LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (B.A. Johnston, Bone Yard 225, Generations, And Soundcheck!!)

Plans to put up this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post today have been slightly delayed due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on that front today as well as some other newly announced shows taking place later this spring!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for Easter long weekend concerts TONIGHT (yes, they're open for Good Friday) and TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page at 12:47 PM today, and Reggie's never corroborated them on Facebook. These will be the second and third shows from Soundcheck in a six day span, following their also-announced-that-day concert on Monday at Beck's Bar as an unofficial Goo Goo Dolls replacement event, and yes, they did indeed have Separate Wayz frontwoman/bandmate Nicole Thibodeau on hand that night for an "epic crossover". Kudos to all five members of the two sister bands for jumping on board that short notice gig, and hopefully there was a decent turnout despite the work night scheduling! TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows appear to be Soundcheck only.

Two weeks removed from Travis, Terry, Jim, and Johnny's last shows at Reggie's, TONIGHT & TOMORROW's concerts will see the classic and hard rock cover attack take the stage at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, we have a couple of new show announcements for later this month of the cover-leaning persuasion at The Water Tower Pub, who posted their April concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today! We already knew about Quite Frankly's show there on April 11th thanks to that band's own advertising, but SMS readers may want to circle the following weekend on their calendars, starting with the return of southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 on Friday, April 17th! Last seen at Smitty's for St. Patrick's Day, this will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first show at the Great Northern Road nightclub since late January. Your local 225 have been oddly quiet since mid-February, only playing the one "uncorked" concert in the interim (the April 17th show will also be acoustic, as usual there), and only having plugs for that event and a couple of frontman Greg Simpson's new "Ranting Rockstar" social media posts since, where he offers his own pearls of wisdom about life and music.

No word on when we'll see the full electric Bone Yard show again (last seen on Valentine's Day at Beck's), but hopefully their Water Tower Pub show is a sign of more gigs to come, and that their album is still in progress! As usual for this venue, expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover on the 17th. See above for more details!

As usual, The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly acts, and the Saturday, April 18th booking belongs to local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations! Now, I will preface this by noting that the band has not yet corroborated this booking on their Facebook group, and haven't even posted there since March 9th, despite playing at The Kiln in the interim. Assuming all is well in their camp, this will be Generations' first show at this venue since late February, and hopefully fans get another entertaining classic and hard rock mix from this union of Jus' Chillin and Obsession alumni! Like with Bone Yard 225 the previous day, expect this to be a 19+ event with no cover charge and a start time of 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations when announced!

We'll close with a newly announced concert from a familiar touring artist, but not at a venue you may expect, as Hamilton outsider folk/acoustic punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to the Soo on Saturday, May 23rd at... The Esquire Club? It is very strange to see a touring act, let alone a show expected to have at least one opener, at this Second Line West mainstay, but B.A. is infamous for never playing at the same venue twice in his Sault Ste. Marie stops (seven by my count, at least sixteen by his). B.A. last played at Venue on Queen Street East in May of last year, and if you're unfamiliar with his shows, expect his proudly Canadian, self-deprecating, Hawkins Cheezies-loving, and deeply humorous live set to turn heads once again, and my description of his shows will never do them justice. Click here to sample B.A.'s show last year via SooToday's coverage, where he even played on top of a car at one point!

The support act (if not acts) is to be announced, but note that Silent 9 have been scheduled for May 22nd and 23rd at The Esquire Club since last year. We'll keep their May 22nd show in our calendar for now, but we'll let you know if the May 23rd gig's status is clarified. Despite the proximity to May 24th, this show does not fall on the Victoria Day long weekend. It is a 9:00 PM concert with a 19+ age limit, and while his Venue show last year had an admission fee, this year's B.A. show will have no cover. This should be a fun time next month, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and go check out his videos on YouTube to get a better sampling of his live experience! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's almost-completed "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

This is a quieter weekend for hard rock-leaning concerts, so let's lead off this preview post with a couple of notes for events this weekend that glanced our radar. If you follow veteran country cover band Tex Riviera & The Ride, you may be aware that they're in the midst of their "Dale Corcoran Appreciation Tour" in memory of the recently passed local musician, who played with Tex in the 1990s country rock band The Hillbilly Heartbreakers. Songs played with Dale and stories about Dale have been shared and will continue to be, but tomorrow & Saturday's Ride concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub will feature a one-off (two-off?) reunion of The Hillbilly Heartbreakers, with guitarist Tim Laplante, drummer Jeff Pennett, and saxophonist Risk Wysynski joining in. Tex did note that The Heartbreakers "were the first who managed to get away with playing Motorhead & (Merle) Haggard in the same night", so who knows what you'll hear from The Ride and gang this weekend!

The other SMS-adjacent event this weekend will be the first ever "big three" emo night at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday night! The big three being My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco. Of course, this era of emo and pop punk are very intertwined, and while this isn't a concert, the TVs will be playing music videos by emo bands (especially ones from the 2000s), and Tattoo Tearz will be offering flash tattoos. No word on if you'll hear songs from local emo/post-hardcore bands of the era like The Crossed, Fuller, or A Fall From Innocence in the rotation, but see above for more on this event if you're curious!

Now to our known hard rock concert previews, and we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Sunday, though note that the band has not corroborated these bookings on social media at press time. Last seen at The Esquire Club three weeks ago (unless that reported Tap Room show last week actually took place despite a lack of public promotion), TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts will be Soundcheck's first at Reggie's since their revival and since Travis and Johnny joined the band's new lineup. If you missed Travis' original run with Soundcheck and/or just wanna rock out with this talented veteran group, head downtown!

All of the action goes down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Soundcheck's first Reggie's stops of 2026, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will end their schedule for the first quarter of 2026 by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a busy start of the year that saw them and sister band Peril play three combined weekends at the Soo and St. Ignace Kewadin branches, tomorrow & Saturday's shows mark Scarkazm's first in the E.U.P. since they last rocked The Rapids Lounge at the end of January. Scarkazm always deliver a fun mix of hard hitting crowd favourites and select originals, and hopefully Adam, Dave, and Jeff keep their momentum rolling in their latest local stops this weekend! If you can't make it, the guys will be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin in just over a month. Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live!

Finally for known/advertised hard rock-leaning shows in the area this weekend, we will head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will set up shop on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort! Note however that Searchmont have yet to corroborate this booking on social media (they often don't). Temperatures are expected to warm up this weekend, but regardless, the music should be cooking inside the ski resort from this experienced veteran quartet! Generations had previously had a Saturday nighter at The Kiln on February 21st called off due to "a booking error", so this will be their first show at Searchmont since late January. If you're up for the drive or are hitting the slopes already, don't miss Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's latest classic rock blast on Saturday! This is a 19+ show at 8:00 PM with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Generations live! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Separate Wayz), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

Weekend concert previews are upon us, but given how much I wrote about today's first band (new to our links, if not the live music scene), I have opted to move our preview of Saturday night's HeadF1rst concert at Beck's to a separate news post tomorrow. Here's what you should know to start the weekend off right, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

It's time to finally and belatedly roll local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz into our full coverage! The delay was because I couldn't 100% verify if their sound and cover selection crossed our genre radar (the band posted zero live videos online in 2025), but a recent lineup change and how it links to their sister band The Guilty Party led me to make the move. It was announced last week that Separate Wayz drummer Steven Flint (formerly of The Suicide Kings and Soundcheck) had decided to leave the band, possibly temporarily, due to scheduling concerns that make it difficult to guarantee his availability for bookings. There is a chance that he will be back when he "makes his final call", though the band didn't specify what his external commitments revolve around. As such, Guilty Party drummer Brent Royer was announced "as the drummer of Separate Wayz".

With Brent taking on the drum position in this band, it means that Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party have identical lineups, aside from Separate Wayz' lead singer Nicole Thibodeau (Brent is the main singer with The Guilty Party). Nicole was discovered by then-Soundcheck bandmates Terry Eaton and Jim Michaud as a favourite guest singer during their Thursday jam nights, and was recruited to front their new band after Soundcheck disbanded on New Year's Day last year. Presumably named for the Journey song with a swapped letter, Separate Wayz debuted at The Water Tower Pub in February, and they later performed at Jay's Piston Broke Pub and The Esquire Club, at Toystock in November, on the road in Wawa and Chapleau, and at a private event or two. In those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, their first shows of the year (and with Brent) go down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Esquire Club!

Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced by the band late last week. While they credited this as "our debut at Esquire" on their Facebook page last week, the original lineup did play there back in April (source here). Given how the guys are used to playing with Brent in The Guilty Party (let alone Nicole guesting with that band at Reggie's last week), there shouldn't be any rust or growing pains as they return to the west end TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With Steven stepping back, this may lead to an increase in bookings for Separate Wayz if his availability was the main reason why they weren't playing live often, but regardless, the synergy is noted. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charge and 19+ age limits. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's the first ever public social media video of Separate Wayz! Well, technically, it's from a Guilty Party gig.!

Posted on the event page for this weekend, it features Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Brent covering Heart's "Barracuda" at Reggie's during one of The Guilty Party's shows there this past weekend. While sadly shot vertically (at least pan and zoom to hide the floor a bit!) and the very turquoise/magenta lighting doesn't suit the band, they sound good here, and if you haven't heard Nicole live yet, she was a really good voice that works well on this Heart classic! Give things a watch below, and don't miss Brent's official debuts with Separate Wayz TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Finally for this preview post, let's stay in the west end, as veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his acoustic solo project back to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be the second public concert of 2026 from the former Caveman Morrison frontman and Hollow guitarist, following his Misty's show this past Saturday, and while he's taking next Saturday off from the Second Line West nightclub, he will be back there in two weeks. Whether you're game to see Tym right away or not, you have lots of chances ahead this year to enjoy his old school blend of classic and hard rock covers in an intimate setting! As usual for his ample stops at Misty's Fifties, Saturday's gig is a 4:00 PM matinee with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this & upcoming Misty's shows, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our HeadF1rst preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Generations) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For our first post of 2026, we're diving into another round of weekend concert previews, as there's a range of hard rock cover bands rocking out on both sides of the border, so let's lead things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with some new videos tucked in!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will make their first ever appearance (to my knowledge) at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group on Christmas Eve, which slipped me by initially among the holiday rush. Regardless, Searchmont have not corroborated the band's announcement on their own social media. Two weeks removed from their last 2025 date at The Water Tower Pub, this will be Generations' third concert with new guitarist Joe Miller, and if you're up for a trip to our local ski resort, hitting the slopes or not, you should get your fill of classic and hard rock covers on SATURDAY! This indoor concert takes place at 8:00 PM in The Kiln with no announced cover charge or age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will kick off their 2026 with shows at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY & SUNDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Bone Yard proper haven't confirmed these bookings on their own Facebook page, but their website's concert calendar does list them along with other January dates that we will cover in an upcoming post along with extra band updates. Three weeks ago, "the dirty three" rocked Beck's for their most recent double header there, and like usual for their bookings at the former Vibe Lounge, SATURDAY'S show will be a normal electric concert, while SUNDAY's is a 3:00 PM "uncorked" matinee. Regardless, both are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. Regarding the SATURDAY matinee timeslot at Beck's, that goes to local country musician and former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver.

Remember, Cameron is not "opening" for Bone Yard 225. He and the band have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart. It's good to see Bone Yard starting the new year on a high note, and hopefully SATURDAY & SUNDAY's shows have strong turnouts! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of your local 225 covering Van Morriosn's "Brown Eyed Girl" at their "uncorked" Beck's gig last month, courtesy of their Facebook page! While sadly shot vertically, it's a fine melodic rendition of this classic rock staple, accentuated with some holiday decor, so give it a watch!

Now to shows that did have advance notice, starting with new local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party, who will lead off their 2026 slate TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! After a fast start to their run as a live band, these will see Brent, Terry, and Jim rock out as the first hard rock-leaning band to rock Reggie's since owner/namesake Reggie Daigle resumed management of the bar last fall after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure came to an end. It is a good sign that Reggie isn't immediately reverting to a country-only band rotation like in ye olden times, and hopefully The Guilty Party deliver a solid pair of shows downtown this weekend! The Facebook event page is teasing a "special surprise" for tomorrow's show, heavily implied to be a female guest singer in other postings, and while this isn't a 100% guarantee, note that members' other band Separate Wayz are fronted by Nicole Thibodeau (more on her and that band soon).

As usual for concerts at Reggie's, tomorrow's and Saturday's Guilty Party concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this weekend's shows, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of The Guilty Party covering Bryan Adams' "Run To You" live at the former Reggie's West (Jay's Piston Broke Pub) in November! Sadly also shot vertically (and almost never capturing bassist Jim Michaud in frame), this Terry Eaton-sung rendition is soundly and professionally handled, though I'd have at least zoomed in a bit and moved the camera around moreso. Check this one out below as well, and don't miss the guys at Reggie's!

We'll head to Sault Michigan to round out this weekend's previews (as far as I'm currently aware), as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will kick off their year by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Jeff Hudson's two active rock bands will actually both be coming north of the Mackinac Bridge for Soo Kewadin gigs this month (Scarkazm will be here in four weeks), but the longer running Peril are up first for Yooper fans. Should be a solid pair of hard rocking cover concerts in store to lead off 2026, so don't miss out on this talented trio's launch for another year tomorrow and Saturday! If you miss out, they'll be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin over the Valentine's Day weekend for the pond hockey tournament, but they won't be back in the Soo until at least the second quarter of the year. Expect 9:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a while back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for an overdue news post on the SMS tomorrow! Thanks everyone! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Oktoberfest) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's keep the weekend concert previews rolling on this Thursday evening with more concert action in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, particularly from two concurrent outdoor community festivals promoted by local breweries. One is a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and we have more new dates to touch on, so here's what you should know for concert preview post #2!

Make it two Oktoberfests that local alternative/punk cover supergroup Bookclub are playing at this fall, as they have been added to the lineup for SATURDAY'S Outspoken Brewing-hosted Oktoberfest street party on Queen Street East! Apologies for the short notice, the band was only confirmed for the festivities on Outspoken's Facebook page on Monday (they were obviously the "more TBA" when the brewery first announced the street party on September 4th, and there are no other punk/hard rock-leaning bands scheduled). Still riding the momentum from the Forever Seger concert earlier this month, BookcluB should be a fine and crowd pleasing fit on Queen Street (closed between Elgin and Bruce) on SATURDAY evening, so don't miss this stacked sextet then! It is worth noting that guitarist Brandon Ruch was present with the band at Forever Seger despite his announced move to Barrie, and he is pictured in the Oktoberfest advertising.

I don't know what's Brandon's status with BookcluB is going forward, but we'll let you know when/if we learn who was playing guitar with Mikey and crew on SATURDAY! BookcluB are slotted in the middle on SATURDAY at 5:30 PM, with local DJ/EDM duo Flummoxx closing the festivities at 10:30 PM, and indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (the former Hollow Heads) scheduled in between at 8:00 PM. Local polka band Nein German Guys (who are also playing at Soo Falls' Oktoberfest at The Machine Shop with BookcluB on October 18th) will keep the Oktoberfest vibes rolling at 3:00 PM, and the day begins with folk singer/guitarist and Dustcovers member Tom Peer at 2:00 PM. Beyond the music, there will be lots of games and competitions (with prizes) to take in, plus food, beer (as you'd expect), vendors, and more German-flavoured entertainment, so definitely visit Outspoken Brewing's Facebook page for full details on SATURDAY'S events!

Tickets run for $30 at this link (plus processing fees) and presumably at the gate on SATURDAY. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a high of 19° with mostly cloudy skies and a 10% chance of rain, which should bode well for Oktoberfest revelers, but do follow up with your preferred local weather outlets for updates closer to. Visit the above links for more on SATURDAY'S first of three Oktoberfest parties in the Soo this fall, and for a preview of all of the action, here's BookcluB live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to their favourite local stomping grounds (Reggie's Place) TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their last stops at Reggie's, "the dirty three" should be in fine spirits with some gritty and in-your-face covers and originals all weekend long, plus with lots of merchandise and hoodie orders in store for fans, so don't bypass this weekend's action if you're up for it! While we're on the subject, Greg, Alex, and Warren have some newly announced dates ahead at The Esquire Club, which resumes hosting live bands this weekend after their summer break, and as per the venue's Facebook page, they'll be back there on on November 7th-8th! The band already announced their Thanksgiving weekend shows there. We'll have more on the other hard rock-leaning new shows at this Second Line West staple in an upcoming post, but it's good to have The Esquire Club hosting concerts again!

Your local 225 are on at 9:30 PM tomorrow and Saturday at Reggie's and for their November dates at The Esquire Club. All four shows are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. See above for more on Bone Yard's upcoming concerts, and here they are live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, let's re-answer the viral question: What is Wolf Fest? Running head to head with Oktoberfest for downtown outdoor concert action from a local brewery on SATURDAY, Wolf Fest takes place at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, and will be hosted by Northern Superior Brewing Co. to help give back to the community and their customers. Along with live music, attendees under the big tent will get to enjoy local vendors and artisans, beer, a charity auction, barbers, tattoo artists, an arcade, and more, so definitely visit Northern Superior's Facebook page for full non-musical details! SMS readers will likely be most drawn to classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 in the 7:00 PM timeslot (their prior scheduling of a Northern Superior show on Saturday was clearly this and not at the Tap Room), but the headliners at 8:15 PM are pop rock cover quartet The Killer Hooks, who do have some heavier covers.

Online page-less local Tragically Hip tribute band The Luxury will take the stage at 5:45 PM, preceded by indie rock band Jupiter Marvelous (led by Killer Hooks frontman Tony Marcello's son Anthony) at 4:30 PM. In a late confirmation, the "special guests TBD" are actually The Royal Canadian Navy Band, believe it or not, so don't miss them leading off Wolf Fest at 3:00 PM! The weather should hold up identically (tent acknowledged) for Wolf Fest, which has admission by donation to the Alzheimer Society of Sault Ste. Marie, which is a wonderful cause. Saultites have a lot of options for live music, beer, and varied entertainment downtown on Saturday, so see above for more on Wolf Fest, and here's Silent 9 live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Double Down and Tym Morrison previews (and more) on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & HeadF1rst) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into another weekend of local hard rock concert previews, but due to the amount, we'll hold tomorrow's BookcluB/Forever Seger and Sunday's Bone Yard 225-headlined car show for our next post. Here's what you should know, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst have a busy weekend ahead that will see them rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT and Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were respectively first announced on the venues' Facebook pages on Sunday and Tuesday. Fresh off of opening for Woodhawk last week, these will be HeadF1rst's... first headlining dates in a local bar since rocking Beck's in June. The split booking is likely due to Shooters only hosting bands on SATURDAYS, but regardless of their live band scheduling, we haven't seen bands rocking the Dennis Street nightclub since April, coincidentally when HeadF1rst wrapped up their mini-residency with themed menu items and whatnot. Meanwhile, TONIGHT'S Reggie's gig will be the guys' first there this year, so if you've missed Red, Rainey, Liam, Claire, and Anthony at either downtown venue, don't miss out this weekend!

If you're curious, the band playing at Reggie's tomorrow is Traces (no relation to the former Sault Michigan metal band), who are basically classic rock veterans RPM minus guitarist/vocalist Dino Mazzuca. Both of HeadF1rst's shows this weekend are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. It's great to see Shooters hosting live bands again after an unannounced summer break, and HeadF1rst should be primed to rock there and Reggie's after long breaks from both bars, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has a busy Saturday ahead TOMORROW, as while we knew about his scheduled matinee gig at Misty's Fifties, he is also scheduled to return to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Again, apologies for the short notice, the Eagles show was a late addition to his batch Facebook event page for shows at the Wellington Street West venue, as was another new show there on Saturday, October 4th. Meanwhile, now that we have shows from other acts listed that late in the timeline, we can also add Tym's upcoming Aerie #3991 gigs through the end of the year as well, so don't bypass Tym there for Saturday nighters on November 15th & 29th and then to end the year for their New Year's Eve party on Wednesday, December 31st. Keep all of these new dates in mind if you'll be in the Steelton area or like the Eagles Club with your unplugged rock! 

After skipping a Saturday matinee gig there last week, Tym will return to Misty's on Second Line West nightclub tomorrow afternoon (and next Saturday as well), so he'll be quite busy as he juggles two distinct concerts in one day! He'll be at Misty's Fifties TOMORROW at 4:00 PM before rocking The Eagles Club at 8:00 PM, with neither show having an advertised cover charge. Click here and visit the above links for these and much more on Tym's busy solo calendar to end 2025, and here he is live!

Now let's move into shows that had lots of advance notice, starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's third show since the end of their summer break, which goes down TONIGHT at The Water Tower Pub! Last seen at the Great Northern Road venue at the end of June, fans who missed the Syrettes & Ric last week at Jay's should be eager to welcome the guys back to the weekend bar grind tomorrow, especially with their teased new setlist additions! After missing last weekend's shows due to injury, bassist Dan Beaupre will again be absent tomorrow, so they have recruited Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz to fill in the for the night. Lori has sat in for Dan before, back in March at Jay's Piston Broke Pub when his second gig after joining Double Down was double booked with a Sidekicks concert that same night. It's good to see Lori helping out tonight, so keep her in mind amidst the rock cover action!

Time will tell if Dan will be back in time for their next public gig, at Beck's Bar next Saturday. Tonight's Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Double Down at Jay's last week! Uploaded on Sunday (exact gig unclear), this features the guys and guest bassist Alex White covering Badfinger's "No Matter What" with Joel Syrette on lead vocals. The lighting is very dark so I can't really comment on how things look, but the cover is sound with strong bass from Alex, and you don't hear Badfinger covered often locally as it is, so give it a look below!

In a brief detour to the E.U.P., fans can check out Sault Michigan hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun in their return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! While this will be their first nightclub gig in almost two months (last seen at Huck's in Rudyard in late July), I must profusely apologize for missing their most recent gig, as the Fake Chow successors headed to Trout Lake (an hour southwest of the Soo) on August 31st to headline an outdoor matinee concert coinciding with that day's Shytee Creek Lucky Bridge Walk. How that slipped through the cracks, especially as at a regional community festival, is beyond me, but apologies again, and I hope Unfortunate Sun got a great reception in Trout Lake! They had a relatively quiet summer, but hopefully tonight and tomorrow's St. Ignace shows kick off the fall slate on the right foot!

You can check out Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason's array of hard rocking covers at The Northern Pines Lounge tonight & tomorrow night at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing the Shytee Creek Bridge Walk on here, and for a preview, here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our BookcluB and Bone Yard 225 previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nameless & Dodge This) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

In today's second weekend concert preview post, we have some more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to help cap off a busy weekend in the Sault Ste. Marie area, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will reportedly return to The Water Tower Pub TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this show via personal Facebook postings about live music schedules this weekend, as neither Dodge This (who haven't posted online since July) and The Water Tower Pub (who haven't posted a monthly concert calendar since June) have publicized this booking on social media. If accurate, it's good to see Dodge This back after an apparent summer break, having last played a publically announced gig at The Dive in early July (they did drop out of a planned Beck's Bar gig last month though). Hopefully TONIGHT's show has a strong night of classic and hard rock cover favourites (and even some country tunes) from the July brothers and Jason, so keep it in mind! Remember, The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly musicians, so Dodge This will not be playing there tomorrow.

If you're curious, the Saturday performers at the Great Northern Road nightclub will be new local country rock supergroup Elly McWatters & The Drifters. TONIGHT'S Dodge This concert has a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dodge This live!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless will visit The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in Kinross for the first time for an outdoor concert on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this gig was first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Wednesday. When the band corroborated the booking later that night on their Facebook page, they indicated that the opportunity to play here arose despite previously planning a break to work on new material for their sets. As such, this will be The Nameless' first gig since rocking The Merch three weeks ago. Well Diggers will be familiar to Yooper readers from hosting Project 906 on occasion in 2023 & 2024, and it will be neat to see a different local hard rock cover band on their outdoor stage on SUNDAY, so keep this matinee booking in mind! Unlike the prior 906 gigs here, this will be a 3:00 PM matinee concert on SUNDAY, and there will be no cover charge.

It's too soon for an hourly forecast, but 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies, no chance of rain, and a high temperature of 71° (21° Celsius). Weather is looking good and calm for the next while, including 70+/20+° weather over the next week, so enjoy these outdoor concerts while we still can realistically have them! Visit the above links for more on The Nameless' Kinross debut on SUNDAY, and here they are live a few months back!

Now let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their last gigs at Reggie's, this will be another prime opportunity for fans to check out Greg, Alex, and Warren's down and dirty brand of classic, hard, and southern rock covers, plus their three originals, and merchandise will be on sale as usual! "The Dirty Three" should be in fine form at their favourite venue, so don't miss out on all of the action on Queen Street East tonight & tomorrow! Your local 225 take the stage both nights at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges, and if you can't make it, they'll be back at Reggie's in two weeks. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard's shows tonight & tomorrow night, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for this second weekend concert preview post, here's one more big show taking place on SUNDAY NIGHT, as Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return to town when they headline at the Sault Community Theatre Centre! One of four Bon Jovi tribute bands to rock the Soo in the past 15 years, Bon Jovi Forever are the tribute that headlined at The Rockstar Bar in 2016, so it will be good to see their hair metal classics and later general rock favourites back on a local stage on Sunday, let alone on the huge theatre stage at White Pines! Of course, I won't judge which Bon Jovi tribute is better or more faithful than the rest, but B.J.F. deliver a faithful sounding and looking stage show, as led by frontman Baz Littlerock, so don't miss out on their local return in a couple of nights! This all ages concert at 8:00 PM has tickets running for $58.24 (adults), $46.94 (seniors or students with valid ID), or $26.60 (children).

You can buy tickets at this link or at the in-person box office at Station Mall. As of this writing, there are still seats in the third row and back in the left and right sections, while the center section has seats from the seventh row and back (the upper gallery seating is not open for this show). If you're a Bon Jovi fan, you won't want to miss Bon Jovi Forever at the S.C.T.C. on Sunday, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Bone Yard 225) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this first concert weekend of the autumn of 2025, things are surprisingly quiet as hard rock goes, but we do await the returns of some bands and venues from summer breaks still, so things should pick up soon. As luck would have it, this post is also full of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, plus new videos from one of the acts in question, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Let's dive into this weekend's quiet slate of hard rock concert previews, and we'll start with a busy triple header weekend for local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will kick things off with a one-nighter TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub, before rocking Beck's Bar for concerts on SATURDAY NIGHT and then for their SUNDAY matinee! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced late last week, but given the timing for this weekend's shows, I held them for this round of previews due to them being a week away at that time. Bone Yard's shows this weekend are sandwiching a traditional plugged-in concert at Beck's on SATURDAY with two "uncorked" shows, as they only play acoustic at The Water Tower Pub (who traditionally don't book the same band on consecutive nights), while they are the matinee performers at Beck's on SUNDAY, capping off their weekend in style.

Nice and busy (and varied) weekend is in store for fans of "the dirty three", so don't miss their southern fried hard rock across all three nights, and remember, if you want the full electric show, be at Beck's on SATURDAY NIGHT! If you're curious, the Saturday matinee timeslot belongs to new local acoustic duo Lawrence & McKey, who have their own full block that day and aren't "opening" for your local 225. All three shows this weekend are 19+ events with no cover charge, and the start times TOMORROW at The Water Tower Pub at 8:00 PM, SATURDAY at Beck's at 9:00 PM, and SUNDAY at Beck's at 3:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's some new live-streamed videos of Bone Yard 225 live! These come from their concert at Reggie's Place on August 30th, and as they were live-streamed, they will vanish from Facebook at around the end of the month as per their new rules on live-streams, unless explicitly converted or reuploaded.

One is an "uncorked" cover of The Tragically Hip's "Wheat Kings", but embedded below is 17 minutes of their third set that night, which starts with singer/drummer Greg Simpson acknowledging their upcoming album before they play their three public originals (so far) "F.A.F.O.", "Fuck!", and "Gypsy Spell". After citing a targeted "early 2026" release timeframe for the album, Greg noted that the album will have "a couple of covers", and yes, one will indeed be Mike Posner's "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" (the chorus of which was covered by Alex and Warren in this studio clip). The guys play it to end the live-stream, and while I'll hold comment pending our eventual review of the album, it is rocked up to fit Bone Yard 225's sound. While both of these videos were unfortunately shot vertically, and are time-limited unless the band converts them, they do The Hip justice, and the album preview suite seemed to go over well!

Check everything out above & below (while you can), and don't miss Bone Yard live TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub or at Beck's on SATURDAY NIGHT and SUNDAY!

Finally, we'll head to Misty's Fifties, where local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will continue his lengthy run of acoustic matinee concerts there on SATURDAY! This comes just one week removed from his most recent show at the Second Line West nightclub, which got somewhat mixed up last week when country musician Allan Mooney briefly advertised that he was playing there instead before things were clarified in Tym's favour (I even believed Allan at first). Tym will actually play every Saturday at Misty's this month except next week, so if you like his unplugged classic and hard rock covers and the huge setlist that they come from, then you won't want to miss out on his latest solo gig! While we're on the subject, here's some extra LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS now that we're later in the timeline, as Tym will be back at Misty's on Saturday, October 18th!

One week later, he will play a traditional nighttime concert at The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club on Wellington Street West on Saturday, October 25th, so keep these shows in mind as we enter the fall! No word on a potential Halloween theme for the latter gig. The Misty's shows are both 4:00 PM affairs, the Eagles Club show is at 8:00 PM, and these are all likely 19+ events with no cover. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here for more details on Saturday's and next month's shows, and here's Tym live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & CO2!!)

This post is a bit of a southern fried one given the bands in question, as there's some notable LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) to take in, so here's what you should know!

The thought-to-be one off hard rock/country cover band C02 will play their second and presumably final concert TONIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page yesterday. As has been long teased for months, former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver is moving to Nashville, Tennessee this fall to further pursue his solo country music career, and before he heads across the border, he is rocking Jay's all weekend long, starting with a show there last night from his similar but more country-focused short term band Mile 38 (who you may have seen at Rotaryfest Stage 1 last month). TONIGHT'S show will see Cameron back with his more rock-focused band CO2 (who debuted at Jay's in June), and assuming no lineup changes, he should be joined by Handsome Sandwich guitarist Jesse Cook, who also performed with Cameron in Mike 38.

Veteran local cover band bassist Rob Gilmar (who was a frequent fill-in performer with Soundcheck) should be back too, but I don't know who is replacing Elly McWatters and Brandan Glew, who are performing at Beck's with The Drifters instead tonight. Cameron will cap off the weekend at Jay's with an acoustic country matinee gig there tomorrow as well. Hopefully this weekend's shows prove to be a fitting send-off for Cameron, a good and talented guy who is destined for big things, and best of luck to him in Nashville for sure! TONIGHT's C02 show has a 9:30 PM start time, no cover, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and alas, no public preview videos of CO2.

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced their fall concert schedule through late October via their website's calendar, and after a summer full of charity events, tour dates, and private bookings taking priority, fans of "the dirty three" will have more chances to see them live in bars ahead! We'll save their run of shows next weekend for our next round of weekend concert previews due to the now-short notice, but their next shows afterward will be back at Reggie's Place for a full weekend on September 12th & 13th before returning two weeks later on the 26th & 27th! The guys are rocking Reggie's tonight as well, but keep their impending dates in mind for more southern fried hard rock covers and originals next month! One more Cruisin' The Dub car show for the Algoma Regional Community Hospice will follow on Sunday, September 21st outside of the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road.

Your local 225 are no strangers to supporting ARCH across multiple charitable events involving cars and bikes, so keep this one in mind in three weeks! Expect vendors, family activities, and lots of classic cars, though weather will be worth keeping an eye on closer to. While we await a fall concert calendar posting from The Esquire Club as they prepare to resume hosting live bands, Bone Yard will return to the Second Line West bar for the Thanksgiving long weekend on October 10th & 11th, so if you've missed Greg, Alex, and Warren there since the spring, there's your next chances! One week later, the guys will set up shop for another split weekend at Beck's Bar, where they'll play a traditional plugged-in concert on Saturday the 18th before going "uncorked" for the acoustic matinee there on Sunday the 19th. They will also be doing thusly next week, but more on those next week.

Lastly for this wave of concert announcements, Bone Yard 225 will return to The Water Tower Pub for a one-nighter on Saturday, October 25th, and as usual for their gigs at the Great Northern Road staple, this will be an "uncorked" event, so fans of their acoustic covers (or The Bearded Lounge) will want to keep that one in mind! We'll address next week's show there next week. For reference, Halloween this year is on a Friday, but if Bone Yard have big plans for October 31st, they haven't gotten that far in the calendar yet. With the exception of the A&W car show, all of these are 19+ nightclub dates, and none have an announced cover charge. Start times are 2:00 PM at the car show, 3:00 PM for the Beck's Sunday matinee, 8:00 PM at The Water Tower Pub, 9:00 PM for the Saturday nighter at Beck's, and 9:30 PM for Reggie's and The Esquire Club. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's busy fall calendar so far, and look for more soon!

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