The 2025 Northern Vibe Festival Preview!!

The tenth annual Northern Vibe Festival kicks off TOMORROW NIGHT with another stacked lineup of local and touring musicians descending upon the old Hempfest grounds on Poplardale Road in Ophir, so here's our extended preview! This annual camping & concert festival once again sees vendors, activities, food & drinks, and more along with the live music, so be sure to visit the official website for this weekend's complete non-musical details! Once again, there are two distinct stages for Northern Vibe, with DJs and EDM artists performing on the Roost River Stage (click here for its schedule), while bands and solo musicians will set up shop on the Forest Stage once again, as curated by Spades GT frontman J.D. Pearce for a fifth straight year in his annual return to local concert promotion. 15 acts (up from 10 last year) will grace the Forest Stage between tomorrow and Saturday, so who all can you expect to see an hour east of the Soo this weekend?

Just to preface things: the official schedule (released unusually early on August 11th) was considered "tentative" at that point, but there has been no contradictory announcements to go against what was stated then. Five bands will perform tomorrow during the shorter opening day program, which will be headlined by the local debut of Sudbury-based Tool/A Perfect Circle tribute band Avessel at 10:00 PM. They have the chops, so welcome them to the Algoma District in style tomorrow night! New (and maybe one-off) jazz/standards group The Josh Norling Quartet will co-headline at 9:00 PM, while hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will be the only band from this year's Rotaryfest to pull the summer festival double at 8:00 PM. The Friday bill kicks off with an extended rap block, including the merged Fvcksxvad/Sound Syndrome supergroup SoundSxvad at 7:00 PM & The CSWS Crew at 6:00 PM.

Nice diverse array of music to check out tomorrow, including heavier stretches from Avessel and HeadF1rst to keep things rocking, so keep everything in mind if you'll be in Ophir for night #1 of Northern Vibe X! 9&10 News is calling for cloudy skies with temperature going from 26° down to 18° as the night progresses. Note that they are forecasting rain in the 11:00 PM hour, which may affect Avessel's set, but the forecast isn't projecting more than a 20% chance prior. Visit the above links for more on the Friday Forest Stage lineup, and here's Avessel live! 

The longer program on SATURDAY will feature ten bands, and your headliners this year are local Pink Floyd tribute band Dark Side Of The Soo, as the Bourbon Blue side project will build on their recent Beck's gig by closing Northern Vibe in prog rock style at 10:00 PM! Niagara Falls prog/improv rock band The Road Waves will return to Northern Vibe as the 9:00 PM co-headliners in their fourth Ophir appearance, while local alt-hard rock quartet Handsome Sandwich will become the only band to play all five years of this festival since the post-pandemic relaunch at 8:00 PM. This year's other two touring bands (both from Cornwall) take the stage prior, including hard rock quartet Don't Tell Sarah in their second straight year at Northern Vibe at 7:00 PM, and speed metal band Hellrager (featuring ex-Spades GT guitarist Jay Sarrazin) at 6:00 PM, returning for their own second year after dropping out last year.

Folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels (featuring fellow Spades alum and Handsome Sandwich drummer Johnny Belanger) will return for their second Forest Stage set at 5:00 PM, preceded by the first of two shows this weekend from local/Barrie alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band at 4:00 PM, one year removed from their set that had professional cameras rolling. Will things get filmed thusly again? As revealed on Wednesday the 13th, the 3:00 PM band named The Barbarians are actually the new band fronted by ex-Elements/Wyld Stallyns singer/guitarist Rob Speers (replacing his originally announced solo set), and he will be joined by Handsome Sandwich bandmates Taylor Emlaw and Rafael Medina as well as Boat Dads drummer Kevin Harrison. They're described as a "party band", but what specifically do they play, especially compared to Rob's old bands?

Note that these three musicians have backed up Rob at some solo dates this year, but is this the start of a formal new band, or are The Barbarians a one-off? The 2:00 PM block is listed as "bingo break" on the schedule, and based on promotion since then, it appears to literally be a break in the schedule with no band. I haven't seen direct reference to bingo being played or scheduled elsewhere, but get your dabbers ready just in case! We'll let you know if something else is afoot then. The 1:00 PM set belongs to debuting local punk/hard rock quartet Spun Out (featuring Caveman Morrison and Half Past alumni), who were themselves late additions to the Forest Stage lineup, so come out to Ophir to hear how they sound! The Saturday bill will be lead off by "Benny's Acoustic Thing", which has yet to be elaborated on in official social media promotion. I believe I know who Benny is, but just in case, I won't make an assumption in case I'm incorrect.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a high of 22° dipping to the mid teens on Saturday night, and there is a chance of showers in the afternoon, though they're not expected for most of the day (skies are projected to be mostly cloudy early and partly cloudy late). Note that 2023 Forest Stage performer and local magician Ryan McFarling will be back this weekend as a general performer on the festival grounds and does not have a formal timeslot, so keep an eye out for him! Even with no A Dire Setback this year, this year's Northern Vibe lineup is stacked, and after it briefly looked like last year's festival would be the final one, it's great to see everything back and in full swing for the tenth installment! This 19+ festival goes on rain or shine, and if you haven't bought your tickets yet, online sales closed yesterday, so you'll need to buy yours at the gate. The in-person rate isn't given online, but it will be higher than the advance fee was.

For reference, advance tickets cost $125 in advance (for the full weekend) and $80 (Saturday only; there were no Friday-only passes), and while Sunday is part of the schedule, that's strictly for campers to pack up and wrap up, there's no bands that day. There's a lot to take in off the grid once again this weekend, so visit the above links for full details on Northern Vibe in 2025, and for a Saturday preview, here's Don't Tell Sarah live! 

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

Bone Yard 225 Concert Previews, Northern Vibe Festival Lineup Updates, And More!!

This weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews is very quiet, possibly a calm after the storm (so to speak) following the Civic Holiday weekend. I had only seen publically advertised hard rock shows from two acts so far, and one has quietly been cancelled, as Tym Morrison is not playing at Beck's Bar tomorrow afternoon despite still advertising the matinee show on his own Facebook event page. Rather, former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver has the honours as he continues his local farewell run before his teased move to Nashville. Keep that in mind for country fans, and while I don't know what happened with Tym's show there, he is scheduled to return to Beck's on September 28th, and he will be live again next week!

As such, here's this weekend's only known hard rock previews, as southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have a split weekend with two very different shows, starting with their one-night-only return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT! After spending most of July on the road or at festivals, this will be their first show at the venerable Queen Street East nightclub since late June, and hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren keep the good vibes going with this latest "sermon"! If you want to enjoy their southern fried rock covers (and three originals) indoors this weekend, this is your sole chance, as their concert on SATURDAY NIGHT is very different, namely their role as headliners of Algoma Tree Services' community meet & greet for a second straight year! After replacing Soundcheck as this event's featured act last year, your local 225 are back at the company's Goulais River headquarters on Saturday for this publically attendable event.

This annual event will feature a charity barbecue as well as a bonfire, a meet & greet with Algoma Tree Services staff, and family activities, so there will be a lot to take in! Like last year, classic rock veterans Angry Joe & The Growlers (who have been playing this event longer than Bone Yard) will open the proceedings at 1:30 PM before "the dirty three" headline at 7:00 PM. This is a free event at 1313 Haviland Shores Drive, and 9&10 News is currently calling for weather ranging from 25-29° tomorrow, with mostly cloudy skies. However, be advised that there is a 30% chance of rain during Bone Yard 225's scheduled 7:00-11:30 PM timeslot, so keep tabs on your preferred weather forecast for updates. Tonight's Reggie's show is at 9:30 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and if you're curious, country music veteran Leslie Cook will be playing at Reggie's tomorrow night.

Visit the above links for more on both Bone Yard shows this weekend, and for a preview, here's a new video from their Kirkland Lake show to close last month's Stéphane Léveillé Memorial Poker Run there! Live-streamed by attendee Marcy Catherine (so you have until Wednesday to see it unless she converts it to a regular video) and shared to their Facebook page, this features the guys covering Golden Earring's "Radar Love" at their Royal Canadian Legion hall, and true to form for their live renditions, the 9:49 length is apt! Sadly, this video is vertical (let alone a now-time limited livestream), but Greg and crew are in fine rocking form in this rare stop at his hometown, and fans were definitely into it, so check everything out below!

Next up, here's some lineup clarifications for the Northern Vibe Festival's Forest Stage over the August 23rd weekend in nearby Ophir! First, regarding debuting local alternative/punk quartet Spun Out, I can confirm that their guitarist is Joe Skouris, a relative newcomer to local bands. Thanks to bassist Ryan Disano (an alum of Caveman Morrison like frontman Dean Duguay is) for confirming his identity with me earlier this week! As for the drummer, as best as I can tell, it's Disciples Of Rock/Stoned To Deaf alum Jamie Labreche behind the kit. Joe's an unknown yet, but this should be a solidly talented band, so keep them in mind in two weeks! The advertised Josh Norling Psycho Jazz Infusion have been renamed to The Josh Norling Quartet, with this promotional image from the festival's Facebook page confirming that they play jazz and standards, while downplaying the prior psycho branding. With they & SoundSxvad both getting fresh confirmations of their festival involvement this week, who is left?

Of the bands from April's tentative lineup, Northern Vibe organizers still have not plugged touring bands Hellrager and Don't Tell Sarah and locals Rob Speers, The CSWS Crew, and "Benny's Acoustic Thing" anew, so if Spun Out have replaced one of the five, we'll likely learn in due course based on who isn't freshly promoted with a new promotional picture or shared link (this is how the festival lineup was officially confirmed last year too, if not the days and timeslots until that week). Stay tuned for more when it rolls in!

Finally, here's a new jam session video from Sault Michigan hard rock/punk trio About:Blank's Facebook page in May! Apologies for the delay in this making the site, especially as it features the guys working on a new original song named "Why". This video isn't the easiest thing to watch for two reasons: non-ideal band member placement (we're staring behind Parker for most of it, who is completely obscuring Kade from view), and the baffling decision to upload this horizontal video into vertical letterboxed dimensions, rendering it tiny. How do so many bands upload videos like that? However, About:Blank sound good here, and Parker lets off some impressive screams late in this 72 second sampler, which kinda sounds grungier than I'm used to them sounding from prior videos. We still have (at least) two live concert videos of theirs to share in upcoming posts, but check out their "Why" jam for yourselves below!

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

Cory Marks Concert Videos & Northern Vibe Festival Lineup Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a late concert cancellation on here, as classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This dropped out of their planned Beck's Bar show on Saturday night. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but Beck's Facebook page only confirmed the news at 10:00 PM that night, after the show was to have began. Hopefully all is well in Dodge This' camp, and that we see them again on stage soon!

Today's post otherwise takes us to updates on an upcoming concert festival, but first, here's some long overdue videos from North Bay country/hard rock musician Cory Marks' last two shows here! This first one is actually from his Machine Shop gig in September of last year, and I think this one slipped me by until now because it was uploaded as a "Shorts" video (a.k.a. YouTube "Reels"). While it is brief and vertical, at least you can embed it on external websites and play it in a background tab! This actually comes from the YouTube channel of Ben Bullett Mortlock, who was a session guitarist in Cory's live band, and it features 56 seconds of footage from that night, including arrival at the venue, and black & white soundcheck clips. All of this is set to the studio version of Cory's song "Whiskey For Sale". I say this a lot for highlight videos, but I hope the raw footage of this gets uploaded at some point!

Beyond my usual complaints about vertically framed videos, the quality of the video footage here is great (I couldn't tell you if the audio matches up), with lots of strong angles of the band, venue, and fans, so hopefully someone is sitting on the fuller (and maybe not vertical) raw materials? Kudos to Ben for this "Short" regardless, so give it a watch below!

Next up, let's transition to Cory's third local concert, a special acoustic event at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre in June as part of the Hope Air Day charity initiative for improving remote health care access in northern communities. This intimate event (which had free admission) was actually live-streamed by the Hope Air Facebook page, but alas, I wasn't able to cover it here as hoped due to our busy existing summer schedule. Facebook now has a 30 day time limit for hosting and viewing live-streamed videos, unless they're re-uploaded or converted to regular videos prior, which Hope Air did not do for the Cory Marks concert here, so it vanished from Facebook around July 6th. We're not completely stuck in terms of covering it now though, as attendee DJ Chris Mat uploaded two videos from that night to his YouTube channel! One is of local folk musician Matthew James, who replaced The Dust Covers on short notice for unannounced reasons as the opening act.

Cory's 1:41-long video features him covering Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like A Knife", another good sign towards his country/rock crossover appeal if you weren't familiar with his rock radio crossover singles already. I get the sense that Chris zoomed in a lot, but you see what you need to see for Cory's one man performance here, and he sounds good on this domestic rock classic, so give it a look below, and apologies again for not being able to cover the full live-streamed concert in time! Hope Air is a great charity, and I hope the local festivities helped their goals and promotion in the area! 

Lastly for today, here's some clarifications and updates re: the lineup for the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir over the August 23rd weekend! Like last year, organizers are posting individual promotional images for the musical performers on their Facebook page on a sporadic basis, and one is a brand new addition to the lineup, namely debuting alt-rock/punk quartet Spun Out! Confirmed for the festival on July 11th, the band features former Caveman Morrison vocalist Dean Duguay and former Half Past/Winkstinger bassist Ryan Disano, alongside a guitarist named Joe and a drummer named Jamie. I am not 100% on their identities, not aided by the lack of an online page, let alone the horror movie effects on their first band photo, but it will be neat to hear how they sound! I don't know who, if anyone, Spun Out are replacing at Northern Vibe, but seven of the Forest Stage bands on the tentative April lineup have yet to get a Facebook promotional image at press time.

Regarding the advertised Tool tribute band, they are not a Parabol reunion, nor are they even local. They are Avessel, a joint Tool/A Perfect Circle tribute band from Sudbury, who will be making their local concert debut off Poplardale Road in three weeks. Avessel don't have a website or social media page beyond Instagram, but what I have heard points to a strong take on songs from Maynard James Keenan-fronted bands, so don't bypass them! Lastly for updates on advertised bands, the rap performance by Soundsxvad isn't a renaming of Fvksxvad, rather a one-night-only merger of MCs from that collective as well as Sound Syndrome. Apologies for any confusion from our initial coverage of this year's lineup, and thanks to members for clarifying on Facebook! Time will tell if there any other lineup adjustments, so stay tuned for more updates on the lineup and who exactly is playing on what day when things come out, and we will keep you posted!

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

Musicians Unite Fallout & Videos (Part 1!!)

This has fallen through the cracks for way too long now, so let's talk about fallout from the Musicians Unite benefit concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters on March 22nd! Held in honour of Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins' wife Mary Jo in order to raise money for her and her family during her ongoing battle with breast cancer, you can read more about all that happened last month in this personal Facebook post by co-promoter & Exit 808 singer Amy Beach (which has been shared publically by some of the bands). Over $5,000 was raised for the Jenkins family on this night, and Bird's Eye was packed all day, so it's awesome to see the support from Sault Michiganders and the E.U.P. at this trying time! I initially had planned to cross the border for it, but the whole tariff/trade war thing came up and I didn't want to risk any hiked up duty payments at customs for whatever I happened to buy. Amy's post also includes 50 photos from the concert, so what is there to see?

While John Bullman was the official photographer, these attached photos are Amy's, and include shots of attendees and performers alike, and there's a lot of quality shots from her camera from bell to bell! In terms of videos, let's start with headlining Marquette hard rock cover band Spun (featuring frequent Exit 808 guest bassist Bob Libick), who live-streamed two vertical videos from their set to their Facebook page. Now, I want to preface this by noting that Facebook will now be removing live-streamed videos from accounts after 30 days in an effort to declutter storage and improve program efficiency (source here). Pages/users will then have a 90 day window to either re-post it as a normal video or "Reel", or save it to their hard drive before it is permanently deleted (one six month postponement will also be allowed). This was announced before Musicians Unite, so I don't know if Spun intended for these to be short-term content or not, but watch them while you can!

I get where Facebook is coming from, as the amount of uploaded videos never ends, but that's a lot of videos that are doomed, so hopefully not all of them are unceremoniously deleted! In any event, Spun's videos (which should be live until around April 21st barring a permanent re-upload) feature a rocked-up cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and, as embedded below, Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" featuring Amy on guest vocals. Sadly, both videos are vertical, and the filmer was behind attendees in both clips, but both covers are solid, and Amy's voice holds up well for this GNR classic, so check both videos out (while you can?) above and below!

Co-headlining Elmira hard rock band Driving Dawn didn't post videos of their own from Musicians United, but attendee Miranda Bigger got some really good pictures of their set that you can see on the band's Facebook page and/or this link. Acoustic filler sets aside, the aforementioned Exit 808 closed things as far as local bands went, and in terms of their lineup, they were joined at Bird's Eye by the aforementioned Joe Jenkins and Bob Libick as guests on guitar and bass. while Amy's 10 year old niece Stella even joined them on bass for at least one song! Regardless of whether he's officially on guitar or bass now, Amy's son Blaze Beairl was not in attendance, and while I didn't see an official statement as to why, he was on the road with Heavy Lies The Crown that weekend, drumming with them at Cabin Fever Fest 2 in Oscoda the previous day. We'll have more on H.L.T.C.'s March activity soon!

A handful of videos from the show were shared in this batch post of John Bullman's photos that was posted to Exit 808's Facebook page, and one video is of their set, where they were joined by another guest musician, namely Molly Escherich, who fronted The Other Guys to victory at last year's LSSU Battle of the Bands, and was one of three between-set guest acoustic musicians on this night. The 50 seconds-long clip sees Exit 808, Molly, Joe, and Bob covering Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life", with Amy sitting out to allow Molly to handle lead vocals (co-singer Dillon Semasky did the Paul McCoy parts). I have no idea why this video is so skinny (even if you like vertical videos), but everyone performs well on this hard rock staple! Molly does come across a little nervous, but her vocals suit the cover nicely, and remember, she is 13 years old. Good stuff all around, so check out Exit 808 & crew below!

We'll touch on media and fallout from the earlier three local bands and the acoustic performers in an upcoming post, but I'm glad to finally get coverage rolling from Musicians Unite, and our continued best wishes are with Mary Jo and the Jenkins family as he continues her cancer battle! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

The Musicians Unite Benefit Concert Preview!!

A huge assortment of local and Northern Michigan rock talent will join forces at Bird's Eye Outfitters TOMORROW NIGHT for Musicians Unite, a special benefit concert! As you may know, Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins' wife Mary Jo has been in a fight with breast cancer for the past year+, and this event is to raise money for her and her family to offset the cost of treatments and medically-related travel downstate. Along with tomorrow's concert action, there will be official t-shirts available for purchase, a bake sale, and a silent auction on site at Bird's Eye, so visit the official Facebook event page for complete non-musical details on what's going on and how you can help May Jo and family at this difficult time! Your headliners tomorrow are Marquette hard rock cover quartet Spun in their first local concert appearance since 2022, though bassist Bob Libick has guested locally with Exit 808 multiple times since.

It's cool to have Spun proper back on a local stage tomorrow at 10:45 PM, and hopefully they rock the house tomorrow, especially given that they're letting the opening bands use their sound system! Elmira hard rock quintet Driving Dawn will co-headline at 9:00 PM in their first ever E.U.P. concert appearance, though Exit 808 fans may know them too, as they won last year's Rock Recovery battle of the bands in Alpena. Driving Dawn's skilled modern rock sound should be welcomed by Yoopers tomorrow night as well! The aforementioned Exit 808 are the highest slotted local band at 7:30 PM, and members Amy Beach & Jackie Moon are the promoters of Musicians Unite as well. Should be a big set for them, and given how open they are to have guest and fill-in musicians, could some surprises turn up? One is definitely hinted, as young Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich is listed as making "appearances" mid-set.

Whether just the band, with Molly, or with other guests, Exit 808 should leave a good impression with their double vocalist-led hard rock! Fellow local hard rock quartet Dirty Musky will take the stage at 6:00 PM with their own set of unique hard and alternative covers, and they should make some noise early in the evening, as will hard/blues rockers Project 906, who are (of course) one of the central bands tomorrow given who Mary Jo is married to. Unfortunately, the band will be playing sans singer Billy Bernier due to a previously scheduled vacation, but Exit 808 singers Amy Beach and Dillion Semasky will be guesting behind the mic with 906, returning the favour after both Joe & Dustin have sat in with Exit 808 in recent months, so look for this special set tomorrow as well! The opening local band is new alt-punk trio About: Blank (featuring Tarnished and Midnight Logic alumni), who will kick off the day's musical program at 3:00 PM.

As for the previously teased acoustic performers between the full band sets, organizers confirmed earlier today that three solo musicians will do the honours across the five breaks between bands. The aforementioned Molly Escherich (who was teased to guest with Exit 808) is slated to play unplugged music at 10:15 PM, 7:00 PM, and 4:00 PM, while veteran local folk singer/guitarist Kevin Blakeney is blocked for a mini-set at 8:30 PM, and About:Blank frontman Parker Talentino will go solo for a bit of his own at 5:30 PM. Admission is by donation tomorrow night, and while I have not seen a firmly stated age limit at Bird's Eye (which is licensed), Molly's presence alone is noted. Official event t-shirts will also be on sale. While I won't be in attendance (I was hoping to go before the tariff/trade war complicated imminent Sault Michigan trips), this is a huge concert for EUP live music fans, so don't miss it!

Alas, I can relate all too well to what the Jenkins family is going through right now, as I lost my mother (named Mary, incidentally) to ovarian cancer in October 2020. From what I have seen and read, Mary Jo's strength, courage, and devotion to her family (including her three kids) is extremely commendable, and kudos to Joe, his bandmates, and everyone else involved with Musicians Unite for putting on what will be a packed night of live music and good vibes! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on tomorrow's benefit concert, and for a preview, here's Spun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for some new concert announcements on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Musicians Unite Benefit & Dirty Musky!!)

We have a fair backlog of news items to clear out on the SMS as we begin March 2025, so let's start with an all-Sault Michigan post solely devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month. Here's what you should know!

Local hard rock cover quartet Dirty Musky will rock The Merchants Bar on Saturday, March 15th! This one-nighter will be their second show of 2025 (after rocking Hessel during Snowsfest last month), and their first gig in the Soo since playing at The Merch right before Christmas. Like in their last two concerts, the festivities in two weeks have a theme, as March 15th falls a couple of days before St. Patrick's Day, so in lieu of a Monday nighter, expect bands to take advantage of the 15th for their Irish themed festivities and green beer! We await specifics on what The Merch/Dirty Musky have in mind though. You can see Dave, the Blackwoods, and Jamie take the stage that night at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on what should be a fun night of hard rocking tunes, but we're not done with Dirty Musky yet, as they've got one more booking this month in the Soo..

One week later, on Saturday, March 22nd, a huge lineup of rock bands will join forces at Bird's Eye Outfitters for a special cause! As some of you may know, Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins' wife Mary Jo has been diagnosed with breast cancer, which she has been battling for the past year. To help offset the expenses that her treatments and travel downstate have incurred on her family while she's not working, local musicians are hosting the Musicians Unite benefit concert at Bird's Eye to raise funds for the Jenkins family at this difficult time. Having lost my mother (named Mary, incidentally) to ovarian cancer in 2020, I completely sympathize with Mary Jo and her family as this fight continues, and I hope that this concert goes a fair way to helping the Jenkins clan through this! Entry for this benefit concert will be via donation (I don't know if it's 21+ or not), and a silent auction will also take place.

A huge lineup of six bands will be headlined on the 22nd by Marquette hard rock cover quartet Spun in their first local date since 2022, though bassist Bob Libick will be familiar to local fans for his frequent appearances as a guest fill-in bassist with Exit 808 in the past year. Great to see Spun proper back in town later this month! They're on at 10:45 PM, while your co-headliners at 9:00 PM are Elmira hard rock quintet Driving Dawn in their local debut. While we haven't seen them on stage yet here, readers may recognize Driving Dawn from winning the Rock Recovery battle of the bands in Alpena last year, which featured the aforementioned Exit 808 as competitors, so it's nice to see past coverage get further local links! Exit 808 (who are promoting this event) are the highest slotted local band in their first gig since the I-500 weekend, and will take the stage at 7:30 PM. Kudos to Amy & Jackie for putting this on!

The poster heavily implies that rising young Dafter singer/guitarist Molly Escherich will be making "appearances" during Exit 808's set, so keep an eye out for Molly rocking out with a new set of "other guys"! The aforementioned Dirty Musky are blocked for 6:00 PM at Bird's Eye, while Project 906 proper will play their first Sault Ste. Marie gig of 2025 at 4:30 PM. Odd that they're so early in the night given the benefit's inspiration, but it'll surely be an emotional one for Joe in particular, and hopefully they have a strong set! Your openers at 3:00 PM are About:Blank, the new local punk/alternative trio that Yoopers will next be able to see at Three One Three on Ashmun on March 15th. Multi-band events like this are still not all that common in the E.U.P., but that is changing, and given the very important reason for this one, I hope that a huge crowd turns out to support Mary Jo and family and enjoy this lineup! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard, Fort Creek, And Tym Morrison), And Most Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we get into today's weekend concert preview post, just a heads up that local classic/hard rock cover quartet Obsession's planned matinee gig at The Esquire Club on Saturday has been cancelled for "health reasons" with an unspecified band member, as per their Facebook page on Tuesday. Sounds like it must be serious to an extent if it was cancelled that relatively early, but hopefully everyone's healthy in time for their next planned date at the same venue on June 11th! Now, let's dive into most of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, specifically bands playing tomorrow in some fashion, and most of these involve SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on this rainy Thursday!

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison is scheduled to play at The Mike Case Memorial Stage at The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via its Facebook event page on Monday. His first of two currently known dates at the outdoor stage at 1332 Great Northern Road (also playing an atypical Wednesday nighter there next week), TOMORROW'S show will be Tym's first at The Trading Post in over seven months, owing to its seasonal nature, which only sees live music bookings from May-September. As for the weather forecast, 9&10 News is projecting partly cloudy skies with a high of 12° during showtime, and the rain stopping by the afternoon, but definitely keep an eye on local weather reports if you are at all concerned. Tym's show proper begins at 7:00 PM with no age limit, cover charges, or vaccination proof in effect.

With Tym's vast setlist and strong guitar and vocal abilities, fans should be in for a solid evening of classic and hard rock covers TOMORROW NIGHT, so don't miss out on all of the outdoor action at The Trading Post, with more to come! See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge not just on SATURDAY NIGHT, but also TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW's show, the band's initial advertising for it only included the Saturday nighter, as was standard for Shooters since they began hosting cover bands earlier this year, but the Dennis Street nightclub confirmed via their own Facebook event page on Friday that they were booked on both nights. Clearly, the Saturday nighters are doing well enough to warrant Shooters booking Friday night shows as well as of this month, as you'll have seen when Soundcheck last played there, and hopefully Greg, Alex, and Warren deliver more southern fried classic & hard rock covers for fans & regulars alike TOMORROW and on Saturday night!

And yes, these are our first Bone Yard shows previewed on the SMS since finally rolling them into our full coverage. 8:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits are in effect for Bone Yard fans this weekend, which is standard with their prior 2022 gigs there. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live earlier this year!

Also this weekend, fellow local southern hard rock cover band Fort Creek will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, these dates were only announced via this poster on the band's Facebook page on Monday. These will be Fort Creek's first shows at the downtown Reggie's since early March, and should provide fans with ample opportunities to hear their own blend of hard rock, classic rock, and country covers in a familiar downtown locale, so definitely consider a run downtown for all of the action! As is seemingly a given at any Fort Creek concert, there will be merchandise giveaways both nights. New songs are also teased for their set, though no immediate word on if that includes songs from their forthcoming EP, like the one debuted at their most recent Soo Blaster gig. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows are 9:30 PM affairs with no cover and 19+ age limits.

While we're on the subject, Fort Creek have also confirmed that they will be opening for Metallica tribute band Sandman at Soo Blaster on July 9th! This is now basically a relocated makeup date for the April 2020 show with the same bands at The Canadian, cancelled due to the first pandemic lockdown. That would have been Fort Creek's live concert debut, so 2+ years of gigs, rehearsals, and additional chemistry can only improve things in July, so definitely get your $20 tickets for this one at this link! As for TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Reggie's, see above for details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Finally for today's previews, let's head to Sault Michigan for a pair of shows that had utter & complete advance notice, as Marquette hard rock quartet Spun will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino branch TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! I erroneously announced these shows as being at the St. Ignace Kewadin when first mentioning them on the site, apologies for that, Spun are 100% in the Soo this weekend! Fans of the Nudge. successors will have just seen Spun at The Rapids Lounge last week, and their fan friendly blend of hard rock covers and more mainstream hits should prove to be a winning combination once again for U.P. fans this weekend! No word on Memorial Day frills given that this is a long weekend, but definitely rock out responsibly. These shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Spun live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for previews of this weekend's Glorious Sons and Handsome Sandwich shows (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Spun, and Fyrbird) & A New-ish Sault Michigan Solo Project!!

In our final news post of the month (this month's CD review is tomorrow!), we're staying in Sault Michigan and area for a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS over the next two months! Before then, we have a new-ish metal solo project to add to our active band links, so let's start there!

The new addition to our band links today is the solo project from Buddy Repperton & The Camaros frontman David Waite, who launched a solo Facebook page for his own material back in April 2020! Apologies for the two year delay in this making the site, but thanks to David (or "Uncle Deadly") himself for letting me know about this! Now, David's solo project is inactive, as he last posted brand new content that November, so it looks like his current band work overtook any of his solo pursuits, but at the time of launch, he was hoping to use this Facebook page to post & share new music and videos he was working on, and break up recent monotony (remember, this page launched in the middle of the first pandemic lockdown). He also planned to promote other metal musicians he liked, connect with other musicians & fans, and even launch a podcast, but most updates relate to his music.

Despite a relatively brief time uploading videos here, there's almost two dozen videos of David on guitar, plus some extra bonuses like him finding Yooperlites and some shoutouts, so there's a lot to see whether you're new to David's music or if you recall his recordings before he moved out of state & back. You do get a solid sense of both his musical talents and his personality throughout, and he's not one to just play the music in his uploads. As a pure metal guitarist, David has the chops, with solid brutal riffs a given, as you can see below and at his other uploads linked on Facebook, but stay tuned for more from Buddy & The Camaros soon!

Next up, let's get into those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as Kewadin Casino's entertainment pages for The Rapids Lounge in Sault Ste. Marie and The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace have been updates for shows taking place through the end of June! With only two months of dates to address, there are some absences of recently prominent hard rock acts like Scarkazm, Tarnished, 415E, and Rhythm & Brews, but there are some heavier touring attractions hitting the lounges ahead, starting with Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird, who will hit The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace for the first times this year on Friday, May 6th & Saturday, May 7th! Last seen in the E.U.P. when they rocked the Soo Kewadin in January, these are far from their only remaining local concert bookings of 2022, as their Facebook group lists scheduled dates through the end of the year in a post from March 20th!

According to the band, they'll also be at the St. Ignace Kewadin on July 29th-30th and December 23rd-24th (yes, Christmas Eve), and they'll be back at The Rapids Lounge in the Soo for just one weekend ahead, specifically on November 4th-5th. All four of these concert weekends have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Lots of opportunities ahead for Fyrbird's minimalist but heavy and to-the-point onslaught, so see above for more details!

Also next month, Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return to The Rapids Lounge in the Soo for concerts on May 13th & 14th, followed by Northern Pines Lounge gigs in St. Ignace on June 3rd & 4th! Like Fyrbird, next month's shows will be Peril's first E.U.P. concert weekend since January (in their case however, also at the same venue), and all four dates should prove to successful weekends for this fan favourite touring attraction and their wide array of classic and hard rock covers! Again, no shows from their sister band Scarkazm in the May-June 2022 timeframe at either Kewadin lounge, but Peril should do the trick for fans! Like with Fyrbird, the upcoming Peril shows are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details!

Finally, Marquette hard rock quartet Spun will return to The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace for concerts on Friday, May 27th & Saturday, May 28th! These shows will be the Nudge. successors' first shows at this Kewadin branch in 2022, following Sault Ste. Marie dates earlier this month, and these should provide an ample opportunity for Mackinac County fans to hear Spun's own diverse range of hard rock and fan favourite covers, especially over the Memorial Day long weekend! As usual for Spun's Kewadin stops, these shows have 21+ age limits, 9:00 PM start times, and no cover charges, and given that this is a holiday weekend, make sure to be sensible for both drinking and keeping the pandemic at bay. Visit the above links and the official Facebook event page for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALEER (Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

It may be the Easter long weekend ahead, but there are still some hard rock concerts to take in, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and I have some new videos to round things out with. With all of that said, what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for a traditional one-night-only concert TONIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, this show was only announced via its Facebook event page on Tuesday. Now, you may be expecting that Soundcheck would be back at Reggie's West TONIGHT even without a formal announcement, as this is the site of their weekly Thursday open mic nights, but branding for TONIGHT's concert indicates that this will be a standard concert in lieu of a Friday nighter due to the Reggievelt being closed tomorrow for Good Friday. To that end, the event page does not mention any of the open mic night trappings, and is treating this like a normal show of theirs, so if you want to kick off the long weekend in style with their hard rocking and country tinged selection of covers, head to Reggie's West TONIGHT for all of the action! A Saturday show there is not advertised.

As normal for Soundcheck's pandemic-era shows at the former Rosie (Thursday open mic night or normal concert alike), TONIGHT'S affair has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Michigan, as Marquette hard rock cover quartet Spun will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino for previously announced concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! No Good Friday off for the casino, clearly, as this double booking for the Nudge. successors will be their first engagement at the Soo Kewadin since the fall, and first anywhere in the E.U.P. of 2022.If you miss out on this weekend's festivities, Spun will be back on May 27th & 28th, but their brand of fan-friendly hard rock covers should prove to be an Easter surprise in & of itself, so don't miss out on the action this weekend! As usual for bands at The Rapids Lounge, both of these shows have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the above links and the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Spun live!

Lastly for currently announced hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults this weekend, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, as local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will make their Shooters Downstairs Lounge debut with a one-night-only show on SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Fort Creek's first show anywhere since playing at Reggie's West last month, and will be the latest in Shooters' recent push into hosting live bands on Saturday nights, which Soundcheck helped kick off this year. If you're up for some downtown live music action, head to the 68 Dennis Street nightclub on Saturday night, and drink responsibly if you want any Easter treats on Sunday! An 8:00 PM start time is in effect for this 19+ show, which has no cover charge, and as seemingly usual for Fort Creek's live gigs, there will be another merchandise giveaway. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Let's close today with some new videos from prolific local metal musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page! One is a Facebook upload of his new original song "Mad Scientists & Witch Doctors" from his newest solo album "Sonic Apocalypse", but embedded here is something completely new, namely "Wigmore's Piano Quartet in A minor Op. 1", an instrumental piano composition! While not a metal song, it is well performed, and the video proper shows every key hit to make the song happen, almost like Guitar Hero with a full keyboard (apologies for not knowing the program used to make the visuals). Not bad work, it'd be interesting to hear more of this, and give it and more from Chase a listen above & below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes over the long weekend! Thanks everyone!