B.A. Johnston & Silent 9 Concert Previews, Plus Early Details On WestFest II!!

Let's wrap up this weekend's known and public hard rock concert previews with what's going down at a popular west end venue, as well as early details on a returning summer concert festival still looking for bands!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will cap off their spring calendar with shows at The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! As usual, the band will not play any public nightclub gigs over the summer, instead focusing on special events, festivals, and private bookings, so if you want to rock out with Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve again before their focus shifts for the season, head to the west end this weekend! While there was some confusion as to if Silent 9 would even be playing at The Esquire Club tomorrow given the B.A. Johnston booking (more on that in a second), it has been confirmed in recent promotion that Silent 9 are still playing tomorrow, just with a later start time. Tonight's show starts at 9:00 PM as normal, tomorrow's will kick off at 10:00 PM, and regardless, both gigs are 19+ with no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Silent 9's classic and hard rock cover action this weekend, and here they are live!

Next up, Hamilton outsider folk/acoustic punk troubador B.A. Johnston will make his own return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT at the aforementioned Esquire Club! A well travelled, eclectic, and proudly Canadian musician, B.A. is known for frequently playing here, always at different venues than the last (including at Venue on Queen Street East last year), so him finally landing on The Esquire Club isn't that surprising, even though that venue isn't historically known for booking touring artists. This time though, B.A. seems like the supplement rather than the headliner, as he is playing a one hour set at 9:00 PM before Silent 9 take the stage, and the venue is treating these as separate concerts back to back. Hopefully B.A. crams his hour full of his freewheeling unplugged punk classics, and do give his videos a watch for a better glimpse of what he brings to the table! Maybe he'll even play on top of a car again?

As with Silent 9 (the de facto headliners, you could say), this is a 19+ concert with no announced cover. See above for more details, but rest assured, you'll wanna be there to see what he sings about and who he plays off of in the audience! For a preview, here's B.A. Johnston live!

Also today, you may have heard that WestFest is coming back this summer, so what should you know there? The West Village Revitalization Project launched this event in July of last year at Anna Marinelli Park at 169 James Street as part of their efforts to renew and better the west end of downtown Sault Ste. Marie (Jamestown & Steelton), and last year's WestFest featured family entertainment, vendors, a beer garden, and yes, live music from local artists. WestFest II returns a little later in the year for 2026 (on Saturday, August 8th), and while a lineup announcement is not out yet, organizers are planning to host a talent show to find at least one additional act! On May 14th, the West Village Renewed Facebook page announced that they were looking for "up-and-coming, undiscovered" local musicians to apply for a chance to compete for an opening slot at Beck's Bar on Saturday, June 6th.

I do apologize for the week+ delay on our end, but there is still time, so if your band is interested in a slot at this returning outdoor summer concert festival, contact organizers at the above links for more details by Wednesday! This definitely smells more like a battle of the bands than a "talent show", but perhaps the verbiage is intentional to leave things open to solo artists without compromising (note that Matthew James was the only solo artist on last year's bill). An online application form for the competition is now online, confirming that organizers want artists "ready to bring energy, originality, and a strong live performance", and "selected finalists" will be picked to compete on the 6th in front of a judges panel and "a community audience" (no word on if a fan vote will play into the selections). Only one winner is mentioned there, and while they will be featured in WestFest promotions, I don't know if any other prizes will be awarded.

Just as a point of reference, last year's WestFest had seven acts (including headliners Handsome Sandwich in their final Sault Ste. Marie concert), and all but one were recent performers on Rotaryfest Stage 2, though I hope that doesn't pigeonhole the artist registrations. No word on if they're waiting for the battle to announce the remaining lineup or not, but it will be interesting to see who all is heading west (well, west in the downtown) for year #2! Visit the above links for more details on WestFest 2026 and the talent show applications, and that's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (B.A. Johnston, Bone Yard 225, Generations, And Soundcheck!!)

Plans to put up this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post today have been slightly delayed due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on that front today as well as some other newly announced shows taking place later this spring!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for Easter long weekend concerts TONIGHT (yes, they're open for Good Friday) and TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page at 12:47 PM today, and Reggie's never corroborated them on Facebook. These will be the second and third shows from Soundcheck in a six day span, following their also-announced-that-day concert on Monday at Beck's Bar as an unofficial Goo Goo Dolls replacement event, and yes, they did indeed have Separate Wayz frontwoman/bandmate Nicole Thibodeau on hand that night for an "epic crossover". Kudos to all five members of the two sister bands for jumping on board that short notice gig, and hopefully there was a decent turnout despite the work night scheduling! TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows appear to be Soundcheck only.

Two weeks removed from Travis, Terry, Jim, and Johnny's last shows at Reggie's, TONIGHT & TOMORROW's concerts will see the classic and hard rock cover attack take the stage at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, we have a couple of new show announcements for later this month of the cover-leaning persuasion at The Water Tower Pub, who posted their April concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today! We already knew about Quite Frankly's show there on April 11th thanks to that band's own advertising, but SMS readers may want to circle the following weekend on their calendars, starting with the return of southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 on Friday, April 17th! Last seen at Smitty's for St. Patrick's Day, this will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first show at the Great Northern Road nightclub since late January. Your local 225 have been oddly quiet since mid-February, only playing the one "uncorked" concert in the interim (the April 17th show will also be acoustic, as usual there), and only having plugs for that event and a couple of frontman Greg Simpson's new "Ranting Rockstar" social media posts since, where he offers his own pearls of wisdom about life and music.

No word on when we'll see the full electric Bone Yard show again (last seen on Valentine's Day at Beck's), but hopefully their Water Tower Pub show is a sign of more gigs to come, and that their album is still in progress! As usual for this venue, expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover on the 17th. See above for more details!

As usual, The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly acts, and the Saturday, April 18th booking belongs to local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations! Now, I will preface this by noting that the band has not yet corroborated this booking on their Facebook group, and haven't even posted there since March 9th, despite playing at The Kiln in the interim. Assuming all is well in their camp, this will be Generations' first show at this venue since late February, and hopefully fans get another entertaining classic and hard rock mix from this union of Jus' Chillin and Obsession alumni! Like with Bone Yard 225 the previous day, expect this to be a 19+ event with no cover charge and a start time of 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations when announced!

We'll close with a newly announced concert from a familiar touring artist, but not at a venue you may expect, as Hamilton outsider folk/acoustic punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to the Soo on Saturday, May 23rd at... The Esquire Club? It is very strange to see a touring act, let alone a show expected to have at least one opener, at this Second Line West mainstay, but B.A. is infamous for never playing at the same venue twice in his Sault Ste. Marie stops (seven by my count, at least sixteen by his). B.A. last played at Venue on Queen Street East in May of last year, and if you're unfamiliar with his shows, expect his proudly Canadian, self-deprecating, Hawkins Cheezies-loving, and deeply humorous live set to turn heads once again, and my description of his shows will never do them justice. Click here to sample B.A.'s show last year via SooToday's coverage, where he even played on top of a car at one point!

The support act (if not acts) is to be announced, but note that Silent 9 have been scheduled for May 22nd and 23rd at The Esquire Club since last year. We'll keep their May 22nd show in our calendar for now, but we'll let you know if the May 23rd gig's status is clarified. Despite the proximity to May 24th, this show does not fall on the Victoria Day long weekend. It is a 9:00 PM concert with a 19+ age limit, and while his Venue show last year had an admission fee, this year's B.A. show will have no cover. This should be a fun time next month, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and go check out his videos on YouTube to get a better sampling of his live experience! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's almost-completed "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Ripcordz, B.A. Johnston, The Nameless, And Dodge This!!)

Today's post is devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the next three months, with two of the cited bands also having lineup changes to take note of, so here's what you should know in chronological order!

Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to Sault Ste. Marie for his sixth local concert on Friday, May 23rd! Notably playing all of his local dates at different local venues without ever repeating, that pattern will continue for this show, as he will be headlining at... Venue? Yes, that is its name, and it is a new public events space at 482 Queen Street East that is capable of hosting small & intimate concerts (their website lists a capacity of 60 guests, 30 seated). While new to the SMS, readers may recognize 482 Queen as the former location of the Fortune Shop, Queen Street Beads, and the boutique store/cafe Void Vinyl. B.A. Johnston was last seen here at The Whisky Barrel in September of last year, and his eclectic blend of punk, offbeat humour, and audience interaction is well worth checking out and remains as hard to sum up and detail in text as ever, so do watch some live videos for more of an idea!

Former(?) Wyld Stallyns/Elements frontman Rob Speers will return as the local opener on the 23rd, after doing the honours for B.A.'s last local stop, and who knows if he'll have any familiar faces guesting with him, which has been common at his recent solo dates! This show has an 8:00 PM start time, no announced age limit, and a $10 cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on B.A.'s return! 

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover duo Dodge This will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another headlining concert in "The Naughty Corner" on Saturday, May 31st, as per the venue's Facebook page's concert calendar! For a second straight month, Jason & Jamie are hitting the stage at the former Low & Slow on its final Saturday, and hopefully they keep the good vibes rolling with some more solid rocking unplugged covers in a few weeks' time! Like last month, singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer will also play a solo show without Jamie (or Jeff) beforehand, as he'll take the stage this Saturday the 17th, but whether his solo gigs differ substantially, I couldn't tell you. As usual for The Dive, this month-capping concert has a 10:00 PM start time (Saturday shows now start a half hour later than Thursday nighters), a 19+ age limit, and no cover. See above for more details!

Also newly confirmed is the return of Sault Michigan hard rock cover band The Nameless to Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard on Saturday, June 14th! The guys just returned there for a headlining date this past weekend at the unusual matinee timeslot of 4:00-8:00 PM, but matinee concerts appear to be the new normal at the former Joe's Bar, as all of their advertised concerts since the end of February have been matinees starting no later than 6:00 PM. That is when The Nameless will be playing over the Father's Day weekend, and they'll be preceded on the 14th by local country veteran Gary Hatch at 2:00 PM (he isn't "opening" for The Nameless, this is a separate 3 hour concert earlier in the day). It's worth noting that The Nameless have officially parted ways with drummer Justin Lawless and backing vocalist/his wife Anna for unannounced reasons, and they have enlisted Dirty Musky drummer Jamie Costner into their lineup.

Our source is the band's Facebook page's updated lineup, plus personal Facebook postings. Jamie debuted as a fill-in drummer with The Nameless when they played at The Merch last month, and she did indeed drum with Joshua and the Mikes in Rudyard this past Saturday. Hopefully things are still amicable with Justin & Anna, and that we see them back out there in due course, but Jamie is a strong drummer and she will definitely fit in well here! Next month's Huck's show runs from 6:00-10:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details on this show!

Finally for today's new show announcements, it's a big one for punk fans, as Montreal hardcore punk icons The Ripcordz will return to the Soo on Friday, July 25th when they headline at The Distraction! Their tenth local date in the past twelve years, Paul Gott and crew will return to the basement of the former East Street barbershop once again, memorably kicking off concerts in what was then known as The Stellar Door in August of last year, with The Distraction permanently moving all of their concerts downstairs afterwards. The Ripcordz raved about the basement space and atmosphere last year, both during and after the show, so if you want more of the same or missed out, you know where to be this summer, let alone to experience their fast-paced and hard-hitting hardcore punk originals! Crossover thrash/skate punk quartet Hails will return as local openers from last year's Ripcordz concert, and they should keep the ferocity up with their high impact originals!

In a mild surprise, local hard rock band Sylo will also open here in their first public gig since headlining at Soo Blaster in August. The former Raincourt had been on hiatus while frontman Elijah Russell attended university out of town, so it is cool to see Eli bring them back while home for the summer! Their Instagram page implies that they are looking for more summer dates, and also now credits Owen Middleton on guitar. Nominally, he's replacing Owen Dearing (same name, different musician), but Owen Dearing was their bassist, so my best guess is that Alder DeVries is handling bass right now? I wish Sylo had more of a social media presence, but hopefully they make a good impression in the coming months! Promoted by Ha!ls guitarist Mikhal Muto, this all ages concert has a 7:00 PM start time and an admission fee of $20 or "pay what you can", though message Mikhal if you want advance tickets.

Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on what will be a huge concert for hardcore punk fans, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Curtis McKenzie) & Friday Concert Previews!!

Another busy weekend is upon us, so we'll have to split up our hard rock/punk weekend concert previews into two posts once again. As such, this post will look at shows taking place tonight and tomorrow in some form or fashion, with shows on Saturday only (Stephen Pearcy, Teenage Head, Project 906, and Tym Morrison) being previewed tomorrow, so look for those then! Now, let's lead off this weekend's previews with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced yesterday on both Curt's Facebook page at The Dive's new Facebook page (they deleted their old one and started anew for unannounced reasons), with Curt indicating that he "just got the invitation". TONIGHT's show is effectively a rescheduling of Curtis' once-booked Dive show this past Thursday, which was never publically advertised until he revealed that there was a double-booking, so no harm no foul there! Fans may have last seen him break out his acoustic guitar for sets at the Rowdy Ranchers Horse Show in Laird this past weekend, and while he has yet to post any videos of his 2024 gigs on social media, you can see his full setlists and some photos from the weekend on his Facebook page!

TONIGHT'S indoor concert at the former Low & Slow has an earlier 7:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on what should be a fun night of hard and alternative rock covers, and for a preview, here's Curt live a few years ago!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced yesterday on the band & venue's Facebook pages. These will be Soundcheck's first shows in three weeks, and first at Jay's (members filling in with The Hoovers at the ARCH Run aside) since early July, so if you've missed Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen at this Korah Road staple, be there TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! In fact, the guys (sans Cameron) will dust off their old jam night hosting hats tonight as well, returning to be the house band for the conceit for one night only, so if you want to enjoy the music or join in with ¾ths of Soundcheck, keep tonight's festivities in mind as well! Just a reminder that we don't cover jam or open mic nights as "concerts" on the SMS due to their in-built unpredictability for who performs what on any given block.

Note as well that Soundcheck will reportedly be playing at one more car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road on Sunday, and I will be previewing that in Saturday's news post given that it's further out and so much different from the Jay's shows (incidentally, they played an A&W car show the weekend they last played at Jay's, but at least this one had better online advertising!). You can enjoy Soundcheck's hard rocking and varied covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover, and jam night would be much the same. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Now to two big shows that did have advance notice, starting with a special benefit concert TOMORROW NIGHT called Band Together To Rock Cancer! As you may know, Mustang Heart guitarist Lorenzo Fabbri is battling cancer, so his bandmates are returning to the stage tomorrow at The Tarentorus Sports Club at 56 Avery Road alongside other local cover rock bands to help raise money for his family at this difficult time! Four bands will take the stage at the west end curling rink/events hall tomorrow, including classic/hard rock cover quartets Double Down and Generations, classic rock veterans RPM, and Mustang Heart themselves in their first show of 2024, with Lorenzo's Stages bandmate Sam Spadafora and ex-Double Down guitarist Adam King joining them as special guests. Refreshments and a cash bar will also be available for attendees tomorrow night, and there will be a door prize for attendees & support ticket buyers.

Admission tomorrow night is $20 at the door or via advance tickets available through Mustang Heart members, and support tickets are available for $15 for those who want to help Lorenzo but don't want to/can't attend the concert proper. Doors open at 7:00 PM, and there's no stated age limit. It is great to see four local rock bands join forces to help Lorenzo and his family at a trying time, and hopefully lots of donations and good will are raised at the Tarentorus Club tomorrow! Having lost my mother to cancer, I can absolutely relate. See above for more details, here's Mustang Heart live at Rotaryfest 2022, and get well soon, Lorenzo!

Finally for today's preview post, we'll head to The Whisky Barrel, where Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will play his fifth local headlining date TOMORROW NIGHT! An outlier in multiple ways from the Gore Street nightclub's usual acoustic music fare (The Devil's Sons at month's end acknowledged), this will be B.A.'s first Sault Ste. Marie date since he rocked Outspoken Brewing in August 2023. All of his shows here have been at different venues, so a wide array of audiences have bore witness to his irreverent sense of humour, audience interaction, and punk-infused brand of self deprecating acoustic punk music, and trust me, it's far better to see B.A. Johnston in person than to read some guy's write-up on his live show! Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers will open tomorrow as he continues his ever-busier slate of acoustic gigs away from the band. Hopefully he warms things up well before B.A. hits the stage!

Despite the touring headliner, tomorrow's concert has NO cover charge, it is 19+, and it has an early-ish run time of 8:00-11:00 PM. Bring Hawkins Cheezies at your own discretion, but B.A. does like them! Fans of acoustic rock, especially on the more eclectic and humorous side, won't want to miss tomorrow's action at The Whisky Barrel, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's B.A. live!

That's all for now, but look for more weekend concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (B.A. Johnston, HeadFirst, And Chase Wigmore), Plus Sykotyk Rampage Updates!!

Today's news post mostly looks at LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE linked to a cancellation, alongside some big updates on a prolific local band's next album, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will not be playing at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tonight, but they will still be in action, if an hour southeast of here, as they'll make their St. Joseph Island debut TONIGHT at the Hilton Beach Community Hall in Hilton Beach! Profuse apologies for the short notice, HeadFirst only announced this show via their Facebook page this morning. I don't know whether they dropped out of the Shooters gig to take the Hilton Beach one or if Shooters had already cancelled beforehand, but note that HeadFirst last mentioned playing at Shooters tonight on their Facebook page on July 31st. That gap is concerning alone, but hopefully all's well with band & venue! TONIGHT's show at 3050 Hilton Road is a fundraiser dance in support of renovating the kitchen at the community hall, and there will be a cash bar, barbecue, and door prizes for the occasion. HeadFirst appear to be replacing The Retrofit Band here.

I don't know a thing about The Retrofit Band beyond that they play(ed?) classic rock covers, but hopefully all's well in their camp re: why they pulled out! Based on what I'm reading, TONIGHT's fundraiser dance has an admission price of $25, and if you aren't on St. Joe to get tickets at the stated physical locations, it appears to be the same price at the door. Remember, this is a fundraiser to renovate the hall's kitchen, hence the price. HeadFirst take the stage at 8:00 PM but doors open at 6:30 PM with a DJ bookending their set. Best of luck all around as HeadFirst hit the road for a good cause, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, here's another new concert coming to Soo Blaster that has somewhat flown under the social media radar, as local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore will return there on Wednesday, August 28th when he opens for Winnipeg "hobo rock" musician Del Boy Druid! Of course, Chase is also playing at Soo Blaster tomorrow as part of the Sylo-headlined all-local concert there, but he and outsider folk singer/guitarist Shae Tull (also playing tomorrow) will serve as the local openers on the 28th for Del Boy Druid, a prolific lo-fi indie rock musician who has performed across Canada. Not a hard rock musician but he is a skilled songwriter with many original qualities and some surprise cover choices, and it will be interesting to see how Del Boy fares locally later this month! Given what I have heard, Chase's acoustic folk punk side will be a good match musically, as will Shae, so fans of outsider folk with a dash of punk rock will be into this concert (if you can swing the work/school night scheduling!)

This presumably 19+ concert has a 10:00 PM start time, and tickets are $10 in advance at this link or at Soo Blaster (I don't know if Chase or Shae have advance tickets on hand themselves), though admission jumps to $15 at the door. Visit the above links for more details on this mid-week concert, and don't miss Chase and Shae there tomorrow beforehand!

Also coming to Sault Ste. Marie next month is Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston for his fifth local headlining appearance on Friday, September 20th! Never playing the same local venue twice, B.A. will set up shop next month at The Whisky Barrel, in the acoustic-leaning Gore Street nightclub's second show with a touring headliner in under a month (and if you think this is odd for there, there's one more huge outlier to be announced!). B.A. Johnston last brought his eclectic and self-deprecating brand of acoustic punk originals here at Outspoken Brewing in August of last year, but this show thankfully has more public advance word, so if you've liked his amusing and hard-to-describe evenings of music and irreverence here, your next chance is coming! Local support is via Wyld Stallyns/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers in an increasingly common solo set.

I still am not positive how closely Rob's solo sets hew to his bands (I don't believe he has any social media pages for his solo work anyway), but he is a talented musician and will hopefully set the tone well next month! This 19+ concert is FREE and has an 8:00 PM start time (though I can't confirm if bringing Hawkins Cheezies will do anything tangible). Visit the official Facebook event page for more on B.A.'s local return next month!

Finally today, you may recall seeing my occasional mentions on the site since May that local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage had released (and then quickly taken down) a new album on Bandcamp on both May 15th and August 1st, with minor alterations to the cover artwork and album name for the August re-post. What exactly was going on there? Well, the album is now 100% slated to come out for real on Sunday, September 15th, and its final name is "The Waerlogas Sagas 1: Konfysion Of Fyck". As per the band's Facebook page this month, the album will be released alongside a 137 page read-along comic book, which may explain why it was temporarily uploaded twice beforehand! If you scan the provided QR code, you'll be taken to this sale page for the comic, which is legitimately being sold on paperback for $90. That may be beyond the pale for some, but the interactivity is fun and noted!

The album will permanently return to Bandcamp next month and will be on sale likely for $15, but will be freely streamable there too. The teaser images (featuring AI generated art) suggest that the comic will have 9 chapters and the album will have 34 songs, and if these are hints towards actual pages of the comic, the contrast of the text is very inconsistent. Some level of guest musicians will also be involved in the final product, but full credits will hit Bandcamp next month. Intriguing stuff all around, so visit the above links for more on Sykotyk Rampage's 70th album, and stay tuned for more on the site next week! Thanks everyone1

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (B.A. Johnston) & The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews

Before we begin today's post, just a heads up that the expanded Cruisin' The Dub car show was planned for today at both A&Ws on Great Northern Road, with Soundcheck playing the car show at the new one as normal, while Bone Yard (more on them in a bit) would headline a motorcycle show concurrently at the old one. This would have been a Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada fundraiser, as is often the case for A&W car shows locally. While the advertising online for this one was minimal, it doesn't matter now, as Cruisin' The Dub was cancelled on Tuesday due to today's weather forecast, as per Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page. Unlike past A&W car shows, this was going to be held between 5:00-8:00 PM today, and while they would have dodged this morning's rain, they wouldn't have made it until 8:00 PM before the rain came back (and with wind to boot.)

This is hardly the first time that an outdoor local concert was cancelled due to a gloomy weather forecast, but given that this is an annual event for a great cause, hopefully A&W reschedules in some form! Alas, August 17th each year is A&W's Burgers To Beat MS Day, hence the timing for this event. We'll let you know if it gets a do-over, but now let's dive into shows this weekend, sans Sault Michigan & area, plus the late notice (as bands go) street party on Sunday. Let's start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that some of you will be eagerly anticipating!

Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to Sault Ste. Marie for his fourth headlining concert appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT at Outspoken Brewing! Apologies for the short notice, this show was announced when B.A. confirmed his fall tour slate on August 8th, but I was waiting for information from the local promoters that have surprisingly never came (it must have been booked in house). Personal Facebook postings confirm that the show is on, so if you've missed B.A.'s amusing and eclectic brand of one-man punk rock, audience participation, and oddly relatable music, be at the 350 Queen Street East brewery on SATURDAY! This will be B.A. Johnston's first local date since rocking the temporary Legion Bar at The Marconi Club just under a year ago, with all four of his Soo gigs being at different venues.

Despite the minimal local advertising, fans who saw B.A. locally in 2015, 2019, and last year will know why you can't miss his live show, so be there on SATURDAY to see what he has in store! This is a 19+ concert with no advertised openers, and note that his Legion Bar show last year had an 8:30 PM start time and $12 admission. Visit the above links for more details, and here's B.A. Johnston live (though you'll want to see him for yourself)!

Next up, local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will continue his weekly run of acoustic solo gigs at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT! As it turns out, last week's show there was indeed cancelled due to (you guessed it) rain, as per Tym's personal Facebook page. This is why I've included weather forecasts for outdoor concerts in our weekly concert previews in the past few years, just to warn everyone in the event that weather affects the proceedings, and Tym did confirm that it was off after our preview post went live. Apologies for missing that! As such, tomorrow's show will be his sixth in his weekly arrangement at The Trading Post this summer, with at least one more to go, but note that in his prior weekly runs here, Tym did continue playing into early September. We'll let you know when/if any September dates there are announced!

Note also that Tym is not playing with The Nostalgic Band this weekend, after playing dates with his classic metal trio for four straight weekends, necessitating Tym playing two different shows on Fridays lately, but not tomorrow. This concert has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover charge, while 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather of around 17°, so it'll be a little cooler and much drier than last week. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live at The Mike Case Stage!

We'll wrap up this preview post with local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard, who may not have been able to rock the old A&W today as planned, but they still have a busy weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! As has been the case for their weekends at the former Reggie's West this summer, they'll be subbing in as the jam night hosts rather than Soundcheck tonight, and while we don't count jam nights as fully fledged "concerts" for our purposes, it is good to see that Greg, Alex, and Warren can still play somewhere despite the car show cancellation! In terms of traditional concerts, they will be rocking out at Jay's TOMORROW NIGHT, but the big event will actually be on SATURDAY, when Bone Yard serve as the headline musical entertainment for the Dragonfly Run, which is the relaunched Ride For ARCH motorcycle rally for the Algoma Residential Community Hospice. For full details on the bike rally proper, click here!

Along with music inside Jay's, there will be a street party outside of the Korah Road nightclub, local vendors, and family entertainment, and in a late confirmation, Bone Yard will have an opening band, namely new local rock band Skinbox (featuring Pixo Control/Vol. alum Steve Edwards). We still don't know anything on Skinbox's sound or membership beyond Steve, but this will be their first public concert set, so come out on Saturday to check them out! Their set begins at 7:00 PM, Bone Yard are on at 9:00 PM all weekend, these are 19+ concerts, and there's no cover charges beyond any ARCH donations. Great cause, solid hard rocking music, what's not to love? See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Bone Yard live at Shooters Downstairs Lounge this past Friday! This was live-streamed to their Facebook page.

The video sees Bone Yard covering Roger Miller's "Me & Bobby McGee", which is (was?) a staple of their acoustic side project The Bearded Lounge's set, and to that end, frontman Greg Simpson plays guitar rather than drums here. It's a fine cover of this oft-covered song by local classic rock-leaning groups, but alas, the filmer shot this vertically, not that I can be too shocked, as their last horizontal video posted on Facebook was shot in August 2022. Give Bone Yard's new video a watch below, and don't miss Bone Yard at Jay's this weekend!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Obsession & Bone Yard), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this early weekend concert preview post, here's a surprise concert cancellation, as Toronto metal legends Anvil's show at Soo Blaster on Saturday has been cancelled, as per this Facebook post from the venue, who cited "unforeseen circumstances" for the cancellation but didn't publically elaborate. Very disappointing, but Soo Blaster will refund tickets, and they are planning to announce a rescheduled date for the spring, so stay tuned on that front for sure! With an all-Northern Vibe Festival post dropping tomorrow, let's get an early jump on this weekend's hard rock concert previews, intertwined with some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return to the public stage for a one-night-only concert at Shooters Downstairs Lounge THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, but along with that previously announced date, they'll also return to The Esquire Club for new shows on Friday, November 18th & Saturday, November 19th! Friday's concert will mark Bone Yard's first truly public concert (as in, not birthday parties, weddings, or anniversaries) since July 18th at the same venue, so if you've missed Greg, Alex, and Warren's hard hitting blend of classic covers at a regular nightclub, you know where to be on Friday! As for November's Esquire Club dates, they are in lieu of what appears to be Tripod The Dog dropping out of that weekend, and will see the current three-piece Bone Yard's first ever appearances at the Second Line West venue, having not taken part in their "Buckets, Bands, and Birds" matinee series earlier in the year.

Hopefully Bone Yard deliver a knockout punch or two when they return to The Esquire Club in three months! Those dates have 9:30 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits, and while the same can mostly be said for their Shooters show this Friday, it starts at 8:00 PM. Also, the Saturday band this weekend is L!me. Visit the Shooters concert's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Next up, here's a couple of other new shows for later this year, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge themselves for shows on Friday, November 18th & Saturday, November 19th! The band's website's schedule quietly confirmed both dates, as the venue haven't gotten that far ahead yet for Facebook event page promotion. As you may recall, Obsession surprisingly parted ways with frontwoman Valerie Powley and replaced her with Jessica Amadio (the guest back-up singer from Rotaryfest weekend) last month, and while the new look Obsession did play at Poohfest in White River this past weekend, their local debut with Jess on full lead vocals is currently slated for the fall, barring anything shorter notice beforehand. They'll be at The Esquire Club for two weekends first, but this full weekend booking at Shooters will be Obsession's first there since May.

Obsession's Facebook photos from Poohfest indicate that things went well for Jessica's full debut, but with months ahead, hopefully she and the guys are in full form with no rust when they make it back to the Dennis Street venue in November! As usual for Shooters gigs, expect 8:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and don't miss Obsession at The Esquire Club over Halloween weekend!

Back to this weekend, let's head to the temporary Legion Bar downstairs at The Marconi Cultural Event Centre, where Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will play his third local concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans may recall seeing B.A.'s humorous, unpredictable, "you-had-to-be-there" brand of punk rock at two different venues in 2015 and 2019, but tomorrow's concert will be in relatively unique confines, as The Legion Bar is a temporary space at The Marconi Club to basically host the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 while their proper home base on Great Northern Road is demolished and rebuilt. The Legion proper was scarcely highlighted on the SMS as a venue, but hopefully B.A Johnston leaves a positive mark there and that this leads to more concerts while the Legion Bar exists! Shortly before they head to Ophir for Northern Vibe (more on that tomorrow), local instrumental surf rock trio The Dynowaves will open this concert.

Fresh off of dropping out of Rotaryfest and (ironically) Marconi Meets World last month, hopefully The Dynowaves deliver a solid concert for fans in their return! Tickets for this all ages event run for $12 (up from $10 at The New A in 2019), and you can buy them at this link or at The Marconi Club during office hours. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a small sampling of the wild, hard-to-describe B.A. Johnston live experience from earlier this year!

We'll last trek south to Sault Michigan, where Madison, Wisconsin hard rock trio Sunspot will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino on FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT! Like last year, Sunspot are crossing state lines to play during the Michigan Paranormal Convention (or MiParacon), which is the annual gathering for fans and supporters of everything related to aliens, ghosts, sasquatches, and anything in between, so click here for full details on the convention proper! Sunspot proper are an ideal band to be in town for MiParacon, with their own brand "weird Wisconsin rock anthems" inspired by a wide array of themes and often paranormal events, and their psychedelic and power pop influenced hard rock should be a perfect nightcap to convention attendees! No, you do not need to have a pass for MiParacon to see Sunspot at The Rapids Lounge, it's an adjacent event open to everyone whether you're at the convention or not.

As usual for Rapids Lounge gigs, this is a 21+ event with no cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Sunspot is not an easy band to sum up briefly, so definitely look them up and their very eclectic mix of original songs to see what they bring to the table, live and in studio! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Sunspot live at The Rapids Lounge last year! Uploaded to the band's YouTube channel last September (apologies for missing it then), this is one of the better quality live videos I've seen from the Soo Kewadin lounge, and this rendition of "I Don't Wanna Be A Ghost" is fun & lively with strong musicianship, so definitely check it out for yourself below, and don't miss them at the casino!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our full Northern Vibe Festival preview (lack of a full band schedule acknowledged) tomorrow, with more news to follow over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (B.A. Johnston), Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

Here's a new news post that will somehow beat the long delayed rain in the forecast! It includes some new videos and updates from projects on both sides of the border, a mid-week concert preview for tonight, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Hamilton outsider folk/punk solo musician B.A. Johnston will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a headlining concert on Thursday, August 25th at... The Legion Bar?! This isn't a permanent venue, it's the downstairs space at The Marconi Cultural Event Centre at 450 Albert Street West set up as the temporary home base for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25, with their current building on Great Northern Road being demolished and rebuilt (details here). The Legion has hosted heavier concerts very sporadically, so this isn't completely out of line (let alone past events inside The Marconi Club), but definitely keep the relatively unique venue in mind in three weeks! B.A. Johnston previously played here at the former Cafe Natura in 2015 and at The New A in 2019, and if you saw him then, expected more irreverent, self-deprecating, and unpredictable acoustic punk originals for his third go-around in the Soo!

Instrumental surf rock trio The Dynowaves will open in their return to the stage after dropping out of Rotaryfest and (ironically) Marconi Meets World last month due to a member's major health emergency. Good to see everyone back! Tickets for this 19+ show run for $12 (up from $10 in 2019) and are available at The Marconi Club's office, while there is an 8:30 PM start time for the openers. Should be a fun and unpredictable concert, especially if you know what you're in for with B.A., so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, here's a mid-week concert preview, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison is scheduled to return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TONIGHT! After not advertising his presumed show there last week with a Facebook event page, tonight's got one, so his weekly arrangement at the outdoor stage, there seems alive and well... weather permitting. Many of you will be well aware of the bad Environment Canada weather reports for today that promised heavy rain, thunderstorms, and even risk of an isolated tornado. We've dodged most of the early projections, but 9&10 News says that there will be thunderstorms and showers s during Tym's projected showtime tonight (7:00-9:00 PM), so if you are at all concerned about this concert's prospects, keep tabs on Tym's personal and music pages on Facebook to see if it is indeed called off.

If the rain holds off or if Tym does brave the elements, this will be an all ages event with no cover charge, and 9&10 are calling for 22-24° temperatures this evening. Fingers crossed that Tym's brand of entertaining classic and hard rock covers goes down as planned tonight, but if not, there's always next week... weather permitting! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also today, here's the latest from local folk punk/extreme metal musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page! As of late, Chase has been working on a new studio album (according to him, one that is "actually worth listening to"), and on June 30th, he posted two songs from it as singles on his Bandcamp page, including the planned first song "Supervillain" and the fifth, "You're Dead". He noted that one song took 29 hours to complete and the other took 2½ hours, hinting that you should try and guess which is which. I'll hold comment on the songs for now pending our likely review of this album, but it will please fans of his recent metal recordings moreso than his folk punk fans. Chase also updated fans as to the progress of his book "Ars Cithara" on how to play guitar, and posted this image of quite the multi-tracked song he has in the works, so definitely check him out on Facebook for his latest updates on all fronts!

Before we move on, there is one new video that he posted there last week, and it's of him doing a falsetto vocal/guitar mash-up of Judy Garland's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and, believe it or not, "Suicide Is Painless", the theme song of M*A*S*H (movie and TV show alike). If you're not familiar with the original movie, the song had lyrics & was sung in the film. Filmed in monochrome with Chase heavily in shadow, then inverted in post, the mash-up is sure interesting, with two songs you'd never connect beyond being songs from movies, and while his frenetic guitar work is excellent as usual, the vocal style will not be to everyone's taste. Check it out for yourself below, and stay tuned for much more from Chase soon!

We'll close today with some more recent updates from St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown's Facebook page! First, they posted this video on July 30th of them hyping their show opening for Nagazi in Battle Creek on Friday, featuring band members saying the names of other bands playing the show while hanging out, as intercut with shots of a beat up classic Lincoln car, all as set to their song "A Hell Bound Heart". Good promotion for the show, but you kinda have to be in southwest Michigan to appreciate it given the road trip this requires. From there, content mostly revolved around their show in Gaylord at Summerbash, posting two short-by-design "Reels" videos on Sunday, followed by calling Summerbash "the wildest show we have ever put on & been a part of". High praise for sure, especially for the closest they've ever came to a local gig! Pictures of the aftermath to Ted's pedals and their Iggy duck mask also went up.

The only video from Gaylord to be posted that wasn't a Reel (re: longer than five seconds) is this one from the end of their nightime & outdoor set, and you can tell everyone's having fun, with Brandon well at ease on the mic (and crystal clear compared to the band), while Christian T. has some funny dance moves! Not every band can get someone rocking out while standing on an amplifier, so kudos there! 81 seconds isn't a huge length of time, but compared to the Reels, it's an eternity, so check it out below!

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