LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished & Separate Wayz) And Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's the (relative) calm before the storm that is Rotaryfest weekend next week, as this weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews is much quieter by comparison! Still too many shows for one post, so Saturday's previously announced Quite Frankly concert will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to kick off this weekend, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE, and an apology for a missed concert last week!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz (and/or their sister band Soundcheck) will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Separate Wayz first announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday. Now, Jay's Facebook page has an AI generated poster crediting the shows to Soundcheck, a contradictory plug that I have surprisingly never seen since Soundcheck relaunched with a 75% identical lineup. I'm inclined to believe Separate Wayz' own promotion, but at the same time, could Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe be on hand too for another "epic crossover" weekend, or even just a smaller guest spot? Be at Jay's TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT to find out! If truly Separate Wayz-led gigs, these will be their first since rocking Reggie's last month, and their first standalone bookings at Jay's this year.

Hopefully there's a solid crowd TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits, and if this is of note, Jay's now serves Slush Puppies! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's just the second public video from Separate Wayz' Facebook page (at least it's not a "Story"!). This 13 seconds-long clip appears to come from their Reggie's show on June 13th, and features Travis on guitar despite those gigs not being advertised as "epic crossover" dates. He, Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Johnny were filmed here covering Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket", and what we hear sounds good, but look for much longer full performances from Separate Wayz (and Soundcheck?) this weekend!

Next up, let's head across the border to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to Kingston Kitchen on SATURDAY NIGHT, with two more Saturday nighters booked there on August 15th and September 19th! Again, apologies for the short notice on SATURDAY's concert, it was only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Monday. As you may recall, Tarnished debuted at the 250 South State Street Jamaican restaurant last year during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend in St. Ignace, and while unsaid in Kingston Kitchen's promotion, that appears to be the raison d'etre for the September 2026 booking. THIS SATURDAY'S and next month's shows appear to be just standard concerts, and clearly Tarnished's Kingston Kitchen debut went well last year for them to come back thrice this year! Remember, there's more going on in St. Ignace than just the casino, as Tarnished have proved umpteen times lately.

In two more new confirmations, Tarnished will end the summer with shows at The Back Bay Grill & Games Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th, so if you want some hard rock action a little closer to the Soo at our other regional casino, keep these shows in mind! They were announced via this batch Facebook event page for all Lakeside Lounge concerts for the next two months. All five dates (THIS SATURDAY at Kingston Kitchen included) are at 8:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details across the board, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live!

Now back to Sault Ontario briefly for a show that had lots of advance notice, as local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third show in the past week TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! Fresh off of his second Mike Case Memorial Stage show of the year yesterday (I believe the rain held off too), this is the third and last show (so far) for Tym at The Dive, as per his batch Facebook event page for shows there. While The Dive has hosted Thursday acts on their outdoor patio on occasion (including Old Roads last week), their AI generated poster confirms that tonight's "Think It Over Thursday" concert will be indoors in "The Naughty Corner". While we're on the subject, I wanted to apologize for missing a show of Tym's last week, as he debuted at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats this past Friday, in a solo concert that he never publically corroborated on social media, just on his personal account.

While Desbarats (40 minutes southeast of the Soo) only typically comes up on the SMS when referencing CASS, it is good to see a venue there hosting live music on occasion, though I do wish Tym would have said something about that gig, as I'd have happily plugged it had I known about it. Apologies again regardless! Tonight's Dive show (despite Tym's event page listing it as a matinee) takes place at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

We'll close this post by looking at more touring rock band action in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, but unlike the three bands debuting at Kewadin Casinos in the coming weeks, the band playing TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin is quite familiar, namely Traverse City classic metal trio Peril! While not newly promoted on the band's Facebook page, this weekend's shows are confirmed on their summer calendar seen here, and mark their first EUP shows since rocking the St. Ignace branch two weeks ago. Jeff and crew (whether in Peril or their sister band Scarkazm) are not advertised to return to either Kewadin branch, so unless you go see them at the Music In The Park series in St. Ignace, these are your last chances to rock out with either band north of the Mackinac Bridge this summer, so hopefully they have lots of fun covers in store!

As usual for Peril's shows at Kewadin lounges, tomorrow and Saturday night's concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Jeff, Howard, and Brooks' concerts in the Soo this weekend, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Quite Frankly preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished) Plus The Peril And Stones & Crows Concert Previews!!

This packed slate of hard rock concert previews marches on with a second Thursday post, this time looking at SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P., more Michigan concert action related to a big ongoing event this weekend, and a Sault Ontario debut concert, but let's head to Mackinac County to kick things off! Our previews of announced hard rock shows in Sault Ontario on Saturday will be in our next post.

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished will return to St. Ignace for a second straight year of St. Ignace Car Show-timed live music on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, these two(!) shows were first announced on the band's Facebook page. Last year, Tarnished played at The Driftwood Sports Bar during this annual event, but they will actually be playing two shows elsewhere, and they appear to be linked to the car show proper for show #1, a matinee gig from 2:00-5:00 PM outdoors at McGregor Lot, a parking lot behind the former Shell station at 200 South State Street (some vendors from the car show will be set up there, but the actual car show is spread out through town). After things wrap up in St. Ignace, Alex & Josh will disembark from Chris and Ron, taking the 45 minute drive north to Brimley for a rare acoustic duo concert at Bay Mills Resort & Casino that night!

This show will reportedly be in the "Lakeside Lounge", which has been given as the name for their location of their concerts and karaoke nights this month rather than the Back Bay Grill & Games. "Your perfect up north retreat" finished renovations and expansions in January, and it does seem like they're shifting concerts to the new lounge (all of which have been acoustic, for what it's worth) at least for the summer. Hopefully things go well for half of Tarnished there on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Lakeside Lounge show in Brimley is a 21+ affair at 8:00 PM, the car show matinee in St. Ignace is all ages, and neither has an announced cover charge, though click here for full details on what to expect at the car show. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies and temperatures hovering around 74° (23° Celsius), so for an outdoor concert, you can't ask for much nicer summer weather than that!

I wish Tarnished had announced their two gigs on SATURDAY with more advance notice, especially with the hype around the St. Ignace Car Show's 50th anniversary, but hopefully this talented hard rock group (in full form in the afternoon or unplugged in Brimley) have a solid pair of concerts with attendances to match! Visit the above links for more details on both, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live and unplugged a few years ago!

Next up, there's one more familiar hard rock cover band rocking the St. Ignace Car Show weekend, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Peril haven't hyped up the car show angle in their own promotion, but Jeff, Howard, and Brooks landed two key timeslots at the casino, as Kewadin hosted and sponsored the cruise night tonight and will be hosting the after-party on Saturday, so it is somewhat of a hub for official events outside of showing/driving the classic cars. If you're not into the car show or would prefer to stay closer to the Soo, they'll be back at The Rapids Lounge in two weeks, but Peril should get a sizable crowd for both of this weekend's gigs, and hopefully their hard hitting and crowd friendly covers go over as well as ever! These are 21+ shows at 9:00 PM with no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where new local southern hard rock trio Stones & Crows will make their live concert debut TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's Bar! This new band features Jupiter Marvelous guitarist/ex-Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine (a.k.a. "Bukky VanZant"), Floor Between Us bassist Nicholas Gingras ("Nikki Crow"), and Riverside Stasis/ex-HeadFirst drummer Anthony Boudreau ("Tony Stone"), which is definitely a promising lineup! Stones & Crows have not yet posted public media of them performing in any capacity, but they claim to "hit with a modern hard rock sound rooted in blues & grit", which sure sounds like an extension of Electric Church to me, and it will be good to see Spencer fronting a live band again! Remember, when Beck's does book live bands on Fridays, it's never the band playing the Saturday nightcap, and we'll preview Bone Yard 225's show there on Saturday in our next post.

Just to clarify something, I am aware that Spencer is the owner of local internet radio network Tomahawk 141, and I'd love to talk about it on here, but since I belatedly discovered it (when Stones & Crows launched), the rock/blues station has never worked for me. If Spencer gets it back online, I'll let you know! Tomorrow's Beck's concert will see them "rock the night" and "all night long" (assuming that the night only runs from 9:00 PM-1:00 AM), this is a 19+ event, and there's no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for our Bone Yard, Generations, and A.S.D.P. previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Tarnished, And Go Skateboarding Day!!)

Tonight's news post gives us some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including a big returning Sault Ontario event later this month and some intriguing concerts in the E.U.P. in the coming months. Here's what you should know!

The annual local Go Skateboarding Day concert returns to Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Center on Sunday, June 21st! After nine prior installments (eight with live music) were held by Tidal Records from 2014-2019 and 2022-2024, local promoter and musician Mikhal Muto inherited the reins of this annual event last year, only for Go Skate Day to be rained out as intended, the first time that the local version was ever called off for a reason other than the pandemic. An indoor skateboarding event at Prince Township was held on short notice, with a partial lineup of bands playing a private event afterwards, but weather permitting, the original format of Go Skate Day is back for 2026 via Mikhal's new promotional agency Underground Events SSM. This includes all-ages and free skateboarding for all skill levels from 12:00-5:00 PM, plus skate games and giveaways from sponsors.

For the first time since 2016, the local Go Skateboarding Day concert will have six advertised acts atop the half-pipe at the skate park, and while the performance order isn't clear from the Facebook event page, there will be two (kinda three) returning acts. Local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (who played in 2024) and Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson (who played in 2015 and 2016) are back, while ska punk trio A.S.D.P. will play their first John Rhodes Centre gig on the 21st, though they (and DJ Seith) played at last year's private fill-in event. Go Skate Day newcomers will include Half Scoundies (Josh & Todd from folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels going acoustic), new local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe (in their first ever public multi-band concert), and local jazz/EDM solo musician Mario "Yecharo" Kwon, who is on Underground Events SSM's compilation album.

Quite an eclectic lineup of musicians (I never would have connected the Scoundrels... er, Scoundies with extreme sports) will be on hand, but of course, Mother Nature is very much a factor as to if Go Skate Day 2026 will occur as planned, and part of me is surprised that it took until 2025 for one to be impaired due to weather. I do hope that everything goes off without a hitch for Mikhal and crew this time, so visit the above links for more on all of the action one week from Sunday!

Next up, Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril have announced their concert calendar through September via new schedule images on their Facebook page! We knew about their car show-weekend gigs in St. Ignace on the 26th and 27th, but when else will Jeff, Howard, and Brooks be rocking a stage within an hour of the Soo? Their next shows in our coverage area will be on Friday, July 10th and Saturday, July 11th at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino, and they will be rocking out after the Steve Earle concert at The Dreammakers Theater on the 11th, so if you wanna keep the party going, head to the lounge afterwards! In August, they have two shows in St. Ignace, but not at Kewadin Casino. They'll instead set up shop at American Legion Park for one-nighters on Thursday, August 6th and Friday, August 21st as part of the Music By The Bay concert series!

 

Those are outdoor shows (bands play under a canopy at the park), and while these are rare non-Kewadin gigs for Peril in our neck of the woods, they have played at the Music By The Bay series before, weather permitting. Hopefully things go well for the guys in all six of their regional concerts this summer! The Kewadin dates next month are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits, the St. Ignace outdoor shows run from 7:00-8:30 PM with no age limits, and none have a cover charge. Visit the above links for more on this hard rocking veteran group's regional shows ahead!

 

Finally for this post, we'll stay in St. Ignace, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return for some non-Kewadin shows of their own in a few months! They too will return to American Legion Park for St. Ignace's Music By The Bay series on Friday, July 31st and Saturday, September 5th, with the latter falling over the Labour Day long weekend (they'll actually be the penultimate band of this series for 2026). As best as I can tell, Tarnished and Peril are the only heavier-leaning bands playing Music By The Bay shows this year, but there are other familiar names that you can see on the daily schedule at this link. Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron will make another hour's drive south on Friday, September 18th when they rock The Driftwood Sports Bar again, this time during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend! You may recall seeing Tarnished play three different locales during this event last year.

 

No word on if they'll be similarly busy in 2026, but if you love big rigs and transports, this truck show will be up your alley, and kudos to The Driftwood for capitalizing on all of these vehicle shows in St. Ignace by booking bands during them! We'll address the band playing there on Thursday, September 17th in an upcoming post. Like with Peril, the Music By The Bay shows are at 7:00 PM with no age limit or cover charge (weather permitting), while the Driftwood concert during the truck show weekend is at 9:00 Pm and will be 21+. See above for more on Tarnished's Mackinac County shows ahead, and look for weekend concert previews and our next Defunct Local Band Profile on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Fyrbird, And The Nameless), Plus About:Blank Updates!!

Today's post does indeed wrap up our weekend concert previews, but things fell into place for an all-Sault Michigan/EUP post, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and new videos, so here's what you should know!

Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will set up shop at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace TONIGHT, but they will also return there for a special Thursday night concert on June 25th! Both shows were announced on The Driftwood's Facebook page (thankfully with lots of advance notice each), and both line up with special events for vehicle owners in and visiting Mackinac County. As noted yesterday when we previewed Tarnished's shows at the St. Ignace Kewadin, tonight's show takes place during the Bronco The Mac Festival (whether you have a Ford Bronco or not, click here for details), but the Thursday the 25th show coincides with an even bigger institution, namely the 50th annual St. Ignace Car Show Weekend! Kudos to Fyrbird and The Driftwood for jumping in on this too, and there should be a sizeable crowd tonight and on the 25th for Jamie & Rikk's minimalist hard rock covers! The show on the 25th is a nightcap for the cruise night.

Both tonight's and the 25th's are 9:00 PM concerts at The Driftwood with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Unless they've played in our neck of the woods (an hour's drive from Sault Ste. Marie) in an unadvertised gig, we haven't seen Fyrbird locally in around a year, so even with the expected large turnout for both car shows, keep their shows in mind, starting with tonight! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fyrbird live!

Next up, that's not all for hard rock fans in St. Ignace during the Car Show weekend, as Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will reportedly make their Driftwood Sports Bar debut on Friday, June 26th! The venue announced the show via their Facebook page on Sunday, and at press time, the band has yet to corroborate this booking on their own Facebook page. Fans last saw The Nameless at The Merch two weeks ago, but this will be their first show outside of the Soo in 2026, and their first in St. Ignace in two years, believe it or not. Fingers crossed that Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie recruit a strong turnout for this one-nighter on what will be a very busy weekend for St. Ignace at large! This concert will also serve as lead-out entertainment, this time for that evening's Down Memory Lane Parade, and if you're curious, The Driftwood will be hosting DJs on Saturday the 27th.

Like with Fyrbird the previous night, The Nameless take the stage at 9:00 PM on Friday the 26th with no cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, but is that all for the St. Ignace Car Show Weekend in a hard rock context?

Nope, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril have booked The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for shows on Friday & Saturday, June 26th-27th! Like with The Nameless, Peril have not corroborated the booking on social media yet that I have found, but Kewadin's entertainment page confirms that these well travelled Northern Michigan live favourites have snagged the casino's lounge for what should be a busy and lucrative weekend! The guys are no stranger to the conceit of a well timed weekend at this Kewadin branch, as their last St. Ignace shows were in February during the Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championships. Jeff, Howard and Brooks should deliver a fun weekend of rocking classic covers for Car Show participants ans fans alike later this month, so keep these in mind as well! These shows are also at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details!

We'll stay in the E.U.P. to close, via two new videos from Sault Ste. Marie hard rock/punk band About:Blank! On May 4th, the guys shared a clip on their Facebook page of them playing their new song "Dilettante" when they opened for Bimbo in Pizza Hut's basement a few days prior. The 44 seconds-long video sounds promising with a 1990s alt-rock flourish, but the video is fuzzy, Parker completely obscures Kade at this vantage point, and the video was (sadly) uploaded in vertical dimensions with letterboxing despite being horizontal from the off. Embedded below is About:Blank's newest Facebook video, and while it also has a horizontal video forcibly crammed into vertical "Reel" dimensions with major pillarboxing. How does that happen twice in a row? In any event, the video sees the guys jamming their song "What You Wanted", albeit for 48 seconds. The big scoop is that there is a third performer in the clip!

About:Blank have not firmly or publically said if they have finally replaced Nathan Webber in their lineup after four months as a duo, or if this musician is just a guest/fill-in, but based on appearances, this looks like local rock bassist and visual artist Jon Stone (please let me know if I am incorrect). Assuming that they have added him full time, it is good to see About:Blank without a blank in their lineup, and while the tight camera placement doesn't do Kade many favours here either, the guys deliver some good intensity in what we do see, so check it out for yourselves below!

That's all for now, but we'll catch up with recent Sault Ontario news and notes next! 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! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Half Past, Quite Frankly, And The Guilty Party!!)

Today's post takes us to a slate of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for early next year, so here's what you should know as the year slowly winds to a close!

Local hard rock cover quartet Half Past will end 2025 with a headlining New Year's party concert on Wednesday, December 31st at Beck's Bar! Announced via their Facebook page back on December 2nd (apologies for the delay), this will be their first concert since rocking Beck's in early October, and their third at the former Vibe Lounge since debuting there in April. It is reasonable to assume that there will be some level of holiday frills for New Year's Eve, but as Beck's wasn't a thing in 2024, we don't know exactly what Becky and crew have in store to ring in 2026 with. We should know more by Monday, when the venue typically announces the week's entertainment schedule on Facebook, and this includes the potential for a cover charge if things are fancier. At press time, the show has no announced cover, a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, let's head across the border for Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril's first E.U.P. gigs of the new year, as they'll headline at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino next weekend, on Friday, January 2nd & Saturday, January 3rd! Last seen there over the Halloween weekend, it will be good to see Jeff & crew deliver their old school hard rocking covers for local fans once again, especially as next week's shows will be their first anywhere of 2026, so don't bypass them if you'll be in the area! Meanwhile, they'll make their first St. Ignace stops of the year over the Valentine's Day weekend for three shows from Thursday, February 12th to Saturday, February 14th! The reason for the added Thursday booking is because Peril are playing at The Northern Pines Lounge to coincide with the annual Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championships, taking place at Chain Lake nearby, with Kewadin hosting some official events on site.

Readers may recall that Peril's sister band Scarkazm rocked the St. Ignace Kewadin on this busy weekend in each of the last two years, so why not let Peril have a turn? All five of Peril's upcoming shows (as announced via the concert calendar above on their Facebook page) have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more on their and Scarkazm's U.P. gigs in the first quarter of 2026!

Back in Sault Ontario, local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party will kick off 2026 when they rock Reggie's Place on Friday, January 2nd and Saturday, January 3rd! The Facebook event page for these shows originally had them playing a one-nighter at Beck's on January 3rd, but the venue was quietly switched out on Tuesday for unannounced reasons. After a relatively quick start to their run as a band in the fall, these will be Brent, Terry, and Jim's first public concerts since rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub last month, and will mark the first public hard rock-leaning bookings at Reggie's since Bone Yard 225 played what they said would be their "last weekend playing there" in October. It has since came out that owner/namesake Reggie Daigle has resumed management of the 458 Queen Street East nightclub after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure there ended, so Bone Yard's finality hints about their last shows there must have reflected Randy's control of the day-to-day operations and/or a possible issue with Reggie himself.

I won't speculate, but it is only natural to see Reggie running Reggie's, and The Guilty Party's presence does hint that they're not going back to a 100% country music rotation like in years gone by! Read more on the new/old Reggie's on their Facebook page, though most updates so far relate to the menu. Note that prior hints of a female special guest for The Guilty Party on that Saturday were not kept when they revised the write-up on the Facebook event page (though that doesn't mean that she won't be present, whoever she is). Expect a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit as usual. Visit the above links for more details, and a stay tuned for more concerts & updates from The Guilty Party!

Finally, also newly confirmed for next month is fellow local classic/hard rock quartet Quite Frankly's first date of the new year, as they'll debut at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, January 17th!  After playing their first show since their lengthy hiatus at Beck's Bar late last month, this will be just your second chance to see Quite Frankly 2.0... or is that 3.0? Just four days after announcing this show on their Facebook page, the band confirmed that Blind River singer/guitarist Linsaey L.W. has replaced Haley Alopaeus on lead vocals, so this will be her debut with the band. It will be interesting to see how Linsaey fits in with Frank, Harley, and Joe, let alone how she compares to Haley (and Jack from their original run), but you can be the first to find out mid-way through January! Remember, The Water Tower Pub never hosts the same band on Fridays and Saturdays, and this will be a 19+ show at 8:00 PM with no cover. Visit the above links for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril) & More Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue our previews of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, Halloween themed or otherwise! Due to the amount of shows, Saturday's Permanently Pissed-headlined show in Sault Michigan will be featured in our next news post. Here's what you should know for other heavier shows this weekend, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will reportedly return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only confirmed via Kewadin's entertainment page (I have to get caught up on heavier shows there), though be advised that Peril have not confirmed these bookings on their Facebook page. I'll treat them as on unless otherwise confirmed, but these are Peril's first advertised gigs in the E.U.P. since their Soo Kewadin stops in mid-August. While a Halloween theme tomorrow goes without saying, I am unaware of specific seasonal frills beyond what Kewadin Casino proper have announced for tomorrow, so click here for details on the costume contests taking place at casino locations in general. Hopefully Jeff and crew deliver some fun hard rock and classic metal covers for fans at the Soo Kewadin!

If you're curious, Houghton country cover band Highway 41 (not to be confused with the former Highway 63) are scheduled at the St. Ignace Kewadin this weekend. Peril take the stage at The Rapids Lounge at 9:00 PM tomorrow and Saturday with 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and I am not 100% certain if Kewadin will extend Halloween themes to Saturday or not. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Peril live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario for some post-Halloween action to kick off November 2025, and we'll start at Beck's Bar, where there's a double-header of SMS-friendly acts, starting with local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison in SATURDAY's matinee timeslot! Leading off what will be another busy month for fans of his acoustic cover concerts, this will be Tym's first gig at the former Vibe Lounge since July. His talented blend of classic and hard rock covers should get a solid west end reception as usual ON Saturday, so don't miss out! While Tym isn't really known for leaning into Halloween themes with his bookings, Beck's are keeping the spooky themes going all weekend long, so there will be the same costume contests as fans tonight will be competing for, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will also be on hand once again, and seasonal drink specials will be on sale too. 

Musically speaking, Tym will take the stage at 3:00 PM on Saturday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more on the unplugged matinee concert action ahead on Saturday, and here's Tym live! 

If you didn't see the poster above, who is playing the nightcap block on SATURDAY at Beck's Bar? None other than southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will keep the busy Halloween weekend slate going with a high energy and gritty blend of covers and originals! Last seen at Beck's two weeks ago, fans of Bone Yard's entertaining live attack should welcome them with some post-Halloween frills and ambiance, let alone the aforementioned costume contest and more, so don't put your getups away just yet! Of course, it is worth noting that Beck's will be showing game 6 of the World Series during tomorrow's Even Flow concert (go Blue Jays!), but if the Dodgers tie the series, that would force game 7 during the Bone Yard concert. Beck's has been showing the World Series right along, so keep that in mind when balancing concert, baseball, and Halloween plans tomorrow and on Saturday!

Your local 225 take the stage at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and remember, Tym Morrison isn't "opening" for Bone Yard, each has a four hour block spaced two hours apart, but you can hang around to see both with no cover if you want. And no, "the dirty three" are not playing the unplugged Sunday matinee for a change, that honour goes to Out & Out Country, with Halloween themes ongoing for them too. See above for more on this weekend's Halloween action at Beck's, and here's Bone Yard live!

Finally for this post, we'll head to The Water Tower Pub for local classic/hard rock cover veterans Generations' headlining concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Making their first appearance at this venue in almost three months, and just their second live appearance since returning from their two month break, I have not seen any firmly stated Halloween themes for the day after, so I'd inquire within if you're at all curious (tomorrow's proper Halloween party there will be headlined by country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters). With Generations still having a vacant guitarist slot, they have recruited Smokehouse's Michael Yurich to fill in again, while drummer Tony Santoro teased "a special surprise" on Saturday as well, so what is he getting at? Be at the Great Northern Road nightclub to find out! This is an 8:00 PM and 19+ concert with no cover. See above for more details on the old school covers ahead, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but go occupy a venue for Halloween tomorrow or Saturday, with notable bands like Bourbon Blue (at Jay's) and Mid Life Crysis (at The Esquire Club) also rocking stages this weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews (barring any more short notice confirmations), and we're mostly sticking to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. today, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and a related apology for a missed date. Here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we just learned about these shows this past weekend via concert calendar posts on their Facebook page, but they have been listed prior on Kewadin's website's entertainment page. While we're on the subject, I profusely apologize for missing one more show from them, as they performed during the annual Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park in St. Ignace yesterday. How that bypassed me is anyone's guess, especially as the show was listed last month when we covered Tarnished's outdoor gig there, but the idea of Peril playing E.U.P. dates outside of the Kewadin Casino umbrella is still quite uncommon, despite also playing there on July 17th. Hopefully yesterday's show was a blast for Jeff, Howard, and Brooks, and an indoor encore is incoming for fans in the Soo TONIGHT & TOMORROW!

You can enjoy Peril's old school hard rock and metal covers at The Rapids Lounge TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges, and these will be their last local dates of the summer. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing Peril's St. Ignace show yesterday, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario briefly, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago, these will be Generations' first concerts at Reggie's in three weeks, so if you've missed this veteran foursome at the venerable Queen Street East nightclub, this is your last chance for the summer! In the recent posting on their Facebook group, drummer Tony Santoro revealed that they will have Muckrakers frontman Mike McDonald sitting in with them this weekend, as he did multiple times during their guitarist vacancy in 2023. The implication is that Mike is filling in for an absent Tony Kajnar on guitar, but if we hear that Tony K. will still be there, we'll let you know. Generations take the stage tonight & tomorrow at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Back to Michigan now, and remember how Peril played at the Music By The Bay concert series in St. Ignace yesterday? Well, we won't miss the next SMS-amenable show there, as local classic/hard rock (and now covers-only) quartet Tarnished will set up shop at American Legion Park's outdoor stage TOMORROW! While not freshly plugged on the band's Facebook page, this will be Tarnished's second and final stop in this annual series for 2025, and well timed for a Saturday, so if you're up for an evening of hard rocking covers from Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, you know where to go tomorrow! Music By The Bay concerts run from 7:00-8:30 PM at 200 North State Street, and they are obviously all ages with no cover charge. Be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain for much of showtime in St. Ignace tomorrow, so while the stage is covered, I don't know if the weather would complicate things.

Keep tabs with the band & park if you're at all concerned about the forecast. Temperatures will be hovering around 75° (23° Celsius) during showtime as per the current forecast, so keep everything in mind for this show as well as The Nameless in Goetzville and Silent 9 in Laird, Ontario tomorrow given that we have a lot of scheduled hard rock shows outdoors during the upcoming rain event. Visit the above links for more details on Tarnished's outdoor park show in St. Ignace tomorrow evening, and here they are live!

Finally for this weekend's known previews, we'll stay in St. Ignace, where local deathcore quintet Heavy Lies The Crown will make their annual August appearance in their hometown with a headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! After hosting the 2nd Street Music Festival the last two years on that very street, H.L.T.C. have moved the show both a week later than planned but also to a formal indoor venue, namely the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5114 at 1110 North State Street. Regardless, the concert still ties in with frontman Brandon West's birthday earlier this week. Heavy Lies The Crown teased on the Facebook event page that they'll have "a wild surprise" regarding their return to Alpena next week that will be revealed tomorrow, and while I'm unsure of the context, note that temporary guitarist Paul Nolan is still featured in their most recent band photos, so his involvement "for the time being" may continue through tomorrow.

Heavy will be joined tomorrow in St. Ignace by Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora (returning from last year's 2nd Street Fest as replacements for Macomb Country metalcore quartet At Water), as well as Detroit-area metalcore band Nothing After This and alt/nu-metal quintet Influence, both in their E.U.P. concert debuts. Brandon's Birthday Bash is a FREE event at 6:00 PM with no age limit, and with the move to VFW Post 5114, it is no longer an outdoor event (just as well given the forecast). This should be a blast for extreme metal fans in the E.U.P. and tip of the mitt, so don't miss out on the action tomorrow night, as Brandon's birthday only comes once a year! Visit the above links for more details, and here's H.L.T.C. live!

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

Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews, Plus Two Missed Show Apologies!!

Before we begin this news post, I wanted to apologize for a missed concert in our packed Rotaryfest weekend coverage, as local hard rock band HeadF1rst returned to the Pridefest Loud & Proud family fun day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday. I honestly saw no public advertising for a band lineup this year (shouldn't there have been some given the events last week?), but HeadF1rst frontman Red Jettison let me know about it earlier on Sunday. They played this event alongside veteran rock trio Spiders Have Names (who played this event in 2019 under the name Woodwind), though a planned return set by The Apocalypse Afterparty didn't take place. I hope things went well for this Pridefest event, and apologies again!

Now, this preview post takes us to a busy (but not as busy) weekend of hard rock concerts in the twin Saults, with Saturday's WestFest and Generations concerts being held for tomorrow's previews, and we'll start with the big one this weekend, as Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz will return to The Distraction for another basement punk concert TOMORROW NIGHT! As regulars of the East Street all ages venue may recall, Paul and crew kicked off the permanent move of concerts there from the former barbershop upstairs to the once-named Stellar Door downstairs when The Ripcordz took the stage here this past August. That show went very well for the bands' and attendee's sake, and here's hoping for more punk intensity downstairs tomorrow in The Ripcordz' tenth show here since 2013! Fresh off of their Stage 2 debut at Rotaryfest, crossover thrash quarter Hails will return as openers tomorrow as well.

Taking over for 2014 openers The Haze tomorrow are local hard rock quartet Sylo as their summer reunion run continues, so don't miss their energetic originals and covers to kick things off! This all ages (but unlicensed) concert begins tomorrow at 7:00 PM with a cover charge of $20 or "pay what you can", though limited $20 advance tickets were available at The Rad Zone and through the local openers. Should be another great time for fans of fast & furious punk rock, so visit the above links for more details, and here are The Ripcordz live at The Distraction last year!

Next up, let's head to the E.U.P. for some hard rock cover action, and we'll start at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Peril will set up shop TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge! Last seen at the St. Ignace branch at the end of May, this will be Jeff, Howard, and Brooks' first E.U.P. booking since rocking The Rapids Lounge in the Soo last month. This weekend's shows should give fans a strong weekend of hard rocking favourite covers, so keep these in mind if you'll be in the region or are up for a short drive south! Note that Peril have not confirmed these shows on their Facebook page as of late, but they are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page. Tomorrow and Saturday's concerts are 9:00 PM affairs with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live! 

In a brief detour back to Sault Ontario, fans can check out classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison live at Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY! The latest stop in Tym's long run of shows at this Second Line West nightclub in 2025, this will be his first matinee gig there in three weeks, and his first public show anywhere since he played a show that we missed for coverage on here, as he debuted at McCauley's Restaurant in Goulais River this past Saturday. Tym quietly announced the gig via its Facebook event page one week ago today, and I never saw social media reference to it from McCauley's end. Hopefully Tym's trip north to Havilland Bay was a success this past weekend, and I'd have happily covered it had I known about it! Alas, Rotaryfest week is always very busy. We won't miss his Misty's return on Saturday, which has a 19+ age limit, no cover, and a 4:00 PM start time.

Tym's huge setlist of rock covers should drive a solid response at Misty's Fifties on Saturday, so keep this one in mind for some early live music action this weekend! Visit the Misty's Facebook event page for more details, apologies again for missing last week's Goulais River show, and here he is live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Michigan for local hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun's return to Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard on SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen in St. Ignace last week, this will be the Fake Chow successors' first show at Huck's in three months, and comes on day #3 of the annual Rudyard Summerfest, so there should be a larger crowd for all of the action! Technically speaking, Huck's isn't part of the official itinerary (click here for the schedule), but they're smart to capitalize on the festival this weekend by hosting lots of live music, including three days starting tonight (for reference, tomorrow's band there is named Reserection, though I know nothing about them). Whether you'll already be in Rudyard, are up for some live music, or are planning to attend the "biggest party in the EUP", keep Unfortunate Sun's hard rock stylings in mind for Saturday night! This is a 21+ show with a 9:00 PM start time and no cover. See above for more details and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

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