LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue this weekend's concert previews by looking at five more concerts taking place on both sides of the border this weekend, one being a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page yesterday. While this is historically one of 906's favourite venues, this will surprisingly be their first show in at The Strongs Tavern since February, with no public shows booked there during their #summerof906. It's good to see the guys back in Eckerman TOMORROW, and hopefully there's a solid turnout for their hard rocking selection of covers as usual! If their new promotional image is anything to go by, Mark Bowen Band drummer Brian Duford (who guested with them frequently on hand drums this summer) will not be present for this gig. TOMORROW's concert is a 21+ affair with no cover and an 8:00 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the late preview of tonight's show in this post, things slipped me by when plotting this busy weekend out. After dropping out of their planned Shooters gigs this past weekend, tonight & tomorrow's shows will see Greg, Alex, and Warren back downtown for their first plugged-in gigs since last month's Dragonfly Run, and their first normal solo concerts in city limits since they played at Reggie's in late July. A lot of the promotional material for this weekend's concerts has revolved around Bone Yard's infamous "Bone Yard shot" that will net you a free t-shirt if you can down the whole thing successfully, so if you're up for that challenge, keep that in mind this weekend! Otherwise, their hard rocking covers can be enjoyed tomorrow at 9:30 PM (and also today if you have a time machine. You can still go late!)

Both shows are 19+ affairs and there are no announced cover charges. Hopefully this proves to be another strong weekend for your local 225, and if you miss out, they'll be back on stage in two weeks and back at Reggie's in late October! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard live at Reggie's earlier this year!

Also, we'll head to Misty's Fifties, where former Caveman Morrison/Nostalgic Band frontman Tym Morrison will continue his weekly summer(?) matinee series TOMORROW! The penultimate advertised stop in his 2024 arrangement at the Second Line West nightclub (though it could always be extended), this will be your only announced chance to see Tym's classic and hard rock covers this weekend, as his Friday run at The Mike Case Memorial Stage ended for the year last week. Of course, if you prefer the matinee timing and indoor locale, you'll prefer this series continuing anyway, so consider a west end jaunt tomorrow to hear Tym's unplugged covers! Note that Tym recently indicated on his personal Facebook page that he had been suffering from pneumonia for much of the summer, but he is feeling better now, so if he didn't sound 100% at some recent gigs, keep that in mind! No word on if he missed any concerts outright though.

Tomorrow's concert has a 4:00 PM start time, presumed 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. In case this is the second-to-last show in this run for Tym, then don't miss out tomorrow at supper time! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here he is live! 

Finally for this preview post, we'll head south to Sault Michigan for this weekend's other major touring headline concert, as original Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy will make his local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! While hair metal fans have seen Ratt (then fronted by Jizzy Pearl) in town as the openers for Skid Row back in 2006, this will be the first time that Saultites and Yoopers can bear witness to Stephen on local soil singing classic Ratt songs like "Round & Round", "Way Cool Jr.", and "Shame Shame Shame". I'm not a diehard hair metal fan, but Stephen sang many classic songs back in the day, and this is a good market for 1980s glam rock, so this should do well! Connecticut hair metal band Steelheart (not to be confused with Canada's Streetheart) will open tomorrow in their local debut, so look for their own hits like "I'll Never Let You Go" in their set!

Presented by Allstar Promotions in a rare hair metal booking for them, this concert has no age limit and an 8:00 PM start time. Tickets are still available in rows D-J ($49.50) and K-Q ($39.50) in the left/right sections, with all remaining center section seats (rows K-N) running for $49.50, and $39.50 standing room tickets are also available. You can buy yours at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office. If you love hair metal, you won't want to miss tomorrow's concert, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Stephen live!

That's all for today, but look for our Teenage Head and A&W car show previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Stephen Pearcy & Exit 808!!)

Before we dive into a stacked slate of weekend concert previews on the Canadian side of the border with the long weekend ahead, let's head south to Sault Michigan for a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this year, including a local band's summer calendar and a big Kewadin headline show for this fall. Here's what you should know!

Newer local hard rock quintet Exit 808 have announced a slate of summer concerts via their Facebook page last week, marking their first shows since adding Infathom's Dillion Semasky as their co-lead singer, so when can you see them live next? The former Double Jack will actually debut him at a non-local event on June 8th, namely Drewpalooza 2, a public birthday concert/mental health fundraiser in Republic (3½ hours west of the Soo), where they will share the stage with frequently seen Marquette hard rock cover band Spun, among other western/central U.P. acts. Looks like a fun event, so keep it in mind if you're out west or are up for a road trip! Exit 808 will finally play their first local concert (ie. within an hour's drive of Sault Ste Marie) since changing their name and lineup on Saturday, June 15th when they debut at The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in nearby Kinross, presumably on their outdoor stage.

Well Diggers is still relatively new for us to cover shows at, so hopefully things go well next month, indoors or out! Expect that show to be an 8:00 PM affair with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. After that, Exit 808 will hit the road again, albeit further into the Upper Peninsula for a set at Rally For The Valley, an annual outdoor concert festival in Ewen (outside of Ontonogan, 4½ hours west of Sault Ste. Marie) that will share multiple acts in common with Drewpalooza, including Spun. More details are forthcoming, so if you're in the Western U.P. or are up for the drive, click here for details! The rest of the shows are in our coverage range, starting with Exit 808's second Soo date of the year, when they rock The Merchant's Bar for the first time in five months on Saturday, June 29th. The Merch likely won't promote this show online, but it's good to see Exit 808 playing there again!

Exit 808's remaining shows in this wave of announcements will see them make their debuts at the two regional Kewadin Casino branches with on-site lounges. They'll rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin branch for full weekends on July 19th & 20th and on August 16th & 17th, sandwiching their first ever St. Ignace shows when they debut at The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino on August 9th and 10th. It's great to see Exit 808 entering the Kewadin rotation, and hopefully all three weekends go well for them! The latter seven local dates all likely have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover. Between Dillion's addition, the name change, and Isaac Royer's departure (the band has not confirmed if they've found a new permanent bassist yet or not), there's been a lot of change in Exit 808's camp lately, but they've got a big summer ahead, so see above for more details!

We'll close today's post with the big announcement from Allstar Promotions, who had been teasing a show at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Saturday, September 21st in recent weeks, and they finally made the reveal on Tuesday, as original Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy will play here for the first time! Best known for hit songs like "Round & Round", "Back For More", and "Lay It Down", hair metal fans may recall seeing Ratt open for Skid Row here in June 2006 (apologies for missing that when covering Skid Row's local date earlier this year), but they were fronted by Jizzy Pearl then. Stephen's voice has held up over the years, and it will be interesting to see how he goes down as a solo headliner this fall on his 1984 Back In The Cellar Tour! Connecticut hair metal veterans Steelheart (not Streetheart) will open with hits like "I'll Never Let You Go" and "We All Die Young" in their back pocket, so don't be late for their apparent local debut this fall!

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10:00 AM at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office, while Rock 101 has been announcing a pre-sale code on air if you want to be an early bird. Tickets will run for $39.50 USD, and this all ages show begins at 8:00 PM. Hair metal is a proven draw in Sault Michigan, and Ratt still have a lot of fans, so hopefully Stephen's local debut is a huge hit this fall! Visit the above links for more on this concert, and stay tuned for Victoria Day long weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!