LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Project 906 Concert Previews!!

After a pair of very busy weekends for local hard rock and metal fans in the Twin Saults, things are slightly less hectic to kick off August 2024, as I'll only need two posts to cover this weekend's heavier concerts! To spread things out, I'll hold our previews of this weekend's Tarnished, Half Past, and Curtis McKenzie shows for our next news post hitting the site hopefully by tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! (Updated at 1:07 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has another full month of acoustic solo concerts ahead at his usual seasonal haunts, starting with a show at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and a matinee at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's non-Dive shows, I should have rolled in all of his August dates on the site last month. While we're on the subject, the former Caveman Morrison frontman will bring his unplugged classic and hard rock covers back to The Trading Post (weather permitting) on Friday, August 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, while west end fans will be able to see him on Saturday, August 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st at Misty's! Remember that he only plays at the former venue seasonally, and that arrangement ends for 2024 late next month.

Yes, this weekend's shows fall on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many readers, while the August 30th-31st shows are on the Labour Day long weekend, so if you get either Monday off, keep the scheduling in mind! Note that Tym was originally scheduled to play a "Think It Over Thursday" concert at The Dive Gastro Pub tonight as well, but it was cancelled due to illness, as per the venue's Facebook page earlier today. No word on if Tym's health will impede TOMORROW or SATURDAY's shows, but we'll let you know if we hear anything, and hopefully he feels better soon! TOMORROW'S and this month's Mike Case Stage shows also begin at 7:00, and SATURDAY'S and this month's Misty's matinees are at 4:00 PM. None have a cover charge, and the Misty's Fifties show is presumed to be 19+. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies TOMORROW with temperatures hovering around 25°.

The forecast implies that we're coming out of the humid snap that has hit the Soo hard this week, but it'll still be a warm one for fans seeing Tym out on Great Northern Road TOMORROW, so stay cool and hydrated where possible! Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details on all of Tym's August concerts, and here he is live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan for some live hard rock concerts this weekend, starting with local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906, who have a busy weekend ahead via two outdoor concerts in the E.U.P.! The guys will first head to Pickford TOMORROW NIGHT for an outdoor set at this year's Pickford Hay Days, taking place this week throughout the town, but 906 will be performing at Pickford Township Park at 287 Harold Street #279. Food trucks will be on hand thanks to the Hay Days festival, but there will be a more poignant cause to support as well. Guitarist Joe Jenkins' wife Mary Jo has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and while tomorrow's concert is free, the band is raising money to help support Mary Jo and the family at this difficult time. The Curbside Cravings food truck at Hay Days will also be donating some proceeds to Mary Jo tomorrow.

Having lost my mother to ovarian cancer, I can definitely relate to what Mary Jo and the Jenkins & Croft families are going through right now, so our best support and wishes go out to her during this fight! You can enjoy Project 906's hard rocking covers tomorrow night at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and weather is expected to be similar to Tym Morrison's Sault Ontario show TOMORROW, with sunny-clear weather at 73-80° Fahrenheit (23-27° Celsius). Visit Hay Days' Facebook page for full details on remaining festival events and the official Facebook event page for more on 906's show proper! That's not all for the #summerof906 this weekend though, as Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason(?) will also head to Cedarville for another special outdoor concert on SATURDAY when they join three other bands for this year's Government Bay Barge Bash, literally playing on a barge on the water off the coast of the Les Cheneaux Islands!

Project 906 will literally be rocking Lake Huron just off the coast of Government Island (near Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street) as the second of four bands on Saturday, joining Sugar Island rock quartet Dirty Musky (more on them soon) at 6:00 PM, Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore at 4:00 PM, and veteran pop rockers The Mark Bowen Band at 12:00 PM (906 are at 2:00 PM). For the record, the Barge Bash is not openly tied to any charitable drives for Mary Jo, but I doubt they'd turn away any support there. There's no age limit or cover charge for the Barge Bash, but as it's being held on the water, attendees with boats or a love of the beach/swimming will obviously benefit. As this is outdoors, the current weather forecast is calling for a high of 84° Fahrenheit (29° Celsius) with sunny-clear weather, so very similar to tomorrow in Pickford. If you love the warm summer weather, it should be ideal waterfront conditions then!

Whether you'd prefer to see Project 906 on terra firma in Pickford or in Government Bay surrounded by water and boats, you have some very appealing outdoor options this weekend! Visit the above links for complete details on both of their shows ahead, and for a preview, here they are live!

That's all for now, but we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906!!)

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 have announced their summer concert slate via their Facebook page, which is the sole topic today! No word on where they've been since their last date in February, but they have multiple dates around the E.U.P. scheduled in July and August, while also announcing solo dates from frontman Billy Bernier in Mackinac Island (which is outside of our coverage range) and at The Islander Bar in Hessel tomorrow night. I'm not sure if Billy's solo show is basically Project 906 unplugged or if he explores less hard rock in his sets, so I won't cover that show on here just in case, but keep it in mind if you're in Hessel! If you want to see the full splendour with Joe, Dustin, and Jason too, they have two private bookings next month, but their first public date in five months will see them rock the aforementioned Islander Bar on Friday, July 5th with a return planned for Saturday, August 10th!

The former show is a normal affair, but the latter will be a special matinee set during the Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show, an event that 906 did play last year as well, albeit at a normal nighttime timeslot then. It's too soon yet to know what possible changes could be in store on August 10th, but last year, The Islander Bar had four nights of live music from different nightly acts the week of the boat show. Stay tuned for any updates! On Saturday, July 13th, Project 906 will return to The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in nearby Kinross for an outdoor concert, and their first show at this venue since last summer. Should be a good time in a relatively unique setting, so keep their Well Diggers return in mind also! Then on Friday, July 26th, the guys will return to the Soo for a concert at The Merchant's Bar alongside "special guests" The City Lines, so who are they?

As best as I can tell, 906 are actually opening for The City Lines, a power pop trio from Ann Arbor whose frontman is Sault Ste. Marie native and Sault Tribe member Patrick Deneau. Not the heaviest band going, but fans of indie rock and midwest emo (let alone more recent material by The Northwest) will take to The City Lines, and it's cool to see Patrick play a show at home like this, let alone the rare sight of Project 906 opening for a touring band! Moving ahead to August for another festival set, Project 906 will make their debut at Pickford Hay Days on Friday, August 2nd, and while they didn't specify the locale beyond saying that it'd be outdoors, the festival's Facebook event page confirms that they're playing at Pickford Township Park (no word on extra bands). Click here for full non-musical details on Hay Days, but food trucks will be nearby for festival and/or concert attendees, and you are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The last of the newly announced Project 906 shows will see them play in Cedarville on Saturday, August 3rd for this year's tenth annual Government Bay Barge Bash, which I am pretty sure is returning to its literal location on a floating barge in Government Bay in front of Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street. Promotion for this year's Barge Bash has not begun that I've seen, but this event has featured multiple bands in recent years, and how unique is it to see bands playing literally on the water? Note that one of the bands that played last year's Barge Bash (which didn't have known-to-me hard rock bands at the time) was Dirty Musky, a new band featuring 415E alumni Dave Menard and Brett Blackwood alongside Brett's dad Fran (of Clownsack fame). Despite that lineup, Dirty Musky have given no indication of their set/sound on social media, so I won't rush them into our coverage, but keep them in mind!

Most of these shows have 8:00 PM start times, but the Pickford show is at 7:00 PM, the Cedarville show is to be announced (remember, multiple bands play that), and the Hessel boat show gig in August is a 4:00 PM matinee. The Islander Bar, Well Diggers, and Merch shows are all 21+ while the rest are all ages, and while none have a stated cover charge, do inquire within as far as the annual festivals go. It's great to see Project 906 back (even without Strongs Tavern returns booked, surprisingly), so look for their hard rocking cover slate at multiple E.U.P. venues in the coming months, and stay tuned for more news on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Highway 63) & Our Theatre Of Night Concert Previews!!

As promise, our extended preview of this weekend's remaining Sault Michigan metal concerts makes up the bulk of this morning's post, including a new video of that band in action, but we are leading off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend for you Yooper readers to check out! Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 will end their year+ concert hiatus at the previously teased Dondee Lanes concert on Saturday, December 22nd! The band termed this event as a "back on the road party", but the venue is calling this their Christmas party, and it will take place inside the bowling alley's nightclub, which was renamed from the Sportman's Lounge to the Double D Bar & Grill this fall, complete with it's own Facebook page. I don't know whether or not there were renovations in conjunction with the renaming, but the new moniker works well enough, and it has more allusions to the Dondee name than before! The Christmas party proper will be an all day event with drink specials and a pizza/wing buffet, but Highway 63's return set will cap off the night, in what will be their first public show since late 2017, and their first since drummer Justin Lawless & their yet-unrevealed new bassist replaced Ron Suchey & Chris Leask.

This should be a fine way for Highway 63 to resume their local run, with their new lineup and setlist in tow, so keep all of the action in mind for next Saturday! The party begins at 12:00 PM (with Highway 63 playing at 8:00 PM), this is presumably a 21+ event, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event page & above for complete details on the Christmas party, Highway 63's return, and the newly renamed Double D Bar, which is now included in our venue listing for the Dondee!

Next up, here's our last concert previews for this weekend, as local classical metal project Theatre of Night will make the local stops of their second Christmas tour this weekend, including a return to the Pickford United Methodist Church TONIGHT and their debut at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch TOMORROW NIGHT! Earlier teasers of a Sunday date in Sault Ste. Marie have not had a public follow-through. Just under a year removed from their dates in Pickford & at The Soo Theater, this talented ensemble will return almost intact from 2017, with only singer Stacie McCarthy absent from the first tour. Fans across Michigan have been enjoying Theatre of Night's metal-infused take on Christmas standards for over a month now, and it'll be great to have Craig, Steve, Rachel, Scott, and Erik back home for the holidays! Tonight's Pickford show (at 115 East Church Street) will have a later 7:00 PM start time compared to last year, and is absolutely ALL AGES.

Like last year, there is no admission fee, but a free will offering will be taken at the church. As for tomorrow's Kewadin gig (a rare show of this scale there from a local headliner), this special concert will be held in The Dreammaker's Theater's table seating configuration, and to go along with that, food, drinks, and a cash bar will be on hand for willing patrons. Some proceeds for this show will go towards local Salvation Army operations, and the Sault Lions Club is helping put this on, so some worthy causes are involved this weekend! Tickets are still available at this link, at the in-person box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN for $15 at a table or $25 in the theatre seating. Similarly, a 7:00 PM start time is advertised, and this is definitely ALL AGES as well. This should be a great weekend of metallized Christmas standards from a very talented quintet of local and Western Michigan notables, you'll be entertained at either venue over the coming days! Note that the tour ends in Holland next Sunday.

For complete details on both of this weekend's concerts, visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here, and for a preview, here's a new video of Theatre of Night in concert, as live-streamed on their Facebook page from their show last week! This concert took place at the Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, so this is arguably more of a preview of tonight's Pickford church show than anything. The video was taken on a stationary camera behind what appears to be all of the seats, so the distance isn't optimal, but you do get a good sense of the church's grandeur and design! The live-stream unfortunately includes 20 minutes of set-up, but from then on, you'll get the band's full 2018 stage show for 75 or so minutes, so if you can't come out this weekend, this is a must watch! Carols performed include (in order) "What Child Is This?", "Carol of the Bells", "The Little Drummer Boy", "Away In A Manger", "The Nutcracker Suite", "Silent Night", "O Come All Ye Faithful"...

... "O Holy Night", "Hark The Herald Angels Sing", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "We Three Kings", plus some instrumental/aria spots, and all as bookended with pre-recorded narration about the birth of Jesus and the nativity, keeping with the setlist's rough concept. Theatre of Night sound great here, and Rachel's vocals are beautiful, so fans of Christmas carols done heavy will enjoy how this turned out! If only the camera was zoomed in more, and if only more people came out! Whether or not you can see the guys in Pickford tonight or in the Soo tomorrow, give Theatre of Night's full live concert experience a look below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Toystock VII & Theatre Of Night!!)

Today's post is full of the Christmas spirit, though out of early necessity, as we have some big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to touch on on this snowy Wednesday evening! We also have some videos to address regarding one half of these concert announcements, so here's what you should know!

The lineup for the seventh annual Toystock charity concert has been unveiled via promoters (Choose) Maxx Entertainment's Facebook page earlier today, so what should you know? Returning to the Grand Gardens North for it's fourth straight year on Sunday, November 25th, the format is very similar to past years, with 10 bands in 10 hours playing for the Christmas Cheer cause, and with admission via new/gently used toy, non-perishable food, or money donations, hopefully lots of good will come of Toystock VII next month! One assumes that the Stuff-A-Bus, family vendors, and Santa & Mrs. Claus will be back too, but the poster doesn't go into those specifics. Unusually for Toystock, this year's event primarily features returning bands from past years, where prior installments mostly had newcomers, so who all can you see this year? Two hard rock bands are on the bill, namely local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck (who also played last year) and acoustic hard rock/jam trio The Wyld Stallyns in their Toystock debut, though Rob & Jesse played with The Elements 2 years ago.

If the order on the poster is accurate, local country cover quartet Bone Yard will headline at 9:00 PM on November 25th, in their fifth straight Toystock set and sixth overall (each event records.) Soundcheck appear to be at 8:00 PM, while classic rock veterans Obsession will play Toystock for the third time and first since 2013 at 7:00 PM. New local acoustic quartet Chunks of Manh will being their tuba-infused sound to Toystock for the first time at 6:00 PM, with local country musician Brendan Hodgson also debuting at this event at 5:00 PM. Classic rock fan favourites The Algo Rhythms will make their third Toystock appearance in four years at 4:00 PM, while a Case's Music student group will play Toystock for a third straight year at 3:00 PM. The Wyld Stallyns are at 2:00 PM, and "Jeff & Friends" are advertised for 1:00 PM, and while I am not 100% positive, I believe this refers to country artist/local radio DJ Jeff McNeice, who also played last year in Jeff & Jeff.

Finally, the 12:00 PM opening set belongs to Bone Yard's acoustic country duo side project The Bearded Lounge, who also played last year. Though 2018's bill is more centered around returning bands than ever before, it's great to see so many performers jumping on board to help Christmas Cheer, and might Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas donate another drumkit to a lucky young attendee? This is an ALL AGES event that will surely help kick off the holiday season in fine form, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, the dates for Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night's second Christmas tour have been announced, so where can you see them over the holidays? Locally speaking, they will end the tour in the E.U.P., including a return to the Pickford United Methodist Church on Friday, December 14th, where they ended last year's tour at. This still may seem like an atypical venue, but remember that Theatre of Night specialize in metal versions of Christmas carols, more often biblical/nativity ones, so they fit that way. This year's tour will end on Saturday, December 15th in Sault Ste. Marie, but they're moving on up from The Soo Theater last year to The Dreammaker's Theater at Kewadin Casino in two months! It's rare when a local band headlines at this venue (as opposed to The Rapids Lounge), so expect a grand orchestral night there for your holiday entertainment! The tour will begin with four shows in the Lower Peninsula next month, similarly to their tour kickoff dates last year.

Those dates include two at the Blanchard Wesleyan Church (a half hour west of Mount Pleasant) from November 9th-10th, and two at The Foundry in Zeeland (just outside of Holland) from November 30th-December 1st, so keep those in mind if you'll be in Central Michigan then. The local dates in December are ALL AGES events with 6:00 & 7:00 PM start times respectively, and while the Pickford church show has no advertised admission fee, stay tuned for word on the Kewadin gig. It's great to see another run of Christmas concerts from this talented local outfit, so visit the Facebook event pages linked here for more details! We'll close today's post with some new videos from Theatre of Night, starting with this live video filmed by keyboardist Craig Harrison for their Facebook group on October 6th, where guitarist Steve Giles is playing guitar alongside an uncredited performer playing "drums" on an iPad application. Nice and heavy, if brief and not seasonal, but worth a watch for fans!

Embedded below is another live video, this time posted on their Facebook page the previous day, which features Steve and Craig playing what they called a "random ambient jam". Filmed similarly to the other clip in a vertical angle, this doesn't have the same heavy qualities, but it's effectively done and shows Steve & Craig's skill nicely! Give these videos a look above and below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site soon, including weekend concert previews if any hard rock shows surface! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

For our first news post of August 2018, we're mostly diving into weekend concert previews, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, but we also have a new solo video to check out as well. Here's what you should know!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to Room 21 for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT as part of... Fish Bowl Friday?! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Tuesday. After taking a month and a half off from public concerts, the Elements side project will return to the Low & Slow sister bar for another night of unplugged and fan-involved action TOMORROW, so whether you're a fan or thinking about joining in, you know where to be tomorrow! As noted above, this is not Finger Food Friday, and it's too late in the year to be a Fishbowl Festival reference, so what's the theme referencing? While the venue didn't elaborate on Facebook, other websites imply that drinks will be served in fishbowls as a special offer, so if drink specials and large receptacles are a drawing card, keep that angle in mind for tomorrow night!

As usual for The Wyld Stallyns' Room 21 shows, TOMORROW'S concert has a 19+ age limit, no announced cover charge, and a 10:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

 

Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts, starting with Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906's trip to nearby Pickford TOMORROW NIGHT when they play at that town's annual Hay Days festival! As noted in the official program, 906 will be the featured musical attraction the outdoor stage on Main Street tomorrow at 7:30 PM, preceding a dance party featuring music mixed by Dance Commander DJ. There's lots of family entertainment going down at Hay Days tomorrow, as well as today, Saturday, and even some closing events on Sunday, so be sure to visit the above links for more on the non-musical events there and elsewhere! This year's Hay Days theme is actually "Making Music", and there are some more concerts going down on other days, notably including Thieves In The Night at The Sundown Lounge on Saturday. Private gigs aside, this will be Project 906's first public concert set since their Strongs trip a couple of weeks ago.

I can't confirm the other "local talent" teased for tomorrow's outdoor concert action, but Project 906's fan favourite hard rocking covers should be a boon for attending Hay Days fans, so don't miss out on the action in Pickford! This is a FREE & ALL AGES concert tomorrow evening, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

 
Lastly for known hard rock/punk concerts this weekend, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for the local debut of Montreal ska/jazz punk quartet The Costanzas, who will headline at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Already making waves with their edgy but fun blend of sub-genres, The Costanzas' rocking punk originals should get a solid audience at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, so give them a listen in advance of this one! Local punk trio Stegadeth will play their first concert set since their Spiderfest road trip on Saturday, while the second opener was quietly confirmed late last month, namely extreme/death metal quartet Winkstinger, who will be making their first live concert appearance of 2018, in what could be a preview of their Oh!No festival set in September. Great to see them back at last! This concert is brought to you by Six, Two, Oh., in apparent association with The Killennials, a mysterious new agency or company that we await further information on.

This stop on The Costanzas' Canadian tour has a $5 cover charge, a 9:00 PM start time, and a 19+ age limit in effect. Punk fans would be well served to check out this concert, especially with a dash of metal for good measure, so visit the Facebook event page for more, and here's The Costanzas live!



Finally, here's a new video from prolific local hard rock musician Tym Morrison's new YouTube channel! Not sure why he'd launch a new one (or name it after his defunct band Caveman Morrison), but Tym's first video there is actually of an instrumental techno song named "Advanced Dance". This is definitely against his usual type, but as he noted in the description, "I'm not just a guitar shredder." The song is well programmed, and it's an interesting change of pace, so give it a listen bellow! Note that Tym has no advertised solo shows this weekend, but his personal Facebook page had mentioned a recent private gig, plus fill-ins with The Dorian Gray Band.



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906), Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

On this Saturday morning, let's finally wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews (and a related missed show apology), while also tackling a recent concert video, some assorted recent updates, and leading off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month in the E.U.P.!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock quartet Project 906 have a busy month ahead, so where can you see them live in August? After a couple of weeks off (a private event this weekend aside), this fan favourite band will make their debut appearance at nearby Pickford's annual Hay Days festival on Friday, August 3rd on an outdoor stage on Main Street, as part of the varied festivities and events on the festival's fourth of six days in operation. Other "local talent" is hyped as part of the day's program, but aren't outright stated by name. In any event, 906's set is slated to begin at 7:30 PM, and this is a FREE & ALL AGES event. Click here for full festival details on the 3rd and elsewhere! Next, Project 906 will play a solo concert at The Superior Cafe in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, August 10th, in a rare headlining appearance in their hometown, so look for more hard rocking hits from them there! This show will be an 8:00 PM evening affair with no announced cover charges or age limits.

These join another new show in Paradise on Saturday, August 18th as part of their annual Wild Blueberry Festival, but Paradise is just outside of our coverage range (1 hour's drive time from Sault Ste. Marie.) That said, if you're not near Rudyard for that afternoon's Musicians Festival set, this is another valid option! Project 906 have a lot of fun family concerts lined up for August 2018, so visit the above links and their Facebook page for complete details on these and other previously announced dates!

Next up, here's one more concert preview for this weekend, as former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will play a belated birthday concert at Room 21 in Sault Ontario TONIGHT! Originally scheduled for last night on his birthday proper, this concert was postponed to (Sangria) Saturday due to yesterday's concert from Toronto guitarist Harley Card, which hopefully was a hit! This is Tym's second straight appearance there as the Sangria Saturday headliner, and for the occasion, there will be drink specials and half-price drinks when bought for Tym, so keep those angles in mind, and we do wish Tym a happy birthday as well! This may seem like a quiet weekend for Tym, especially in week one of his Gliss Steak & Seafood hiatus while that venue relocates, but not really, as he actually played an acoustic set on Thursday evening during the Downtown Street Party, playing outside of Tamar's Trends & Flower Shop. Unfortunately, we didn't hear of that set until it was too late to cover here.

I profusely apologize for missing that, but hopefully Tym had a great outdoor set, and we'd have covered it here had it Tym announced earlier than Thursday afternoon! As well, while he's never played Rotaryfest as a solo artist, he will be performing there today as part of the one-off classic rock band The Sun Dogs that's on Stage 1 at 3:00 PM, so look for him at Clergue Park too! As for tonight's Room 21 show, that has no cover charge, a 19+ age limit, and a late 11:00 PM start time, presumably to avoid conflicting with The Stampeders' featured Rotaryfest set. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also today, here's a video of Reading, Pennsylvania technical death metal band Rivers of Nihil from their headlining set at The Rockstar Bar two weeks ago, as live streamed onto promoters Live705's Facebook page! Apologies for the delay in this making the site. While unfortunately filmed on a vertical camera angle, the audio quality is solid, and you do get 25 minutes of the headliners' set to enjoy! Don't let appearances deceive you either, the video's only filmed so distantly for the first 4½ minutes, before the filmer moves to the corner of the stage, which gives a nice angle of Jake's interaction with the front row fans in particular. Give this video a look below!



Finally, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• It looks like reunited local funk/hard rock/improv collective Gianni Gagoots did indeed drop out of the Road Waves concert at LopLops Lounge last Friday, as per their quiet removal from the Facebook event page's description, with no replacement opener stated. This, combined with the second deletion of their Facebook page, does not paint a good picture for their active status, though for what it's worth, they are still listed for the Northern Vibe Festival next month in Ophir (date unclear.) At this rate, I doubt they're playing that event, but stay tuned in case something is said either way!
• Before rocking Spiderfest in Meyersburg once again last week, local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades and their sister band Stegadeth played a concert at The Atria in Oshawa the previous day. Hopefully that concert was a blast, and look for both bands on a local stage near you in the coming weeks!
• As part of this article from The Other Side Reviews featuring performers on the final Vans Warped Tour, an unidentified member of local punk trio Redundant was interviewed briefly about their Warped Tour memories and 2018 plans. Short but sweet promotion! Aside from teasing a possible fall tour, there wasn't anything new to report there. Redundant's one-off Warped Tour date in Toronto took place on Tuesday when they co-headlined the Full Sail Stage to a positive reception, and while copies of their debut EP were reportedly on hand (source here), we have seen no reference to their contents or local availability yet. Stay tuned!

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

Theatre Of Night Concert Previews & New Videos, Plus More Recent Updates!!

Today's post does indeed feature our previews of this weekend's Theatre of Night shows, but with a lot to say and unpack for their Christmas tour finale, we have extended our previews to cover most of this post, as rounded out with some assorted Sault Ontario news and notes. Without any further adieu, here's what you should know for this weekend!

After months of anticipation and teasers, Sault Michigan classical/metal project Theatre of Night will finally hit the local stage this weekend with the final announced stops of their Christmas tour! These include their well-hyped Soo Theatre debut TOMORROW NIGHT, while they'll bring the live experience out to Pickford THIS SUNDAY for a special matinee show at the Pickford United Methodist Church, so fans have two options to see them this weekend! Though the tour has commenced in Jackson and in Illinois, these will be Theatre of Night's first public concerts in the E.U.P. in four and a half years, and first here to be explicitly themed around their "Christmas Night" album and related material. With live shows requiring a full band, these will see Craig & Steve joined by five touring(?) band members, primarily from the Grand Rapids/Muskegon area, including singers Rachel Mender (their former I.S.O.M. bandmate) and Stacie McCarthy, bassist Scott Andringa, and drummer Erik Sales. It will be very interesting to see the full sextet on a local stage this weekend, so keep everyone in mind!

Tomorrow's Soo Theatre show is the bigger production, given it's location in the historic downtown theatre, with proceeds from the concert going to the Soo Theatre's Raise the Roof Project and recovery efforts following the fire back in October, so this show will help restore the venue in two different ways! There will be a meet & greet of some kind after the show, while The Soo Cello Crew (a chamber-style group conducted by Maggie Twining formed through recent classes there) will open the proceedings with their own classical renditions. As for Sunday's show at the Pickford United Methodist Church, this will be a more intimate show preceded by a Christmas potluck dinner at 4:00 PM, and this should provide a fitting atmosphere for their live show, especially as most of their songs come from religious/nativity-based carols. A Christmas program featuring Sunday school class performances will precede Theatre of Night during their regular service, click here for details if you are so inclined.

Tomorrow's Soo Theater show features $15 adult admission, $10 for students with valid student ID, and $5 for Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios (STARS) members, with tickets available online at this link, at the venue's in-person box office, and presumably at the door, while the Pickford show has no advertised admission fee. The shows start at 7:00 PM tomorrow and 5:00 PM on Sunday, and both are ALL AGES. For more details, visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here! This is all shaping up to be a huge weekend for Theatre of Night and company, especially as the first band to play The Soo Theatre since the fire in October, , and hopefully both of these shows are a huge hit so that we see some permutation of Theatre of Night on stage again in the future! There are more new videos to touch on of theirs, but for a preview, here's some videos from their show at Cheers Live Music Venue in Midlothian, Illinois (outside of Chicago) last week! These were uploaded to the band's YouTube channel yesterday, but what should you know on these?

These feature Theatre of Night performing their renditions of "Carol of the Bells" and, as embedded below, "O Holy Night", and while the stationary angle could be a little more centered, the band sounds solid, and Rachel & Stacie's vocals add a nice dimension to the carols! It should be noted that ex-Elipzis guitarist Chris Webster is not seen here or in any recent media, though I can't confirm if he's out of the whole tour, or just had prior scheduling conflicts. Hopefully nothing bad happened, he would have been a solid component for the tour! Still, you couldn't ask for a more seasonal show for the holidays, so give these a look below, and don't miss out this weekend!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• I have moved Sault Ontario hard/pop rock quartet Heavy Head to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity. This union of Suicide Kings, Jack Spades, Winkstinger, and Bear Hunters alumni will be best remembered from a smattering of early 2016 shows, including a set in last year's VM Radio Battle of the Bands semifinals, but updates quietly ended last summer, save for an impromptu return during a November open jam session. Heavy Head had a lot of talent and promise, and hopefully we see Mike, Jesse, Daniel, and Johnny out there again at some point!
• The annual Hempfest concert/marijuana culture festival was permanently cancelled this spring. Organizer Robert Neron announced the news on the Hempfest website in May, citing a "lack of money" and sponsorship for his reasons, as complicated by his own health concerns, though he thanked fans, performers, and sponsors for their support, and left open the possibility of passing the event on to new organizers. Hempfest had permanently moved from nearby Ophir to Moonbeam in 2014, so it's no longer directly relevant to the site, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Best of luck to Robert in his future endeavours!
• In a change to one of links of local concert/musician photographers, I've replaced Jeff McKersie Photography's website (which is currently down) with his still-active Facebook page. Minor update, but now that's accurate again, and check Jeff's page out to see his pictures or inquire about shoots of your own!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site as the month rolls along! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Theatre of Night), Banned Concert Previews, And More From Sault Michigan!!

As promised, here's the second half of this weekend's very quiet slate of hard rock concert previews, but it works out well, as today's post is 100% devoted to bands and concerts in the Sault Michigan area, including videos and updates from a handful of local acts! Here's what you should know to kick off December, starting with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Sault Michigan classical metal collective Theatre of Night have added a few new gigs to their Christmas tour, and they include their Pickford debut on Sunday, December 17th when they rock the Pickford United Methodist Church at 115 East Church Street! It's not every day when we cover a show in Pickford, let alone one in an active church, but the setting fits given that they do perform religious Christmas carols. Promoted as "an intimate show" with a pot-luck dinner of some kind also teased, this joins tour kick-off dates tomorrow & Saturday night in Jackson, so mid-Michigan fans will get a chance to see Theatre of Night sooner than anyone else! Click here for details on those shows. A special 5:00 PM start time is in effect for this show, which is assuredly ALL AGES, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for much more on Theatre of Night's Christmas tour plans soon, including on the Soo Theater show the previous night!

Next up, here's our previews of Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned 's next gigs at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! A week and a half removed from their pre-Thanksgiving gig at the Dondee, this will be the Traynors & Wayne's first concert weekend at the Soo Kewadin branch in almost four months. These are also their final advertised concerts of 2017, though of course, we'll address potential local gigs as they come in, perhaps as we get closer to the holidays. Of course, Banned's often-hard rocking covers and fan favourite atmosphere should get crowds going at The Rapids Lounge over these next two nights, so don't miss out tonight and/or tomorrow for all of the action! These 21+ shows have no announced cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!



Also, here's a new video from last week's Bret Michaels concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Soo Kewadin! Uploaded by attendee Rhiannon Singer on Wednesday, this cell phone video is of Bret covering Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" to open his set, as seen in much longer detail from another attendee at this link. The 41 second run time, vertical camera angle, and muffled guitars don't help the quality, but the video is good for what it is, and it's nice to see some more footage online, so check it out below!

Finally, here's some overdue updates from local hard rock quartet Project 906, so what have they been up to over the past month? While there hasn't been a public show on their schedule since October, they did play a private event in Newberry early last month, while guitarist Joe Jenkins & singer Billy Bernier played a Relay For Life benefit concert at Lake Superior State University on November 17th alongside Joe's Crooked Music colleague Zac Crook and Dead Water Tapes guitarist Garrett Chevrette. We did not call the show on here for coverage as it was officially advertised as a solo set by Joe, and I couldn't immediately verify if he would be playing similar material as 906 do or not, but hopefully it was a great time for the cause! While we wait for Project 906's next live gigs, the band shared three videos onto their Facebook page on November 8th from what appear to be the aforementioned Newberry private gig, so what should you know on these?

Filmed by attendee Ellen Grigsby and shared from Joe's personal Facebook page, the videos feature Project 906 covering Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal", and as embedded below, Tesla's "Modern Day Cowboy". Not bad at all, and I like how Billy's voice is developing on the latter two songs (raspy yet rangy!), but the lighting isn't always optimal, and the music can sound a little muddled through this camera. Give these new Project 906 videos a look above & below, and hopefully we hear more from them soon!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums? post next! Thanks everyone!

Frightlight & Banned Concert Previews, Plus Some New Videos!!

As we end one of busiest ever months at the SMS, we're heading full speed into August with this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews! It's a quieter weekend with just two known shows so far, barring late notice heavier concert announcements, and while I have read at least one reference to a Tym Morrison show tomorrow, a more concrete confirmation has yet to come out that I've seen. We'll cover any late notice shows tomorrow if possible, but I've filled out this post with a couple new video discoveries from each side of the border, so read on below for what you need to know! (Updated at 4:53 PM)

Local concert promoter Johnny Pints' eighth Thursday night concert at The Roosevelt Hotel goes down TONIGHT when his local horror punk/metal band Frightlight plays their second show of the year to help fundraise for an upcoming short film! Returning bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras has been taking filmmaking courses out of town in recent months, and money raised tonight will go towards funding his short film "The Kid Who Made The Face", and as added incentive, all paid attendees will get a credit in the film, so how's that for a different bonus? Originally scheduled for The Algonquin Hotel on July 27th before being moved & postponed, Frightlight and their entertaining Misfits-inspired punk/metal hybrid sound will be joined by local death metal notables The Bear Hunters tonight in what will actually be their last show with rhythm guitarist Josh Stephney, who has not yet moved out of town! My source is lead guitarist Mitch Sirie's personal Facebook page, and if you missed Oddzfest, you have a second chance to send Josh off with their brutal death metal originals! Tonight's other band is local punk trio Redundant, who should put in an entertaining set of their own full of originals and covers, so don't miss them!

Remember, Brazilian metal band Sanitarium are NOT headlining this show anymore, having dropped out around the time of the show's postponement. Admission will be $5 for this 19+ concert with a 9:00 PM start time, and for more details, visit the official Facebook event page and the newly updated concert's commercial to reflect the date & venue change! It'll be great to see Mike/Eddie back with Frightlight (I assume) after a 9 month absence, and hopefully lots of money is raised for his movie with this talented lineup of metal & punk bands! For a preview, here's Frightlight playing "They All Float" last year!

Also this weekend, Kinross classic/hard rock quintet Banned will return to the local stage with a show on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Sundown Lounge in nearby Pickford, Michigan! Last seen playing in the Lower Peninsula at a battle of the bands at the Charlevoix Venetial Festival on July 22nd, they'll play their first Pickford concert in three months on Saturday, for what should be an entertaining blend of hard rock and classic rock covers, so keep it in mind this weekend! There's no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and a start time of 9:00 PM is likely. For more details, check the above links (though note that this show was announced way back in March if you're looking for a direct source.) This should be another solid show from Banned, so don't miss it for some diverse hard rock originals and covers, and for a preview, here's Banned covering The Black Keys earlier this year!



We'll close today's post with some new video discoveries, including a newly found cover of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Sault Ontario classic rock cover quintet Mustang Heart! Uploaded to Local2's Mike Caruso's personal YouTube channel on July 6th, 2010, this came from a set that Mustang Heart played downtown at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion for Canada Day that year, and the video combines audio of the song with slideshow photos of their set and video of the July 1st fireworks. It's a good cover with an interesting trade off between male & female vocals, but the fireworks audio does compromise the quality a bit. Check out the full video below, and stay tuned in case more non-metal bands' hard rock covers pop up!



Finally for today, here's another online-streamable copy of a Kewadin Casino commercial for an upcoming hard rock show, this time to promote the Night Ranger/John Waite concert at The Dreammaker's Theater on September 22nd! It is what it is, showing band photos and text effects with a solid voice over, though there's no video footage of the band or John, and the text movements can get in the way a bit. Check out the ad below, and get your tickets at this link, the Soo Kewadin box office, or at 1-800-KEWADIN, as there's still plenty of tickets remaining from the second row and back!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Where Are The New Albums? post TOMORROW, and for more news on the site as it rolls in, including possible late notice concerts! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Lucky 13), Weekend Concert Previews, And New Banned Videos!!

Now into day #46 of our posting streak at the SMS, today's post is almost completely dedicated to previews of this weekend's metal/hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults & area tonight & tomorrow, including a Eastern U.P. band's return after an off weekend (plus new videos of theirs), and a major upcoming punk/metal concert, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT, so here's what you need to know for this weekend!

Sault Ontario alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to the stage TONIGHT at The Nicolet Tavern! Apologies for the short notice, but the show was only just announced on Wednesday, so I saved it for tonight's concert preview-centric post. Almost a month removed from their St. Patrick's Day Weekend gig at The Rockstar Bar, this talented veteran quartet featuring Route 69, Bangers & Mash, and Gully Yodelers are sure to be amped up for their second Nicolet gig, and they're promising rock n' roll good times, so why not come out to see Lucky 13 live tonight? Most of the action's tomorrow, but this could suit your Friday hard rock needs! Admission is likely free for TONIGHT'S one night only gig, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:30 PM-ish start time. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be an entertaining night of 1990s-leaning alternative & hard rock covers, so don't miss this quality newer local band later this evening at The Nic! For a preview, here's Lucky 13 covering The Stone Temple Pilots' "Interestate Love Song" last fall!



Now to the previews of previously announced Saturday hard rock shows, starting with the hugely anticipated return of Montreal punk legends The Ripcordz to Sault Ste. Marie TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at The Speak Easy in August 2007, this hard touring veteran trio are certainly no strangers to the region dating back many years, and I know there's many local punk fans that are extremely eager for another chance to see these true Canadian punk icons in the Soo! Like the 2007 show, there will be local metal opening bands, including another long awaited local stage return courtesy of local old school hardcore quintet Destroilet! After over two years away from local shows (for reasons still not publically clear), this band of local hardcore, metal, and punk mainstays should have a chaotic set of originals and covers in store for their return, including many cuts from their new full length album! The other opening band is local punk/metal quartet T-Rex Manning (in their first show under their usual name since November), and their covers & originals should entertain fans as the set the tone for this show tomorrow night! Note that their inclusion is extra fitting, given that frontman/show promoter J.D. Pearce & drummer Rick White previously opened for The Ripcordz with a late-era Fitswitch lineup at the 2007 show.

This concert WILL be taking place downstairs at The Algonquin Pub & Sports Bar, after being briefly moved upstairs to The Rockstar Bar, but as far as I know, scheduling conflicts forced the move back downstairs, so the advertising is all still correct! Tickets can be purchased for $10 in advance at The Algonquin Hotel,  The Rad Zone, and Case's Music, along with from select opening band members, and the show has a 9:00 PM door opening time & a 19+ age limit. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! This should be a huge concert for both punk & metal fans, and hopefully The Ripcordz tear up the Soo once again tomorrow! I'll 100% see you guys there, and for a preview, here's Destroilet playing two covers at the old Coch's Corner in 2010!

Finally for heavier weekend concerts, Kinross classic/hard rock quintet Banned are scheduled to return to The Sundown Lounge in Pickford, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT as they return to their recently torrid pace of weekend concerts following a weekend off! This one night only gig will be Banned's first show in Pickford (a half hour south of the Soo) in 8 months, unless I missed one there in the interim, and their evolving mix of covers and originals should be fun to hear as they play their first Sundown Lounge gig with their current lineup! There's no announced cover charge for this 21+ concert, and there's a 9:00 PM start time. For more details, visit Banned's Facebook page! This should be an another entertainingly diverse night of music from Banned, so make the trip down to Pickford TOMORROW if you can, and if it doesn't work out, they'll be back in Moran next weekend! For a preview, we have some brand new videos of Banned to share on here, so what should you know on them?

Uploaded to their official YouTube channel over the past week, these are from their first ever show at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on March 30th, and both capture very different songs. One is a cover of Sugarland's "Stay" featuring just new singer Tara Starr & guitarist Alex Traynor, and it's a fairly intimate and reserved cover, which continues to show the increased country elements of their set since introducing a permanent singer. The video embedded below though is of the full band covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy", and Alex handles lead vocals with Tara & most other members on backing chorus vocals, which does indicate that Alex haven't completely given up singing lead at Banned shows. It's definitely a fuller and more rock-leaning song, but I find "Lonely Boy" to be badly overplayed, and I'm curious to hear their new lineup tackling a bit heavier songs like they did at earlier concerts. Check out their "Stay" cover above (and more), give their Black Keys cover a look below, and don't miss Banned at The Sundown Lounge in Pickford tomorrow night!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news tomorrow including updates on a major benefit for a recently passed local musician! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Absolute

A new year is upon us, so it's time for our first Defunct Local Band Profile of 2013! As always, this monthly feature series looks at 1-2 randomly chosen defunct/inactive metal or hard rock bands from the Sault Ste. Marie area, and like in past installments, we're looking at said bands' material, history, notable events, and current whereabouts, along with some analysis on their sound. This month's band had some noticeable success in the Eastern U.P. in the late 2000s, so read on below for our first defunct profile of the new year! (Updated on May 8th, 2013)
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Absolute

Genre: Hard Rock

Hometown: Pickford, Michigan

Members:

Donny Newell (Full Throttle, Monkey's Uncle, NoXcape), vocals/guitar

Ben Huyck (NoXcape, Dust N' Bones, Riot! By Night), guitar

Bill Spence (NoXcape, Riot! By Night), bass

Justin Lawless (NoXcape), drums

Audio/Video: Even with just one surviving online page, there's no shortage of media on Absolute in action, including no less than 13 videos & 6 audio covers on their MySpace page! The songs include covers of everyone from Godsmack & Seether to The Red Hot Chili Peppers & Neil Young, while the videos (mostly from regional live concerts) features a similar diversity, including covers of everyone from The Stone Temple Pilots to Sublime, so check the above links to give them a look! I also posted 3 highly-viewed songs & videos each onto our YouTube channel to help share Absolute there as well, but embedded below is Absolute's (only?) original song "Native Tongue", as filmed at The Bird circa February 2009



Info/Analysis: Absolute were one of the more prominent Eastern U.P. hard rock bands in the late 2000s, hitting numerous concert venues for just over a year between early 2008 & mid-2009. Their covers-heavy sets earned some a solid fanbase in the area, with numerous concerts at regional venues & some military locations, like Camp Grayling & the 1437th MRBC Armory in Sault Michigan. Specific details on their run are minimal, but they disbanded in the summer of 2009, although there have been some reunion rumours since. In recent years, they were succeeded by the similar sounding Riot! By Night & NoXcape, both of which shared at least two common members, but Absolute were arguably the most successful of the three! Their available recordings show a tight & melodic sound that suited their modern hard rock approach, and the guys all have clear talent, from Donny Newell's well suited edgy singing to Ben Huyck's faithful & heavy guitar riffs, but it'd have been nice to see Absolute play some older or more complex material. Hopefully the guys stay active in music in some form in the future, as their Absolute run proves they can do big things!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! So, what band is being profiled in this series next month? Our pattern for cycling between the Twin Saults takes us back to Sault Ontario next month, but through completely random selection, we'll be looking at defunct local grunge trio No Arrow, who were arguably the area's top grunge band in the mid-late 2000s! Look out for that profile on or around February 10th, and stay tuned for previews of this weekend's Sault Ontario metal/hard rock shows tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Sault Michigan Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

With a typically stacked Halloween weekend for concerts, I've been left no choice but to separate this weekend's concert previews by city, and because I'm waiting for additional confirmation on a pair of dates in Sault Ontario, we'll start the previews with the Sault Michigan metal and hard rock shows over the next two nights! If you want to know where the heaviest Halloween shows are across the river, this should tell you, though a couple of the shows are kinda iffy on their statuses. That said, here's what you need to know for the announced Halloween weekend shows across the river!

First for Halloween weekend metal concerts in Sault Michigan is the return of local hard rock quintet NoXcape to the concert stage tomorrow night and Saturday night! These are the first scheduled concerts for the band featuring the classic Absolute lineup and Krosswalk guitarist Joey Beairl in over a month, but they're listed on band pages to return to The Satisfied Frog for two hard hitting Halloween weekend shows over the next couple nights! I'm slightly concerned though, as band pages have not been updated since September, and there's been no advance promotion for these concerts in recent weeks, so part of me is worried that these bookings are or were in jeopardy. Unless I hear otherwise though, I'll treat these shows as still on, but I'll keep tabs on them! That all said, there's no announced cover charge for either night, you must be 21 to attend, and I imagine they'll be on at 10:00 PM or later for both shows. For more details, check the above links!

Saying that these shows go down as scheduled, I'd expect NoXcape to rock The Frog with some awesome covers and (maybe?) originals, so keep these shows in mind for your Halloween weekend plans! Though there's no videos of NoXcape to my knowledge, get a preview of their sound by clicking here to see old Absolute videos from their heyday!

Next on the weekend schedule across the river, it's two metal bands for the price of one at The Merchant's Bar for their Halloween bash, as local hard rock acts Scofflaw and Powerslug will join forces for two consecutive nights! The two bands, who both share drummer Ivan Schliska, will play their first joint gigs since LemmaFest (when Powerslug was still River Witch) this weekend, and look out for some different but always entertaining varieties of hard rock from both bands over the next two nights! The Merch has Halloween plans for the weekend as well, including a Halloween costume contest for $100 on Saturday and Halloween-themed drink specials, so keep those in mind for if you head there this weekend! There's no announced cover charge, you must be 21 to attend, and though the announced start time is 7:00 PM, I expect the bands wouldn't actually take stage until after 10:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's nice to see Scofflaw back, and it gave us more and fuller concerts for the holiday weekend to boot, so hopefully their grungier hard rock style and Powerslug's newer covers mesh well this weekend! Go see the two bands rock The Merch if you can, and for a preview, here's Scofflaw playing their song "Love Destroyer"!



The other metal/hard rock Halloween weekend shows that I know of across the river take place just outside of town, but they're certainly not far from Sault Michigan, so keep these shows in mind! Firstly, local hard rock quintet Splitshot will rock The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill in Barbeau, Michigan tomorrow night & Saturday night! The band featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard, Kyle Beaumont, and Jake LaLonde (along with Dave Menard and Kyle's dad(?) Gary) will play for what could be the first time at the Barbeau restaurant & concert spot this weekend, and yes, there'll be lots of Halloween stuff going on this weekend as well, including a costume contest on Saturday night as part of The Cozy Corners' own Halloween party! And yes, Splitshot are sure to have lots of hard rock covers in store for you hard rockers, so don't forget about the music! There will be a 9:30 PM start time both nights, there's no cover charge, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details! Though I still can't tell you much about Splitshot's sound, they'll be sure to rock you guys all weekend long, especially for the Halloween party on Saturday night, so keep these shows in mind as well for your weekend plans!

And finally, Kinross hard rock trio Banned are scheduled to return to The Sundown Lounge in Pickford, Michigan on Saturday night only for that bar's own Halloween festivities! This show was originally scheduled for tomorrow night, but the band confirmed it was moved to Saturday last month, so don't get thrown off! Now, I'm slightly wary of this concert's status too, for a couple of reasons. Banned still haven't announced a replacement for bassist Alex Schrovenwever, who left the group a few weeks ago, and the status that confirmed this show was deleted from their Facebook page. However, other statuses there still reference it, as does the promo video that guitarist Alex Traynor's sister Ashley uploaded two weeks ago, which is still online without changes. Are they playing on Saturday, and if so, who'll be playing bass? I can't say for the latter (former live guest bassists Steve Jacobus or Eric Cairns are good guesses), but with no official retraction of the date, I'll treat this show as on unless I hear otherwise. If they're on, they'll hit the stage at around 10:00 PM, a Halloween costume contest with prizes is planned, you must be 21 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. Check the above links for more details!

If Banned are indeed rocking The Sundown Lounge this weekend, they'll deliver some great hard rock covers for sure, so head to Pickford on Saturday night if you know they're playing and wanna rock out for the Halloween season! For a preview, here's Banned covering Led Zeppelin's "Rock N' Roll" in Pickford last month!



That's all for now, but our next post should have Sault Ontario weekend concert previews, so stay tuned for all that! Thanks everyone, and have a spooky good weekend of Halloween concerts!