LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm, The Sky Pilots, And Tarnished), And One More Concert Preview!!

A SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT fell into my lap, so let's dive into a mostly all-Eastern Upper Peninsula post on this Saturday morning (not Sault Michigan, everything here is taking place or was filmed in other towns). Along with a Sault Ontario concert preview, we do have more upcoming EUP concerts that were recently announced, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished will return to The Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley for another acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, I just heard about it this morning, but Bay Mills had first confirmed the gig on their Facebook page on Monday. TONIGHT's still-short notice gig will be Alex & Josh's second straight Saturday nighter at the Brimley casino's newer acoustic-amenable lounge, and while I don't know if this was always scheduled or if they're a late fill-in, hopefully they get a solid turnout for their 1980s-leaning rock covers once again! Remember, their acoustic shows do not have Chris or Ron present, we'll let you know when the full band announce new dates. Everything goes down TONIGHT at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's (half of) Tarnished live!

Next up, The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino has updated their band schedule through the end of November via their entertainment page! Of course, it's just the St. Ignace branch, as The Rapids Lounge in the Soo is expected to close at month's end to make way for the construction of the new sports bar and water park. Kewadin have taken the extra step of noting genres for bands playing there on their entertainment pages though, which is long overdue, though very general, as they often don't get more specific than "rock & roll" as a descriptor. Just to clarify, Timberline and Uncle Ugly don't cross our "hard rock" line from what I've seen and heard, though they do have occasional covers. A band that does though kicks off the month on Friday, November 6th & Saturday, November 7th, namely Munising classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots, in their first local appearance since rocking the St. Ignace Kewadin in May.

Always good to see former Swayze Train/Electric Motor Fish singer Melissa Strand in our area, and hopefully they have a strong turnout next month for their hard rock-leaning cover selection! As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, these will both be at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on The Pilots' return!

Meanwhile, The Northern Pines Lounge are booking some very familiar faces for the American Thanksgiving weekend, as Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will play their last EUP shows of the year at The Northern Pines Lounge on Friday, November 27th & Saturday, November 28th! Of course, their sister band Peril is rocking out at the soon-to-close Rapids Lounge tonight, so now Yooper fans know your last chances to see either band before 2027. Scarkazm's hard hitting originals and covers should go over well next month, so don't miss out on all of the action in St. Ignace then! Same as for The Sky Pilots three weeks prior, these shows are at 9:00 PM, have no announced cover charges, and you must be 21 or older to attend. Visit the above links for more details, and don't miss Jeff leave the drumkit to front Peril tonight in the Soo before The Rapids Lounge as we know it closes next month!

Finally for today, here's one more weekend concert preview for Sault Ontario, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will set up shop at Reggie's Place TOMORROW for another Sunday matinee concert! The third of six scheduled concerts on the batch Facebook event page for his late 2026 dates at the Queen Street East nightclub, this is one of two Sunday matinees ahead for Tym in October, with a return coming on October 25th, though note that Reggie's Facebook page hasn't publically confirmed any of Tym's recent shows there. If you're up for a fun afternoon of classic and hard rock favourites from this talented local musician and former Caveman Morrison frontman, head to Reggie's for the Thanksgiving Eve music! This is a 19+ event at 2:00 PM with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Curtis McKenzie) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that while in-person advertising at The Esquire Club had listed Bone Yard 225 as playing there this weekend, those shows are not taking place, as their current break from live concerts continues. No word on a possible replacement band at press time, and our continued thoughts are with the D'Ettore family. This weekend's hard rock concert previews begin now, with the exception of Headrush's show on Saturday, which will be in tomorrow's post due to the amount. Now, let's lead off with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, both Curt and the venue only announced this show on their respective Facebook pages this afternoon. Why either couldn't announce the show on even a day's notice, I don't know, but TONIGHT'S concert sees Curtis return to "The Naughty Corner" inside the former Low & Slow, in his first gig there since late February. Should be a solid evening of hard rock covers, so don't miss out if you can swing it on a work/school night! Note that this promotional image from The Dive's Facebook page says "Thursday nights only", which reflects the venue's scheduling and not Curt, as (holidays aside) they haven't booked proper musical acts to perform on other days of the week since last year. Regardless, expect good music and great energy TONIGHT!

No comment on the bad decisions, but try to rock out responsibly! TONIGHT's concert begins at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, here's Curtis live!

Next up, reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for a full weekend TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via the venue's AI weekly schedule poster on Sunday, though as of this writing, the band has not corroborated these bookings on their own Facebook page. Last seen this past Saturday at Beck's Bar (which Soundcheck also didn't mention on their Facebook page), these will be Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's first bookings at the former Roosevelt Hotel in four weeks. Good to see the guys staying busy, and look for a nice array of old school rocking covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Note that TOMORROW'S show coincides with $5 Friday, which references food and drink specials there on Fridays. Both shows are 19+ and at 9:30 PM with no cover charges.

Looks like a solid weekend for Soundcheck to do their thing in the west end, and perhaps with the Triumph/April Wine concert still fresh in mind (fallout forthcoming), might they have a relevant cover or two in their deep setlist? No promises, of course. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Moving to shows that had advance notice before this week, let's head an hour south for concerts in St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will set up shop at their Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted on the band's Facebook page, these shows have been advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page right along, and will mark Scarkazm's first E.U.P. weekend since they played at the Soo Kewadin in late March, but we haven't see that band (as opposed to their sister group Peril) at the St. Ignace branch yet this year. If you like hard rocking metal originals and covers with an old school flavour, then you won't want to miss Adam, Dave, and Jeff at the St. Ignace Kewadin this weekend, so keep these shows in mind if you're in the area! These concerts have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!

We'll close this preview post back in Sault Ontario, where reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will make their first ever stop at Gateway Casino on SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Quite Frankly's first show since rocking The Water Tower Pub on April 12th, a show that had a last minute lineup change, as Sidekicks/ex-Double Down bassist Dan Beaupre filled in for an absent Harley Syrette for unannounced reasons. Hopefully all's well with Harley and that he's ready to go on Saturday, but Dan's an experienced pro, so they were in good hands! Quite Frankly are on the younger end for bands who play at the casino, and it will be interesting to see how they go over, so head downtown to find out on Saturday! This 19+ concert has no announced cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time, and if you can't make it, they'll be back at Beck's next week. See above for more details, and here's Quite Frankly live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Headrush preview and more 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 ALERT (Bone Yard 225) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Another seemingly quiet concert weekend is ahead for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults, but we do have a related LOCAL CONCERT ALERT from one band and a new video from another, so here's what you should know as we slowly come out of this week's cold snap!

We'll start with southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, but in another new announcement, they'll return to Beck's Bar on Saturday, February 14th for a special Valentine's Day gig! While the band proper has not confirmed their slate of concerts beyond this weekend on social media or their website, the venue announced the show (on the Family Day long weekend) on their Facebook page yesterday, and it's not a run of the mill concert. For Valentine's Day, Beck's is hosting a concurrent "stoplight party", the gimmick being that you wear coloured clothing to signify your relationship status and hopefully encourage matchmaking (green = you're single and looking, yellow = maybe/it's complicated, red = you're taken/married). Fun idea, and hopefully there's a strong turnout at the former Vibe Lounge in two weeks to make it as successful as possible!

No word yet on if Bone Yard also have the "uncorked" matinee slot on the 15th, we'll let you know when they or Beck's confirm. In the meantime, tomorrow & Saturday mark the first stops at The Esquire Club for "the dirty three" since November, and just their second and third full electric shows of 2026, so keep everything in mind this weekend and next month! This weekend's Esquire Club shows are at 9:30 PM, the Valentine's party at Beck's is at 9:00 PM, and the three are all 19+ with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's your local 225 live!

Next up, one of the bigger attractions this weekend is the surprise reunion of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Over a year after the band parted ways following their New Year's Eve 2024 concert at the YNCU Curling Centre, most of the band's final lineup (singer/guitarists Terry Eaton & Cameron Oliver and bassist Jim Michaud) are back for presumably one weekend only. Of course, we have seen unions of 2+ of them multple times in the past year via Cameron's own solo dates, with his short-lived "The Band", and via Terry & Jim's current successor bands Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party, so why Terry is only just now reviving the Soundcheck name isn't publically clear. Hopefully their classic and hard rock covers (with a dash of country) go over well after a year+ away, if technically!

Terry & Jim's new Separate Wayz/Guilty Party bandmate Johnny Amendola will take Glen Thomas' spot behind the drumkit, in his first public gigs with them under any band name, so if you're curious to see how he fits in, come to the former Roosevelt Hotel! Like usual for their old gigs, the former Nameus hit the Jay's stage at 9:30 PM tomorrow and Saturday night with no cover charges or age limits. See above for more details on Soundcheck's reunion weekend, and for a preview, here they are live!

In a brief detour to Sault Michigan, fans across the river can welcome Traverse City metal/hard rock trio Scarkazm back to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino for the first times this year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their sister band Peril kicked off 2026 at the Soo Kewadin four weeks ago, and will be in St. Ignace in two weeks, but in the interim, Scarkazm are hear to bring things a little heavier with their rocking slate of covers and possibly some originals, and it will be good for fans of Adam, Dave, and Jeff to see them back at it after another busy past year! If you miss this weekend's shows, Scarkazm proper won't be back at The Rapids Lounge for almost two months. As usual for Scarkazm's (and Peril's) Kewadin bookings, tomorrow and Saturday's shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, here they are live a few years back!

Finally for this weekend's known and public hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for a one-nighter, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Full Throttle Saloon! Four weeks ago, this talented veteran group played their first gig at the former Primavera Hall, and now they're back in Steelton for their second show there and of the year. Bassist John Amendola (whose son Johnny is drumming with Soundcheck at Jay's that same night) teased that Headrush will have new songs in their setlist to unveil on Saturday, so head to the Full Throttle Saloon to see what's new! This is a 9:00 PM concert on Saturday with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new jam session video of Headrush in action, as shared to their Facebook group!

Shared from John Amendola's personal Facebook page, this sees him, John Anderson, Wes, Gino, and Frank covering "Spaceship Superstar" by Canadian hard rock legends Prism. The camera could be centered moreso, but the cover sounds good to me, and it's always good to see a local band covering some Cancon that isn't one of the usual suspects! Check it out below, and see much more from Headrush on Saturday night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review next, either tomorrow or on Saturday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished) And The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

With Christmas just a week away, there's just one more concert weekend to touch on beforehand, so that's what today's post is focusing on! It is sufficiently busy to warrant two posts though, so Saturday's Generations and Tym Morrison shows will be previewed next. Now, here's what you should know, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P.!

Local classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the gigs via their Facebook page yesterday, and they are late replacements for this weekend. Sault Ontario classic rock veterans Touch Of Class were originally slated for The Rapids Lounge this weekend, but they had to cancel their scheduled Kewadin dates since last month due to paperwork issues (source here), presumably related to their ability to perform in Michigan. Hopefully they get everything sorted out in time for their scheduled 2026 dates, but kudos to Tarnished for stepping in TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With no public New Year's dates teased, these will likely be Tarnished's final shows of 2025, and their first at the Sault Kewadin in almost two months.

You can enjoy Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's hard rocking mix of covers at The Rapids Lounge at 9:00 PM as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY with 21+ age limits. Visit the above link for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, we'll head south to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will set up shop for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted on their Facebook page at press time, the shows have Facebook event pages linked here, and will be their first shows in our neck of the woods since rocking the Soo Kewadin three weeks ago. After tomorrow and Saturday, Scarkazm have just two other shows left in 2025 (downstate in Crystal Mountain), but they will be back in the Soo in January and in St. Ignace in April, so if you don't wanna wait, head to The Northern Pines Lounge for Adam, Dave, and Jeff's hard rocking covers and originals before Christmas! Like with Tarnished up north, Scarkazm's Kewadin dates this weekend are 9:00 PM affairs with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live!

Also this weekend, let's head north to Sault Ontario for a stacked multi-genre concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's Bar named Broke & Hungry! This concert will be a Soup Kitchen Community Center benefit as part of touring rapper/host Twitchy T. Tantrum's national food drive, and entry will be via non-perishable food items. Always a wonderful cause, and kudos to Twitchy and all involved at this rare multi-band concert at Beck's! A wide swath of musicians will include two SMS-amenable bands, namely crossover thrash quartet Hails and online page-less metal quintet The Sault Side Squad, while this show will also feature Juno-nominated Toronto rapper Unknown Mizery (a.k.a. King Mizo), local bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels (featuring Shit Liver and Handsome Sandwich alumni), and local rapper Mike "Mic Swiff" Sylvester. This is a 19+ event which starts at 8:00 PM tomorrow.

Note that Twitchy T. Tantrum has a scheduled live-stream for this concert on YouTube, suggesting that it may be played live there for remote and belated viewing, but I haven't seen any firm confirmation of that elsewhere. Keep tabs on that link just in case though!  There's a little something for multiple tastes at Beck's tomorrow, and it will be nice to support the Soup Kitchen just before Christmas in the process, so don't bypass this concert in your weekend plans! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Ha!ls live!

Finally for this preview post, it's our first ever preview of a heavier concert at The Full Throttle Saloon (well, at least since the former Primavera Hall rebranded), as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop at the Wellington Street West venue TOMORROW NIGHT! This one-nighter will see Greg, Alex, and Warren give Steelton a run for its money, and hopefully things go well there so they can bring their high-octane slate of covers and their originals to a new venue and audience more regularly in 2026! With just their ticketed Moose Lodge show on New Year's Eve ahead, Boneheads will have just this show left for the year in terms of normal nightclub gigs, and it's a normal one for them aside from the locale (9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, no cover). Note that the Full Throttle Saloon doesn't host bands on Saturdays at all, and is only open to the public from 12:00-4:00 PM that day (reserved seating after 4:00).

For more details on your local 225's concert tomorrow at the Full Throttle Saloon, the venue's menu options and specials, and more, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's "the dirty three" live! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Generations and Tym Morrison previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Quite Frankly & Dos Amigos) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this final concert weekend of the month, and arguably the true start of the Christmas season, we have too many hard rock shows for one post once again, and that's not even counting Toystock on Sunday! That will obviously get an extended preview soon, but we'll also hold Saturday's Robbie G/Apocalypse Afterparty and Tym Morrison shows for tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know re: bands playing tomorrow in some description, plus SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Whisky Barrel! Apologies for the short notice, the venue first announced this show via their Facebook page on Sunday, and Dos Amigos haven't updated their Facebook page in over three months. While their lack of public social media updates this fall doesn't mean they haven't played shows that just slipped past our radar, this will be Mikey & Dustin's first publically promoted concert as this project since late August, when they opened for The Golden Scoundrels at the same venue. If you like the idea of unplugged punk covers from the former Inner City Surfers and Rising Tide bandmates, then come down to Gore Street and beat the weather while enjoying some tunes! This is a 19+ show with no cover and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dos Amigos live!

Next up, reunited local classic/hard rock cover band Quite Frankly will finally play their first show since their reunion earlier this year on SATURDAY NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via Beck's Facebook page on Tuesday when they made their weekly announcement of that week's entertainment lineup. As you may recall, Quite Frankly (a prominent if short lived local presence from 2009-2010) announced their surprise reunion in July, with guitarist Frank LaTassa, bassist Harley Syrette, and guitarist-turned-drummer Joe DelBasso now joined by singer Haley Alopaeus. While they have played at least one private gig since coming back, this will be your first chance to see Quite Frankly 2.0 on a public stage, following their cancellation of a Bruce Mines gig last month due to an unspecified band member illness. It will be interesting to see how Quite Frankly go over in their grand return after 15 years!

For reference, the SATURDAY matinee performer this week is acoustic singer/guitarist Nigel Cormier (also in his Beck's debut), but as always, he isn't "opening" for Quite Frankly. Nigel has his own full timeslot from 3:00-7:00 PM, ending 2 hours prior to the band's start time of 9:00 PM. Expect a 19+ age limit and no cover charge as usual. See above for more on Quite Frankly's return on SATURDAY, and here they are at a private event post-reunion!

Now let's move to shows that did have advance notice, starting with fellow local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush, who will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This weekend's shows come just over a month after the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank's most recent gigs at the same venue, though they did play at least one private gig (a stag & doe) in the interim. According to the official Facebook event page, Headrush have "new tunes on the roster (that are) guaranteed to keep you dancing", so if you want to see what's new in their sets, and if you will indeed keep dancing throughout, head to this west end favourite this weekend! As usual for bands at The Esquire Club, tomorrow and Saturday's shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Headrush live!

Finally for this preview post, let's head to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, these will surprisingly be Scarkazm's first shows in Sault Ste. Marie since April, partially aided by the band taking the summer off from gigs in any locale. It's always good to see Adam, Dave, and Jeff delivering their hard hitting original and cover attack north of the Mackinac Bridge, and hopefully there's a great turnout both nights to send out November 2025 on a high note! As usual for Kewadin Casino lounge bookings, tomorrow & Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges, and if you can't make it, they'll return to the St. Ignace Kewadin the weekend before Christmas. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Oz, Scarkazm, And Exit 808), Plus More From Sault Michigan!!

Today on the SMS, we're focusing entirely on Sault Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula via some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and new videos & related updates from a band in question, so here's what you should know!

Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to both the Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace Kewadin Casino branches for one more weekend each in 2025, as they'll rock The Rapids Lounge in the Soo over Thanksgiving weekend (Friday, November 28th & Saturday, November 29th) before closing out their E.U.P. calendar for the year on December 19th & 20th at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace! Both weekends were confirmed on both Kewadin locations' entertainment pages linked above, which have been updated to reflect concerts through the end of the year. Always good to see Adam, Dave, and Jeff bring their hard hitting original and cover attack to our neck of the woods, and hopefully these concerts go well across the board! While we're on the subject, Scarkazm themselves have confirmed shows through April via their Facebook page's event pages, so will they be back here in 2026?

Yes! The Peril sister band will be back at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo on January 30th & 31st, and then again on March 20th & 21st, before rocking The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace once again on April 24th & 25th, so keep all of these upcoming dates in mind for your Scarkazm fix over the next six months! As usual for Scarkazm's Kewadin bookings, all ten dates have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Scarkazm's next E.U.P. trips!

Next up, Iron Mountain classic/hard rock cover quintet Oz will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin on Friday, December 12th & Saturday, December 13th, but they too will also be back in the E.U.P. in 2026! Like with Scarkazm, Kewadin isn't going into next year yet, but Oz confirmed on their Facebook page that they will be back at the same venue on February 20th & 21st and then again on September 18th & 19th! Really far out booking there, bands that we cover don't usually announce dates 11 months prior like this, but they also confirmed a December weekend in Baraga in the same post. Local fans last saw Oz at The Rapids Lounge in April, so it will be neat to see their talented blend of classic and hard rock covers back in town for one more weekend before the year is up! Like with Scarkazm above, all of Oz's Kewadin dates ahead are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details on these shows!

Also taking place on December 12th & 13th (albeit at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace) is the return there of local hard rock band Exit 808! Kewadin's entertainment page credits the band playing there as Double Jack, but that is (of course) their old name that they changed from in early 2024 due to the existence of a separate band named Double Jack downstate. So these shows has been scheduled with the casino for at least 21 months without someone catching the old name? Exit 808 have yet to confirm these dates on their own Facebook page, but these will be their first shows in St. Ignace since the beginning of August. Hopefully these winter-time concerts go well across the board with their dual vocalist-led array of hard rock covers! Like with Oz and Scarkazm above, these are 21+ events once again at 9:00 PM with no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, but we're not done with Exit 808 for this post yet!

As you may recall, Exit 808 most recently headlined at The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino for their belated Halloween party on Saturday, November 1st, a concert that had multiple guest musicians, one being a mystery bassist named Brad. When acknowledging who performed on Saturday, they said "we were joined by 13-year-old Molly Escherich and new bass player, Brad Pringle, along with our typical 6". Note the lack of a pronoun, so is he a new bassist or their new bassist? Brad has played bass (and saxophone!) in bands downstate, and in both of the new videos from "Fright Night On The Bay" on the band's Facebook page, he is on bass with no sign of Blaze Beairl. The "typical 6" would include Blaze, so he must have been there, and he has played at Back Bay gigs in the past despite being underage, but he is not visibly performing any instrument in the two videos. We'll let you know if things get clarified on Brad and Blaze's statuses either way!

Both videos feature Molly on guest vocals and Brad on bass, but teased guest guitarist Joe Jenkins is not in either clip. The videos include a cover of Volbeat's newer single "By A Monster's Hand" with Dillon and Molly splitting vocals (no Amy), but as it's shorter and bafflingly uploaded in vertical "Reel" dimensions with heavy pillarboxing despite being a horizontal landscape video, it's not embedded here. Instead, here's the longer and fully framed (but still vertical) video of Exit 808 covering Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" with Amy and Molly sharing vocals. This alone is unusual as Molly usually subs in for Amy, but they sound good together! Both covers are solidly done, so give them a watch above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Dodge This) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive head first into this weekend's hard rock concert previews on this Thursday night! Due to the amount of shows this weekend, I'll hold our preview of Saturday night's Bone Yard 225 and About:Blank shows for tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock duo Dodge This will return to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we first learned of this booking via the venue's February concert calendar on Monday, though the band did confirm the booking on their Facebook page yesterday. Despite their quiet start to the year on social media, Jason & Jamie (and Jeff?) did rock The Dive last month, perhaps among other gigs that may have happened without online word from their camp before they resurfaced on Facebook this week. Fans of Dodge This' rocking acoustic covers should get a lot to like in their first Water Tower Pub show of the year TOMORROW! This show has a 19+ age limit, no announced cover charge, and an early-ish 8:00 PM start time, while we will address Generations' month-ending show there in an upcoming post. See above for more details, and here's Dodge This live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will help kick off this year's Bon Soo Winter Carnival TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock The Machine Shop! The only SMS-relevant concert taking place at Bon Soo this year, this early highlight on Silent 9's 2025 calendar will see them cap off a day full of family activities & events at the Canal District and elsewhere downtown, so be sure to read the official schedule to get the full scoop on what's going on tomorrow and beyond! Tomorrow's concert takes place from 8:00-10:00 PM indoors at at The Machine Shop, this is an all ages event, and admission is free with your $12 Bon Soo button or $8 jacket tag. If you don't wanna buy yours at the gate, click here for the locations where you can buy them. Silent 9's hard rocking blend of covers should get get Bon Soo off on the right foot, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

Now let's head across the Ontario/Michigan border for some hard rock shows in the E.U.P., starting with local hard rock quartet Dirty Musky's return to The Islander Bar in Hessel TOMORROW NIGHT! If you liked/missed the I-500 pub crawl in the Soo this past weekend, you may want to consider stopping by Hessel and nearby Cedarville tomorrow, as Dirty Musky's show takes place during the annual Les Cheneaux Islands Snowsfest's pub shuffle across nightclubs in the two towns. Last year's pub crawl saw a scavenger hunt across the five participating bars, plus votes on who had the best decorations, costumes, and themed drinks, if 2024's pub shuffle is anything to go by, you can vote on which participating pub has the best decorations, costumes, and cocktails, while also taking part in a scavenger hunt across the locations. Technically, the concert takes place after the 8:00 PM close of the pub shuffle, but why not stay for some live hard rock?

Food specials will also be on tap for attendees at The Islander tomorrow, with Dave, the Blackwoods, and Jamie hitting the Hessel stage at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Hopefully Dirty Musky get a strong turnout from fans and pub crawlers alike for their 2025 kickoff, so visit the above links for more on both this show and Snowsfest in general, and here they are live last year!

Finally, Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm are advertised to return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not freshly promoted on their Facebook page this week, they posted Facebook event pages last fall to promote the gigs, so they appear to be on as scheduled. These will be the Peril sister band's third and fourth E.U.P. dates of 2025, following shows at the St. Ignace Kewadin over the first weekend of the year, and it will be good to see Adam, Dave, and Jeff unleash their talented blend of hard hitting covers and originals in the Soo for the first time in almost two months this weekend! Tomorrow and Saturday's Scarkazm concerts are standard fare for their Kewadin trips, so expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits both nights. Visit the above links for more details on Scarkazm's returns to the Soo this weekend, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard 225 & About:Blank previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

The First Hard Rock Weekend Concert Previews Of 2025!!

The first concert weekend of 2025 is upon us! Usually, things are quieter for hard rock concerts post-New Year's Eve, and that is bearing out here, as we can fit this weekend's known heavier concerts into one post. Of course, I'll address potential late notice ones if they come up, but here's what you should know to lead off a new year!

We'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will play their first shows anywhere of 2025 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Adam, Dave, and Jeff's first pair of shows in the Eastern Upper Peninsula since they rocked St. Ignace three weeks ago, and while the band hasn't freshly promoted this weekend's concerts on social media yet, the shows are advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page. It is neat to see Scarkazm kick off another year in our region, and hopefully their hard hitting covers and originals get a strong audience at The Northern Pines Lounge as usual tomorrow and/or Saturday! As is standard for bands on the weekend circuit at Kewadin Casino lounges, this weekend's Scarkazm shows are at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ste. Marie's Kewadin Casino, where Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird will return to The Rapids Lounge in their own first shows of 2025 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! No strangers to the E.U.P. (if more frequently at points an hour+ away from the Soo), this weekend's shows will be Fyrbird's first at The Rapids Lounge since October, and first in our coverage area since rocking St. Ignace in November. We have yet to see a public schedule for the coming months ahead as Fyrbird usually post on their Facebook group, and they likewise haven't confirmed this weekend's shows there, but again, Kewadin's entertainment page confirms the bookings. Jamie & Rikk should have a solid pair of hard hitting two-man concerts in store for fans of their workmanlike covers, so don't miss out tomorrow and/or Saturday! Again, these are 21+ shows at 9:00 PM with no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Fyrbird live in Manistique!

Now let's head north to Sault Ontario, starting with local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225's first shows of 2(0)25, as they'll headline at Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Bone Yard have certainly not been strangers to Reggie's this winter, having played there four times last month, including on New Year's Eve on Tuesday night, and they have five shows ahead in January, this weekend's pair among them. It's no longer the holiday season, but you can do a lot worse than kicking off the new year with your local 225 this weekend at Reggie's, but if tomorrow and/or Saturday don't work for you, they'll be back next weekend and at month's end! Note that Bone Yard have revealed the planned release of their third studio single (named "Fuck!"), which will premiere on major streaming services on Monday, January 20th, so it won't be directly tied to a concert date of theirs like with the "Gypsy Spell" release.

In the meantime, you can sample the track on their official website! Like the Michigan bands above, Bone Yard 225 have not publicized the dates on their Facebook page, but their website and Reggie's proper have confirmed them. Tomorrow & Saturday's shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Greg, Alex, and Warren live!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head to The Water Tower Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will play their first show of 2025 on SATURDAY NIGHT! This is the first of three consecutive Saturday nighters at three different venues from Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre, and will mark Generations' first show since they headlined at Reggie's three weeks ago. Fans of their classic and hard rock covers should get a nice array at this central nightclub on Saturday, so if you prefer The Water Tower Pub, can't make it to Jay's next week, or just miss seeing Generations, come on down for their 2025 debut this weekend! Remember, The Water Tower Pub historically hosts different acts nightly, with The Northern Jazz Ensemble kicking off their schedule for the year tomorrow night. Generations are up at 8:00 PM on Saturday night with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above links for more details, 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!