The Go North Music Festival & Sandman Concert Previews!!

This stacked concert weekend presses on, so for our third of (now) four weekend concert preview posts to cover the hard rock and punk-integrated action, we're looking at a big returning regional festival today, as well as the return of the very first band that I ever saw at a licensed 19+ concert, so here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Continuing this marathon weekend, we'll take the hour's drive southeast to Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island for the eighth annual Go North Music Festival, which takes place TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Returning to the former Cornfest site at Centennial Grounds, this outdoor festival will again see two days of live music, and in a non-musical sense, there will be food vendors both days this year, alongside an artisan market, a family zone featuring Science North displays, games, crafts, and a large interactive community mural project, and as always, on-site camping. Visit the official website for complete details on this front! After not having any hard rock or punk acts for 2025's Big Sugar-headlined program, Go North will have one band that pings our genre radar, namely Juno nominated Saskatoon blues/hard rock band Wide Mouth Mason (of "My Old Self" and "Why" fame, among other hits).

Surprisingly their first concert within an hour of the Soo on record, Wide Mouth Mason's brand of accessible and catchy hard rock with distinct vocals should make a good impression tomorrow night! Curiously, festival advertising does not confirm set times, just the performance order. Your Saturday headliners are Juno-winning Halifax indie rock veterans Wintersleep (they of "Weighty Ghost" and "In Came The Flood" fame) and three touring acts from Toronto, namely alt-rock band Jackie, pop rock solo artist Loviet, and alternative/indie singer/guitarist Keegan Powell & his band The Jetpacks. Local openers tomorrow are CASS FM, Central Algoma Secondary School's student rock band, who have played Go North multiple times. Also on Saturday are returning London children's musical band The Thinking Caps, who will headline the separate children's stage that afternoon. An eclectic lineup for alternative and indie rock fans, so don't bypass the talent here!

Tonight's shorter opening night program will be headlined by Niagara Falls brass/funk supergroup My Son The Hurricane (with ex-Redefined/Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea still in their ranks), alongside Oakville R&B/country duo Yassin & Sean Terrio and local indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (the former Hollow Heads). The music lineups of Go North VIII go down from 3:00-11:00 PM tomorrow and 6:00-11:00 PM tonight, and while online ticket sales have ended, you can still buy tickets at the gates. At last word, day passes cost $40 tonight and $70 tomorrow ($20 and $25 respectively for teenagers 13-18 or students with valid student ID). Camping passes are a separate charge, as are $15 premium parking passes, while discount bundles for groups of 2+ adults were also an option. Recent social media hype suggests that this year's Go North is outselling last year's event, which is great news all around!

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies tomorrow with a high of 25°, though there is a slim chance of rain starting during Wintersleep's set into the overnight, so make note of that if camping (tonight's opening concert is projected to have clear skies and a high of 24°). Conditions look to mostly hold up, so best of luck to everyone enjoying the music on St. Joseph Island this weekend! Visit the above links for more on this year's Go North Music Festival, and here's Wide Mouth Mason live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #3, let's head home to Sault Ste. Marie, where Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will return to town TOMORROW NIGHT, this time at The Full Throttle Saloon! The only tribute band officially licensed by Metallica (and featuring three ex-members of Helix in their ranks), this will be Sandman's fifth local concert appearance on record, and first since they rocked the former Soo Blaster in October 2022, but this time, they're heading into Steelton as the third touring tribute headliner at The Full Throttle Saloon this year. The former Primavera Hall has done well booking the Crazy Babies and Epic Rush shows despite some eyebrow raising over the ticket prices, but Sandman have the most local experience of the three, so hopefully they draw well with their faithfully performed take on Metallica's 1980s and early 1990s catalogue! This 19+ concert goes down tomorrow night at 10:00 PM, and has no announced opening band.

Tickets cost $50 at the venue, and while this is cheaper than the $70 Crazy Babies show at The Full Throttle Saloon, it's also way above the $40 that both of Sandman's 2022 Soo Blaster gigs cost combined. Still, Crazy Babies and Epic Rush appeared to draw well, so if you want to enjoy Metallica's classic hits again, get your tickets while you can! I'm not seeing the "no ticket sales at the door" restriction this time, but call ahead if you're at all worried. Visit the above links for more on the the thrash metal tribute action tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's Sandman live!

That's all for now, but look for our Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands and 2 Stoned Crows In The River previews next, as well as (finally) our Rotaryfest review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Go North Music Festival!!)

Single topic post today thanks to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Juno Award-nominated Saskatoon blues/hard rock band Wide Mouth Mason will (as far as I'm aware) make their first ever local concert appearance as one of the co-headliners of the eighth annual Go North Music Festival on Saturday, July 25th! A staple of Canadian rock radio and MuchMusic in the late 1990s thanks to hit songs like "My Old Self", "Why", and "Smile", it will be neat to finally welcome Shaun, Safwan, and crew to our area (if not the Soo proper) this summer, and their jam-friendly alt-rock sound and distinct vocals still set them apart! Wide Mouth Mason are really the only hard rock-leaning outpost for this year's festival, which didn't have anything that really crossed our radar in 2025 (when it was headlined by Big Sugar, featuring former W.M.M. bassist Gordie Johnson). Presented by SooToday & 104.3 The Fox, this annual event returns to the old Cornfest site at Centennial Grounds in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island for two nights of music.

As seen on the poster, the headlining Saturday band this year is Juno-winning Halifax indie rock quintet Wintersleep (of "Weighty Ghost" and "Amerika" fame), who have also never played in the Soo area before. While their name sounds heavier than they are, Wintersleep are a very talented and acclaimed band, so don't bypass them this summer! Also making their way to St. Joseph Island in four months are three acts from Toronto, namely alt-indie trio Jackie, pop rock musician Loviet, and alternative singer/guitarist Keegan Powell, who should also make some waves with their skill sets and rising national profiles! Your only local band on July 25th is CASS FM, the Central Algoma Secondary School student rock band (a'la Mustang Sally), who are multi-time veterans of Go North, if with a lot of lineup turnover. As well, London children's music group The Thinking Caps will return to headline the kids stage that afternoon.

The night #1 lineup on Friday, July 24th has more local ties despite only having three acts, those being fan favourite Niagara Falls brass/funk collective My Son The Hurricane (still featuring former Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea), Oakville country/soul hybrid duo Yassin & Sean Terrio, and local indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (née The Hollow Heads). Along with the announced musicians, attendees can also expect to find local art and food vendors amongst the outdoor surroundings on Centennial Grounds, and if you're bringing the kids, there will be interactive Science North exhibits, games, crafts, and a mural that everyone can help paint at the family zone. Timeslots for the individual acts are not out yet, but gates open on Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM, and bands are projected to wrap up nightly by 11:00 PM. On-site camping is absolutely available as usual, and a fireside jam will again be held after hours.

Advance tickets are now on sale at this link, and minus online processing fees, day passes run for $40 on Friday and $70 on Saturday ($20 and $25 respectively for teenagers 13-18 or students under 25 with valid student ID). Camping passes for 2 or 4 adults for the whole weekend or Saturday only are also available (kids/teens are free to camp thusly but must be with an adult), but these do not include festival tickets, which are a separate purchase. $15 premium parking passes are also available if you want to get a really close spot, but this is an optional bonus. Discount bundles for two adults with camping & premium parking are also available. It is great to see the Go North Fest back for year #8, and while they have had heavier lineups, there's a lot of established and up & coming names to watch out for here, so definitely visit the above links for more on this year's event an hour east of the Soo! Thanks everyone!

Go North Music Festival & Bone Yard 225 Concert Previews!!

Here's post #2 of this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Due to the high amount of events this weekend, we'll hold our previews of tomorrow's Salty Marie Trails Fest, Neither Could Dylan, and HeadFirst concerts for a post either tonight or tomorrow morning, so don't worry, they are coming! Today's post is devoted to a major returning summer festival and a prominent veteran local band's weekend gigs in town, plus some linked new updates, so here's what you should know on both!

We'll start at Reggie's Place, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! After skipping Rotaryfest for a second straight year, these will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first traditional plugged-in gigs since rocking the same venue three weeks ago, with their only interim date being an "uncorked" show at The Water Tower Pub on July 12th. Good to see this talented veteran trio back at it, and hopefully they deliver more fun and hard edged classic and hard rock covers for fans downtown this weekend! As usual for their dates at Reggie's, this weekend's shows have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of your local 225 at Reggie's on July 5th! This live-stream from their Facebook page captures the guys covering Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'".

Sadly as usual, this video was shot vertically, helping accentuate the lack of fans on the floor at this point in the night (one of my main issues with vertical orientation of concert videos), but the cover is sound, as fans who've seen this song done live or in past videos will know! My mom loved Dr. Hook, so she'd have gotten a kick out of Bone Yard's cover! The overly red/purple lighting won't be for everyone, but check this video out below, and don't miss Bone Yard 225 back at Reggie's this weekend!

Next up, the summer festival season continues with the sixth annual Go North Music Festival, which returns to Centennial Grounds in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island TOMORROW! Well, it actually started yesterday with David Francey's sold out show at Richards Landing Town Hall, as part of the festival's expansion to a multi-day event coordinated with the town's Community Night weekend, but the main multi-band program is tomorrow at the former Cornfest homebase. This annual concert festival features local craft and food vendors, overnight camping, and good vibes in general, so be sure to visit the official website for complete non-musical details on what to expect whether making the hour's drive as a music fan and/or camper! Unusually, organizers have not released timeslots for the Saturday program, but gates open at 3:00 PM, and I can't assume an identical timeslot placement to 2023 given that there's one more band this year, so I'll address the bands in descending order of how Go North promotes them online.

If there's a kids stage again featuring scheduled acts playing mini-sets in an alternate locale, organizers haven't said. Tomorrow night's headliners are Juno Award nominated Nova Scotia alt-hard rock quintet The Trews in their first local date since opening for Marianas Trench in the Soo in 2022, and their first headlining date up here since 2009. With songs like "Not Ready To Go", "What's Fair Is Fair", and "Hold Me In Your Arms" in their back catalogue, it will be great to see The Trews' diverse but hard rocking sound back on a local stage, and I do like many of their songs, so this will sure be a different way to experience them! Orillia garage rock band Bleeker will co-headline tomorrow in their first local date since opening for Airbourne in the Soo in 2013 under their old name Bleeker Ridge, back when they played an overall heavier style of music. They're still talented, and their current sound is a better Go North fit!

Juno nominated musician Daniel Romano and his solo band Daniel Romano's Outfit will also make their way to St. Joseph Island with their Welland-based prog rock stylings, as will Hamilton folk/blues singer/guitarist Terra Lightfoot. Three local bands will take the stage tomorrow, including local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich (last seen at Poutine Feast), indie/pop rock standouts The Hollow Heads, and Central Algoma Secondary School's Mustang Sally-esque student band CASS FM (surprisingly this year's only returning act from any prior Go North Festival). It's worth noting that both Bleeker and Handsome Sandwich took part in local news interviews to promote Go North, the former with Bleeker singer Taylor Perkins by SooToday's Chris Belsito and the latter with Handsome Sandwich drummer Johnny Belanger by The Sault Star's Brian Kelly, so what should you know on each?

The Bleeker article is good to reintroduce the band to local fans, and Taylor sounds excited to play at Go North! In the Handsome Sandwich article, Johnny (credited as "John") talks about their recent push to play more shows out of town, implies that they chose the Handsome Sandwich name to spark audience curiosity (I'd say that worked!), and their recent studio work with Treble Charger members. Brian notes in the article that the seven new songs being worked on at the Algoma Conservatory "will likely be released as singles", but whether that is a shift in approach from earlier EP plans or just noting that they're being released individually alongside, I don't know. Handsome Sandwich will also be playing an Ottawa date on September 12th, which I believe was first announced via this article. Good promotion to get the word out about Handsome Sandwich, even without them at Rotaryfest this year!

Also, the expanded Go North Music Festival will host a free concert at Centennial Grounds TONIGHT featuring local pop rock cover quartet Lime during the main Community Night celebrations, so don't miss that if you're on the island! The main festivities at Go North VI take place tomorrow with gates opening at 3:00 PM, and while timeslots are not out, note that The Monowhales' headlining set last year was at 9:40 PM. Admission tomorrow is $60 for attendees 13 years of age & older (kids 12 and under get in free), while $140 camping passes for two are also available (otherwise, camping is a separate $20 rate for those with a tent, $35 if you are bringing a trailer). If you're not paying at the gate, click here to get your tickets online! Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for 26° temperatures and partly cloudy weather during Go North tomorrow, so it'll be warmer than last year but will have less of a chance of rain.

Between getting The Trews this year and the move three weeks ahead in the calendar to line up with Richards Landing's Community Night weekend, this is shaping up to be a great time for fans of live music, especially indie and folk-leaning bands, but there's enough hard rock on tap to keep a multitude of fans invested! Visit the above links for full details on what to expect on St. Joseph Island tomorrow, and for a preview, here's The Trews live at GFL Memorial Gardens two years ago!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Go North Music Festival) & The Silent 9 Concert Previews!!

As promised, we're rounding out this weekend's concert previews today, but most of this post is devoted to a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer, so here's what you should know!

The lineup for the sixth annual Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island has been announced, and they've got their biggest touring headliners yet, as Nova Scotia hard rock quintet The Trews will make their long awaited return to the Algoma District on Saturday, July 27th! Last seen in our coverage range when they opened for Marianas Trench at GFL Memorial Gardens in November 2022, this will be The Trews' first local headlining concert in fifteen years, and first that isn't acoustic since 2008. This Juno Award nominated band will remain familiar to Canadian rock fans from hits like "Yearning", "Paranoid Freak", and "So She's Leaving", and as a fan of multiple Trews singles, it's great to see them back in the area this summer! Co-headlining the festival this year is Orillia garage/pop rock band Bleeker, who long-time readers may recognize under their old name Bleeker Ridge!

If you saw the Airbourne concert at The Canadian Nightclub in August 2013, you'll have already seen Bleeker Ridge, who played a more hard rock-centric sound then, but have moved to more accessible and varied styles since dropping "Ridge" from their name in the mid-2010s. Still cool to see Bleeker (Ridge) back after over a decade away from our region! Two more touring acts will make their way to St. Joseph Island in July, including Welland progressive/indie rock project Daniel Romano's Outfit (led by the Juno nominated musician & visual artist) and Hamilton folk/blues solo musician Terra Lightfoot, so definitely give both a listen to see what they bring to the table! Three local bands will play this year, including local alternative/hard rock band Handsome Sandwich and indie rock quartet The Hollow Heads in their festival debuts, so definitely don't miss these Lopstock and Rotaryfest alums in four months!

This is the first announced Handsome Sandwich gig since they added guitarist Brandon Ruch to their lineup (who he replaced, if anyone, is still unclear). As well, Central Algoma Secondary School student band CASS FM (not unlike Mustang Sally) are this year's only returning band, last seen at Go North in 2022. All of this goes down at Centennial Grounds at 1511 Richards Street in Richards Landing (the old Cornfest site) on what is actually the final day of the festival this year. A separate concert at the Richards Landing Town Hall from Juno-winning Elphin, Ontario folk musician David Francey takes place on Thursday, July 25th, while local pop rock cover band Lime will play a free concert at Centennial Grounds on Friday the 25th as part of this year's Richards Lsnding Community Night, which is timed with Go North this year. Read the press release for more details on the Thursday and Friday festivities!

As for the Saturday, this is an all ages event with gates opening at 3:30 PM, and $55 early bird tickets go on sale on Tuesday at this link with the promo code TREWSGONORTH. Once those 200 tickets sell, prices jump to $60 for Saturday attendees, though kids 12 and under are free, and teenagers/young adults with valid student ID will get a discount rate. Expect lots of vendors, and camping will also be available on Friday night and Saturday if so inclined, with the fireside jams returning, though no word on if the kids zone stage will be back. Go North VI sounds absolutely stacked this year, so if you're up for the hour's drive to St. Joseph Island, visit the above links for full details on this year's festival!

Finally, let's round out this weekend's hard rock concert previews by looking at newer local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9's return to The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Just their fourth and fifth public concerts of 2024, fans will have last seen Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve at the same venue at about this time last month. Hopefully their fan friendly and often heavy slate of covers find another strong audience in the west end tonight and tomorrow, and if you can't make it, Silent 9 will be back at The Esquire Club in four weeks! These concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Silent 9 live at The Esquire Club last month, courtesy of their Facebook page! I'm unsure whether this was filmed on the Friday or Saturday, but the 90 seconds-long video features (as Soundcheck would say) "snippets" from the show.

In order, you'll see Silent 9 covering The Offspring's "Why Don't You Get A Job?", Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You", Alanis Morrisette's "You Oughta Know", Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It", and Robert Palmer's "Bad Case Of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)". Alas, these were all shot vertically, and I'd rather hear full songs, but Silent 9 sound good and lively with a strong audience command on these clips, and the filmer got some nicely varied angles, so check it out for yourselves below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

The Go North Music Festival & Handsome Sandwich Concert Previews!!

Let's continue with this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews in today's second post, but with our write-up on a big local concert festival eating up most of this post, I have opted to hold our preview of Project 906's show in Strongs, Michigan tomorrow night to our next post, but it is coming! Now, here's what you should know for that Sault Ontario-area festival and one more show here tomorrow night!

We'll start with an hour's road trip southeast to Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island, where local indie/punk quintet The Northwest will be the local openers for the fifth annual Go North Music Festival TOMORROW! Last seen at Outspoken Brewing in May, The Northwest have been oddly quiet in the last couple of months, but it will be good to see them add a little punk flavour to the Go North Festival, which returns to the former Cornfest grounds at 1511 Richards Street. As in past years, this all ages festival will feature loads of food and craft vendors, family entertainment, games, and on-site camping, so visit the official website and the official Facebook page for complete non-musical details! The conceit of having a separate "family stage" for bands to play a second kid-friendly set will return too, so clearly that did well last year! Organizers have clarified that the "kids zone" stage will have short 15 minute sets between main stage acts.

The Northwest are one of three bands to pull double duty tomorrow, as they are the opening band on the main stage at 4:00 PM and the headliners at the kids zone at 6:45 PM. For the remaining bands, I'll note in brackets if they are on the kids zone stage or not. Juno winning Toronto alternative trio The Monowhales will make their local debut in a big headlining set at 9:40 PM, preceded by London alt-rock quartet Texas King at 8:15 PM, and Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles (finally playing Go North after dropping out of last year's event due to COVID exposure) at 7:15 PM (5:45 PM on the family stage). Toronto country/folk singer/guitarist Jeremie Albino takes the big stage at 6:00 PM (and opens the kids zone at 4:45 PM), with Toronto retro rock quartet Propter Hawk beginning the non-local contingent of the frstival at 5:00 PM. A shorter country-centric program featuring Toronto's The Holy Gamblers, Port Hope's Nickola Magnolia, ...

...and Kingston's Solomon Woodland takes place tonight at 7:00 PM. Advance ticket sales have wrapped for Go North V, but general tickets at the gate are $65 (full weekend), $55 (Saturday only), or $25 (tonight only), price points that are $30, $25, and $15 respectively for youths aged 13-18 (kids 12 and under are FREE). Camping fees are separate if you are looking into that, so click here for full ground rules on this licensed festival. The festival will happen rain or shine (the main stage has a roof), but 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather of around 23° for tonight's country program, and mostly cloudy weather with a high of 22° and a 30% chance of rain on Saturday. At least this year's Go North Music Festival seems to have dodged the recent humid snap that we had up here! The lineup this year mostly doesn't cross the SMS' genre radar, but The Northwest will add some punk zest, and there's still a lot of talent!

Visit the above links for complete details on Go North's band lineup, vendors, camping details, and much more going on an hour southeast of the Soo tomorrow, and for a preview, here's The Northwest live!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll head back into Sault Ste. Marie for local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich's debut at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! One week away from their return to Rotaryfest Stage 2, this will be Handsome Sandwich's first solo headlining concert with no other bands of the year, so expect a lot of covers along with their fan favourite originals to fill out a full night's worth of music, not unlike many of their quartet gigs in early-mid 2022. Hopefully this trip up Great Northern Road will prove bountiful for the Sandwich, and that they make some new fans at The Water Tower Pub tomorrow! Shows here are traditionally one-nighters, as The Water Tower Pub almost always books different bands on Fridays and Saturdays, and if you're curious, folk/country musician and Face To Face co-headliner Brian Tremblay (with his wife Lynn) will be playing there tonight.

Tomorrow's Handsome Sandwich show has an earlier 8:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. This should be a fun show for fans of Handsome Sandwich's eclectic sound, so don't miss out tomorrow, and here they are live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Project 906 preview and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Go North Music Festival) & New Videos!!

Before we get into today's post, just a heads up that the Adelitas Way-headlined concert at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on May 18th has been cancelled, as per Allstar Promotions' Facebook page yesterday. A reason for the cancellation was not announced, but refund details will be sent to those who purchased advance tickets. Disappointing to hear, but hopefully the bands all find their way back up to this area in due course! Now, we have some new videos and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT to take note of in Sault Ontario and area, so here's what you should know to kick off the month of May!

Local indie/punk quintet The Northwest will hit the road for nearby Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island as part of this year's fifth annual Go North Music Festival on Saturday, July 8th! Debuting in 2017 with a two year pandemic hiatus in the middle, this festival will return to Centennial Grounds at 1511 Richards Street (where Cornfest was) for another weekend full of live music and entertainment, including food and arts vendors, a family zone with kids activities, and on-site camping. Be sure to visit the official festival website for ongoing festival details! The Northwest will take over for the dormant Uncanny Valley as this year's local support act, with the headliners this year being Juno Award winning Toronto alt-rock trio The Monowhales in their local debut. Given their critical acclaim and rising profile on Canadian alternative radio, they are a big get, so don't bypass their set in Richards Landing in two months!

Four more touring acts will play on Saturday the 8th, including London alternative rock quartet Texas King, Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles (who dropped out of Go North last year following COVID exposure isolation), Toronto country/folk musician Jeremie Albino, and retro-styled Toronto rock quartet Propter Hawk, and the five bands are in that order on the website promotion with The Northwest opening, though timeslots are not out yet. No word either on if organizers will bring back the "family stage", where select bands played a second earlier set geared at families/kids elsewhere on the grounds. The shorter program on Friday, July 7th will be country-centric, and will feature Toronto honky tonk band The Holy Gamblers, Port Hope country artist Nickola Magnolia, and Kingston roots/country musician Solomon Woodland. This all ages festival has gates opening at 6:00 PM on Friday and 3:30 PM on Saturday.

Tickets are available at this link, with adults running for $71.28 (full weekend), $60.55 (Saturday only), and $28.34 (Friday only), while 13-18 year old student fees are $33.71, $28.34, and $17.61 respectively (kids 12 and under are free). VIP parking passes are also on sale. Of course, Richards Landing is 40 minutes southeast of Sault Ste. Marie, so if you want some entertaining and diverse live music, with a dash of punk, in some nice natural settings, it won't be too far of a trip! Visit the above links for more on Go North V, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, I have forgotten about this video for far too long, namely the newest Mikey & His Uke collaborative cover! Posted to the project's YouTube channel on March 31st (apologies for the delay), this cover sees Bookclub/ex-Inner City Surfers drummer Mikey Hawdon and a remotely-filmed all-star band covering The Circle Jerks' "Live Fast, Die Young", with Mikey on guitar and (initially) ukelele once again. Joining him this time from afar are Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer/ex-Jimmy Kimmel Live announcer Dicky Barrett (who split vocals on the Rancid cover in December), his Defiant bandmate (and Smashmouth guitarist) Greg Camp, prolific session bassist Hasma Angeleno, and Tosh "The Drummer" Peterson, a rising young artist who has drummed with modern rap/pop musicians like Young Thug and The Kid LAROI. Yes, the video is in a 4:3 standard-definition aspect ratio.

The cover is really good and if you wish Dicky's gravelly voice was on something a little less ska, this will be up your alley! Nice and intense performance on all fronts, including solid camera work on Hasma's end, and Dicky singing in the back seat of a moving vehicle. Mikey performs here in a less obvious locale than in his recent videos, appearing to be some kind of industrial area with bags of insulation. Short cover but it packs a punch, so give Mikey & His Uke's newest video a watch below!

We'll close today with new videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck, courtesy of drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel! On April 22nd, the band played at a stag & doe, and despite being a private event, Glen filmed two songs there and presumably got permission to do so and upload them. The videos see Soundcheck covering Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and, as embedded below, Blink-182's "All The Small Things", both featuring Cameron Oliver on vocals without playing guitar. I'm not sure that Blink-182 is a great fit for Cameron vocally, but the covers are well handled and the audio quality isn't bad despite the sometimes jittery camera angles. Check these out above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes soon, plus this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Thanks everyone!

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

Given recent trends for hard rock and punk concerts in the area, this is a quiet-ish weekend, with only one known and announced heavier concert (Sandman at Soo Blaster on Saturday) having to be pushed to tomorrow's post! Quiet before the Rotaryfest storm, in other words, but that preview is coming! Now, here's what you should know for hard rock concert previews, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will head out to nearby Goulais River on SATURDAY NIGHT as the featured headliner at this year's Goulais River Community Days festival! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced their involvement via their Facebook event page on Monday, but they had been isted as appearing last month in festival advertising. As best as I can gather, Soundcheck will be performing at the Captain Tilley Community Centre at 592 ON-552 as part of the "adult dance", which immediately follows performances on SATURDAY by advertised acts like Radio (4:00 PM), TB & LC (2:00 PM), and 17 North (12:00 PM). However, Soundcheck's show is being treated separately as it will be a 19+ affair, unlike the prior sets, which take place during the family activities at Goulais Days. This poster lists all of the varied entertainment at the festival tomorrow through Sunday, and yes, Soundcheck singer/guitarist Terry Eaton will be pulling double duty as a DJ tomorrow night, so keep that in mind if you're attending tomorrow!

Soundcheck's accessible but often heavy range of covers should provide a fun closer to the non-baseball portion of Goulais Days, so keep an eye on this if you're in the area on SATURDAY! Soundcheck's show begins at 9:00 PM, and admission to Goulais Days is $5 for adults & $4 for seniors (kids are free, but again, they can't attend the 19+ adult dance). Visit the Goulais River Area Recreation & Events Facebook page and the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, let's take a quick detour to Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will be rocking The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen in Barbeau this past weekend, these will be Rhythm & Brews' first St. Ignace shows since February, and if you believe their newest Facebook page posting, these could be their last gigs "for a month or two" (they are not advertised for the St. Ignace or Soo Kewadin lounges through August). Hopefully this supergroup's brand of up tempo hard and classic rock covers go over swimmingly at The Northern Pines Lounge this weekend, especially if we don't see them again until the fall! As usual for Kewadin lounges, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and we'll let you know when preview videos surface!

Finally, the fourth annual Go North Music Festival in nearby Richards Landing, Ontario (on St. Joseph Island) goes down this weekend, and two hard rock bands are on the main musical bill on SATURDAY! After a pandemic-induced two year hiatus, the Go North Festival returns to Centennial Grounds at 1511 Richards Street (the old Cornfest site) for a full weekend of live music, family entertainment, camping, vendors, and much more, so definitely visit their Facebook page and/or website for full details on what to expect beyond the musicians! The lineup that was first announced in March remains mostly intact, aside from two big changes. One is that Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles have dropped out of the festival due to apparent isolation due to COVID-19 exposure overseas, as per the Go North Facebook page yesterday. Disappointing to be sure, but hopefully The Royal Castles come back to Northern Ontario in due course!

They would have played third-to-last on Saturday, and were not replaced, so while the lineup order is otherwise unchanged, start times have been altered. The other big update is that there will be two stages on Saturday, with a Family Zone Stage also being held separately on Centennial Grounds featuring three acts pulling double duty in a smaller, up close setting that is more amenable to kids & families. Interesting idea, and if there's a band you like on the Family Zone Stage, you could theoretically see them twice on Saturday! Timeslots ahead for the Family Zone Stage will be in (brackets). The headliners on the main stage at 9:45 PM are Oshawa progressive rock duo Crown Lands, with Thunder Bay folk rock band The Honest Heart Collective co-headlining at 8:15 PM (4:30 on the Family Stage). With The Royal Castles out, Toronto folk musician Charlotte Cornfield is bumped up to the 7:00 PM timeslot.

Ottawa hard rock quintet Taming Sari will hit the stage at 6:00 PM, and their rootsy brand of old school hard rock should attract an audience in Richards Landing on Saturday evening! Before their trip to Ophir for the Northern Vibe Festival next month, Toronto pop rock band Goodnight Sunrise will hit the stage a little further west at 4:45 PM (3:30 PM as the Family Zone Stage openers), while the local bands kick off things on the main stage, including rising young psychedelic hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley at 3:45 PM (headlining the Family Stage at 5:45 PM). This should be a prime opportunity to enjoy The Uncanny Valley's skilled originals and covers, so don't be late! The openers at 3:00 PM are Central Algoma Secondary School student band CASS FM (think like Mustang Sally or The Pine Tones). Friday's reduced lineup features Hamilton folk musician Jay Pollmann and local folk artist Hannah Lindsay & her backing band, so you'll still get music that night!

Discounted advance ticket sales close tonight at midnight, so get yours at this link while there's still limited time! General admission tickets at the gate run for $20 (Friday only), $55 (Saturday only), and $70 (full weekend), while 13-18 year old admission is $15 Friday, $25 Saturday, and $40 for the whole weekend, and kids 12 and under are FREE! Camping is permitted overnight on Friday too. The weather forecast is calling for sunny weather from 19-25°, so it should be great conditions for attendees! Go North looks like a fun time for fans of folk music & family fun, with a dash of hard rock, so keep the action 45 minutes east of the Soo in mind this weekend! See above for more details, and here's Taming Sari live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Sandman preview and more recent news on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Go North Music Festival, The Wyld Stallyns, And Soundcheck), Plus New Videos!!

(Edited at 7:49 PM) This weekend is shaping up to be a quiet one for hard rock shows, but SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS did hit my desk, so those will lead off today's post! Filling things out, we have one more big concert for the summer, and well as some new videos, so here's what you should know for this Thursday!

Local hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will hit the stage for one night only TONIGHT at... Tempo Modern Mediterranean?! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook event page back on March 9th, but concerts at this location were new to me until this week, and at press time, the band proper has not plugged it on their own Facebook page. A new venue for our coverage, Tempo is a Mediterranean restaurant located inside The Marconi Cultural Event Centre at 450 Albert Street West (just down the road from Low & Slow), and it opened back in September 2020. Presumably due to pandemic concerns, Tempo proper has not hosted live bands until this year (promotions of Marconi Club gigs notwithstanding), but classic rock duo Frankly Speaking were first up there for two weekends already, and now The Wyld Stallyns will rock Steelton for this special Thursday nighter!

The atypical mid-week booking coincides with singer/guitarist Rob Speers' birthday, so keep that angle in mind, and I hope Rob's big day goes swell! While there is no cover or advertised age limit for TONIGHT'S festivities (which kick off at 7:00 PM), be advised that Tempo is a fancy, high end restaurant, not a standard bar. This is indicated by both the menu offerings & price therein, but also by the fact that Tempo offers bookings for tables if you are so inclined, though this is not mandatory to attend. Hopefully Rob, Christina, and crew have a great time with their fan friendly and often heavy covers TONIGHT, and here's The Stallyns live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on the Facebook event page this morning, and the band has not promoted them on their own Facebook page at press time. Fresh off of their Shooters Downstairs Lounge debut this past Saturday, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows cap a three day run for Soundcheck at the former Roosevelt Hotel, following tonight's previously announced open mic night there (remember, we do not treat open mic nights as proper concerts given their nature). Their country tinged blend of classic and hard rock covers should go over well at The Reggievelt this weekend, so don't miss out on all of the action! They are on TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 8:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge, as is the case for tonight's open mic night.

For a preview, here's the new videos from Soundcheck's Facebook page that originally ended this post, featuring the band (with frequent substitute bassist Rob Gilmar in lieu of Paul Belair) covering Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places" and, as embedded below, John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good" at Shooters on Saturday, both with guitar Cameron Oliver on vocals. While both videos are unfortunately in the vertical cell phone orientation, fans will dig both covers, and it looks like Soundcheck got an active crowd for the occasion, and the lighting and setup looks good for live bands! Give both of these covers a watch above and below, and more from Saturday are floating around via private Facebook accounts!

Finally, Ottawa hard rock quintet Taming Sari and local classic/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will hit the road for the returning Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing on nearby St. Joseph Island on Saturday, July 9th! After a two year hiatus for very obvious reasons, this festival will come back to its old stomping grounds (1511 Richards Street, the old Cornfest site) for a weekend full of varied but indie/folk-leaning original music! Like in the Go North Fest's first three incarnations from 2017-2019, the lineup is mostly comprised of touring acts, with Juno winning Oshawa prog rock duo Crown Lands headlining this year. Other listed out-of-town acts on July 9th include Toronto folk musician Charlotte Cornfield, Thunder Bay folk rockers The Honest Heart Collective, Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles, and Toronto pop rock band Goodnight Sunrise, while CASS FM (made up of students from Central Algoma Secondary School in nearby Desbarats) will also perform here.

Also, an opening night concert will take place on Friday, July 8th, to be headlined by Hamilton folk musician Jay Pollmann, but there are no advertised support acts. With Taming Sari and The Uncanny Valley involved, this will be the heaviest Go North Festival yet, and both bands deliver a retro inspired sound with their own modern sensibility that should pair well if they're at all close on the bill (performance schedules are not out yet), so definitely give Taming Sari a spin when you get the chance! Uncanny Valley-wise, this is that band's first publically announced concert of 2022, but they have three+ months to play locally beforehand, so we could see them in city limits at any time! Local vendors, kids entertainment, late-night fireside jams, and on-site camping will be offered as usual. Tickets are now on sale at this link, but there are a lot of options for what you want to see that weekend!

Limited early bird passes for the whole weekend run for $45, and when they're gone, the advance sale price jumps to $60, or $45 if you only come for Saturday. At the gate, add $10 to both price options. Kids 12 and under get in free, but teenagers 13-18 years old will cost $35 for the weekend or $15 for Saturday only (there are no Friday only ticket options). Just as a refresher, Richards Landing is 45 minutes southeast of the Soo, and if you saw the Horizon Drive-In movie screenings there last year, Go North takes place in the same chunk of land. It is great to see the Go North Music Festival back after the pandemic hiatus, and definitely see above for current details on everything going down in July!

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

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

We're back to a quieter weekend for live concerts, so barring the already-previewed Tarnished shows from today and yesterday, I think this will contain everything with reasonable advance notice! Note that tonight's Downtown Street Party in Sault Ontario never had a firm music lineup announcement beyond the Fringe North showcase, so if a hard rock or punk performer played at all, I apologize for not covering it today. Here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Former Din frontman Mike Haggith will return to Sault Ste. Marie THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for a special acoustic concert at Outspoken Brewing at 350 Queen Street East! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page this past Saturday. Almost two years removed from Mike's move out to Thompson, Manitoba, this will be just his second public concert in the Soo since then, though it's been a longer wait for a solo gig, as I don't think he's played an eponymous set like this here since the fourth Swampstravaganza back in 2014. However, that set was electric with backing tracks, and SATURDAY will see him in more familiar unplugged confines. Expect lots of originals from his upcoming album "Bridges" and perhaps some brand new tracks as well! Support will be provided by local folk solo musician Jacob Quarrell (f.k.a. Shit Creek Survivor), whose own talented originals should provide a solid compliment on Saturday night!

This show is a FREE & ALL AGES event at 7:00 PM, and while Outspoken Brewing still isn't a common venue for our coverage, it's location across the road from Soo Blaster will be convenient for many readers. If only for one night, it's great to see Mike come back home, and hopefully lots of laughs and good times are had with fans and friends alike! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Mike live in Thompson!

Next up, we'll move to shows with more than a week's notice, starting with another noted acoustic performer, as former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY before returning to Richards Landing restaurant La Terrazza Franzisi all day on SUNDAY! You could copy and paste our write-up of last week's shows of his here and little would change, but if you don't get a chance to see his skilled unplugged covers, a trip to Gliss' new location and/or the wharf-front St. Joseph Island restaurant would be reliable sources of hard rocking entertainment this weekend! While all of these shows (at public restuarants, mind you) are free & all ages, the Gliss gigs are 6:00 PM matinees, and he'll be at La Terrazza Franzisi all day starting at 1:00 PM. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Now we'll head across to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula to close out this weekend's previews, starting with Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm's latest gigs in our area, as they'll be headlining at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at this venue in late June, this will be Scarkazm's first of two concert weekends in the E.U.P. this month alone, with shows at the Sault Kewadin branch following in two weeks time. Adam, Dave, and Jeff always deliver a strong live show when they play north of the Mack, and hopefully tomorrow's and Saturday's shows provide more of the same hard hitting covers (and originals?) for local fans this weekend! As usual, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



Finally, let's head to the 19th annual Sugar Island Music Festival in nearby Sugar Island, where new local hard rock band Tarnished will play a set THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Marking Alex's ninth straight set at this festival and first after his old group Banned dissolved, this isn't advertised as an acoustic show, making this a rare appearance of their electric trio incarnation, last seen at Kinross Speedpark with Project 906's Tommy Korcal on drums. Tarnished will get the co-headlining slot on Saturday at 8:45 PM, preceding headliners 3 Zip, while remaining bands (of the folk/country and online page-less variety) will include 3½ Men, Aberdeen, 2 Cents, All Arms, Joel Choate, The Gentleman George Band, Walkers Rye, Moose River and February Sky, and an Al Gross-hosted open mic block opening at 11:00 AM, so past festival attendees will see a lot of familiar faces. Most of these acts will be seen tomorrow and/or on Sunday as well, though not Tarnished. Click here for the full schedule itinerary, as well as directions to the stage!

This ALL AGES outdoor festival has admission via $10 full-weekend souvenir buttons for adults (kids 12 and under are FREE), and you can buy yours at Ed's Bayview Store, The Hilltop Bar & Grill, or the Westshore Convenience Store in Sugar Island, and at Crooked Music in Sault Ste. Marie, and presumably at the gate. For full details, including on non-musical activities, see the above links, and for a preview, here's a new video of Tarnished at the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers' Market yesterday, via their Facebook page! A short 15 second clip of Alex & Josh covering Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box", it sounds good while it lasts, and look for much more on Saturday at Sugar Island!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Soundcheck), Plus Rotaryfest Fallout!!

Before we dive into this weekend's Sault Ontario hard rock concert previews, just a minor clarification. The Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page lists The Wyld Stallyns as playing at The Whiskey Barrel tomorrow night, but as best as I can tell, this is an accidental remnant of last week's concert preview post there, as the venue is actually hosting The Crossroad Magdalenes tomorrow (source here.) Now, let's dive into this weekend's non-Sault Michigan previews, including some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE, plus some more fallout from Rotaryfest this past weekend!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Soundcheck only confirmed this show via their Facebook event page on Monday, though it was listed on this concert calendar shared on the aforementioned Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page as recently as July 1st. (Ignore the "SOUNDCHECK growlers" listing, it looks like a remnant of an Angry Joe & The Growlers gig was left in.) While not listed on Soundcheck's own 2019 concert calendar image from the winter, neither was their last show there in April, and if they can add on some bookings at this popular central venue, why not take advantage! A one nighter as usual for Water Tower Pub shows, this should be a fine way for Soundcheck to get back into a regular groove after their Rotaryfest headline set, so don't miss their solo headlining date there TOMORROW NIGHT! As usual, this is a 19+ gig with a 10:00 PM-ish start time and no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in a few different concerts!



Next up, let's go to Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his long-term weekly concert arrangement with matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! However, with a new month drawing ever closer, let's add his August slate of shows there to our concert calendar, as Tym is highly expected to keep rocking Gliss on August 2nd-3rd, 9th-10th, 16th-17th, 23rd-24th, and 30th-31st... but that's still not all! As it turns out, Tym also struck a deal to play matinee concerts at La Terrazza Franzisi in nearby Richards Landing (an hour southeast of the Soo on St. Joseph Island) every Sunday from July through September 8th, so we'll add his shows there THIS SUNDAY, and on August 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th to the site as well! He'll also be there for the first two Sundays in September, before the wharf-front restaurant closes for the season, but we'll cover those events next month, as we take Tym's regular weekly bookings a month at a time for ease of management.

Yes, this also means that Tym played at La Terrazza Franzisi on July 7th, 14th, and 21st, all having been missed for coverage on the SMS. I profusely apologize for those slipping us by, but aside from their Facebook event page, public promotion was minimal. Aside from a presumed accidental listing for this Saturday, all of Tym's Sunday shows (THIS SUNDAY included) are basically doubled up with four hour blocks at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, so if you're there, you'll get lots of chances to hear his fan favourite covers! The Gliss shows (including this weekend's) are at 6:00 PM, and none have an announced cover. Click here and above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also, here's our promised Rotaryfest fallout write-up, so what all went down musically that was made local news media in the past week? Well, The Sault Star's Brian Kelly was in attendance, getting photos during one-off Beatles tribute band Beatles '69's Stage 1set on Saturday, while also interviewing Ottawa musician & Stage 2 performer Jack Pine, among other articles and photos published online and in physical copies of the newspaper, so see above for those! Most relevant to our genre ranges is this pre-festival article where Brian interviewed Rotaryfest musical director Shaun Antler about the Woodstock theme for this year's Stage 1 lineups. Therein, Shaun revealed that bands were asked to cover two or three songs each that would have came from bands that played at Woodstock, which is a fitting tie-in to that classic festival! As well, the Saturday set from the one-off supergroup The Woodstock Show was seemingly done in stages featuring certain highlight performers leading the band for specific covers.

In particular, late replacement Liam Seymour led a suite of Jimi Hendrix covers, which will have interested anyone who remembers his early cover hard rock work, while Obsession singer Valerie Powley tackled Janis Joplin to end their set, plus Jefferson Airplane earlier on.  Sounds like everything went well with the Woodstock theme, and see above for all of The Sault Star's recent coverage! Despite sponsoring the Second Stage, SooToday's only article that explored either stage in depth was this one by Darren Taylor focusing on local indie punk quintet Northwest, who played on Stage 2. Along with six colour photos from their set, the article features remarks from frontman Wayne Watkins (with input from guitarists Greg Callaghan & Mike Yakasovich) about their set at the Rock on the River Festival in Timmins on Friday, their sound, their name's inspiration, and what drives them, especially as every band member is a father now. Solidly informative article, so give it a look at this link, and best of luck in Timmins!

Aside from one photo of an unidentified band setting up, Sault Online's photo album largely focused on the midway and vendors. Last but not least, I regrettably missed a later addition to the Stage 1 lineup, as Korah Collegiate school band Mustang Sally actually opened on Saturday at 12:00 PM, in their own second straight appearance at the festival. I severely apologize for missing that in our Rotaryfest coveragee, but hopefully the kids from "Sally" put on a great set once again! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!