LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Separate Wayz, And TNT), Plus Recent Concert Clarifications!!

Before we dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we have two related notes to clear up. First, I want to profusely apologize for missing local alt-punk cover band BookcluB's concert at Searchmont Resort this past Saturday, as they were one of the bands booked to play at the C.S.R.A. Snowcross Championships festivities last week. Alas, I only found out that they were playing via a Facebook "Story" (one of the temporary vertical videos in that strip on your news feed) from BookcluB that I didn't see until a half hour to go before the concert was scheduled to end. Neither BookcluB nor Searchmont confirmed in a permanent public post that they were playing on Saturday whatsoever (I also have not seen a public confirmation of who played the Sunday matinee show during Snowcross weekend). For such a busy and well hyped weekend, why wasn't the promotion better for the bands playing at The Kiln? 

Apologies again for missing that show, I'd have happily plugged it had someone promoted it publically with even one day's notice, but hopefully BookcluB had a strong turnout! The other note relates to the band who played at Searchmont this past Friday (local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations), who announced on their Facebook page that their previously announced Water Tower Pub show on Saturday has been cancelled due to an unspecified family emergency. In lieu of that, bassist Pierre Anthony and drummer Tony Santoro will instead be playing that night with members of country cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride, so keep that in mind for the weekend, and I hope all's well with Valerie or Joe!

Today's previews will be broken up into two posts due to a bunch of linked SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS coming to my attention, so our previews of Tym Morrison's Saturday matinee and The BAG's album release party will be in tomorrow's post. Otherwise, let's start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday, though the AI program that Jay's uses for concert advertising didn't nail what this weekend's bands look like. When did "Elly" and comedian Ron White join Separate Wayz? This will be Nicole and the guys' first concert since their short notice "epic crossover" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar on Monday, March 30th. For standalone, Travis-free gigs, Separate Wayz last took the stage at The Water Tower Pub early last month.

Regardless of sister band collaborations, this will be Separate Wayz' first stop at Jay's in over six months, so expect lots of fun rocking tunes from this talented foursome TOMORROW! A rare one-nighter at the former Roosevelt Hotel (country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters are playing there on Saturday), TOMORROW'S concert is a 9:30 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Separate Wayz live!

Next up, this will be a very busy weekend for Separate Wayz guitarist Terry Eaton, as he'll be doubling up on SATURDAY at Beck's Bar, starting with a matinee concert with his Soundcheck bandmate Travis Sharpe in their new acoustic side project TNT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via this venue's own advertising on Monday, and I still am not aware of Terry n' Trav(is) launching an online page to promote this project or their shows. They do have an AI-generated logo to match Terry's current electric bands now, so there is that! Last seen a month ago at The Full Throttle Saloon, TNT are occasionally seen at local nightclubs, typically in acoustic-amenable matinee timeslots, and often in conjunction with shows from one/both of Terry's bands. This will be a solid appetizer for what's to come later that night at Beck's, so keep this one in mind!

As usual for Beck's Bar's (typically) unplugged Saturday afternoon acts, Soundcheck's acoustic splinter group will be playing from 3:00-7:00 PM with no cover charge, and while a 19+ age limit would make sense given that it is Beck's Bar, note that they did host the underage 5 Dollar Bribe as matinee performers earlier this month. Visit the above links for more on what might be TNT's Beck's debut, and we'll let you know when/if public videos of Travis & Terry unplugged surface for preview purposes!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll stay at Beck's Bar, where the aforementioned Soundcheck will complete the Terry triple header with a concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, I learned about this show in the exact same way as I learned about TNT's. Last seen at Reggie's two weeks ago, this gig will allow Terry & Travis to rock out in full force with Jim & Johnny returning from TOMORROW'S Separate Wayz gig at Jay's to make up the rhythm section once again. If you like classic and hard rock covers, you have a lot of options for how you want to experience it in the west end this weekend! I am not sure whether the Soundcheck or Separate Wayz concerts are respectively due to or the result of the other band booking a one-nighter, but if you're curious, Beck's are hosting a rare live band tomorrow (new blues rock cover band Sunday & The Broken Hearts) rather than bringing in a DJ.

And as I frequently note, TNT aren't technically "opening" for Soundcheck on SATURDAY, as the two bands have 4 hour timeslots each spaced 2 hours apart, but the common lineups are absolutely acknowledged. Soundcheck are on at 9:00 PM on SATURDAY NIGHT with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of Terry's short notice gigs this weekend, and here's Soundcheck live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison and The BAG previews next! Thanks everyone!

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

(Updated at 10:45 PM) Another quiet weekend for hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults is upon us, so we can fit almost everything in this post with the exception of Sunday's Pop Evil concert, which will absolutely be in our next news post. As always, we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night, along with new videos from two of the bands in question!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by drummer Tony Santoro on the band's Facebook group this past Friday. While the band connection isn't reflected in Searchmont's recent postings, TOMORROW'S show is well timed, as Generations are playing at the resort during the final weekend (the "season ender bender", if you will) of the C.S.R.A. Snowcross Championships, and Searchmont is getting a festival to go along with the snowmobile racing ahead, including DJs, pig roasts, and vendors from TOMORROW through Sunday, so click here to see what all is taking place! There will be different musical acts at The Kiln on Saturday night and in an 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Sunday matinee timeslot, but I don't know who is playing on those days.

If you want to see Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's old school rock covers at Searchmont, they'll take the stage tomorrow at The Kiln from 8:00-11:00 PM with no announced age limits, and while there are ticketing fees to see Snowcross races, I don't believe you have to pay to just see Generations live. I admittedly don't get too engrossed into the winter sports scene, but Snowcross weekend looks pretty packed, so see above for more on everything going down while it still looks like winter outside! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

Next up, fellow local classic/ hard rock cover quintet Headrush will set up shop at The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via their official Facebook event page on Monday. Marking their first concerts outside of the Full Throttle Saloon since they last rocked The Esquire Club in late November, it will be good for west end fans to see this skilled 1980s-leaning cover rock group back at it this weekend, and expect a nostalgia rush along with the Headrush TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank hit the stage both nights at 9:30 PM, these are 19+ events, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts, and for a preview, here's some brand new videos of Headrush live at The Full Throttle Saloon two weeks ago!

Publically shared by bassist John Amendola to their Facebook group, these were filmed by frequent local concert attendee and supporter Audrey Marshall for her personal Facebook page. She filmed the guys covering Journey's "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" and, as embedded below, Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me". While both are incomplete (90 seconds or so apiece), Audrey was filming horizontally, and had a close tight angle of the band, though I will note that they do seem really cramped on the stage at the former Primavera Hall. Sound performances of these late 1970s classic rock staples, so give them a watch above & below!

Also, we'll head to Sault Michigan briefly, where local hard rock trio Crush will play their second show of the year on SATURDAY at The Merchants Bar! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced via this comedy video on their Facebook page on Tuesday (I won't dare try to describe it). While the show was only announced on five days' notice, at least it got that much, unlike their Savoy Bar show in February, which neither they nor About:Blank publically acknowledged on social media at all! Unless they had another unadvertised concert in the past six months, this will be Crush's debut gig at The Merch, though members have played there in the past with their sister band Tarnished (remember, Crush basically took over as Alex & Josh's outlet for both original music and comedic viral content after Tarnished shifted to a covers-only focus in 2024). 

It's good to see Crush back at it, and hopefully the guys rock The Merch well with their nicely developing original slate on SATURDAY NIGHT! Note that I saw reference on their Facebook page last month to a pair of shows downstate next month but I can't find the post that mentioned the dates and locations. The video above notes that SATURDAY's show has a relatively short run-time of 10:00 PM-12:00 AM, it is a 21+ affair at The Merch, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Crush live in their local concert debut last year!

Finally for today, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for a show that did get advance notice before this week, specifically at The Water Tower Pub, where reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will take the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent gig at the Boots & Saddles Roadhouse, this will be Quite Frankly's first show at this central venue in three months. If you haven't see the new look Quite Frankly in recent months, why not make a trip to The Water Tower Pub for their rocking cover slate on Saturday? As always, this venue hosts different nightly acts, and tomorrow's band is veteran country cover quintet Out & Out Country (featuring former That's Chester/Double Down drummer Ric Datson). There's no cover charge on Saturday, a 19+ age limit, and an 8:00 PM start time as usual here. Visit the above links for more details!

For a preview, here's a brand new video of the band at Boots & Saddles two weeks ago, courtesy of their Facebook page, and it features their cover of Alannah Myles' "Black Velvet". Like with the Headrush videos above, this is horizontal but incomplete (a minute long this time), and while this isn't exactly a surprise pick or a deep cut, it's well performed with Linsaey L.W. delivering strong vocals, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Pop Evil preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

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

This is a quieter weekend for hard rock-leaning concerts, so let's lead off this preview post with a couple of notes for events this weekend that glanced our radar. If you follow veteran country cover band Tex Riviera & The Ride, you may be aware that they're in the midst of their "Dale Corcoran Appreciation Tour" in memory of the recently passed local musician, who played with Tex in the 1990s country rock band The Hillbilly Heartbreakers. Songs played with Dale and stories about Dale have been shared and will continue to be, but tomorrow & Saturday's Ride concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub will feature a one-off (two-off?) reunion of The Hillbilly Heartbreakers, with guitarist Tim Laplante, drummer Jeff Pennett, and saxophonist Risk Wysynski joining in. Tex did note that The Heartbreakers "were the first who managed to get away with playing Motorhead & (Merle) Haggard in the same night", so who knows what you'll hear from The Ride and gang this weekend!

The other SMS-adjacent event this weekend will be the first ever "big three" emo night at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday night! The big three being My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco. Of course, this era of emo and pop punk are very intertwined, and while this isn't a concert, the TVs will be playing music videos by emo bands (especially ones from the 2000s), and Tattoo Tearz will be offering flash tattoos. No word on if you'll hear songs from local emo/post-hardcore bands of the era like The Crossed, Fuller, or A Fall From Innocence in the rotation, but see above for more on this event if you're curious!

Now to our known hard rock concert previews, and we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Sunday, though note that the band has not corroborated these bookings on social media at press time. Last seen at The Esquire Club three weeks ago (unless that reported Tap Room show last week actually took place despite a lack of public promotion), TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts will be Soundcheck's first at Reggie's since their revival and since Travis and Johnny joined the band's new lineup. If you missed Travis' original run with Soundcheck and/or just wanna rock out with this talented veteran group, head downtown!

All of the action goes down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Soundcheck's first Reggie's stops of 2026, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will end their schedule for the first quarter of 2026 by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a busy start of the year that saw them and sister band Peril play three combined weekends at the Soo and St. Ignace Kewadin branches, tomorrow & Saturday's shows mark Scarkazm's first in the E.U.P. since they last rocked The Rapids Lounge at the end of January. Scarkazm always deliver a fun mix of hard hitting crowd favourites and select originals, and hopefully Adam, Dave, and Jeff keep their momentum rolling in their latest local stops this weekend! If you can't make it, the guys will be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin in just over a month. Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live!

Finally for known/advertised hard rock-leaning shows in the area this weekend, we will head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will set up shop on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort! Note however that Searchmont have yet to corroborate this booking on social media (they often don't). Temperatures are expected to warm up this weekend, but regardless, the music should be cooking inside the ski resort from this experienced veteran quartet! Generations had previously had a Saturday nighter at The Kiln on February 21st called off due to "a booking error", so this will be their first show at Searchmont since late January. If you're up for the drive or are hitting the slopes already, don't miss Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's latest classic rock blast on Saturday! This is a 19+ show at 8:00 PM with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Generations live! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Generations, And HeadF1rst) & Weekend Concert Previews!!.

We have another busy weekend for local  hard rock/punk-leaning concerts, so this weekend's previews are being broken up into two posts. As such, look for our Oz and Double Down previews tomorrow! Also, we have concert cancellations to take note of, as Tym Morrison's solo matinee dates at Misty's Fifties on Saturday, next Saturday, and on March 14th have all been cancelled due to suffering a broken pinky finger, which would understandably impair guitar playing. His concert at Reggie's on February 7th was also cancelled the day prior, with Sam Spadafora replacing him. Hopefully Tym mends up on schedule, and I apologize for missing the Reggie's cancellation! Tym's regular run of Misty's gigs is slated to resume on Saturday, March 28th.

Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, but we'll start with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, who have a busy weekend ahead. Including their previously announced Jay's Piston Broke Pub concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, those shows will sandwich a rare matinee gig from them on SATURDAY at The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co.! Apologies for the short notice on the Tap Room matinee, it was only announced yesterday via their sister band Separate Wayz' Facebook page. The reason why that band announced it is because this is the first teased "epic crossover" between the two groups, meaning that both Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe and Separate Wayz frontwoman Nicole Thibodeau will join Terry, Jim, and Johnny for a concert featuring songs from both bands. If that's not a hook to come out, I don't know what is!

No word on if Travis and Nicole will be trading off, splitting sets, and/or sharing dual vocals in this setting. Of course, tomorrow's Jay's concert will be the reunited Soundcheck's first since Travis officially returned to replace the Nashville-bound Cameron Oliver in the band he co-founded in 2016. Whether you want nighttime classic and hard rock covers in the west end, or daytime ones downtown (and with Nicole), you have options! The Jay's shows are both at 9:30 PM, the Tap Room gig on SATURDAY runs from 3:00-6:00 PM, and all have 19+ age limits and no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Separate Wayz (a.k.a. 3/4ths of Soundcheck) live!

Next up, here's another late notice show announcement, as local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will return to Beck's Bar on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday, with the band only corroborating that yesterday. Last seen six weeks ago (also at Beck's), their second show of the year will be the nightcap of a long day for frontman Red Jettison, who will be pulling double duty as the acoustic matinee performer on SATURDAY under his real name Carson Hiltz. This is the one time where you could argue that the 3:00 PM matinee act at Beck's is kinda sorta "opening" for the nighttime band, two hour gap acknowledged! I don't know if this will basically be HeadF1rst unplugged, if it will be closer to his side project Bards With Beards, or if he's going really off script. Find out for yourself if you come by early!

For the record, Beck's are hosting rare live music tomorrow night also, but they don't typically double up weekends when they do, and tomorrow's band is classic rock cover trio The Sidekicks. The show is on SATURDAY at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadF1rst live!

 

Also, here's some shows that did have advance notice before Monday, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations' return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT, but before we get too far, their originally announced Saturday nighter at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort is no longer taking place. Drummer Tony Santoro said on the band's Facebook group that "a booking error" was to blame, but he didn't elaborate if that was on the band's end or the venue's (I have not heard about a possible musical act there on Saturday otherwise). However, Tony did confirm that Generations will return to The Kiln on Saturday, March 21st, so keep that new booking in mind in four weeks! In the meantime, tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show breaks up their alternating pattern of Kiln and Full Throttle Saloon gigs to start 2026, and marks their first Great Northern Road concert in two months.

Tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show and next month's Kiln gig will both be 8:00 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Lastly for this post, local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at Bon Soo for a special outdoor concert this past weekend, this will be their first publically advertised indoor concert since rocking the Tap Room last month, and if you enjoy the long-running musical collaborations from BookcluB/ex-Inner City Surfers bandmates Dustin Jones and Mikey Hawdon, seeing them in action tomorrow on Gore Street may be just the idea for your Friday night plans! This one-nighter has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new-to-me video of Mikey & Dustin! This comes from Dos Amigos' Instagram page, but it was actually uploaded there in June to promote a Whisky Barrel show last year (remember, they rarely update Dos Amigos' social media, hence why we often hear of their shows late).

This video sees Mikey & Dustin covering Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros' "Coma Girl", which you may recall seeing the two tackle back in 2020 for a "quarantune" vocals/ukelele cover for what became Mikey & His Uke. Uploaded in black and white for one reason or another, this outdoor performance is sound and melodic in the right ways, especially for Joe Strummer/Clash fans, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

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That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Oz and Double Down previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dos Amigos), A New Local Band, And More Recent Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I have to apologize for another missed concert in our weekend concert previews, this time local alt-punk cover band BookcluB at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on Saturday, January 31st. The band only announced last week's show (their first of 2026) on their Facebook page that Tuesday, which completely slipped me by until getting links for a related show that we didn't miss later in this post. I apologize again, I hope to catch their next show for the SMS, but hopefully this one was a blast all around! Now, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, new videos and related updates, and leading off, a new band with some notable faces!

We have a new band to add to our active Sault Ontario links, and they are Even Flow, the Pearl Jam tribute band that debuted at Beck's Bar on Halloween last year! There was easily the chance that this was a one-off band given the occasion, but their new Facebook page confirms that they're an ongoing project. In their only posting so far, they curiously note that they are "hailing from Northern Ontario", possibly to leave the door open for a wider range of shows beyond Sault Ste. Marie. They promise "a high-voltage, nostalgic experience that proves (that) the spirit of grunge is alive, well, and shivering up north". At the time of their debut, I knew from Facebook shares that the band included new local guitarist Cameron Brock and former Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner, but who else is involved? Derek's old Papa Fogals Chair bandmate Mike Bird is on bass, while Odd Man Out/ex-Sense of Truth guitarist Steve Myers is also in the fold.

Jokey nicknames aside, the band only gave their singer/guitarist's name as "Rob", but the most logical name here would be Barbarians/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers, who was a bandmate of Mike & Derek's in the 2013-2014 hard rock band The Side FX, and also briefly worked with Derek in The Wyld Stallyns a decade later. Certainly a talented batch of musicians who will be familiar to many readers (maybe excepting Cameron), and it will be interesting to see what Even Flow have in store for Pearl Jam and alternative fans this year! Visit the above links for more on them!

Next up, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, as local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only on Friday, February 20th! The band scarcely updates their own social media, so kudos to the Gore Street nightclub for announcing the show on their Facebook page on Wednesday, allowing us to hear and get the word out about it. Fans last saw the Inner City Surfers side project live last month at Northern Superior Brewing Co. (assuming you saw the minimal online advertising for it), and hopefully their unplugged punk covers go over well downtown in just under two weeks! It's worth noting that Mikey and Dustin remotely joined their old Surfers bandmate Brad Example for his YouTube series The Afterparty tonight at 9:00 PM, which I do plan on covering & recapping here on the SMS in a dedicated post, so stay tuned for that next week!

As for Dos Amigos at The Whisky Barrel, that show is at 8:00 PM as usual there, this is a 19+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and stay tuned for our recap of the Afterparty episode!

Also today, here's some of the latest from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will return to Beck's Bar next week for their first ever "stoplight party" on Valentine's Day, but they're staying busy otherwise! On Thursday, "the dirty three" shared this vertical video to their Facebook page featuring a sneak peek of a new original song in progress (heavily implied to be named "Shit Show"), and you even hear vocals in the short 15 second snippet! Alex is seen on guitar with Warren at the computer, while Greg notes that it's "pretty bad when we actually have to rehearse our own song". The caption also hinted that a new cover song is also in the works, and while they didn't 100% tie everything to their album-in-progress, note that they did confirm that their "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" cover will be on the final product and not just live gigs. Hopefully we hear more soon, but if you want to hear a full original song on video, we have you covered!

I'm surprised that I didn't get to this last month, but Beck's owner Becky Sawyer filmed your local 225 during their electric gig there on Saturday, January 3rd, and in the (thankfully) horizontal video, you can see the guys playing their original song "The F Word" (alternately, if not formerly, known as "Fuck!"). No major angle or zoom changes here, but Becky had a good central angle of the guys rocking out on this energetic and fast paced rocker, and expect more of the same there next week! Remember, wear clothing based on traffic light colours to signify your relationship status (i.e. green = single). Get more from Bone Yard above & below!

Finally, here's a brief new video posted on The Machine Shop's Facebook page yesterday featuring Nova Scotia alt-hard rock quartet The Trews promoting their local date there on February 25th! In the 13 second clip, frontman Colin MacDonald says that "we are making our long awaited return to The Machine Shop", even though they have never played a local date there. Regardless, it is always good to see major touring bands give local shoutouts like this in advance of their shows here, even if the videos are brief, so give it a watch below, and buy tickets for the concert later this month at this link!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Curtis McKenzie) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

In what is shaping up to be a very cold weekend in the Soo, there are a few venues that you can warm up in with some live hard rock-leaning music! Not the busiest weekend going, but there are new videos from two of the bands in question, and leading off, a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Former Eclipse/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will bring his acoustic solo act back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" gig TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, he and the venue only announced this show via their respective Facebook pages this afternoon in the 2:00 PM hour. Curt himself apologized for announcing the show last minute, as "I was just asked today if I could make it". If true, that does take some blame off of The Dive for their lack of a monthly concert calendar, which they haven't posted online in months (though I wish they would put those together again). This will be Curtis' first public gig of 2026, having last rocked Beck's two months ago, and he last played at The Dive in October, albeit a "Patio Play" gig when weather was amenable for that. As such, TONIGHT's show is indoors in "the naughty corner", and hopefully there's a good turnout in spite of the bitter temperatures locally!

TONIGHT'S concert is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Hopefully Curtis' hard and alternative rock covers are a hit in their 2026 debut, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Curt live!

Next up, here's some shows that did have advance notice for this weekend, starting with southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225's return to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the third concert of 2026 from "the dirty three" after a Beck's double header three weeks ago, and their first Water Tower Pub stop since December 6th. As always for this Great Northern Road venue, tomorrow's concert will be "uncorked", as their Beck's Sunday matinee gig earlier this month was, so if you like the softer/more intimate side of Bone Yard, circle tomorrow on your calendars! If you'd rather see the guys in their full electric splendour, you can do so next week at The Esquire Club. Tomorrow's unplugged festivities go down at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and if you're curious, the band playing at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday is classic rock trio The Sidekicks.

Visit the above links for more details on tomorrow's acoustic action, and for a preview, here's a new (albeit plugged-in) video from their Saturday, January 3rd show at Beck's Bar! Now, this was live-streamed to the band's Facebook page, so as per the current guidelines for live-streams, the video will vanish from Facebook in under two weeks unless they convert/re-upload it, but it's a song that we've seen the guys play live multiple times on video in the past (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'"). Laid back but sound rendition of this 1970s rock staple, if shot vertically, so give it a watch below while you can!

Also this weekend, we'll stay in acoustic territory (fitting how many artists are staying "chill" given tomorrow's weather!), as prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for another unplugged matinee concert on SATURDAY! After taking last week off from his long run of Saturday concerts at the Second Line West nightclub (though he was at The Dive last Thursday, Tym will return to his most familiar recent confines on Saturday for lots of classic and hard rock covers, and you can expect strong musicianship and a presentation that belies the one man acoustic format, so don't miss out if you want some early rock action! Saturday's festivities are at 4:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge, and if you can't make it, Tym will be back at Misty's in two weeks. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here he is live!

Finally for this preview post, there is some plugged-in classic/hard rock action this weekend, though it will be a bit of a hike for many, as local quartet Generations will return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Three weeks removed from their late notice debut at the local ski resort's on-site lounge and concert venue (with a Full Throttle Saloon gig sandwiched in between), this Saturday's show should provide a solid opportunity for patrons, skiiers, and fans to check out Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's slate of rock covers, so keep this one-nighter in mind, especially as it had plenty of advance notice this time! As usual, this Kiln stop has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's our first public video look at Generations' current lineup, courtesy of the aforementioned Full Throttle Saloon gig two weeks ago!

Uploaded to the venue's Facebook page (one of many videos of artists playing there in their early months), this sees the band covering the Grand Funk Railroad version of Soul Brothers Six's "Some Kind Of Wonderful" with drummer Tony Santoro on lead vocals. Alas, this was also shot vertically, but the filmer did let us get more of an interior view of the former Primavera Hall, and the cover is sound and will appeal to Grand Funk fans! New guitarist Joe Miller fits in fine here, but I know there are songs that would better demonstrate his talent levels. Give it a watch below, and don't miss Generations at The Kiln on Saturday!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Demon King, Project 906, And Generations), And More!!

Here's a packed news post for your Monday night reading, which mostly features LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next three months on both sides of the border, plus an inactive band note, so let's get things rolling!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced five upcoming concerts for the next month and a half, courtesy of their Facebook group yesterday, so where can you see them next? The band will return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for Saturday nighters on January 24th and February 21st, so clearly their debut there on January 3rd was a hit for them to get rebooked this fast! You can also see Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony back at The Full Throttle Saloon for two more concerts on Saturday, February 14th & Friday, February 27th, with the former falling over the Family Day long weekend (and on Valentine's Day). Lastly, their busy February will also include a one-nighter at The Water Tower Pub on Friday, February 20th, and because that venue never books the same band on consecutive nights, and The Kiln only books bands on Saturdays, the two gigs pair well to keep them busy all weekend!

The Kiln and Water Tower Pub gigs are all at 8:00 PM, the Full Throttle Saloon shows are at 9:30 PM, all are 19+ events, and none have an announced cover charge. Fans of this veteran group will want to circle these winter dates on their calendar, so visit the above links for more details! 

Next up, Family Day weekend for Sault Ontario = Presidents' Day weekend for Sault Michigan, and hard rock fans in the E.U.P. won't be lacking either, as local blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will return to Snow's Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville for a Valentine's Day concert of their own on Saturday, February 14th! The band mentioned this show at the end of their Facebook post thanking everyone for coming to see them at The Merch on Saturday night, but didn't note that the show will coincide with the annual Les Cheneaux Islands Snowsfest, the annual winter festival held jointly in Cedarville and Hessel over the long weekend. Full event details are forthcoming (check back on the Facebook event page), but this will be the (at least) fifth straight year where either The Islander Bar or Snow's Bar included a regional hard rock band playing at Snowsfest that weekend, typically during the annual pub crawl. Project 906 previously did the honours in Cedarville in 2023. 

We'll let you know when more comes out regarding the exact itinerary for Snowsfest and how bands tie in, but it's good to see 906 making the hour's trek again for what should be a busy weekend! Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover charge on Valentine's Day. See above for more from updates from Project 906 and Snowsfest!

Also newly announced is a big Sault Ontario death metal concert for the spring, as Nashville-based death metal band Demon King will make their local concert debut on Tuesday, March 24th at Soo Blaster! Not to be confused with Maynard Hayes frontman Damon King (though imagine if they were added to the bill!), Demon King bring their own brand of technical blackened death metal to the forefront, and they have a ferocious and punishing sound that should start a good sized pit in two months' time! A multi-national touring roster will also include London progressive death metal quartet Sentiment Dissolve (who headlined at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this past May) and Norwegian death metal band Celestial Scourge. Both will deliver the brutality you expect, and how often do bands literally from Norway come here? Local openers will include death/thrash metal trio Pillory and progressive metal quartet Convergence.

Both local bands are making their first announced live concert appearances of 2026, and they are solid choices to set the tone! Promoted locally by Mikhal Muto via his newly created agency Underground Events SSM (more on them soon), this all ages concert has a 7:00 PM start time, and while tickets are not on sale yet, they will cost $15 in advance and $25 at the door, and will be available through the local bands, at The Rad Zone, and online. If yo u love death metal, especially of a technical and complex variety, you won't want to miss out on this concert, so visit the Facebook event page for more details!

Finally, I have moved local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters back to our inactive band links. This may not come as a surprise to many readers given their sporadic updates in the 2020s, but the band was last publically active on January 13th of last year, when they posted a belated music video for their song "Collapse The Sun" on YouTube, one of two new music videos spearheaded by guitarist Mitch Sirie that month. After previously being inactive from late 2021 onward, The Bear Hunters awoke from "hibernation" in July 2023 to play a private event that drummer Johnny Belanger put on at Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn. Despite teasing that they'd be working on new music, no updates followed for almost a year, when Mitch said on their Facebook page that a final album and concert would be in the works, as connected to a contest relating to wearing band t-shirts.

Updates never came on the album or farewell gig, and while the two videos from last January (including a music video for their live favourite "Squirrel Buddy") were welcomed by long-time fans, the "Collapse The Sun" video was 100% archival content, and "Squirrel Buddy" was co-opted from Mitch's 2023 solo project Sir Hell, and only featured Johnny among other Bear Hunters members in audio or video. Mitch did say "slay tuned for more" at the time, and hopefully we do get more eventually, but their activity levels have been slow since the end of 2017, and members have talked about the eventual end multiple times in recent years. Hopefully we do hear from Nik, Mitch, Justin, and Johnny again, even if it's only once more, but stay tuned for more updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Generations) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For our first post of 2026, we're diving into another round of weekend concert previews, as there's a range of hard rock cover bands rocking out on both sides of the border, so let's lead things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with some new videos tucked in!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will make their first ever appearance (to my knowledge) at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group on Christmas Eve, which slipped me by initially among the holiday rush. Regardless, Searchmont have not corroborated the band's announcement on their own social media. Two weeks removed from their last 2025 date at The Water Tower Pub, this will be Generations' third concert with new guitarist Joe Miller, and if you're up for a trip to our local ski resort, hitting the slopes or not, you should get your fill of classic and hard rock covers on SATURDAY! This indoor concert takes place at 8:00 PM in The Kiln with no announced cover charge or age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will kick off their 2026 with shows at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY & SUNDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Bone Yard proper haven't confirmed these bookings on their own Facebook page, but their website's concert calendar does list them along with other January dates that we will cover in an upcoming post along with extra band updates. Three weeks ago, "the dirty three" rocked Beck's for their most recent double header there, and like usual for their bookings at the former Vibe Lounge, SATURDAY'S show will be a normal electric concert, while SUNDAY's is a 3:00 PM "uncorked" matinee. Regardless, both are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. Regarding the SATURDAY matinee timeslot at Beck's, that goes to local country musician and former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver.

Remember, Cameron is not "opening" for Bone Yard 225. He and the band have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart. It's good to see Bone Yard starting the new year on a high note, and hopefully SATURDAY & SUNDAY's shows have strong turnouts! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of your local 225 covering Van Morriosn's "Brown Eyed Girl" at their "uncorked" Beck's gig last month, courtesy of their Facebook page! While sadly shot vertically, it's a fine melodic rendition of this classic rock staple, accentuated with some holiday decor, so give it a watch!

Now to shows that did have advance notice, starting with new local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party, who will lead off their 2026 slate TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! After a fast start to their run as a live band, these will see Brent, Terry, and Jim rock out as the first hard rock-leaning band to rock Reggie's since owner/namesake Reggie Daigle resumed management of the bar last fall after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure came to an end. It is a good sign that Reggie isn't immediately reverting to a country-only band rotation like in ye olden times, and hopefully The Guilty Party deliver a solid pair of shows downtown this weekend! The Facebook event page is teasing a "special surprise" for tomorrow's show, heavily implied to be a female guest singer in other postings, and while this isn't a 100% guarantee, note that members' other band Separate Wayz are fronted by Nicole Thibodeau (more on her and that band soon).

As usual for concerts at Reggie's, tomorrow's and Saturday's Guilty Party concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this weekend's shows, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of The Guilty Party covering Bryan Adams' "Run To You" live at the former Reggie's West (Jay's Piston Broke Pub) in November! Sadly also shot vertically (and almost never capturing bassist Jim Michaud in frame), this Terry Eaton-sung rendition is soundly and professionally handled, though I'd have at least zoomed in a bit and moved the camera around moreso. Check this one out below as well, and don't miss the guys at Reggie's!

We'll head to Sault Michigan to round out this weekend's previews (as far as I'm currently aware), as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will kick off their year by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Jeff Hudson's two active rock bands will actually both be coming north of the Mackinac Bridge for Soo Kewadin gigs this month (Scarkazm will be here in four weeks), but the longer running Peril are up first for Yooper fans. Should be a solid pair of hard rocking cover concerts in store to lead off 2026, so don't miss out on this talented trio's launch for another year tomorrow and Saturday! If you miss out, they'll be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin over the Valentine's Day weekend for the pond hockey tournament, but they won't be back in the Soo until at least the second quarter of the year. Expect 9:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a while back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for an overdue news post on the SMS tomorrow! Thanks everyone!