Sault Pridefest Loud & Proud Family Fun Day Concert Review!!

The day after I saw eight bands in under four hours at Rotaryfest, I headed back downtown for one more free outdoor(-ish) concert yesterday, namely the annual Loud & Proud family fun day that kicks off Sault Pridefest every year, pandemic willing! I can't compare first-hand to how Loud & Proud was at the Bushplane Museum, but yesterday's entertainment was under the big tent of the Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and while it was another warm July afternoon, the shade and provided tables/chairs helped along with drinks and refreshments from vendors! Despite an advertised run-time of 1:00-4:00 PM, musicians didn't begin their formal sets until 2:00 PM, giving attendees lots of time to check out the vendors, crafters, and businesses supporting Pridefest, and of course, I'm fully supportive of the local LGBTQ+ community and the causes they're fighting for, so I was glad to be there! I wish it wasn't so muggy, but that's out of their hands.

After introductions from Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke, the first band up yesterday was local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, fresh off of their Rotaryfest Stage 2 debut the previous day. I was unable to see them at Clergue Park, but this was a fair make-up date! Their eight song set included six covers, including Joan Jett and Weezer songs with bassist Claire Jeffrey on lead vocals (trading roles with singer Red Jettison), as well as covers of Green Day, The Pixies, and The Flobots. They ended with two originals from their debut EP "Head Trauma", which was indeed on sale in limited physical copies at Pridefest! We'll have more on the EP in the coming days, but they played "Don't Care, Don't Mind" and "Take You Down", the latter seeing guitarist Liam Dinsmore and drummer Anthony Boudreau trading roles. Everyone put in a good and energetic showing for the all-ages audience, and Red was more animated when playing bass here!

Raine Rancourt had some strong lead guitar work, and while I'll hold comment on the originals pending next month's review of "Head Trauma", the guys had a tight set with strong musicianship and some good crowd banter! Of course, if you want to hear a lot more from HeadFirst, including more originals, come see them at Shooters Downstairs Lounge for their EP's proper launch party this Saturday night! In between the musical acts at Loud & Proud, two local drag perfomers came to lip sync and dance throughout the pavilion while interacting with attendees. The two performers were Lana Von Archer (who lip synced to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and Robyn's "Dancing On Your Own" and Luke McAnally-Gore-Shadow (who lip synced to Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse's "Valerie" and Busted & Hanson's "MMMBop 2.0"), with each doing a song after the first two acts.

I'm very new when it comes to drag, so I apologize if I sound ill informed, but Lana definitely showed off some impressive moves when making her way through the pavilion (those splits and tumbles got a strong fan reaction!), while Luke's dancing was much more casual and jauntier, but still fun all the same, and a perfect fit for a Sault Pride event! The middle performer yesterday was local folk singer/ukeleleist Giimiwan Ikwe, who I have seen perform in less formal settings than this, but never at an advertised & scheduled concert. Giimiwan (who uses they/them pronouns) mostly played acoustic covers of songs by the likes of The Four Tops, Jason Mraz, Tom Petty, and Otis Redding, with their cover of The Animals' "The House Of The Rising Sun" being greatly altered with new & longer lyrics. Only a couple of originals here, including the set closer featuring drumming from their sister and shaker percussion from their daughter.

Giimiwan (whose father is a family friend on my dad's side) sounded good on these minimalistic but authentic performances, with a good singing voice and quality messages to convey, and they added some strong variety and culture to the proceedings! After the last drag performances, Loud & Proud ended with a short five song set by local party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, who don't play live all that often, so it was good to see them back out there! Famous for featuring no guitar at all, they covered songs by Say Anything, Millencolin, and Metric, though I wasn't 100% certain if their set opener was an original or not. Frontman Paul Stanghetta (of Smeltzer and The Fury renown) added some edgy zest to these heavier and more abrasive songs, and now featuring prolific local punk guitarist Mikhal Muto (Vanity First, Hails, et al.) on second bass, the distorted and locally unique sound won over some new fans!

Paul's wife Amanda kept the beat well on drums, and their more aggressive takes on some unexpected covers ended things on a cool note for this reviewer, but I can see why their guitar-devoid sound will be an acquired taste for some. Strong finish, and hopefully we see The A.A. back at it (and with better social media advertising) soon! Overall, this was an entertaining community event that the LGBTQ+ community, allies, and/or music fans in general could find something to like at! I just wish that Sault Pride did a better and more consistent job with advertising the scheduled musicians by name, as they are a pull for attendees to come out, but I only heard about the lineup from the performers themselves. You can see our photos from Loud & Proud at this link or via our Facebook page, and I also shot videos of the three musical acts! I didn't film Lana & Luke because Facebook's copyright bots won't play ball with their backing tracks.

In order, here's HeadFirst covering Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law", Giimiwan Ikwe covering The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker", and The Apocalypse Afterparty covering Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks"!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert fallout by other people/sites on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (HeadFirst!!)

Local hard rock quintet HeadFirst have announced six upcoming concerts that we didn't know about via this concert calendar on their Facebook page on Wednesday, so what should you know for these LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS? Not counting their already-occurred June dates and their Rotaryfest Stage 2 opening set on July 20th, the guys' next brand new show will see them rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Sunday, July 21st as part of this year's Sault Pridefest Loud & Proud family fun day! This annual event occasionally (but not always) hosts heavier bands, and while some past installments have been at the Bushplane Museum, things are under the big tent next month. Expect family friendly activities and lots of LGBTQ+ community awareness and inclusion events and vendors on this day, but we await a formal public announcement of the lineup/itinerary.

This will take place rain or shine at 1:00 PM (running until 4:00), it's absolutely all ages, and there is no announced cover charge. Stay tuned for more on Loud & Proud when details roll out! Then on Saturday, July 27th, HeadFirst will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for... their EP release party?! While they did release their single "Don't Care, Don't Mind" last month, this is the first 100% public confirmation that they recorded a formal EP rather than just a one-off single, which is encouraging for fans! As noted in their Facebook post about the new dates, the EP will be called "Head Trauma" and will feature four original songs (I assume "The Walk" is one, but they haven't posted full videos of any other originals live). No word on if physical copies will be on sale, but "extra goodies" will be unveiled at Shooters on the 27th, and the EP will drop on major streaming services the following day. Exciting times for HeadFirst, obviously, so stay tuned for more on "Head Trauma"!

As best as I can tell, the release party remains a 9:30 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and like normal this year, Shooters hosts DJs on Friday nights, hence why this is a one-nighter. Moving to August, their first date that month (at Shooters on Saturday the 17th) was already announced publically, but it is the leadoff in a string of four straight Saturday nighters for Red, Raine, Liam, Claire, and Anthony, with their next show being at Jay's Piston Broke Pub on August 24th for the first ever ARCH Run! This is the new splinter motorcycle rally being held at Jay's after the Dragonfly Run (née Ride For ARCH) moved to The Grand Gardens. I won't get into the controversy about why the rally split into two competing events on consecutive days, but don't lose sight of the fact that both are fundraisers for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, and I don't want to discourage anything that will help them.

HeadFirst will be playing from 5:00-6:00 PM on August 24th during the street party outside of the former Roosevelt Hotel, which will feature more live bands, vendors, prizes, and a silent auction, basically like what the Dragonfly Run did at Jay's last year before the schism. A motorcycle rally for the cause is the event's centerpiece, and pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue (members of which played last year as Nicky & The Southpaws) will be the headliners inside Jay's that night. We await fuller details on the live entertainment in and out of Jay's during the ARCH Run, but it's a FREE & ALL AGES event unless pledging for/riding in the rally, and it starts at 10:00 AM. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Ending their summer concert slate, the guys will return to the aforementioned Shooters for a show on Saturday, August 31st, which notably falls on the Labour Day long weekend, so don't forget that angle!

Lastly, HeadFirst will play a rare full weekend on Friday, September 6th & Saturday, September 7th when they return to the site of their live debut, namely Reggie's Place, so help the guys kick off the fall concert season then! Their Shooters date the previous week and these Reggie's shows will all be 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charge and 19+ age limits, so if you want some hard rock cover and original action downtown in late summer/early fall, keep these dates in mind! That's all for this single band post, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Loud & Proud, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison!!)

At long last, our fourth and final consecutive day of Rotaryfest weekend concert previews has reached its conclusion, as today we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TODAY to cap things off with, as well as one more new show that, shockingly, has a couple weeks' advance notice! Here's what you should know!

There will indeed be a couple of hard rock acts playing at the Loud & Proud Family Fun Day at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre TODAY as part of this year's Sault Ste. Marie Pridefest! Apologies for the short notice, organizers have not announced a schedule on social media, so huge kudos to ex-Project 421 frontman Blair Burch for inquiring with the right people! Of course, Loud & Proud unites live music, vendors, artists, refreshments, and lots of family entertainment to help support LGBTQ+ empowerment and inclusivity in the area, which is always more than welcomed, so definitely consider a trip to the Bushplane Museum TODAY to show your support!  The 4 hour event will feature sets from hip-hop duo Planet Rock at 4:10 PM, drag performer Bebe Lala at 3:30 PM, local alternative/punk quintet These Magnificent Tentacles at 2:50 PM (capping bassist Mitch Sirie's very busy weekend), ...

...a speech by LGBTQ+ advocate Teddy Syrette (a.k.a. Ozhawa Anung Kwe) at 2:40 PM, rising young punk trio Vanity First at 2:00 PM, and a set by a mystery act named Woodwind at 1:20 PM. As best as I can gather, the Tentacles never advertised their involvement in Loud & Proud online in advance (they often don't as of late), but Vanity First did via this event poster that curiously doesn't detail the Family Fun Day's name/purpose, just the location. Yes, it does list two upcoming events in Goulais River this weekend, I will include them in our next batch of weekend concert previews, but I'll refrain from embedding the poster here because it includes a private address (though publically advertised, one of the shows is at a cottage). As for Loud & Proud proper, it is absolutely FREE & ALL AGES, and inclusivity and outreach are very much encouraged, so don't be shy to come out & enjoy yourself!

I wish organizers had publicized the schedule in advance (thank you again, Blair), but a nice diverse lineup of entertainment is in store at the Bushplane Museum TODAY, so don't miss out on all of the action THIS AFTERNOON, and yes, Magnificent Tentacles fans, I am well aware of the contest they're in right now, I hope to address that on the site this week. It's just so busy for concerts this weekend, but I promise we'll start to make up for lost ground tomorrow! See above for more on Loud & Proud, and here are These Magnificent Tentacles live!

Next up, let's finally close up shop on this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as prolific local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for a matinee concert THIS AFTERNOON himself! Again, apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page last week. Usually, Tym only plays at Reggie's about once a month, so getting to see him twice in a three week span for their SUNDAY afternoon matinees will be fun for fans and patrons! Believe it or not, Tym has never played Rotaryfest as a solo musician, so if you're game for some classic and hard rock covers from this talented musician after the festival concludes, and can't make The Trading Post on Wednesdays, you know where to be TODAY! As usual for matinees there, this has a 2:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Finally, let's jump ahead(!), as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will play a rare gig in nearby Prince Township on Saturday, July 30th at the Prince Township Outdoor Rink! It is rare for Prince Township (20 minutes west of the Soo) to turn up on the SMS, but their recreation committee has been holding a summer concert series at their rink, and weather-wise, note that the stage is under a pavilion. The band has not confirmed this date on their own Facebook page at press time (given their usual patterns, don't expect them to until the week of), but their brand of often heavy classic covers and select country hits should find a receptive audience in Prince Township at month's end! This 19+ event has an 8:00 PM start time, and unusually for Soundcheck concerts, this one does have a $10 cover charge, but remember that this is a community skating rink, not a nightclub who does this all the time, and admission fees help them host more events.

As for the location, the Prince Township Outdoor Rink is outside of the township's Community Centre at 3042 Second Line West, which is proof that even though Prince is technically separate from the Soo, it's still reasonably close given that Second Line straddles here and there. Should be a fun concert and a change of pace from Soundcheck's usual rotation in city limits, so definitely keep it in mind if you live in the area, and see above for more details! That's all for today, but stay tuned for some actual news that isn't related to imminent concerts tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Spun), New Videos, And More Updates!!

Here's another news post for your Friday evening, and it includes some new videos from a pair of solo artists, some assorted shorter items, and leading off, some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Here's what you should know!

You read that right, we have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the first time in almost three months! Take these with a huge grain of salt given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Marquette, Michigan hard rock cover quartet Spun have announced scheduled concerts at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th! The Nudge. successors announced these shows via their Facebook event page yesterday, but if you read their Facebook page's updates in the past month, you'll see that they did return for an outdoor matinee gig (with appropriate guidelines) in Labranche in the Western U.P. on May 30th, and have slowly began adding summer concert dates in the Upper Peninsula since then. If these scheduled St. Ignace dates hold, they will be Spun's first in the Soo area since rocking The Satisfied Frog in January 2018.

Yes, Kewadin Casinos have re-opened with social distancing measures, but as of this writing, concerts of any type are still not taking place through at least the Fourth of July (source here), and they have not confirmed Spun's announced dates as of this writing, let alone outlined how they would enforce social distancing for a nightclub concert. We will absolutely let you know when Kewadin gives the all-clear for concerts, and in what form, but if Spun can make the trip to St. Ignace in August, it would be great to see them on a Eastern U.P. stage again! See above for more details!

Next up, we'll stay in the Sault Ste. Marie-area for a look at the new song from local metal solo project X's & Y's! As uploaded to their Facebook page yesterday, this 61 second video features footage of the tracking computer, plus a sampling of the track "A Flow of Touch", which has a djent-laden progressive metal sound that is definitely promising, and will definitely please fans of Jason's old Life's Eclipse and Werehold Records output! Time will tell how the full song sounds, but give the video a look below!



We'll head north to Sault Ontario now, starting with a new original song from local hard rock musician Tym Morrison's YouTube channel! In his first non-live-stream upload in a month, Tym shared his new song "Calm Before The Storm", which has very direct partisan lyrics that I won't get into here. Musically, the song is heavy but with a bit of a dream-like ambiance that adds some variety, though it does have some tinny percussion, and he again used the free trial version of Filmora to make the video rather than a truly free program. Well composed, so give it a listen below!



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

• The Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Association has postponed the Downtown Street Parties scheduled for July 16th and August 13th on Queen Street East due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as per this news release. Artists like Soundcheck, Tym Morrison, and The Wyld Stallyns were among the musical entertainment at last year's street parties, so hard rock acts were certainly possible had these events occured as planned, but fingers crossed for 2021!
• I have added Anthems vs. Oceans frontman Dave Hunter's inactive record label idioRECORDS back to our "Other Sault Ontario Metal Links" section, courtesy of their still-active website. The former For July! were always the flagship band of idioRECORDS, but they also hosted EDM projects Audiosmile and Electric Therapy at last update, and they were the label for 2009-2010 hardcore band (and brief As It Stands successors) Out Of The Mouth Of Babes. Hopefully idioRECORDS resurfaces down the road!
• Also announced via a SooToday press release, this year's planned Sault Pridefest (scheduled for next month) has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, though the Sault Pride Community hopes to bring the event back next year. Live music was a common sight at the annual LGBTQ2SI celebration and events, and you may have seen acts like The Din, Re:Born, and Tym Morrison at Pridefest events in the last three years. Pridefest is a wonderful event, and hopefully they can return even stronger in the new year!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Re:Born), The Last Of This Weekend's Concert Previews, And More!!

At last, here's our final weekend concert preview post on this packed Rotaryfest weekend! Remember, for previews of Friday and Saturday events not involving Re:Born, check this morning's post, and yesterday second post covers Rotaryfest Stage 1. Now, we have previews of shows with the same headline band this weekend, one being a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, with overdue updates on an upcoming competitive event, so without any further adieu, here's what you should know!

Local power rock quartet Re:Born will be among the performers at this year's Loud & Proud Family Fun Day at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON as part of this year's Sault Pridefest! Apologies for the short notice, the band did publically announce their involvement in this event last month, but we held a formal announcement for the formal reveal of the day's full musical lineup, which has surprisingly not come as of press time. Readers may recall The Din (featuring Re:Born drummer Brandan Glew) playing this event in one of their final concerts two years ago, and now it's the Project 421 successors' turn to rock out at a rare afternoon and ALL AGES set for them! Of course, this is a big annual kick-off event for the local Pridefest events celebrating LGBTQ2SIA culture & awareness, with vendors, games, demonstrations, and varying family friendly entertainment all going down at the Bushplane Museum THIS SUNDAY, so don't miss out on all of the Loud & Proud fun then! 

The lack of a public lineup reveal is very surprising, but Re:Born guitarist Blair Burch told me in a Facebook conversation that the other performers will include solo musician Juliana Cartner (who I know nothing on), hip hop duo Planet Rock, folk rock veteran M.D. Dunn, and a new rock band named Woodwind, with Re:Born headlining at 3:00 PM. Thanks again to Blair for the help! A 12:30 PM start time is advertised for this FREE & ALL AGES event, and it's great to see everyone band together to support Pridefest on SUNDAY and beyond! If you're up for some all ages, mid-day classic metal, you know where to be this weekend!

With that said, Re:Born have one more show coming up for their first ever double header booking on one weekend, as they'll be headlining a more traditional nightttime and 19+ concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Marking their first public concert since the Cory Burch farewell show late last month, this event is titled "Brandan's Quarter Century Musical Extravaganza", referencing the show taking place on their esteemed drummer's 25th birthday. No extra frills are advertised beyond having "a few sparkling beverages", but be sure to wish Brandan a happy birthday if you're in attendance! Notably taking place concurrently with the closing acts at Rotaryfest Stage 1 tomorrow, this show could be seen as a festival alternative for those of you craving heavier or more original acts. As such, two Stage 2 bands from 2017 will be the support acts tomorrow night, including alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (who opened for Re:Born last month too) & funk/hard rock quartet The Elements!

Both bands are fine choices to open, especially as you don't see either as much live anymore, so don't miss out on them tomorrow! For what it's worth, LopLops Lounge (who have tended to book Stage 2 bands on Rotaryfest weekend) are hosting both K.I.C.K. tonight and Jack Pine tomorrow, albeit both as opening acts for touring headliners The Road Waves and The Boo Radley Project. As for tomorrow's Re:Born show, this is a 19+ concert with a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Check the above links for more on this metal and punk attack tomorrow night, and here's Re:Born live!

With weekend concert previews finally in the rear view mirror, we'll close today's post with some long overdue updates on the second annual Soo's Got Talent competition, so what's new to report here? Well, the audition dates are now public, as prospective competitors can audition to make the cut for the live shows over the weekends of August 23rd-24th & September 6th-7th. Though the event proper will take place at The Verdi Hall on Queen Street West (due to The Tech's closure), auditions will surprisingly take place at Wacky Wings at 688 Great Northern Road, with donations to the ARCH Hospice encouraged. I assume these are publically attendable (starting at 6:00 PM on Fridays and 4:00 PM on Saturdays), but of course, we can't confirm the lineups. If a performer (musician or otherwise) is selected to go to the live elimination shows, you'll next see them at The Verdi Hall on September 13th, with two more rounds following in the next two weeks, before the finals take place on October 11th.

For reference, singer Daniella Brewer won last year, Tym Morrison made it past the first round, and any sort of entertainment performer will be allowed to audition (magicians, comedians, dancers, you name it.) That said, will we see any metal, hard rock, or punk acts this year? At least one, maybe, as Chase Wigmore expressed interest in auditioning back in April by posting this video onto The Soo's Got Talent Facebook page (apologies for the delay in this making the site.) While he called the video his audition, I assume he'd still have to show up at Wacky's, but the page administrator did enjoy his performance! The monochrome, filtered video features Chase playing an acoustic yet intense alt-folk number that makes good use of his aggressive, passionate vocals and stage presence, and fans of his will want to give it a look below, whether or not we see him at The Verdi Hall this fall!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) And Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend's first concert preview post, I wanted to note that we're not including the previously announced Friday nighter from The 3 Day Millionaires at The Canadian Nightclub, as the show wasn't listed on the venue's marquee board when last seen, and the band and venue haven't acknowledged it online. If the show is confirmed to still be on in time for tomorrow's concert preview post, we'll profile it then, but if it's off, hopefully all's well! Now, let's dive into the first of this weekend's concert previews, specifically hard rock bands verified to be playing on Thursday and Friday, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Alongside his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood matinee gigs TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Barrelhouse Wine & Whiskey on Queen Street East for a solo nighttime concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on the Barrelhouse gig, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. For a third straight week, Tym is pairing his ongoing weekly trifecta at Gliss with at least one gig elsewhere in a more typical concert timeslot, with SATURDAY'S return to the downtown tapas restaurant marking his first Barrelhouse gig in almost a month. This talented hard rock solo musician should have more great cover action in mind x 4 this weekend, so don't miss out on all of these!

The Gliss shows are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced age limits as usual, SATURDAY NIGHT'S Barrelhouse show is at 10:30 PM with a 19+ age limit, and none of these gigs have a cover. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Moving to entirely previously announced concerts, next up is the return of Marquette, Michigan hard rock quartet Spun to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT (and maybe Saturday!) Currently their last advertised gig(s) in our neck of the woods until at least November, this will be another solid opportunity for fans to take in the Nudge successors' hard hitting and fan favourite range of covers, so keep this show or shows in mind! Note that the Facebook event page only lists a Friday nighter for Spun this weekend at The Frog, but this is atypical for their trips east, and their Facebook page just says that they'll be here "this weekend". I won't call a Saturday show if not advertised, but if you want to gamble on Spun playing that night, have at it! Tomorrow's show (and Saturday's?) is a 21+ affair with no announced cover charge and a 9:30 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's Spun live!

Also this weekend, fans will see Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their Kinross Speedway gigs, these shows comes just three weeks after their previous at the St. Ignace Kewadin, an unusually short turnaround for the Traynors and Wayne to play at the same venue. Fans in St. Ignace should be eager for a second weekend of Banned's cover action in the same month, so keep these ones in mind if you're in the area! As usual for Banned's Kewadin stops, expect 9:00 PM start times for tomorrow and Saturday's concerts, these too have 21+ age limits, and there are no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Banned live!



Finally for today, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for a special lunchtime outdoor concert THIS SATURDAY, as local alternative/hard rock trio The Din will continue their farewell tour with an acoustic set at the Soo Locks during the Sault Pridefest's cosplay optional family picnic! Ostensibly your last chance to see The Din in an unplugged setting (and to see them play songs in the same vein as "The Din Does Laundry"), this event will help end this year's local LGBTQ support festival with a picnic, arts & crafts, children's games, and yes, cosplay and costumes are encouraged for the occasion. Sounds like fun, so visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for full details on remaining Pridefest events and the picnic! Note that The Din will be playing as a duo without drummer Brandan Glew for unannounced reasons, source here. This concert is FREE & ALL AGES, and the picnic begins at the locks at 11:00 AM. It's great to see The Din offer their support to Pridefest once again, so don't miss out on all of the family friendly action on Saturday, and here they are live and unplugged!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Project 906 preview and more in our next post! Thanks everyone!