in what will be a packed Halloween weekend for concertgoers, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will open for local/Toronto pop rock cover veterans The Killer Hooks at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on Saturday, October 31st! Entitled "Fright Night At The Museum", this special event will mark the first hometown appearance from The Killer Hooks (led by former Gsis Murphy frontman Tony Marcello) since headlining a video dance party at Blaster Powerhouse in April. This show too will see them break out their video dance party format, which will be a fun multimedia experience to go along with a talented live band, and they do have occasional hard rock covers! Headrush will be two weeks removed from their next gigs at The Esquire Club, and their heavier 1980s-leaning covers should set the right tone on Halloween night as their fall schedule begins taking shape!

Presumably on a similar scale to this summer's Cory Marks show in the hangar, expect "goolish (sic) times" and "killer music" along with a costume contest, with prizes going to the best individual and group costumes. Sadly, this will be a 19+ event, doors open at 8:00 PM, Crank Sound Distribution will reportedly be on hand, and tickets cost $35 (up $10 from The Killer Hooks' April show here, but that didn't have Halloween frills). Tickets are on sale at this link, at the Bushplane Museum, or at sponsors Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site Tap Room. This will be another strong contender to your Halloween schedule, so visit the Facebook event page for more details!

Finally for today, this doesn't bear directly on our coverage, but it was announced last week at The Sault Star and its sister newspapers in Northern Ontario will end print operations at the end of October. In this CBC article, it's noted The Sault Star's parent company Postmedia is transitioning to a digital-only distribution format for their news outlets here and in Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Elliot Lake, and Espanola, while the Cochrane Times-Post will end operations outright. No local jobs will be lost, as the paper was being printed in North Bay, where its printing press is closing and will see those cuts. Affected markets will still get a once-a-week newspaper, namely Northern News This Week, which will feature curated articles from Northeastern Ontario communities, but I have read conflicting reports on if it will be free like the former Sault This Week or only to paid subscribers. Stay tuned to the newly redesigned Sault Star website for updates.

The closest print newspaper after this will be The Sault Evening News in Sault Michigan, while St. Joseph Island still prints the weekly (if small) Island Clippings. The slow decline of The Sault Star to an ever-thinner three days-a-week publication was a hint that this was coming, alas, but The Sault Star lives on as a digital news outlet up against SooToday, and in our coverage of relevant Sault Star articles, I never assumed that they were print-only anyway. As long as we have effective local journalism for years to come, but it will be strange to not have the paper of old when we want it. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Reeves) & Fort Creek Updates!!

For a second straight day, we have an SMS post of two topics, one being an extended look at a band's new music video/single release, but leading off is a Halloween weekend LOCAL CONCERT ALERT with a lot to say itself, so here's what you should know on this Sunday morning!

Local hard/blues rock quartet The Reeves will headline an early Halloween party at The Art Hub At Spring on Friday, October 30th! This Devil's Night show will mark the Haze/Long Shot successors' return to the Queen Street arts venue following their set opening for Autopilot there two weeks ago, and will be their first show since beginning their recent recording sessions, so they should be in fine form to show off their already impressive array of original material, let alone the spooky themes! Opening here is the debut of new local pop punk/emo quintet Homeroom Hero, whose only social media presence so far is on Instagram, but their descriptions so far point to a sound that fans of MySpace-era pop punk and emo will enjoy. Their lineup includes former A Dire Setback/A Fall From Innoncence singer Larry Babic, guitarists Brian Lester (ex-No Shadows Cast) and Dennys Andrade, bassist Paul Fowler (ex-Keep It Lit), and former As It Stands/For July guitarist Ryan McLaughlin on drums.

Intriguing lineup given the names involved (though Dennys is a total unknown to me), so keep their debut in mind for late next month! Former Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci will open with an acoustic set (featuring some originals), and if you were hoping to see him as part of the cancelled open mic block at Rotaryfest Stage 2, keep this indoor event in mind, especially as it will be FREE! However, the Facebook event page still specifies that it is "by invite only", so they ask to contact performers to get on the list, though "last minute admission may be available". I assume this is more to do with the smaller size of the Art Hub, as the event is absolutely publically advertised and marketed. Regardless of that implied hoop to jump through, there will be complimentary snacks and drinks, a post-show dance party (no idea if there will be a DJ as such), and while costumes are welcome, they aren't necessary. They did not specify if there would be a costume contest of some kind either.

This is absolutely an all ages event with music starting at 8:00 PM, and it is shaping up to be a welcome addition to the Halloween weekend festivities, and not just thanks to the debut of Homeroom Hero. We'll let you know if they get a more substantial social media presence or post any media of them prior, but thanks to Brian for telling me what he did about the group! Visit the above links for more details on what to expect, and remember to contact members in advance to get on the list just in case!

Next up, let's talk about another local band who just released a new single and music video directed by Josh Penno from Spacebag Productions, but in this case, it's southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek! Just eight days after announcing their new lineup (now featuring bassist Arthur Lacasse and drummer Sam DeDominicis), the band announced that they completed shooting the music video for their new single "Sweet Rosie" on September 1st, later confirming that it would be released on "your favouite streaming platforms" this past Friday. What if your favourite is Bandcamp, where the song isn't available? Regardless, the song was mixed and mastered by Dustin Goodall at Unsalted Audio, though the credits on major streaming platforms don't give details on the song's producer (they were working at former drummer Phil Greco's Jettison Studios before he left the band earlier this year).

Interestingly, Lime/ex-Rising Tide guitarist Liam Seymour is credited on bass for the studio recording rather than Art, but I don't know if this was strictly as a session musician or if he was briefly their bassist before Art (who does play in the video) signed on. The video features performance footage of the whole band on a darkened set intercut with scenes of a drag race featuring actress Jennifer Valotaire as the flag girl. This is the first original song release featuring the full plugged-in band, though note that the shelved "Hammer Down" did have preview clips posted online once. I'll hold full comment on the entire track in lieu of their debut album in progress, but fans of melodic hard rock will enjoy what's on offer here, and there is a southern rock edge to the instrumentation! It's great to finally see Fort Creek making some big progress as they re-emerge as a full band with material to show for it, but are concerts next? Give the "Sweet Rosie" video a watch below!

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

Halloween Night Concert Previews!!

As it turns out, this weekend is scheduled advantageously for Halloween, as October 31st is a Friday, a.k.a. tomorrow! Even still, some venues are hosting Halloween-themed concerts on Saturday as well based on band or venue preference. Today's first weekend concert preview post will focus on hard rock shows taking place tomorrow proper, and we'll dive into the honestly busier Saturday slate tomorrow, as well as Peril's St. Ignace Kewadin gigs. Here's what you should know to kick off the spookiest weekend of the year!

We'll start with the only hard rock show of consequence in Sault Ontario on Halloween night TOMORROW (though there are definitely other concerts concurrently from general classic or pop rock bands), and it takes place at Beck's Bar in a rare deviation from their Friday DJ/dance party nights. Your headliners are the debuting & online page-less local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow, who will reportedly feature ex-Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner alongside former Sense Of Truth/Parabol guitarist Steve Myers and a musician named Cameron Brock (as far as I can tell), but we await further public confirmation of them and their lineup. Pearl Jam aren't often covered locally, so it'll be interesting to hear how this band handles the grunge legends! New (and also online page-less) local party rock quartet The Barbarians will join them tomorrow, so if you've liked former Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers' recent solo work, keep that in mind!

In a late confirmation via Beck's Facebook page, Sylo frontman Eli Russell will return home from university as the opening act. His solo material leans more to indie rock than his band work, but it'll be good to see him back in the Soo for Halloween! Costumes are absolutely encouraged tomorrow, with prizes to be awarded for the best makeup, most creative, and best duo/couples costume, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will be on hand as well. This concert has a 9:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more details, and no preview videos yet!

The rest of today's previews take us to Halloween night concerts TOMORROW in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, and we'll start at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace, where local hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished will set up shop for their Halloween night party! Part of the guys' expansion of gigs in St. Ignace beyond the Kewadin Casino umbrella (they've played four different venues there this year), this will be their first gig there since last month's Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend. As you might expect, this one-nighter is a full-on Halloween party, with a mystery grand prize for the best costume, hourly prize giveaways,"thrilling vibes, haunted music, and dancing till dawn". Maybe you can do the latter, but Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron are blocked from 9:30 PM-1:00 AM for this 21+ concert, which has no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

For a preview, here's a rare live video of the band's current lineup from their Facebook page, but there's a reason this got filmed. As you may remember, Tarnished played at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino this past weekend, and were rocking out after Saturday night's Trixter-headlined Spirit Of 1989 concert at The Dreammaker's Theater. Among the fans to stop by after the big show was one its performers, namely Jake Curtis Allard, the guitarist of Pretty Boy Floyd, and he actually guested on vocals with Tarnished for a cover of The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane". Definitely impromptu, as evidenced by how Jake got the lyrics, but a fun bonus for hair metal fans, so give it a watch below!

Making our way north, fans in Rudyard will get Halloween concert action of the hard rock variety TOMORROW as well, as local hard/blues rock quintet Project 421 will take the stage at Huck's Pub & Grill for their October 31st festivities! Last seen in Hulbert Township four weeks ago as the post-poker run musical entertainment, this will surprisingly be 906's first show at Huck's all year, and what a way to end that gap by rocking out with their Halloween best for what should be a packed and eclectic night! As you might expect, there will be a costume contest at Huck's, with prizes to be awarded for the best overall costume, funniest costume, and best couples costume, so come dressed to impress! Project 906's fan friendly brand of hard rock covers are up at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live at The Islander Bar in Hessel for Halloween in 2022!

We'll close this preview post in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will headline The Merchant's Bar's Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! Now, before we get too far into this preview, note that drummer Jason VanLuven is a member of both Unfortunate Sun and Project 906, but neither band has confirmed whether they'll have a guest or fill-in drummer or not. Project 906 had recruited Exit 808's Jackie Moon to fill in for Jason when they played in Kinross last month, and they have played shows with just hand drummer Brian Duford on percussion in the past, and while I believe Unfortunate Sun (and Fake Chow before them) tend to get priority for these conflicts, I have no idea which of the two bands Jason will be playing with. Tomorrow's Halloween party at The Merch will be Unfortunate Sun's first show since rocking the St. Ignace Kewadin in mid-September, and their first show in the Soo (or the Merch) since the spring.

The Merch rarely promotes bands playing there on social media, but their Facebook event page confirms that there will be drink specials and prizes on offer. including for best costume, so expect a fun night of spooky music and good vibes tomorrow! "The hottest band in Sleepy Hollow" will take the stage at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Hard rock fans will have a lot to like in the Soo tomorrow, let alone Rudyard and St. Ignace, so visit the above links for more on this trifecta of local band-headlined Halloween parties in the E.U.P., and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned in our next post for our previews of this weekend's Peril, Bone Yard 22, Tym Morrison, and Generations concerts! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Even Flow) And Sole Aggressors Updates!!

Before we kick off another round of hard rock weekend concert previews, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the spooky season festivities ahead and updates from a talented but defunct(?) local band, so here's what you should know on this rainy Wednesday night!

Beck's Bar have announced their Halloween weekend concert slate via their Facebook page, and for a second time in three weeks, they'll host a concert on the usually DJ/dance party-only Friday, seeing as it is Halloween proper this year! The October 31st concert will be headlined by a debuting local Pearl Jam tribute band named Even Flow, and while I have yet to find a public social media page or posting about this group, public Facebook shares of this poster indicate that former Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner will be behind the kit, possibly joined by a new-to-me musician named Cameron Brock. We'll let you know when more is publically known, but a locally based tribute to the grunge/alternative legends would be neat to see! The openers on Halloween are new (and online page-less) local rock cover quartet The Barbarians, who debuted at The Northern Vibe Festival this year.

Featuring ex-Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, Handsome Sandwich's Taylor Emlaw & Rafael Medina, and Boat Dads drummer Kevin Harrison, I still don't know what range of music that The Barbarians play in relation to Rob's solo shows and past bands, but you can find out next Friday! Costumes are absolutely encouraged, with prizes being offered for best makeup, best duo, and most creative, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will also be on hand. No cover charge is announced for this 19+ concert, which begins at 9:00 PM.

Meanwhile, Halloween will extend to Saturday, November 1st, with the spooky themes, costume contests, and Tarot readings in effect that day as well, and for the occasion, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to the former Vibe Lounge as that night's headline band! This show has not (yet?) been announced on their website's concert calendar, but it comes just two weeks after they last rocked Beck's, albeit for a full weekend with an "uncorked" Sunday matinee (Out & Out Country have the honours on November 2nd). Good to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back for another night of rocking covers and originals in the west end, so don't put your costumes away yet, as there's more Halloween fun to be had a day late! We already knew about Tym Morrison's matinee concert next Saturday, and remember, he isn't "opening" for Bone Yard, he and they have two separate four hour concert blocks spaced two hours apart.

Like with The Barbarians and Even Flow on Halloween proper, your local 225 kick off their evening at 9:00 PM next Saturday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Sounds like Beck's has a lot going on for Halloween weekend, so definitely visit the above links for more on what's in the cards there!

Next up, let's take a look at some updates from the now-defunct Sault Michigan punk trio The Sole Aggressors... or are they? In their last post on their Facebook page to date, singer/guitarist Brett Siesel thanked their friends, family, and supporters throughout their run, and "although this chapter has reached its conclusion, we have not". The 2023 LSSU Battle of the Bands winners are now calling this "our indefinite hiatus", and Brett teased that they have an "album coming soon". If they have entered the studio in any fashion, I haven't seen reference to it, but given that an indefinite hiatus can last anywhere from a few weeks to forever (let alone that they called their house party gig in August their "farewell show"), I'm not inclined to move them back to our active links at this juncture. After all, they're far from the only local band to end activity when members leave the area for college, but it's always cool to see bands reunite afterwards!

While we're on the subject, let's end this post with one of the last two full concert set videos from their YouTube channel! Today, we'll look at "The Shamrock Show" at Three One Three On Ashmun in March, where Brett, Calvin, and Isaac joined (in their Sault Ste. Marie debuts) The Sky Pilots and About:Blank for a St. Patrick's Day weekend blast of hard rock and punk action. The 52 minute set features The Sole Aggressors playing (in order) "Kill Thy Neighbour", "Burning Down", "Teenage Guide", "Humans Aren't Ordinary Monkeys", "Time To Commercialize!", "False Hope", "Heil Artificiality", "Fool", "State Of The World", "Kill A Celebrity", "Ventilation", "Fast Punk For Fast Food", "Melted Plastic", "Tale Of An American Hero", "Reject", "Down By The Bay", and "Hypocrite", followed by a new original song named "The Same Individualist", and in a rarity at this stage, a cover of Black Flag's "Six Pack".

While this gives us our fullest look at The Sole Aggressors' original catalogue yet, the visuals don't start off ideal, but if you hang on past the first four songs, the filmer does move the camera so that Brett's head isn't cut off and Calvin isn't entirely hidden behind him from this vantage point. That one stage light can be a little bright regardless, but the upbeat and fast punk action is well recorded at the former Back Door here, so if you miss The Sole Aggressors or missed out on their gigs on both sides of the border, give this full set upload a watch for yourselves below!

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

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

Let's continue covering this weekend's hard rock concert slate by looking at most of this weekend's proper concerts, Bone Yard 225 excepted (check the post below this one for details on their Reggie's dates). Remember, as Halloween was last night, some venues and bands are holding belated Halloween events tonight and/or tomorrow night, but others are not visibly doing so. Due to the amount of shows, I'm holding tomorrow's multi-band concert in Brimley, Michigan and the Rust tribute concert in Sault Ontario for our next post, so look for those then! Now, here's what you should know as the weekend continues, starting in Sault Michigan!

Local hard rock sextet Exit 808 will return to the local stage when they headline The Merchants Bar's Halloween party TONIGHT! This will actually be Exit 808's second Halloween concert this year, following a road trip to Bergland (5 hours west of the Soo) for the Bergland Bay Bar's holiday festivities this past Saturday, which appears to have went well for them! Surprisingly, this talented group took October off from local dates, so if you've missed Exit 808 since their Three One Three fundraiser event in late September, don't bypass tonight's Halloween show! It's worth noting that the tags in their most recent Facebook page plug of this event don't include singer Dillion Semasky, guitarist Will Robbins, or bassist Myke Young, rather Drew Collister from the Ishpeming rock band No Expectations, former fill-in bassist Blaze Beairl, and Soundworks Productions owner Warren Woeste.

Drew is indeed filling in for Dillion Semasky on vocals for unannounced reasons, but I can't confirm if Will and Myke will be absent too (note that I haven't seen Will referenced in new Exit 808 social media postings since August, and he doesn't have a personal Facebook page that he can be tagged with). We'll let you know if anything gets clarified, but hopefully Amy, Alex, Jackie, and crew can still deliver a fun night of hard rocking covers tonight at The Merch! There will be a costume contest with prizes tonight, so don't put your costumes away just yet! This show has a 21+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details on this show, and here's Exit 808 live!

Next up, both regional Kewadin Casino branches are having hard rock-leaning bands this weekend, though just to get this out of the way now, neither branch is tying in this weekend's concerts with Halloween. The casinos did their Halloween festivities at all locations this past weekend, so expect the status quo as we enter November. At The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie, attendees TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT will be seeing local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews, who will be playing their first publically advertised shows since back in June. Featuring former Nixxon Dixxon bandmates Brandon Carr & Chris Hubbard alongside recent Tarnished rhythm section Chris Leask & Ron Suchey, this talented group will have lots of fan friendly hard rock covers ready to go this weekend, even if they still don't have public videos to preview their shows with! These dates are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges.

Meanwhile, The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin will play host to Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Surprisingly, we haven't seen Scarkazm rock either Kewadin branch since the spring, so if you've missed Adam, Dave, and Jeff's hard hitting covers and originals, you'll definitely want to keep in mind that they're ending 2024 with the help of three concert weekends in the E.U.P.! They'll be at the Soo Kewadin over the Thanksgiving long weekend, and will return to St. Ignace in mid-December, so you have lots of chances if you can't come out tonight and/or tomorrow! Like with Rhythm & Brews in the Soo, tomorrow and Saturday's shows are 21+ affairs at 9:00 PM with no cover. Visit the above links for more details on both of Kewadin Casino's regional post-Halloween concerts, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live earlier this year!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will headline at The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Due to popular demand, the Second Line West venue opted to host Halloween parties this past Saturday and this weekend, but interestingly, they've opted to have the second Halloween party on the Saturday as well, not tonight. In other words, do not put away or throw out your costume just yet, as spooky season will be running until at least November 2nd in the west end this year! Yes, there will be one more costume contest with prizes tomorrow as well, while tonight's show appears to be the status quo more or less for Silent 9's diverse and often hard rocking cover slate, but there may be some costumes and Halloween frills tonight as well. You can see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve in action tonight and tomorrow at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here they are live at The Esquire Club last year!

We'll cap off this weekend's concert previews with tomorrow's Rust and Dick Texas/Sole Aggressors shows on both sides of the border (and more?), so stay tuned then! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225) & Halloween Concert Previews!!

Halloween is drawing near, so let's start this weekend's concert previews early, as October 31st is a Thursday (ie. tomorrow) this year! Because it's Halloween, some venues and bands are celebrating tomorrow despite being a work/school night, but because Friday and Saturday are closer on the calendar than Saturday the 26th was, and Halloween runs right into Friday, there are belated Halloween themed events happening this weekend as well. It'll all be simpler next year when October 31st is a Friday, but for now, enjoy the extended Halloween season while we have it! Due to the amount of shows, I'll cover Silent 9, Rust, and Sault Michigan/EUP events in the coming days. Of course, this doesn't count shows that don't quite cross our subgenre radar, like Bourbon Blue at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this weekend, Rob Speers at The Dive tomorrow, and the Hallows Haunts/Wawa Witches (both touring bands) at Mane St. Cafe & Lounge tomorrow.

We'll lead off tonight with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play a triple header weekend at Reggie's Place TOMORROW NIGHT, FRIDAY, and SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the Halloween night show on their Facebook page on Monday, while Reggie's Facebook page later confirmed that they will indeed be playing there for the rest of the weekend. Your local 225 just played at Reggie's this past weekend, including a Halloween themed concert this past Saturday, but with the guys already planning to release their new single "Gypsy Spell" on major streaming services TOMORROW, why not throw a second Halloween concert together to give it a proper launch? This weekend's three new bookings mean that Bone Yard will have played five shows at Reggie's in an eight day span, so if you like them at this Queen Street East staple, strap in for more rocking tunes!

Like this past Saturday, cash prizes will be awarded TOMORROW for the best solo and couples costumes, so if you can swing coming out on a work/school night for Halloween proper, don't put your costumes away just yet! FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT'S concerts appear to be standard non-seasonal fare for Greg, Alex, and Warren's southern and hard rock covers. All three shows are 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Bone Yard 225 live!

Next up, local metal trio The BAG will headline a special Halloween concert TOMORROW NIGHT outdoors at the Sault Downtown Plaza! This show alone is kinda surprising given how outdoor concerts this late in the year are not common whatsoever, and while the performance stage has a roof, this is still very much out in the elements. In fact, 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain tomorrow night, while temperatures will be sitting at around 12°. If you are at all concerned about the weather throwing a wrench into tomorrow's festivities, keep tabs with The BAG and plaza for further updates, but hopefully things pan out for The BAG's explosive and accessible brand of metal! Regarding the openers, we can now confirm some details on them via this Facebook event page, so who are The Funky Monks and Prodigal Phase? The former are indeed a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band, and they feature some familiar faces.

Their lineup will include The Haze/ex-Gnaeus guitarist Brad Irwin, JFX Pedals founder Jordan Fresque, bassist(?) Ayako Makihara, and former Disciples of Rock/Half Past drummer Jamie Labreche. Prodigal Phase are a debuting cover rock trio featuring Jamie alongside former Dysfunkshunal Kemistry frontman Kevin Bouchard and ex-Scary Uncles/Fort Creek guitarist Matt Sibilo, though there's nothing else public about either band. Should be a fun mixed-genre night of music, weather permitting! This show is FREE & ALL AGES with a 7:00 PM start time running until 11:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details on this outdoor show at the Downtown Plaza, and here's The BAG live!

Finally for this all-Halloween concert preview post, we'll head to The Water Tower Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will headline that venue's Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! While their Gateway Casino show this past Saturday never had Halloween branding attached to it, tomorrow's concert absolutely does, with a 3D poster on The Water Tower Pub's Facebook page hyping the festivities. There will be a costume contest with "great prizes" and Halloween-themed food and drink specials for the occasion, so keep all of that in mind if you come out tomorrow, and have your costumes ready! No word on who is playing at the Great Northern Road nightclub on Friday and Saturday, but note that the November schedule for live musicians there has not been posted online as of this writing. Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre take the stage tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge.

Hopefully tomorrow's concert is a big hit for central concertgoers and Halloween revelers, so visit the above links for more details on Generations' Halloween party action, and for a preview, here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews (including more belated Halloween action) next! Thanks everyone!

Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween Concert Review, Plus A New Concert Video!!

In this post, we have a review of a Halloween concert from this past weekend, and a video of a separate local show from that same night, so here's what you should know on this Monday evening!

Apologies for the delay in this making the site, but I (in a Calvin & Hobbes costume) was able to go to most of Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween concert a the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West on Saturday night! Just down the road from the Primavera Hall, the Eagles Club definitely felt like a tale of two venues when we first arrived, with the right half being where the concert was set up and the left being more where Eagles regulars were mingling at the bar and watching the Leafs game, but this got mixed up as the night progressed. Definitely didn't feel like a traditional concert venue (likely because it's not one), but kudos to the Eagles Club for hosting some P.I.T.S. events this year Unfortunately, we were running late for the concert and missed the opening set by local electro/synth musician Owen Kjiersdam, a.k.a. Owen MK, so I do apologize to him for not seeing him live!

Owen did post a brief clip of him (dressed as Jack Skellington) singing on Saturday night on his personal Facebook page, so seek that out if you're curious. It's at the end of a "Reel" that starts with video of him at The Soo's Got Talent's last week. From what little I heard, he was singing with confidence and enthusiasm, but it's not a long watch, so I don't know if things got as intense as the bands ahead in unfilmed portions of the night. I do think he does better when he leans more into how his studio material sounds, but hopefully we see Owen back out there soon!

The middle act last night was hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, who unleashed an eleven song set of aggressive and fast-paced original music! With the non-Muto members in costume (albeit with items shed as the set wore on), Ha!ls tore through an eleven song set featuring originals like "Serf City" and "Such Desperate Joy" and a few songs carried over from frontman Brenton Ellis' acoustic solo project Slumshine like "BiPolaris" and "Sole Crusher", though surprisingly, nothing from their EP "Rock & Rolls" (despite it being on sale on CD and cassette). The guys were on brutal form on Saturday, with a very fast and heavy sound that pushes their earlier descriptions of being a skate punk band way to the backburner, with Brent full of confidence and honesty on vocals and bass, while Mikhal & Carmen Muto both shone on guitar with some impressive solos, and Keeghan McAllister kept up well on drums!

I do like how many songs had changes in structure and tempo that made you feel like the song was going to end, but it kept going while still feeling natural (I hope that made sense). The Vanity First side project delivered a brutal set for gathered fans, so don't bypass them if you like thrash metal!

Your headliners on Saturday were Toronto grunge/alternative trio Skoff in their local concert debut, and they definitely delivered a fun set to end the night with! You can see proof in my video of theirs, as a bunch of costumed fans hit the floor to dance and rock out mid-song (fan of the night is whoever was wearing the chicken mask!) It was often hard to hear the vocalist introducing songs, but they played tracks like "Cancel Culture", "F.A.F.O.", and "Let Me Out", sometimes using an old telephone headset as a microphone, which was neat!  While not a fully packed house, assembled fans definitely took to Skoff's aggressive, 1990s inspired sound, and the band was dressed up for the occasion, so everyone definitely had a good time to end the night. Skoff are still a relatively newer band, but their future is bright, and hopefully they come back to the Soo in the near future!

Overall, this was a fun concert and it's nice to see a multi-band show taking place for the Halloween season again! Hopefully there's more along these lines in 2025. You can see our photos and videos of Skoff and Hails (apologies again to Owen MK) at this link or at our Facebook page, but here's our videos of Ha!ls playing the Slunshine holdover "Pink Clouds Of Density" and Skoff playing an original that may be titled something like "Guess When I Die"! Let us know if you can help title it.

We'll close this post with a video from another Saturday night concert, albeit not a public one, as newer Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Dirty Musky posted a video of them at a private birthday party event at Three One Three On Ashmun onto their Facebook page! The video sees Dave, the Blackwoods, and Jamie covering White Zombie's "Thunder Kiss '65", which is awesome just in concept, as Rob/White Zombie isn't tackled much up here! Uploaded in funny vertical dimensions, the lighting isn't fantastic, but this is a well played and lively cover, though Dave's vocals could be a little grittier to better match the original. Check it out for yourselves below!

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