LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nameless & Silent 9!!)

While nowhere near as busy as what we saw locally in July, things are definitely busier locally for hard rock concerts this weekend, and we will have to stretch out our weekend concert previews to two posts as a result. As such, this weekend's Heavy Lies The Crown, Generations, and Tarnished shows will feature in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know otherwise, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! 

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 have a busy weekend ahead, and it starts TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to The Tap Room at Northern Superior Brewing Co., followed by the featured headliners slot at the annual Laird Fair outside of town on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on both fronts, the band only announced both dates on their Facebook page on Monday, though they have been advertised for the Laird Fair in their own promotional materials before then. TOMORROW'S show is the second late notice one in as many weeks from an SMS-amenable band at the Tap Room, and is a bit of a surprise booking from Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve, as they normally take the summer off from standard nightclub shows, only playing festivals and private bookings then. In fact, while we're on the subject, they'll be back at the Tap Room on Saturday, September 27th as well!

That show was quietly confirmed on their website's concert calendar, and we'll wait on other public shows there for now due to the later scheduling but they will be more active publically this fall. As far as I can tell, there's no raison d'etre for TOMORROW'S brief pause of their summer break from bar shows, but the fun classic and hard rock covers will be in full swing at Northern Superior, especially at a venue better known for acoustic acts! TOMORROW'S and next month's shows are at 8:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. As for the Laird Fair (a.k.a. the North Shore Agricultural Fair), Silent 9 are this year's headlining band, taking over for the now-defunct Soundcheck on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Friday band slot this year was replaced by karaoke. Loads of family friendly entertainment is in store in Laird (outside of Echo Bay), both for farming and agricultural events and for games and activities, so be sure to visit the fair's Facebook page for the complete schedule!

Silent 9 will set up shop on SATURDAY NIGHT under the covered (but not entirely indoors) stage at the fairground site at Lake George Road East once again, which bodes well for the rainy weather forecast, but do follow your preferred weather forecast for updates on Laird Fair events like this (9&10 News is calling for a high of 27° that night). The concert proper is a licensed 19+ event at 9:00 PM, and admission to the concert is included with fair passes, which run for $10 for the day and $20 for the full weekend. Visit the above links for more on Silent 9's busy short notice weekend, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Next up, let's skip over to Michigan for another new confirmation, as local hard rock quartet The Nameless will debut at The Goetzville Tavern in nearby Goetzville on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by the band on their Facebook page on Sunday, though the venue has been plugging this show on their Facebook page since last month. Stalwart Agricultural Fair aside, this is the first standard concert that we've covered in Goetzville (outside of Pickford) since 2014, believe it or not. The Goetzville Tavern may be better known to local readers as Yooperman's Bar & Grill, and it re-opened under its new name and ownership in April at 18017 East M-48. Concerts have sporadically taken place there since last month, with The Nameless being the first heavier-leaning act there, so welcome them to a new locale an hour south of here in style on SATURDAY!

The Nameless take the stage on SATURDAY at 7:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Note that The Goetzville Tavern technically closes at 10:00 PM nightly, but they will clearly extend their hours for concerts if need be, and The Nameless are advertised to play until 11:00 PM. The official Facebook event page strongly hints that the show will be outdoors under a tent, so given that, 9&10 News is calling for a 70% chance of rain on SATURDAY dipping to 40% at night, with temperatures expected in the mid-high 70s (a high of 27° Celsius). I have no idea if they have provisions to postpone the show or move it indoors due to rain, so follow The Goetzville Tavern and/or the band on social media for updates if you are all concerned. Otherwise, visit the above links for more details on the hard rock action in Goetzville on SATURDAY NIGHT, and here's The Nameless live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Krang & Project 906), The M1 Concert Preview, And A New Punk Cover!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, which is half devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with the back half featuring a special Wednesday night concert preview and a new studio cover to check out, so let's get things rolling!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on Saturday, July 19th! Not yet announced by the band on social media, this concert was announced by the venue's Facebook page two weeks ago in this poster advertising July events (or lack thereof, as they closed for two days during the Fourth of July long weekend). Last seen on stage in Brimley late last month, the guys last played in Eckerman at the end of May, and hopefully the #summerof906 continues well with another night of strongly performed and crowd friendly hard rock classics next Saturday! You can see Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian take the stage at The Strongs Tavern next Saturday at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Project 906's next show, unless they announce something on short notice prior!

Next up, remember how two Swiss death metal bands played in Sault Ontario this past Sunday night? Well, another band is trekking all the way from Europe to play in the Soo, as Czech skate punk band Krang will make their local concert debut on Monday, September 8th at The Distraction! An upbeat pop punk band whose songs are heavily based on retro pop culture and nostalgia (yes, the songs are in English), Krang will absolutely pique the interest of local punk fans this fall, so don't bypass their fun original attack in two months! Local support will include online page-less "east end rock & roll" duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring ex-Fitswitch/Redundant bassist Andrew MacDonald alongside Ralph Barber) and A.S.D.P., which I am 99% sure stands for "Adam Smith Death Parade". You may recall seeing them debut as a late replacement band at the private Go Skateboarding Day replacement event last month, which also featured The Spaceship Opening.

The venue describes A.S.D.P. as "crackrocksteady", so does the "rocksteady" reference imply ska punk? I don't known anything else on A.D.S.P., but stay tuned when we hear more! Taking place in The Distraction's current basement locale on East Street (all shows were moved out of the former hair salon upstairs starting last summer), this all ages concert will have a 7:00 PM start time and a cover charge of $15 or "pay what you can". Sounds like a fun way to kick off the fall season in style, so don't miss this stop on Krang's Real Canadian Moose Pit Tour if you can swing coming out on a work/school night! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, here's a special mid-week concert preview for your Motorhead fans in the area, as Calgary-based Motorhead tribute band M1 will rock Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! The first time that a touring band has headlined at Beck's since the Goulais Avenue nightclub re-opened three months ago, M1 will bring a faithful sounding (if not looking) tribute to Lemmy Kilmister and crew to local audiences, and it will be neat to hear Motorhead songs other than "Ace Of Spades" covered at a local concert, let alone this many! As per a quiet update to the Facebook event page, Dodge This singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer will open tomorrow's festivities. Having an acoustic solo artist open for a Motorhead tribute may seem odd, but Jason has ample experience in hard rock bands, most notably the out of town groups Phatstick and Human Disorder, so I'm sure he'd tailor his set somewhat for the occasion, and he is a very talented musician, so don't be late!

This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time (moved up from 7:00 PM), and despite featuring a touring headliner, it will have no cover charge! While the work night scheduling won't be ideal for many, Motorhead fans won't wanna miss M1, especially at that (lack of) price, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Finally, remember how local crossover thrash quartet Hails released a self-titled album last month without much public warning? Well, that was prefaced by their appearance on the new compilation album "Punk Canada Vol. 4", and they released their contribution to it errrrrrrrrvrywhere on major streaming services on June 10th! Curated and released by Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz, you can get physical copies of the album (which features covers of Canadian punk bands by modern acts) on vinyl via Ha!ls members, and you can hear the whole thing on Bandcamp at this link, including Sault native Ash Richtig's band Avoid The Comment Section's cover of Grimskunk's "Dead End Violence". Hails contributed a cover of "Meathook" by Toronto punk legends The Almighty Trigger Happy, in their first studio recording with guitarist Carmen Muto in the fold. How is the cover overall?

Played a touch faster than the original (running for just 92 seconds), this isn't quite as ferocious as Ha!ls can get on their heaviest originals, but it's a faithfully executed cover that Trigger Happy fans will like, with a good pace & solid hardcore punk intensity! Give it a listen below or on other major streaming services, check out "Punk Canada Vol. 4" above, and look for our review of Hails' new album in October!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down, Project 906, And The Nameless), Concert Previews, And More!!

As promised, we have more concert previews to knock out on this very busy final weekend of May 2025, so today's second post focuses primarily on SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for Saturday night, along with a previously announced weekend, with new videos to talk about from half of them. Here's what you should know as we continue this busy preview stretch!

Local blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen in Hessel a few weeks ago, this will be 906's first show out in Strongs since early March, and it should be a prime opportunity for fans an hour west to check out Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian's brand of melodic hard rock covers in a familiar locale despite the late notice! SATURDAY's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 or older to attend. No word yet on when we'll next see Project 906 on stage, but perhaps another "#summerof906" is to be detailed, so stay tuned to their Facebook page for further updates. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Project 906!

This comes from their Back Bay Grill & Games concert at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley last month (via their Facebook page), and sees them covering the Black Crowes version of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle". Pretty good cover, if with somewhat gruffer vocals, but fans should take to this one well enough! Unfortunately, the video was shot vertically, and while everyone's more or less seen on camera, why accentuate the empty floor like this, occasional dancers aside? Give this new live video a watch below!

Next up, fellow local hard rock quartet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only themselves on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was also only announced via their Facebook event page on Tuesday. This will be the band's first stop at The Merch since April 10th, which was also their first show with Dirty Musky's Jamie Costner behind the drumkit, a role that she has since signed on with permanently. This will be her third concert with The Nameless, including their gig at Huck's in Rudyard earlier this month that the band never publicized on their Facebook page. It's great to see that Jamie is fitting in well with Joshua and the Mikes, and hopefully SATURDAY'S Merch show is another hit as The Nameless continue making their local name! A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this one-nighter in the Soo, which has a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Nameless live!

Also taking place on SATURDAY NIGHT is Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's debut at Beck's Bar! Apologies again for the short notice, the band first announced the gig on their Facebook page on Sunday, with the venue's Facebook page clarifying the date/time one day later. The guys will be rocking a west end nightclub for a second straight weekend, after hitting up Jay's (sans Beej) last week, but Saturday's one-nighter (due to Friday DJ nights at Beck's) will hopefully give everyone a chance to unleash some solid live rock covers for a new audience! It will be a busy day for most of the band though, as Double Down (minus drummer Ric Datson) will also be playing in Beck's 3:00 PM matinee timeslot on SATURDAY as well, under the band name The T.R.I.P.. What that acronym stands for, I don't know, but Occam's Razor would suggest that this is an acoustic side project from Joel, Beej, and Dan.

I couldn't tell you what The T.R.I.P. play yet, or if they're basically an acoustic/drum-less take on Double Down or not, but we'll let you know when more comes out! If you're curious to come aboard this T.R.I.P., remember that it's technically a separate matinee concert, and they're not "opening" for Double Down, who take the stage 2 hours after their sister band wrap up. Double Down proper are on at 9:00 PM on SATURDAY with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll stay in the west end, as fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Headrush will rock The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Unlike the above dates, this one was announced with lots of advance notice, and will mark the end of their two month break from the public stage. It's worth noting that guitarist Wes Greco has posted nine live clips of the band on his TikTok page that haven't made their way to Facebook (a platform that I don't believe he uses), so if you want more samples of Headrush's live setlist, check those out! As they're on TikTok though, they're all short and vertical, and I can't get their embed codes working on the SMS, but you can see them there covering AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Sweeney Todd, Rick Springfield, Toto, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eddie Money, and two Journey songs (linked here & here).

Not the ideal way to post concert videos for SMS purposes, but kudos to Wes for posting these glimpses of "80's music at its finest" along with some earlier cuts! Headrush take the stage tomorrow & Saturday at The Esquire Club at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new Headrush video that I can embed here, and it sees them covering Bon Jovi's "Runaway" at a recent jam session! Posted by bassist John Amendola on their Facebook group on May 12th, this well shot horizontal video captures a solid rendition of this newer song in their live setlists, so give it a watch below!

That's all for today, but our weekend concert previews will conclude next with Saturday's previously announced Generations, Dodge This, and Tym Morrison concerts. Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Double Down) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

You know the spring is almost upon us when concert schedules are picking up, and not only are there enough hard rock-leaning concerts to warrant splitting this weekend's concert previews into two posts, there's major headlining shows on both sides of the border this weekend! As such, we'll look at Sunday's Our Lady Peace show, Saturday's HeadFirst concert, and this weekend's Bone Yard 225 shows (and more) on the site tomorrow. so they are coming soon! Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will rock The Water Tower Pub for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was quietly announced on the band's Facebook page on February 12th, which completely slipped us by at the time (the venue has yet to confirm their March concert schedule online). SATURDAY'S concert will be Double Down's first since their late January weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, and their first stop at The Water Tower Pub since January 10th, so it's been a relative while to see the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric rock out on a local stage. Hopefully their Cancon-laden night of hard rocking covers goes over swimmingly at this central nightclub on SATURDAY, and that the storm warnings are long over prior! This is a one-nighter due to tomorrow's previously announced Generations show, which will be previewed at post's end.

Double Down take the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT at 8:00 PM, this is a 19+ event, and there are no announced over charges. After taking all of February 2025 off, hopefully the guys are ready to rock once again, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brief new video of Double Down live at Jay's in January, and I mean brief! This 9 seconds-long (and vertical) clips sees the guys covering Prince & The Revolution's "Purple Rain" with Joel & Beej making the most of the floor during one of the Brad Stephen-sung choruses. Fun little clip while it lasts, though I would like to hear the full song! Still, check it out below!

Next up, let's head across to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P., as local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on SATURDAY NIGHT as well! Again, apologies for the short notice, but it definitely is short notice here, as both the band and venue only announced this gig via their respective Facebook pages this afternoon. Like with Double Down above, SATURDAY'S show will be Project 906's first since late January, when they rocked The Strongs Tavern on January 26th. Exactly five weeks later, fans can welcome Billy, Dustin, Joe, and Jason (and Brian?) back for another night of hard rocking cover action, so consider the hour's drive west on SATURDAY if you're up for it! Yes, I am well aware of the fundraiser concert that 906 are taking part in next month, we will have more on that on the site this weekend, so stay tuned for full details shortly!

Project 906's second show of 2025 goes down on SATURDAY takes place at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on this late notice concert, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live and in concert last year!

We'll stay in Michigan for a big previously announced concert, as Sacramento glam metal/hard rock quintet Tesla will make their long awaited return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! Just to get this out of the way now, Kewadin Casinos have begun re-opening following the ransomware attack two+ weeks ago, with the Soo branch re-opening yesterday (St. Ignace's re-opens tomorrow, the rest will next week, source here), and they have confirmed that the Tesla show is still 100% on, so they re-opened just in time! This will be Tesla's (at least) fifth local concert appearance, but first since 2013, so if you've missed Tesla's rock radio hits like "Love Song", "The Way It Is", and "Mama's Fool" in the past 12 years, you'll wanna make your way to the Soo Kewadin for all of the action! This opener-less & all ages show is presented by Rock 101.

All center section seats are sold out for tomorrow's concert, but there are limited seats still on sale in the left & right sections in rows H-J ($85) and K-Q ($75) and in the standing room only area ($65), so click here, visit the in-person box office, or call 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up unless you want to chance availability at the door. If you're a loyal Hair Scare listener, you won't want to miss Tesla's local return tomorrow night, and they still sound good, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tesla live at The Dreammakers Theater back in 2010!

Finally for this preview post, we'll return back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will cap off February 2025 when they rock the aforementioned Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Remember, The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts different nightly bands, and doesn't book bands on consecutive nights as a rule, with Double Down playing there on SATURDAY NIGHT as noted at the top. Fans last saw Generations at Jay's two weeks ago, but tomorrow's show will be their first on Great Northern Road since early last month. This one-nighter should be a fine way to enjoy Generations' old school and hard rocking covers, weather permitting, so keep things in mind if you want something to do tomorrow night! Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre hit the stage at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Our Lady Peace, Bone Yard 225, and HeadFirst previews (and more) next!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, Double Down, And Headrush), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another wave of weekend concert previews is upon us, and most of this post is comprised of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS as a result! Due to the amount, Saturday night's Mike Haggith & The Din-headldined Joy MacMillan tribute concert at The Dive will be previewed in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for their first concerts of 2025 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, bassist John Amendola only announced the shows via the official Facebook event page on Tuesday. This newer veteran group were last seen at The Esquire Club ("their favourite bar", if you believe the venue's Facebook page) just under a month ago, so it'll be good to see the Johns, Wes, and crew back on Second Line West for another weekend of 1980s-leaning rock covers! No major frills or themes to note, just two nights of old school rock hits, so don't miss out on all of the action from Headrush (not HeadFirst) TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT! As usual, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges both nights. See above for more details, and here's Headrush live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT themselves! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook page on Monday, and we await any sort of concert calendar for upcoming dates like they were posting every so often last year. These will be Double Down's second and third shows of the year, last having played at Jay's back in November, so if you've missed seeing the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric in the west end, you'll get your fill of classic and hard rock cover action by doubling down with Double Down TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! For the record, Tex Riviera & The Ride hosted the Thursday jam night there tonight (I don't believe Double Down has ever hosted one of those). TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Also, let's head across the International Bridge for the return of Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, who will play their first show of the year THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page on Monday (the venue has not corroborated the booking on social media at press time). While Project 906 haven't been seen at The Strongs Tavern since September, they actually have played one public concert since that I profusely apologize for missing on the SMS, as they returned to Brimley on November 9th to headline the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023's annual Veteran's Day ATV ride for a second straight year. This was publically advertised and attendable (here was its Facebook event page), and I do apologize again for missing this concert last fall, especially given the aims of the event, but I hope the veterans, riders, and Project 906 had a great time at the ride in November!

SATURDAY'S Strongs concert appears to be regular fare for the guys as they kick off 2025, though I don't know if their choice of picture in the post announcing this show (from a gig featuring guest hand drummer Brian Duford) is a hint as to who will be playing here or if it was just the picture that they chose to use. Everything goes down on SATURDAY NIGHT at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details, apologies again for missing the Brimley show in November, and here's Project 906 live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's return to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY! Previously announced on Monday the 13th, this will be Tym's third straight Saturday matinee gig at Misty's and fourth out of the past five Saturdays, so whether this is a revival of his weekly arrangement or not, fans of his skilled and prolific slate of rock covers will want to head to the west end in a couple of days to check everything out! Fans can see the former Caveman Morrison and Nostalgic Band frontman on Saturday at 4:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a presumed 19+ age limit. If you want a more relaxed brand of acoustic classic and hard rock hits from this talented local mainstay, head to Second Line West for all of the action on Saturday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Mike Haggith & The Din reunion/tribute concert preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue this weekend's concert previews by looking at five more concerts taking place on both sides of the border this weekend, one being a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page yesterday. While this is historically one of 906's favourite venues, this will surprisingly be their first show in at The Strongs Tavern since February, with no public shows booked there during their #summerof906. It's good to see the guys back in Eckerman TOMORROW, and hopefully there's a solid turnout for their hard rocking selection of covers as usual! If their new promotional image is anything to go by, Mark Bowen Band drummer Brian Duford (who guested with them frequently on hand drums this summer) will not be present for this gig. TOMORROW's concert is a 21+ affair with no cover and an 8:00 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the late preview of tonight's show in this post, things slipped me by when plotting this busy weekend out. After dropping out of their planned Shooters gigs this past weekend, tonight & tomorrow's shows will see Greg, Alex, and Warren back downtown for their first plugged-in gigs since last month's Dragonfly Run, and their first normal solo concerts in city limits since they played at Reggie's in late July. A lot of the promotional material for this weekend's concerts has revolved around Bone Yard's infamous "Bone Yard shot" that will net you a free t-shirt if you can down the whole thing successfully, so if you're up for that challenge, keep that in mind this weekend! Otherwise, their hard rocking covers can be enjoyed tomorrow at 9:30 PM (and also today if you have a time machine. You can still go late!)

Both shows are 19+ affairs and there are no announced cover charges. Hopefully this proves to be another strong weekend for your local 225, and if you miss out, they'll be back on stage in two weeks and back at Reggie's in late October! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard live at Reggie's earlier this year!

Also, we'll head to Misty's Fifties, where former Caveman Morrison/Nostalgic Band frontman Tym Morrison will continue his weekly summer(?) matinee series TOMORROW! The penultimate advertised stop in his 2024 arrangement at the Second Line West nightclub (though it could always be extended), this will be your only announced chance to see Tym's classic and hard rock covers this weekend, as his Friday run at The Mike Case Memorial Stage ended for the year last week. Of course, if you prefer the matinee timing and indoor locale, you'll prefer this series continuing anyway, so consider a west end jaunt tomorrow to hear Tym's unplugged covers! Note that Tym recently indicated on his personal Facebook page that he had been suffering from pneumonia for much of the summer, but he is feeling better now, so if he didn't sound 100% at some recent gigs, keep that in mind! No word on if he missed any concerts outright though.

Tomorrow's concert has a 4:00 PM start time, presumed 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. In case this is the second-to-last show in this run for Tym, then don't miss out tomorrow at supper time! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here he is live! 

Finally for this preview post, we'll head south to Sault Michigan for this weekend's other major touring headline concert, as original Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy will make his local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! While hair metal fans have seen Ratt (then fronted by Jizzy Pearl) in town as the openers for Skid Row back in 2006, this will be the first time that Saultites and Yoopers can bear witness to Stephen on local soil singing classic Ratt songs like "Round & Round", "Way Cool Jr.", and "Shame Shame Shame". I'm not a diehard hair metal fan, but Stephen sang many classic songs back in the day, and this is a good market for 1980s glam rock, so this should do well! Connecticut hair metal band Steelheart (not to be confused with Canada's Streetheart) will open tomorrow in their local debut, so look for their own hits like "I'll Never Let You Go" in their set!

Presented by Allstar Promotions in a rare hair metal booking for them, this concert has no age limit and an 8:00 PM start time. Tickets are still available in rows D-J ($49.50) and K-Q ($39.50) in the left/right sections, with all remaining center section seats (rows K-N) running for $49.50, and $39.50 standing room tickets are also available. You can buy yours at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office. If you love hair metal, you won't want to miss tomorrow's concert, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Stephen live!

That's all for today, but look for our Teenage Head and A&W car show previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), More Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

Before we get into this post, we have the public go ahead to say that Soundcheck will be featuring guest singers Elly McWatters (ex-Re:Born) and Valerie Powley (Generations) for their short notice show at The Esquire Club TOMORROW NIGHT! Regular singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver will be on vacation out of town, and thanks to him for posting this in comment replies on our Facebook page this morning, as the band/venue hadn't publically confirmed anything prior! Both Elly and Valerie have great voices, and with Valerie helping out TOMORROW, could fans get a mini-encore of their show last year featuring most of Obsession's lead singers? Cameron will be present for tonight's Soundcheck show before he hits the road.

Now, today's post otherwise looks at this weekend's remaining weekend concert previews, a couple of new videos, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Sault Michigan hard rock trio Tarnished will play their first show of the year on Saturday, February 24th when they return to The Fraternal Order Of Orioles Nest in Kincheloe! This will be Tarnished's second appearance at Nest 311, having headlined the Orioles' New Year's Eve party this past December, and clearly that went well for them to get re-booked already, let alone without any apparent ties to club events! For the record, the order's Facebook page hinted that Tarnished would be back in February, but we didn't hear a date until Tarnished gave it themselves on their Facebook page yesterday. Expect this to be an 8:00 PM event next Saturday with no announced cover charge and a 21+ age limit.

As for the Orioles Nest, it is located at 4916 West Curtis Street in Kincheloe, which is only a 20 minute drive south from Sault Ste. Marie. Fingers crossed that Alex, Parker, and Josh have a solid encore for fans at this somewhat atypical locale next week, and visit the above links for more details!

Now let's dive into the remainder of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, specifically via two Saturday nighters that had advance notice, starting with veteran Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906's return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman TOMORROW NIGHT! After a three month winter break, this will be Project 906's first show of 2024 and their first at The Strongs Tavern in over seven months, which is a very unusual gap for them given how often they've played there over the years. Hopefully their hard rocking array of covers find another solid audience out in Eckerman tomorrow night! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Project 906 live! This is from an undated Strongs Tavern show from no later than July 2023, unless there was a private gig since that I was unaware of.

The 31 second clip (as uploaded to their Facebook page two weeks ago) sees Project 906 and an uncredited guest singer covering Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name". A good (if very overplayed) song gets a strong rendition from what we see here, so check it out below, and don't miss Project 906's first show of the year tomorrow!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where newer local hard rock quintet HeadFirst will rock Shooters Downstairs Lounge for the first time TOMORROW NIGHT! After exclusively playing at Reggie's in recent months (aside from Toystock), this newer quintet will finally spread their wings to some other nightclubs this month, with Shooters first up tomorrow for new and existing fans alike. Hopefully Red, Raine, Liam, Claire, and Anthony leave a strong first impression on a new (to them) venue tomorrow with their hard rocking and classic covers, along with their current original material! A one nighter due to Shooters' DJ nights on Fridays, tomorrow's concert has a 9:30 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst playing "The Walk"!

We'll close today with new videos from newer local pop rock cover quintet Bourbon Blue, whose general setlist isn't heavy enough to make our full coverage, but they'll be no strangers to many readers. Bourbon Blue are basically the successors to the short-lived 2021 cover band Lockdown, with singer/guitarist Jules Cote, vocalist Nicole Ambeault, and guitarist Randy Russell now joined by ex-Band Camp Rejects bassist Ryan Bell and new drummer Alvaro Scheid (replacing Turner Up/Settle For Silver alum Brent Royer). Yes, you'll also know Jules and Nicole from The Soo Fighters and Nicky & The Southpaws. In between their recent drummer switch, Bourbon Blue kept gigging with guest drummers, one being Soundcheck's Glen Thomas during their shows at Jay's Piston Broke Pub over the Christmas weekend (this was the same weekend where Double Down's Ric Datson drummed with Soundcheck in lieu of Glen).

Glen had fourteen videos shot and uploaded to his YouTube channel from one of his two gigs with Bourbon Blue, and while most don't cross our genre radar (hewing closer to Jules' old band Cherry Crush), the two newest videos are SMS amenable, including covers of The Interrupters' "She's Kerosene" and (as embedded below) Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me". Strong renditions that clearly attracted a good crowd to the floor, and while they don't lean heavier in setlist contents, Bourbon Blue can effectively add some rock to the likes of Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars where need be, so don't bypass Glen's other dozen videos! Check out Bourbon Blue above & below, and they'll be at Reggie's tonight & tomorrow!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Scarkazm) Plus Heavy Lies The Crown Updates!!

To kick off another week at the SMS, today's post takes us entirely to Michigan for some new updates from the E.U.P., including big updates on an upcoming album release, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this month. Here's what you should know!

Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for concerts on Friday, February 16th & Saturday, February 17th! The band has yet to confirm these dates on their Facebook page, but they are listed on Kewadin's entertainment page, which announces shows through the end of each month nowadays (I'll address the hard rock band playing at The Northern Pines Lounge this coming weekend in our next weekend concert previews as things got too delayed). These will be Scarkazm's first shows of 2024 in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and they were last seen up here at the St. Ignace Kewadin in early December. Hopefully Jeff, Dave, and Adam deliver a strong weekend of hard hitting originals and covers for fans in two weeks! Expect 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and look for more from Kewadin Casino soon!

Next up, local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will play their first show of the year on Saturday, February 17th when they return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Last seen at the Veteran's Day Ride in Brimley in November, this will be Project 906's first concert at The Strongs Tavern in over seven months, which is really surprising given their past frequency of shows there. I don't know why Project 906 have been so quiet this winter, but it will be great to see Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason back on stage in two weeks, but hopefully this is the start of a big 2024 for their camp, so keep this show in mind if you're in the area or are up for the hour's drive west! This one-night-only event has an 8:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. See above for more details, and stay tuned for more from Project 906's camp when updates roll in!

Also, let's dive into recent updates from St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, who we haven't talked about much since their battle of the bands set in the Soo in November, so what's new from their camp? As you may be aware, they had been working on a new album late last year while taking a break from the stage (the battle aside), as per updates on their Facebook page, even asking fans what formats they'd want to buy it on in December. Last month, teasers started ramping up, including the reveal that their newest song (as of January 10th) begins with the letter H, since revealed to be named "Heartsex". The full track listing can be seen on their DistroKid page for the album, to be named "Built For Us", and it includes previews of all eleven songs, including the four advance singles from 2023 (though "Gods Butter" is now called "God Butter"). Yes, "Country Song 2" appears to be its final name.

It's not 100% clear what the cover artwork for the album will be. This "Reel" on January 22nd featuring preview audio of "Heartsex" shows off gray artwork with drawings of all four current band members' heads (and their duck mascot Iggy), but this tentative track listing has a file labelled "Album artwork Blue", which lines up the DistroKid splash image, especially the left side if its supposed to be cover art. Regardless, on January 20th, Heavy Lies The Crown revealed that their new album was done, and they later shared another "Reel" featuring audio from the previously released "Celebrate The Night". Their last update so far was for a merchandise giveaway contest through DistroKid. It's great to see that H.L.T.C.'s album sessions are done, and I can't wait to hear the whole thing, review absolutely on tap when it's out! Alas, I can't embed "Reels" on the SMS, but there is one new video that I can embed here, albeit not from the new album sessions!

From January 18th, this 2+ minute clip is of ex-bassist Danny Tucker playing their song "Princess" in studio alongside a backing/click track. Odd timing to see this given that he's left the group, and I wouldn't have made it a black & white clip with film grain, let alone in square dimensions, but it's a solid performance! It's not all that common to see videos of local bassists playing solo, but Danny's a talented musician and this is cool to see, especially for fans of early H.L.T.C.. Give it a look below, and get more on the band's new album sessions above!

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

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Danabelle39 & kilko8011's Channels

Let's get this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site as our last monthly feature post of the summer! This series looks at 1-3 YouTube channels each month, each being randomly selected from our YouTube subscriptions of channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk artists/concerts. Again, this month's installment is on two channels, as the first selected channel only had three videos sourced from two concerts, so a channel with videos from just one show was added to fill things out with. Here's what you should know on both!

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Danabelle39's Channel (http://youtube.com/danabelle39)

Owner: YouTube user and Sault Ontario resident Dana Bellerose

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 16th, 2010; Videos uploaded in January and February 2012

Channel Summary: Dana's only uploads are of videos of defunct local classic/hard rock cover band Havadder playing two concerts at the former Nicolet Tavern (later Rednecks Saloon), early in the run of this particular five-piece lineup, which notably featured the complete final lineup of fellow local hard rock cover band Turner Up.

Why You Should Watch: This channel will be of primary interest to fans of early Havadder and late Turner Up lineups, which merged to create a strong unit while they lasted! I should have called them "Havadder Up" in this era, with the power of hindsight. Note that Dana has not visibly used her channel since these videos were uploaded, and you can see more Havadder videos (largely with other lineups) elsewhere.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Tweeter & the Monkey Man covered by Havadder: Dana's first video comes from Havadder's gig at the Nicolet on January 8th, 2012, where they covered The Travelling Wilburys' "Tweeter & The Monkey Man". Their then-new lineup featured existing singer/guitarist Jason Roy and guitarist Jason "Nez" Nisbet joined by Turner Up's Robert Brown, Travis Sharpe, and Scott McLurg on guitar, bass, and drums (Jason Roy had joined Turner Up himself the previous year). The grainy video quality and uneven lighting don't help the scratchy audio, but what we can make out of this performance is fine, and the triple guitar attack doesn't come across as overkill! Click here to see them covering Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome" that night via Turner Up's short-lived official channel.

HAVADDER--Running Down A Dream (cover) February 4, 2012: The other two videos here come from Havadder Up's Nicolet show on February 4th of that year, where they covered The Foo Fighters' "These Days" and, in Dana's most popular upload, Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream". Much improved lighting and softer audio help make these February videos a better watch than January, and while Havadder would splinter off into The Thrill Junkies and Jason Roy's overhauled new Havadder the following year, this super lineup was still neat to have in 2012! If you're curious as to the hockey game playing on the TV monitor in the upper right corner, Edmonton beat Detroit 5-4 after a shootout.

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kilko8011's Channel (http://youtube.com/@kilko8011)

Owner: YouTube user kilko8011, exact identity unclear, but I doubt they're locally based

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 30th, 2011; Videos posted in April 2011 and September 2013

Channel Summary: Alongside a "beer jousting" video, kilko8011's only videos comprise of four songs played by inactive local/Toronto indie/punk quartet Treble Charger at the third annual KOI Music Festival in Kitchener in September 2013, early in their reunion. The videos feature Greig Nori, Bill Priddle, and touring musicians Darcy Yates & Jason Pierce playing outside of Crabby Joe's Bar & Grill as that day's headliners, where they were filmed playing "Cheat Away", "Business", "Brand New Low", and in the most popular video on offer, "Hundred Million". While "Cheat Away" was filmed and uploaded horizontally, kilko8011 changed his camera orientation mid-video multiple times on the rest, and opted to upload them vertically, so be advised of that. While there is some mild audio distortion, Treble Charger sound good on these punk-era cuts, and the crowd was very responsive!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! We're doubling up again next month, as our first randomly selected channel for September only has two videos period, both from different projects, so a channel with a single video was chosen also to round things out with. As such, we'll be looking at the YouTube channels of Curtis McKenzie (featuring two videos from old hard rock projects of his) and Dick Jerkins (featuring a free EP from local metal solo project Awokest). Look for these on or around September 26th, and for lots of overdue news and notes to come on the site this week! Thanks everyone!