LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (T.N.T. & Tarnished), The Wheelhouse Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we get into today's post, just two updates regarding this weekend's concert previews. First, while I'm not covering the shows here because the band never really crossed our genre radar, classic rock cover band Jus' Chillin are reuniting to play at Reggie's Place this weekend, as per members' personal Facebook postings. Jus' Chillin folded in the spring of 2023 so they could form Generations alongside ex-Obsession singer Valerie Powley, so this would imply that Valerie is unavailable this weekend, hence Pierre and Tony bringing the old band back for a couple of nights. Hopefully the shows go well! As for TONIGHT'S Poutine Feast lineup at the Downtown Plaza, the previously advertised Riverside Stasis and Jeffrey Wright were joined by classic rock cover veterans Encore and Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers, who has played live often as an acoustic solo singer/guitarist since The Wyld Stallyns disbanded in mid-2024.

Our source for the full lineup is You Belong SSM's Facebook page, and it remains to be seen if their will be an advertised live music program during Kids Day tomorrow (Canada/Morocco World Cup game acknowledged), but Sunday's final day seems unlikely given that there will be a marathon of Disney/Pixar movies on the big screen. Whether you're going for poutine, live music, or both, have fun downtown this weekend, and stay cool and hydrated! Now, here's the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for Fourth Of July weekend concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows have been advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page in recent weeks, and while I've got to get better at covering shows listed there, the band only acknowledged the shows on their Facebook page earlier today. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows are kinda sorta makeup dates for Tarnished in terms of St. Ignace at large, as they dropped out of their planned outdoor car show gig this past Saturday for unannounced reasons. It's good to see the full band back in action a week later, and if you're one to dodge summer heat & humidity, you won't mind TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows being indoors! You may want to duck out to see fireworks TOMORROW though.

Note that Tarnished will make the 2 hour drive west to Manistique on Sunday to play at the grand opening of The Hive Commons there, and while this AI-generated poster only directly reflects on the tour date, note that the Manistique show will be 1980s themed and will feature a set mostly (if not entirely) themed around 1980s rock covers, so will that focus bleed into the St. Ignace shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW? The local dates are 21+ affairs with no cover and 9:00 PM start times. Stay tuned for more from Tarnished next week, and here they are live!

Next up, newer Sault Ontario acoustic classic/hard rock duo T.N.T. (Travis Sharpe & Terry Eaton) will return to Beck's Bar for a matinee concert on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via the venue's weekly Monday entertainment schedule drop on their Facebook page, and I don't believe Trav(is) or Terry have launched a social media or band page yet to reflect their duo outings. Fans last saw the Soundcheck side project at Beck's in late May, and while I don't see this always promoted as taking place during SUNDAY matinees there, Beck's hosts weekly euchre tournaments on that day of the week, so if you play euchre, you'll get some live hard and classic rock covers with your card gaming! Terry & Travis will rock the stage on SUNDAY at 3:00 PM (karaoke is the nightcap there as usual), with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and we will let you know if any public videos of T.N.T. surface online!

Lastly for known hard rock concert previews this weekend, here's a show that had lots of advance notice, as revived local classic/hard rock cover trio Wheelhouse will play their second show since coming back TOMORROW NIGHT at the aforementioned Beck's Bar! The group from former Stiffler's Mom bandmates Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson (now plus Eden Plague/Golden Scoundrels drummer Johnny Belanger) made their relaunch at Beck's on May 15th, and they quickly announced plans to play a Fourth of July gig at the former Vibe Lounge. As revealed on Johnny's personal Facebook page at the time, this poster for the concert was lovingly drawn with pencil crayons rather than using generative AI, which I appreciate! The band's own prior usage of AI to make their initial Facebook photos though, I'll let you assess that at your leisure. Videos and "Stories" of Wheelhouse so far point to a fun live band with heavy covers, so don't miss out!

The matinee performer tomorrow is former Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone with a solo country set, though remember, he has a full 4 hour block from 3:00-7:00 PM and isn't "opening" for Wheelhouse, who take the stage tomorrow night at 9:00 PM. This is also a 19+ event and it has no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on Wheelhouse's second show of the year, and here they are live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dos Amigos, Stones & Crows, And Riverside Stasis), Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews, I wanted to apologize for missing Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson's solo gig at The Dive Gastro Pub this past Thursday for coverage on here. Alas, the venue never confirmed the show publically on their Facebook page, and while "the ranting rockstar" did plug it on short notice on his personal Facebook page, he doesn't have a public social media page to promote solo gigs with. Hopefully the concert was a hit, and we'll let you know when we hear more from him and/or Bone Yard! Now, let's dive into most of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, with the Wheelhouse and T.N.T. shows coming in our next news post!

New local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis will be among TOMORROW'S music lineup at the Poutine Feast at the Downtown Plaza! Apologies for the short notice, frontwoman Tea Emlaw first announced that they'd be playing via her solo Facebook page on Sunday, and You Belong SSM has yet to reveal the full schedule for TOMORROW (they only revealed today's all solo acoustic lineup this morning). Fresh off of their debut set at Blaster Powerhouse this past weekend, this will be your second chance to see this new band live and your first at an outdoor event. Day #3 is expected to have live music from 4:15 PM onward, and Riverside Stasis are expected to hit the stage at around 6:00 PM, and the only other confirmed act that I'm aware of is country musician Jeffrey Wright at 7:15 PM. Apologies for erroneously plugging TOMORROW's program as the Kids Day when this post initially went live, that is actually the Saturday, July 4th theme.

This is FREE & ALL AGES as usual, and 9&10 News is calling for 22-28° temperatures TOMORROW with clouds receding into the afternoon (please be prepared for the hot & humid conditions). Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video from Riverside Stasis' Facebook page of them covering Kings Of Leon's "Sex On Fire" at the former Soo Blaster on Saturday! Filmed by Drifters frontwoman Elly McWatters from the front row, she got some really nice close-up visuals of the band, harmed only by being just 90 seconds long and vertical (though she does focus on everyone individually). Not my favourite song in the world (at least it's not "Dance Monkey"), but it's well performed, so check it out below!

Next up, local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show on their Facebook page on Monday, and the band only publically acknowledged the booking in an Instagram "Story", as far as I can tell. Fresh off of their own Poutine Feast gig on Canada Day, it's good to see Mikey & Dustin bringing their unplugged cover project to the stage a little more frequently this summer, and hopefully there's a good turnout at the Gore Street pub TOMORROW for their fan favourite punk covers! Yes, I am aware of their sister band Bookclub's gig next week during the downtown Summer Concert Series, stay tuned for a preview of that in a news post by Monday. TOMORROW'S Whisky Barrel show (their first there in almost three months) is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Also this weekend, new local blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows will play their second public concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Apologies again for the short notice, the venue only announced this show on their Facebook page on Monday as part of their usual weekly entertainment schedule reveal there (though be advised that Stones & Crows haven't posted on their Facebook page in any way in over two weeks). Originally, Beck's was supposed to have DJ Dark Mark spinning tunes TOMORROW, but a "communication breakdown" led them to look elsewhere for Friday entertainment, and they opted to bring back Stones & Crows just one week after Spencer, Nicholas, and Anthony (er, Bukky, Nikki, and Tony) made their live debut at the same locale. Hopefully things go well for their Beck's encore, and seeing as Anthony is drumming with Riverside Stasis TOMORROW at Poutine Feast as well, he's definitely got a long night ahead!

Like last week, TOMORROW'S Stones & Crows show is at 9:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's our first public video of the Electric Church successors live, as per Beck's Facebook page! The video sees the guys covering Eric Clapton's "Cocaine", and while something sounds a little out of tune, the guys have a good sound going so far, as you'd hope with this lineup! Alas, the video is vertical, only 44 seconds long, and has the band's name slapped on top in post-production, so while you can see them without those restrictions TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's, give their first video a watch below! 

Finally for today, here's a show that did get advance notice, as former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to the aforementioned Dive Gastro Pub for one night only on SATURDAY! Originally announced back in May on his Facebook page, this will be Curt's first gig at the former Low & Slow since a "Think It Over Thursday" date in April, with an interim gig there on June 13th being called off after The Dive double booked Curtis with another artist. While The Dive has not corroborated this booking on their Facebook page either (I have no idea why they've been so inconsistent for advertising live musicians lately), hopefully Curt has a strong turnout downtown for his alternative and hard rock covers! Saturday concerts this summer at The Dive are "Patio Play" gigs where possible, and 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies that night with temperatures in the 20° range, and rain is unlikely.

The show is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and while the heat wave is still ongoing, it looks to be more comfortable than some nights have been on Saturday, so consider stopping by The Dive if you want some live unplugged rock! See the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Curtis live a few years back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Wheelhouse and T.N.T. previews (and more?) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Lazys & WestFest II!)

Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers! Just a quick note that the full music schedule for TODAY'S opening day of Poutine Feast was finally revealed on the You Belong SSM Facebook page yesterday, confirming that Vito Tassone (credited as "VT Music") and Josh "The Preacher" McNally will also be performing, as will unspecified indigenous performers. The official timeslots weren't given, but they're in descending performance order with Eli Russell & The River Fools up first at 12:00 PM, and BookcluB & Dos Amigos both confirmed on Instagram that they'd be at 8:15 and 4:15 PM respectively. If you're going to the plaza, have fun and stay hyrdrated! Now, here's two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to look for in the coming months!

The full lineup for the second annual WestFest at Anna Marinelli Park on Saturday, August 8th was gradually revealed on the West Village Renewed Facebook page last month, and with this video 100% confirming the five final acts (down from seven last year), who all is heading to Jamestown next month? Surprisingly, only one band from 2025 is returning this year, and unlike last year's focus on Rotaryfest alumni (all but one act being from recent Stage 2 lineups), the four newcomers here have never played Rotaryfest in the forms you'll be seeing at WestFest II. Headlining this year are local/Collingwood folk rock quartet The Ontarians (featuring the Soo's own Frank Deresti and Chris Johns), while folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels will co-headline as the only return act from last year. Two familiar faces will play solo sets prior, including the solo debut of BookcluB/ex-Hails guitarist Carmen Muto!

I have no idea what Carmen's solo set will entail in terms of genres, possible bandmates, if he'll be singing too, etc., but he's an exceedingly talented guitarist for his age, so hopefully he makes a big impression! Also performing at WestFest next month is Ava Nori, the daughter of Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, who you may recall guesting with her dad's band at their last local concert at The Machine Shop in March 2024. Ava's arguably better known for her poetry (she was interviewed about it on The Borderline, even), but come out to Anna Marinelli Park to see how she does as a solo musician! Opening on August 8th are new local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis, one year after singer Tea Emlaw headlined WestFest 1 with Handsome Sandwich in that band's final Sault Ste. Marie concert set. I have no clue if Riverside Stasis were always planned to play next month, or if they had signed up for the cancelled battle of the bands to find the opening act.

Given their pedigree (including 3/5ths of HeadFirst), hopefully they were picked on their own merits, but regardless, Sault Ontario has been snakebit for battles of the bands since the pandemic! Like last year, WestFest is a centerpiece event for The West Village Revitalization Project in their efforts to revive and bring attention to the Jamestown and Steelton areas in the west end of the downtown core, and community initiatives and causes therein. Termed as a "block party meets music festival", this outdoor event at 169 James Street will also feature local vendors and family activities, and if the same as 2025, a beer garden, so click here for full non-musical details and any to come. This year's WestFest is blocked to start and end later than last year's, with an advertised runtime of 4:00-11:00 PM, with Riverside Stasis kicking off the live music at 5:00 PM. While last year's was free, WestFest II will have admission by donation, so pay what you can to support the cause.

While Riverside Stasis are the only assuredly hard rock-leaning act next month (again, I don't know what to expect from Carmen solo), there should be a little for everyone to enjoy musically at WestFest II, and I do hope that the weather cooperates, both in terms of possible rain and the temperature/humidity next month. Kudos to West Village Renewed for keeping their revitalization going, and visit the above links for more details!

Finally, Australian hard rock quintet The Lazys will make their local concert debut on Friday, October 9th at Blaster Powerhouse! Announced late last month via this poster that bafflingly doesn't give the date (The Lazys' website and the Facebook comment replies confirmed it), this is a band that will be familiar to listeners of 104.3 The Fox, as The Lazys have far more Canadian rock radio success than American thanks to hit singles like "Too Tough To Die" & "Hot Under The Collar". While not as AC/DC-coded as their fellow Aussies in Airbourne, there's still a retro flair to their catchy brand of hard rock, and no less than Ian D'Sa from Billy Talent has co-wrote music with them, so it'll be neat finally see The Lazys in the Soo! Opening on October 9th (also in their local debut) are Winnipeg "nu grunge punk n' roll" quartet The Bloodshots, an all-Indigenous group whose described genre is pretty accurate, as they cover a lot of ground in their original music, so there's a lot to like within, and do check them out in advance!

A local opening band is to be announced for this all ages concert, which is expected to start at 8:15 PM. Advance tickets are on sale for $40 at this link and presumably at the former Soo Blaster, and the price will jump to $50 at the door. This should be a fun concert for modern hard rock fans with an old school flair, and there's three months to prepare for it, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews and this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Poutine Feast), New Videos, And Hails Updates!!

Before we kick off our likely last news post of June 2026, just a heads up that Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished had to cancel their St. Ignace Car Show matinee gig on Saturday, as per their Facebook page 22 minutes prior to showtime. A reason wasn't given, but Alex & Josh still played their acoustic Bay Mills gig that night, so Chris and/or Ron being unavailable could explain things. Disappointing given the timing, but Tarnished will return to St. Ignace for an outdoor Music By The Bay concert on September 5th! Now, here's a Canada Day SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and more recent news and notes from the last little while!

Local punk/alternative cover sextet BookcluB and their sister acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will reportedly both be among the lineup on WEDNESDAY at The Downtown Plaza as part of the opening Canada Day program for this year's Poutine Feast! Apologies for the short notice, we only caught lineup details for this year in the batch post promoting the touring poutine festival on Facebook (only the paid advertisement version lists any scheduled musical performers, not the static promotional images shared as permanent posts). After 2025 had a reduced music lineup that was never announced on social media, we at least know some of the 2026 performers, with BookcluB and Dos Amigos (neither of which have corroborated the Poutine Feast advertising) joining new local southern/indie rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools and classic rock veterans RPM on WEDNESDAY.

Also teased are "...and more!", but who they are isn't known, let alone the timeslots, or the entire Thursday music lineup beyond Jay Case, but we will touch on the Friday program in our next weekend concert previews. Expect games, family entertainment, other vendors, and of course, lots of touring poutine food trucks on WEDNESDAY through Sunday at the plaza, so click here for full details on the daily themes! Poutine Feast is on daily from 11:00 AM-9:00 PM, this is absolutely FREE & ALL AGES (food purchases aside), and 9&10 News is calling for partly-mostly cloudy skies, with temperatures ranging from 25-30°, so prepare accordingly for the heat. Visit the above links for more details, and here's BookcluB live at the plaza!

Next up, here's the first public video that I can actually embed here (not a "Story") from local ska punk/"crackrocksteady" quartet A.S.D.P. in concert! The band still doesn't have a formal social media page outside of Bandcamp, but this was uploaded to drummer "Just" Ralph Barber's personal Facebook page yesterday, and then publically shared to frontman Mikhal Muto's promotion agency Underground Events SSM's Facebook page. This comes from the all-local concert that they headlined at Blaster Powerhouse this past Saturday, and this may not be representative of Adam Smith Death Parade's general sound for two reasons. One is that it's not a ska punk song (rather a cover of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn"), but also because this doesn't just have Mikhal, Tucker, William, and Ralph on stage. No, everyone is on stage, from members of other bands that night (Chris Nielsen and Spencer MacGillivray among them) to other fans and friends.

If you know anything about "Bro Hymn", the community aspect adds a lot, and it's great to see everyone having a blast in what I can only assume is the last song of the night! The attendee who filmed this (I recognize him but don't know his name off hand) unfortunately shot this vertically and only for a minute, but it's a fun watch, and I wonder who brought the balloons? Check it out below, and hopefully some more public videos of A.S.D.P. surface, even without a Facebook page of their own!

Also today, here's the latest from Mikhal's old hardcore punk band Hails, who announced the addition of With Gunfire/ex-Jack Spades guitarist Anthony Orazietti to their lineup on June 3rd, replacing Carmen Muto (Mikhal's cousin). A reason for the switch was not publically announced, but Carmen didn't immediately leave when Mikhal did at the end of 2025, and he has since been confirmed as the new lead guitarist of the aforementioned BookcluB, so follow them for his next live outings. Anthony is a talented and underrated shredder, so hopefully he bolsters the ranks well with Brent & Keegan going forward! While Ha!ls' first local date of the year and with Anthony will be at the Ripcordz concert at Beck's Bar on July 18th, they will actually debut the new lineup on Friday, July 10th at the conveniently named Dock Ellis sports bar in Toronto, which will be a headlining date alongside three bands from the GTA.

Hails are a ripping live act that fans of Brent's past work as a frontman will take to with ease, and it's great to see that their six month+ break from the stage is winding down, so if you won't be in Toronto in two weeks for the new lineup's soft launch, don't miss out on the new Ha!ls lineup with The Ripcordz the following week (on Rotaryfest Saturday, even!)

Finally for today, here's some updates from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9! The band is in the midst of their annual summer break from nightclub concerts, instead focusing on festivals and private events, but even given that, this is a quiet stretch for them, as their only public booking in Sault Ste. Marie until the fall was at Throttle Fest at Runway Park on Saturday, June 20th. If you want to get a glimpse of how the set at the outdoor motorcross/mud drag event looked, then here's a (sadly) vertical clip of Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve covering Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" late in the concert, as per their Facebook page the following day. Silent 9 were playing on a flatbed trailer at Runway Park, and there was an active crowd rocking out at this point in the night, if perhaps with a few bugs. The video is only 20 seconds long, but what we hear is well performed!

Note that the thumbnail image is from much earlier in the set for one reason or another (the video was 100% shot at nighttime), and as such, I do think that the stage lighting on the trailer made Silent 9 look too purple, especially in contrast to the outdoorsy locale, but you shouldn't be expecting Bell Border Jam II either. The description of the video does imply that Silent 9 will be back for Throttle Fest II next year, but with no Rotaryfest or Giovanni's sets this month (or anywhere else), local fans won't be able to see Silent 9 again at a public event until September, unless you wanna drive to Thessalon or White River. Give this new video clip a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news, updates, and concert previews as we enter the month of July! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Hails), Crucifest's Cancellation, And New Videos!!

Happy Canada Day to all readers who celebrate, and I hope everyone enjoyed having an extra long weekend this year via it being on a Monday! In our first post of what is surely to be a busy July, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, linked cancellation, and new concert videos from last month, so here's what you should know!

The planned Crucifest extreme metal concert at Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn on Friday, July 26th has been cancelled. According to promoters Deciduous Events & Decor on their Facebook page yesterday,  "our main organizer has been dealing with ongoing health issues", which has forced her to give up promoting the festival. Definitely a shame, as I know how many metalheads and Robbie's church fans were looking forward to this, but hopefully D.E.A.D. can try promoting a similar event in the future when health allows! Tickets already purchased through Eventbrite will be refunded. However, not all is lost, as the show must go on, if in a reduced capacity! While the five touring Ontario metal bands (Beguiler, Salem Trials, Seagrave, Drugwolf, and Dead Roots) are no longer playing here this month, the four local bands have banded together to keep the July 26th booking, so fans can still prepare to bang their heads then!

This is considered to be a replacement concert with separate admission pricing, but camping that night is still encouraged. Punk/thrash trio (quartet?) Hails have seemingly taken on the promotional banner in their return to Leeburn following last month's It's The Pits Festival, and they will be joined by the reunited Pillory's first public concert in almost five years, rising young metal trio The BAG, and the debuting Sault Side Squad (featuring As It Stands, A Dire Setback, Jack Spades, The Haze, and Winkstinger alumni). It's not entirely clear who is headlining now, as the presented band order is not consistent in promotions. This new all-local metal concert has no stated age limit, a 7:00 PM start time, and a flat admission fee at the door of $20 (Crucifest was $25 for the Friday and $45 for the full weekend, including camping). We have seen local bands salvage cancelled bookings like this before, so kudos for doing so here!

I just hope it doesn't rain on the 26th like it did for It's The Pits, but if you're up for the hour's drive east to rock out (and/or camp out) at the church, visit the official Facebook event page for more details! While we're on the subject, the aforementioned Ha!ls were filmed at It's The Pits for a video publically posted to their Facebook page on Wednesday! Be advised that I have seen more videos than this from It's The Pits, but regrettably, as Facebook goes, they all were either on private accounts or were exclusively shared as "Stories", which means that they can only be seen once or twice before vanishing. A brief separate video of Hails was shared by P.I.T.S.' Instagram page in a batch post covering videos from the whole day, with bubbles a-flying, and it has a better angle than the Facebook video, if square by necessity given that it was uploaded to Instagram. Ha!ls are third in the rotation there, so don't bypass those clips!

As for the Facebook video, it features Hails playing their non-album original "Bipolaris" from a unique high camera angle, clearly from an open second floor locale. In this case, I'll forgive the vertical orientation given that it better accentuates everyone's placement on the stage! Note that guitarist Carmen Muto was present in both the Facebook and Instagram clips, but as he was in the promotional imagery for the festival, you can't be shocked (Ha!ls still haven't confirmed that he's joined the band on their own social media). A little cymbal heavy, but this 39 second clip thrashes along well, so give it a watch below, and see more from It's The Pits above!

Finally for today, here's a brand new video from local alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB live at this year's Poutine Feast yesterday! The first video uploaded to their new (if almost two years-belated) Facebook page, it captures 41 seconds of their cover of Doug & The Slugs' "Making It Work". Filmed roughly side-stage, this (thankfully) horizontal video doesn't have the crispest clarity, but the guys sound good, and it does give us our first public visual look at an SMS-amenable band rocking the Village Media Stage at the Downtown Plaza. For what we see of this band-focused clip, things look professional and open for fans (some were dancing), but I'm curious to see how the video screen above the stage looks in conjunction with performers below it, and of course, this was a community festival moreso than a formal ticketed concert. Check out BookcluB yesterday below, and don't miss them at Rotaryfest Stage 1 on Saturday the 20th!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Poutine Feast!!)

Live music will return to this year's fourth annual Poutine Feast this weekend, including hard rock-leaning bands TOMORROW & SUNDAY! Apologies for the short notice all around, lineup information from some bands trickled out on their own on social media in recent weeks but I was waiting for the full lineup reveal, which only arrived on social media on Tuesday (the full lineup can also be seen via the city of Sault Ste. Marie's website). This year, Poutine Feast relocates from the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site to the brand new Downtown Plaza at 526 Bay Street (behind Tim Hortons and beside Soo Market at the corner of Queen & Brock), marking our first ever concerts covered there. The plaza alone was a touchy subject for many, but it does look nice and hopefully it's getting continued and increased usage for special events like this. The Poutine Feast would definitely make use of the space!

While there will be four days of visiting food trucks serving up poutine & other edible wares alongside family activities and whatnot (see above for more on the non-musical aspects), there will be live music for the first three days, omitting Monday, possibly to avoid conflicting with the live music at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion for their Canada Day program? Tonight's limited program only includes pop rock cover quartet Lime and folk singer/guitarist Matthew James, but on the weekend proper, five acts take the stage nightly. TOMORROW NIGHT, two SMS-amenable bands close the program, namely alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich (jokingly renaming themselves "Attractive Poutine" for the occasion) at 5:45 PM, preceded by guitarist Jesse Cook's funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns at 4:30 PM, in their third straight year at the Poutine Feast (and first with this lineup) after headlining night #1 last year. 

Handsome Sandwich will be fresh off of their Sudbury gig tonight during the NOMFA ceremony weekend, so they should have momentum on their side, and kudos to Jesse for pulling double duty! While ending heavier, the earlier acts include folk/country solo musician Brian Tremblay (also back from last year) at 3:15 PM, Wawa house DJ Shrugby (who dropped out of The Bear Hunters' private reunion concert in Leeburn last July) at 2:15 PM, and rising young folk duo Distich opening at 12:00 PM. Attendance is FREE (what you buy at food trucks aside) & absolutely open to all ages, and the Feast proper is open from 11:00 AM-9:00 PM nightly from Friday-Sunday (they close up shop at 6:00 PM Monday). As this is outdoors, be advised that The Weather Channel is calling for showers in the afternoon, but not for most of the day, and with temperatures from 16-20°.

If you are at all concerned about any potential rain TOMORROW that could affect the Poutine Feast and/or the live music program, check your preferred local weather source and event organizers closer to showtime for any updates on the weather & festival proper. See above for more on TOMORROW'S music program, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!

Finally, the SUNDAY program will feature alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB smack dab in the middle at 3:15 PM! No stranger to outdoor festivals and community events, this will be their first concert since last week's teddy bear picnic at Thomson Farms, which went off successfully despite threats of rain. Hopefully Mikey and crew deliver a strong set of scarcely seen covers for attendees on SUNDAY afternoon! Way Backs frontman Jeffrey Wright will headline with a country set at 6:30 PM, preceded by Handsome Sandwich's new sister band, folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels at 5:30 PM. Preceding BookcluB, local folk/standards duo Just The Two Of Us (seen here at Tazzi's for Oktoberfest) take the stage at 2:25 PM, while the aforementioned Jeffrey Wright will bookend Poutine Feast day #3 with a duo set alongside Meggy Lee to lead off at 12:00 PM.

Once again, the SUNDAY program is FREE & ALL AGES (not counting what is bought from food trucks) with an 11:00 AM-9:00 PM runtime for the festival proper. 9&10 News is currently forecasting a partly cloudy day with a high temperature of 16°, so a little cooler but no chance of rain at the moment. Visit the above links for much more on Poutine Feast IV in the Soo, and for a preview, here's BookcluB live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard) & Our Poutine Feast Concert Previews!!

The complete entertainment lineup for this weekend's Poutine Feast was finally unveiled via the Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Association's Facebook page courtesy of this "Reel" on Tuesday, and as a result, we have a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will headline day #3 of the festival outside of the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the lineup was only announced on Tuesday, and Bone Yard didn't confirm their involvement until posting on their Facebook page about it yesterday. Perhaps they are truly a late addition, I don't know, but this comes within their previously announced Jay's Piston Broke Pub weekend gigs (previews forthcoming), so they'll be headlining downtown at 6:00 PM before heading west in time for their 9:30 PM gig there.

Hopefully this first of two Canada Day gigs goes well for Greg, Alex, and Warren on SATURDAY NIGHT! That day's other entertainment is not entirely musical, with dancers from the Northern Ontario Latin-Hispanic Association performing at 5:00 PM, not unlike what you may have seen at Multiculturalism Day yesterday. Acoustic cross-genre collective Gimiiwan & The Clouds (misspelled as "Gimmewan" in the lineup "Reel") appear to be the middle act at 3:00 PM, fresh off of their Summer Moon Festival set, while magician Ryan McFarling will wow the audience with tricks at 2:00 PM. Local folk solo musician Brian Tremblay (yes, the Face To Face concert video is coming!) will open on Saturday at 11:00 AM, which is also when the Canada Day program at the Poutine Feast begins. SATURDAY'S festivities are FREE & ALL AGES outside of the Old Stone House at 800 Bay Street until 9:00 PM.

Of course, the poutine and other food/drinks will cost (not to mention wares at the on-site vendor market), and with loads of food trucks that day and every day from Thursday-Sunday offering up many kinds of poutine for your delectation, this should be a fun way to spend your Canada Day! VIP tickets to skip the lines are available for $40 at this link if so desired. Be advised that 9&10 News is calling for a 40% chance of rain showers on SATURDAY with a high temperature of 19°. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

The other nights with hard rock bands were already announced by the bands in question, so they're not "new" to us, but the complete lineups are, so who else can you see at this year's Poutine Feast? We already knew that local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns would be headlining TOMORROW'S opening night of the festival at 6:00 PM, a nice promotion following being the Thursday curtain jerkers last year, so keep their fun and fan-friendly covers in mind! The middle act tomorrow will not be a band, rather the belly dancing troupe Jewels Of The Oasis, who take the stage at 5:00 PM. In a partial reprise of the Oktoberfest lineup last year, The Stallyns will be joined on tomorrow's bill by traditional German band Nein German Guys, who are the first scheduled entertainment act at 2:00 PM despite the Thursday program beginning at 11:00 PM. Again, attendance tomorrow is FREE & ALL AGES!

9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 21° and a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, so definitely keep that in mind. Clearly, the Poutine Feast organizers are easing into things this year (especially given that there are five entertainment acts on SATURDAY), but the Stallyns, the Jewels of the Oasis, and the German Guys should deliver their own distinct brands of entertainment to go along with your poutine tomorrow, and yes, The Wyld Stallyns should have a few heavier cuts! See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Friday's bill is the only one without a (known) hard rock band, and will feature new local disco tribute band The Saturday Nights (featuring Wyld Stallyns singer Christina Speers) as the 5:30 PM headliners alongside a mystery act named Aje (A.J.E.?) who I know absolutely nothing about. Their set is at 2:00 PM, implying that they're a musical act given the 3 hour block, but let us know if you can confirm who they are! Classic rock veterans Angry Joe & The Growlers will kick off day #2 at 11:00 PM, which has the same ground rules and timeframes as the day before and after. 9&10 News is calling for similar weather (50% chance of rain/storms), but with a higher peak temperature of 23° Celsius.

Finally for today's all-Poutine Feast preview post, we'll look at the closing day's program on SUNDAY, where the previously announced Handsome Sandwich will continue their upward momentum with a set full of alternative and hard rock originals from their "Deconstructed" album and beyond! I wonder which food truck makes the most handsome sandwich? The band's own promotion erroneously gave a 4:00 PM start time despite the Sunday program ending at 6:00 PM, and the schedule above confirms that they will take the stage at 2:30 PM. The all-musical openers on Sunday include a joint set from recent Northern Echoes openers Juliana Regan & Blair St. John at 1:00 PM and young local pop singer Tianna Legacy at 11:00 AM. Not heavier in style, but there's a lot of talent from both Juliana & Blair and Tianna, so don't bypass them! While things end sooner on Sunday, this is still FREE & ALL AGES (VIP passes aside).

9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy conditions with the lowest chance of rain during the festival (20%), plus high temperatures of 21°. SMS diehards will likely only hear stuff on our radar during Handsome Sandwich's set, but everyone on Sunday has skills in their instruments and genres, so don't miss out on all of the closing day's musical entertainment! See above for more on all four days of this year's Poutine Feast, and here's Handsome Sandwich live in concert last summer!

That's all for now, but look for Canada Day weekend concert previews that don't involve poutine next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Poutine Feast), New Videos, And More!!

Happy Father's Day to all of our dad readers! Today's post is half devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS regarding a popular downtown festival in a couple of weeks, while we also have some recent concert videos and assorted updates to touch on, so here's what you should know!

Live music will return to the Sault Ste. Marie Poutine Feast over the Canada Day long weekend, and while a full performer schedule across all four days (Thursday, June 29th-Sunday, July 2nd) is not yet out, two SMS-leaning bands are confirmed for this year's itinerary, starting with funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns outside of the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site at 800 Bay Street on Thursday the 29th! The Stallyns played last year's festivities as the Thursday morning openers, but they have been bumped way up to evening headliners at 6:00 PM, which is a change from last year, where only the Friday and Saturday programs had bands that late. It's worth noting that singer Christina Speers' new disco tribute band The Saturday Nights will also be playing at the Poutine Feast this year, but they have not publically stated the day or timeslot. We'll let you know when/if organizers release the full schedule (they did last year, in any event!)

The Stallyns confirmed their involvement via this Facebook page, as did the other known band playing at the Poutine Feast this year, namely local alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich! About one year after members of the two bands joined forces for early July gigs under the Stallyns banner (The Wyld Sandwych?), Handsome Sandwich will make their standalone Poutine Feast debut as the headliners on Sunday, July 2nd at 4:00 PM! Be advised that the band gave their timeslot as 4:00-7:00 PM, but the Poutine Feast's own advertising says that the festival ends that day at 6:00 PM. One of them is right! This will be Handsome Sandwich's first show since the Soo Soundcheck event earlier this month, and hopefully they prove to be a fitting soundtrack to cap off the Poutine Feast! No word on other bands playing this year, but the timeslot spacing would imply three bands daily except for two on the shorter Sunday program.

Of course, the main portion of the Poutine Feast is the poutine, with many kinds on sale from a bunch of food trucks all weekend long, so if you love fries drenched in gravy & cheese curds (or anything else), head down to the Old Stone House for all of that, with music to match! The daily programs begin at 11:00 AM across all four days, this is absolutely all ages, and admission is free assuming you don't buy any food. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for continuing updates on this year's Poutine Feast as they roll in!

Next up, here's our long-awaited write-up on videos from the Queen: It's A Kinda Magic tribute concert at The Sault Community Theatre Centre on May 21st, courtesy of Christopher Paci's great YouTube channel! Again, apologies for the nearly month-long delay in these making the site, but now we're caught up for his heavier concert videos (assuming he wasn't filming at something this weekend!). Chris shot eight videos of the Australian Queen tribute band playing the classic songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are The Champions", "Under Pressure", "I Want To Break Free" (featuring singer Dominic Warren heading out into the crowd), "Bicycle Race", "Another One Bites The Dust", "Radio Ga Ga", and as embedded below, "Bohemian Rhapsody". Always impressive seeing a band tackle the entire version of that song, even the "scaramouche" part, which the real Queen used a pre-recorded track of because it was hard to replicate.

Chris has gotten clearer videos compared to these, and the audio can be soft at times and scratchy at others, but he has a good view from the right of the stage to capture It's A Kinda Magic's very professional stage set-up and high attention to detail! You can tell that this tribute had the Queen look and sound down pat, so fans of the British hard rock legends will have been right at home, and you can tell by the audience reception! Give Chris' videos from last month a look above and below!

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

 

• Former Rising Tide/Lake Effect drummer Chris Johns filled in for Tony Santoro behind the kit when Generations played at Jay's Piston Broke Pub last night due to unspecified "prior commitments", according to the band's Facebook group. Fan-shot photos have already made their way there, and hopefully Chris fit in well with Generations for the night!
• The one-off reunion of local classic/hard rock cover band That's Chester at Rotaryfest on July 15th will feature original singer Richard Fullerton as their lead singer for the evening, according to the band's Facebook page! Ritch had made guest appearances with That's Chester in their last two Rotaryfest gigs in 2016 & 2018, but he appears to have fully replaced Greg Simpson for this show, making this the first Rotaryfest without Greg fronting a band since 2009. No reason was given for the switch, but fans of mid-2000s That's Chester will be glad to see Ritch back from Ottawa for the night! Dan Belanger will return as rhythm guitarist in lieu of the late Eugene Orlando.
• To promote last night's Soo Blaster concert, local punk trio Vanity First and rap/party metal duo The Apocalypse Afterparty were spotlighted in this SooToday news release! No big scoops here unless you weren't familiar with The A.A.'s fluidity for inviting guest musicians on stage (never guitarists, the band has never had them), but we do learn here that Vanity First were originally a quintet named Five Angry Women before eventually changing their name to Vanity (First) and paring their lineup down. One ex-band member is bassist Nick McClelland, but I don't know who the other one was. Good promotion for the concert, so check it out above!
  

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rhythm And Brews & The Wyld Stallyns), Plus New Videos!!

Keeping our steady string of new daily content on the SMS alive, here's another news post on this Saturday evening, so if you're back from the Cruise or the Science Festival, settle in for LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for more summer community events next month! Wrapping things up, we do have some short new videos, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic funk/hard rock quartet The Wyld Stallyns will be among the live performers at this year's Poutine Feast over Canada Day weekend, with their set being on Saturday, July 2nd outside of the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site at 800 Bay Street! As you may know, the Poutine Feast is a touring festival with multiple chefs and food professionals coming from town to town cooking up various forms of poutine, with local live music and other family entertainment also on the docket, so definitely click here or above for full details on the poutine and other non-musical events! Of course, we lucked into getting this on the Canada Day long weekend for its post-pandemic return too! The Wyld Stallyns will be the opening band on July 2nd at 11:00 AM, preceding a headlining set that day at 2:00 PM by DJ Seith. As you can see in the schedule, live music is slated daily from Thursday the 30th through Sunday the 3rd, but The Stallyns are the only heavier act.

Attendance outside of The Old Stone House is FREE (the poutine is another story), and while live music only begins at 11:00 AM on Saturday the 2nd, daily start times are at 11:00 AM daily, with live music running into the evening on the 30th and Canada Day proper. Obviously, Poutine Feast is an all ages event, and hopefully the weather cooperates. The Wyld Stallyns' newest summer festival set should prove to be another fun time for attendees, so don't miss their hard rocking covers in two weeks!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will play their first known concert in nearby Barbeau when they rock The Cozy Corners Tavern & Grill on Saturday, July 2nd as well! Long time readers may recall The Cozy Corners hosting local bands often in the early-mid 2010s, especially Nixxon Dixxon successors Splitshot, so how fitting is it that Brandon & Chris' current band are making their way to Barbeau all these years later? This isn't just a run of the mill concert, however, as it will effectively serve as the afterparty for the Dunbar Dirt Road Dash, an annual 5K fun run in Barbeau that will be followed by a Fourth of July weekend boat parade from Neebish Island that's ending at the tavern, with prizes and such also following. Visit Cozy Corners' Facebook page for full non-musical details! This will be Rhythm & Brews' first announced concert since their road trip to DeTour Village tonight.

If you're curious, Barbeau is much closer to the Soo than DeTour Village, it's basically a 20 minute drive down South Riverside Road away, and Cozy Corners is still located at 6800 East 15 Mile Road. All of the pre-concert festivities aside (details above), the Rhythm & Brews concert proper is at 8:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit. This should be a fine opportunity for the 415E side project to make some new fans with their hard rocking cover selection, so don't miss out on all the action over the Independence Day long weekend!

We'll head back to Sault Ontario to close, starting with a promotional video of new (Jack) Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner! Like their prior (and no longer unlisted) highlight video from their Toronto concert last month, this was filmed by Aidan Grossman of the The Grossman Film Group, and its 30+ second runtime is half devoted to Tyler (who local readers may recognize from Caym) setting up for that show and then clips from the set. Unfortunately, there is no live audio here, instead featuring an instrumental track from a rap song, giving this a bizarrely chill vibe. Well edited, but again, Aidan's sitting on some excellent raw Spades GT footage from The Rockpile. Still, give this a watch below! 

Finally, here's a new video from former Bring The Fallen guitarist Andrew Chiarello's YouTube channel, marking his first upload there in over four years! A TikTok-style "shorts" video with a sub-1 minute run time, this features Andrew jamming on his Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 guitar, oddly pillar boxed into the vertical cell phone dimensions despite not originally being shot that way (I'm not a fan of "shorts" videos, if you couldn't tell). Besides that, Andrew shows off his skills nicely in this clip, and you can see why his lead work was such a highlight in his live band days! Give it a watch below!

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