LOCAL CONCERT ALERS (Fefe Dobson & Greg Simpson), One More Weekend Concert Preview, And New Videos!!

On this Friday night, let's wrap up what might be the last mega busy concert weekend until Halloween season, with a couple of linked unpl... "uncorked" concerts ahead (one a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), along with another big new show and some newly found live concert videos. With all of that now outlined, here's what you should know!

Just over a week after rocking The Dive, Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson will return to Beck's Bar for another acoustic matinee concert on SUNDAY! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via Beck's weekly schedule announcement on their Facebook page on Monday, and remember that Greg doesn't have a social media page dedicated to his "Ranting Rockstar" persona/solo act where he can announce shows in advance. SUNDAY'S concert is effectively a re-booking of a briefly advertised show that Greg was supposed to play at Beck's this past Sunday, only to be replaced by Whiskey Hippy for unannounced reasons. Did Beck's err on the date, or did Greg legitimately withdraw/have to reschedule? Regardless, you have another block of "uncorked" southern and hard rock covers in store at the former Vibe Lounge to go along with the weekly euchre tournament!

The Ranting Rockstar will be on stage SUNDAY at 3:00 PM, this is a 19+ concert, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, we'll have more from Greg this weekend in a bit, and for a preview, here he is live earlier this month!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will play their second show of the fall on Friday, September 18th, when they open for Toronto pop rock musician Fefe Dobson in a FREE concert at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion! We'll have Wolf Fest details when someone firmly posts the lineup outside of "Stories". This show takes place during the third annual Vivid Art Festival (successor to the Summer Moon Festival), a yearly celebration of the arts and culture, and while full details are forthcoming, this concert is the main attraction this year. I could have swore that Fefe Dobson had played here previously, but you may recognize her for hit singles like "Bye Bye Boyfriend", "Don't Go (Girls & Boys)", and "Stuttering", and her early material frequently crossed the pop punk line, with many Avril Lavigne comparisons, for better or worse. If you watched MuchMusic frequently in the mid-late 2000s, this will be a huge throwback!

Also playing this date are Toronto pop rock duo Goodnight Sunrise, who you may recognize from last year's Poutine Feast and 2022's Northern Vibe Festival, and it'll be good to see them back in our area! Presented by Kiss 100.5 (a better fit than 104.3 The Fox when you consider her newer material), this is an ALL AGES and FREE concert at 7:00 PM in three weeks, and it should be a fun mix of pop and rock with (hopefully) agreeable temperatures, so visit the above links for more on this concert!

Next up, let's finish up this weekend's concert previews with a show that had lots of advance notice, as the aforementioned Greg Simpson will be joined by Alex & Warren for an "uncorked" concert with their southern/hard rock band Bone Yard 225 TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub! While all of their shows at this Great Northern Road venue are acoustic in spite of electric bands playing there often, this will cap off their summer season schedule ("end of summer" bash in Echo Bay next month acknowledged), and comes three weeks after their Algoma Tree Services gig, and almost three months after their last Water Tower Pub booking. Hopefully things go well for the guys tomorrow before Greg disembarks and heads west for his Beck's matinee on SUNDAY! If you're curious, the band who replaced Soundcheck tonight (due to them jumping to the full Jay's weekend) was North Channel Sound.

Tomorrow's show at The Water Tower Pub is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and if you prefer seeing the guys in local nightclubs, this is your last (scheduled) chance for over a month, so don't bypass this one! See above for more details, and for a preview, I found three new videos of your local 225 at The Water Tower Pub in May 2024! These were shared in the comments of this photo on Bone Yard's Facebook page from earlier that day, and they were filmed by attendee Wanda Wanda. Alas, all three are short and (sadly) vertical, but they include the guys covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" (with Alex on vocals), Pink Floyd's "Young Lust", and as embedded below, their staple cover of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone'", as it is the only video to exceed 46 seconds in length. Orientation and duration aside, these videos all suffer from deep/hazy blue lighting, but this isn't an isolated problem re: videos shot there.

If you have to shoot vertically, this was at least optimal to get all three guys in frame, even if Warren is very much in the background. The audio quality isn't bad from what we hear, and these are well handled covers, but you should expect nothing less from Bone Yard after over 15 years. Give Wanda's videos a watch above and below, and apologies for missing them for this long! Videos explicitly posted in/shared to comments can be tricky!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Dos Amigos), A Concert Cancellation, And Related Updates!!

Before we get into this weekend's concert previews, just a heads up that tonight's Angelmaker-headlined concert at Blaster Powerhouse has been cancelled. Local promoters Heavy North Entertainment finally confirmed on Tuesday that it wasn't taking place, though Angelmaker quietly dropped the show from their tour routing at some point between July 15th and 31st, and H.N.E. hadn't promoted it on social media since July 8th. As well, tickets never went on sale for the local date, and the search for local opening bands had no public follow-through. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but note that Heavy North Entertainment haven't hosted a concert since late last year, though company head Tyler St. Amour has played occasional solo concerts in recent months. It is worth noting that North Carolina deathcore band Larcenia Roe were tapped to replace Disfiguring The Goddess on tour, which was quietly confirmed in the local advertising. 

The cancellation is very unfortunate, especially as local promotion was hyping this as "the ultimate metal concert", but the lack of postings about the show for over a month was a tell that something was up, and even with no tickets to refund, Heavy North should have announced the cancellation well sooner than they did. Hopefully nothing too serious happened with Tyler or the bands, and that Angelmaker, Ingested, and Larcenia Roe try again here down the road, as deathcore fans were interested in coming out!

This post otherwise dives into the first half of this weekend's concert previews, and we'll look at this weekend's Stones & Crows, Peril, Tarnished, and Viscera shows in our next preview post due to this being a busier stretch. Today's all involve LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly SHORT NOTICE ones, and we'll start at Northern Superior Brewing Co., where local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will play at their on-site Tap Room TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this show via their Instagram-only schedule poster last week, and Northern Superior have not corroborated this booking on their own social media at press time. No major frills or tie-ins that I am aware of TOMORROW, but fresh off of their Canopy gig with BookcluB at the Downtown Street Party tonight, hopefully Mikey & Dustin deliver some solid unplugged punk favourites in the Tap Room!

Note that I am well aware that Northern Superior are teasing the return of Wolf Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Saturday, September 12th, complete with a promotional video featuring Trish Rainone in character as Jan from Jan's Not Movin!, but we await an official announcement of the lineup and other events in three weeks. TOMORROW'S Dos Amigos concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and if you can't make it, they have three shows in three days next week. See above for more details, and here's Dustin & Mikey live at The Tap Room!

Finally, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and they'll also return to The Water Tower Pub on Friday, August 28th! Again, apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts, they were first announced via this AI-generated events calendar for this week on Jay's Facebook page (Soundcheck have not posted on their own Facebook page since early May). While ostensibly a normal weekend now that the guys are back from their Chapleau road trip, this weekend's shows come fresh off of the news that they are parting ways with bassist Jim Michaud (a.k.a. "Jimmy Sweetz"). The news was revealed on their sister band Separate Wayz' Facebook page on Tuesday, where their singer Nicole Thibodeau confirmed that Jim is amicably retiring from both groups, and "band line up announcements for both bands (are) coming soon". 

Best known for his near two-decade run as Obsession's bassist, Jim replaced Paul Belair in Soundcheck at the beginning of 2023, and he had been a constant presence in Terry Eaton's plugged in cover rock bands ever since, including Separate Wayz and the short-lived Guilty Party. What's unclear is who is playing bass at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY... is Jim hanging on short term? Will they debut the new bassist this weekend? Will there be a temporary fill-in, or even no bassist? Regardless, hopefully Jim enjoys time away from the live grind, and if he is definitely retiring from bands, he will be missed! For the record, next week's Water Tower Pub show was announced via that venue's August concert calendar, and it is a one-nighter as usual there (Bone Yard 225 go "uncorked" there next Saturday). These are all branded as Soundcheck-only gigs and not "epic crossovers", but of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Nicole won't pop in.

Terry, Travis, Johnny, and ?????'s Jay's Piston Broke Pub shows are at 9:30 PM, next Friday's Water Tower Pub concert is at 8:00 PM, and all are 19+ with no cover (though I somehow doubt that Soundcheck all wear fedoras and look alike nowadays, based on Jay's AI poster). Visit the above links for more on all three new Soundcheck dates (TOMORROW & SATURDAY included), best of luck to Jim in the future, and here's Soundcheck live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews either tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225!!)

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have announced new concerts for September and October, as per their website's calendar, so where will fans be able to see them next? We'll get into their "uncorked" show on Thursday during our next round of concert previews due to the proximity of the event, as the band did not publically confirm their involvement early enough for us to plug it without being considered "short notice". We already knew about their August 29th show at The Water Tower Pub, and we'll address the band playing there on Friday, August 28th in an upcoming post this week if able, given the ongoing backlog clearout here. The first brand new show will be on Friday, September 11th, when your local 225 will kick off the fall season by headlining the annual Bruce Mines Fall Fair (a.k.a. Central Algoma Exhibition)! Technically, this is the first time that we have covered an SMS-amenable band playing at this event.

However, classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks were among the opening bands for last year's Saturday concert headlined by The Luxury. Apologies for missing that, but remember, I didn't know that they leaned towards hard rock last fall. This year, the band aspect of the Fall Fair an hour southeast of the Soo (basically on the edge of our coverage range going east on Highway 17) will allegedly include a Saturday concert again, even though I cannot find public confirmation of who yet, but Bone Yard will be performing right after the annual demolition derby on the opening Friday night program. If you like seeing cars get smashed up, let alone Bone Yard's hard rocking sound, keep this in mind! Bone Yard's concert and the demolition derby will both take place at the Bruce Mines Fairgrounds at Highway 638 in Bruce Mines, and the only start time given is for the derby at 7:00 PM (implying that they'd prefer if you come for that too and stay for the band.)

This is all ages, but there will be a beer garden on-site, and while admission is $10 for a day pass and $25 for the three day festivities (kids 12 and under are free), the concert tickets specifically are $30, but will include admission to the Saturday concert, whoever is playing. Despite the costs, it sounds like a fun day, so visit the above links for more details, including all of the other family activities at the Bruce Mines Fall Fair in four weeks! Two weeks after this trip east, Bone Yard will also hit the highway (albeit just 20 minutes away) to Echo Bay for a special "End Of Summer Bash" at the Elks Lodge #535 there on Saturday, September 26th! While this really isn't summer anymore by then, the southward equinox is earlier that week, so the shoe fits in that way.  We haven't covered an Echo Bay concert on here since Soundcheck played a couple of shows there in 2024, but alas, I missed one.

As it turns out, Soundcheck played at their slo-pitch tournament again on June 27th of this year, as confirmed via this AI-generated poster on the Echo Bay Elks Lodge's Facebook page. It's tougher to catch some Soundcheck bookings when they update their social media so scarcely, but apologies again, and I hope the guys had a good time and crowd in June! I don't know if there's an official reason for Bone Yard 225's booking next month beyond the end of summer, but hopefully they rock the lodge well and have a strong turnout! The Elks Lodge is located at 96 Church Street off of Highway 17B (that's the old highway.) That concert has an 8:00 PM start time, no stated age limit, and an admission fee of $15 (contact the names on the Facebook event page if you want advance tickets). In terms of typical nightclub gigs in the Soo, Bone Yard 225 will play a rare double header weekend at Beck's Bar in early October!

The former will be a regular nighttime show (their first plugged-in public concert in the Soo in two months) on Saturday, October 3rd at 9:00 PM and the latter will be an "uncorked" matinee on Sunday, October 4th at 3:00 PM. Finally, fresh off of their "uncorked" gig at The Water Tower Pub in two weeks, they will return there for another acoustic show on Friday, October 9th, which will take place on the Thanksgiving long weekend. As always, they exclusively play here "uncorked", so keep Greg, Alex, and Warren's softer side in mind for this upcoming one-nighter, which is 19+ at 9:00 PM with no cover. Busy times ahead for Bone Yard 225 as they round out their summer calendar and enter the autumn, so visit the above links for more on the southern fried hard rock action ahead! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (5 Dollar Bribe) & The Rest Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Here's the likely final post for this busy stretch of weekend concert previews! Just as a late note, The Sault Star's Brian Kelly published this article about tomorrow's WestFest II at Anna Marinelli Park, which notes extra details on vendors, the official setlist times for the four acts, and remarks from co-promoter Ronan Provenzano about the hopes and expectations for this festival. Good read, especially if you're invested in the Jamestown and Steelton development, so give it a read above! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend's other hard rock-leaning concerts, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Fresh off of their set at Maddy's Mighty Mutts' Family Fun Day on Wednesday (more on that event soon), young local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via this AI generated weekly schedule image on Jay's Facebook page on Saturday, with the band only confirming it themselves on Wednesday. Last seen at Jay's (well, outside of it) during last month's ARCH Run, this talented and quickly rising quartet should have another fun night of covers in store TONIGHT, so keep this one in mind if you need some late notice hard rock! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in tomorrow's concert from classic rock quartet Doo & The Boyos (no word on if their sister band Stones At The Alter will take over a set again or not). While all of 5 Dollar Bribe are under 19, this show will otherwise be 19+.

TONIGHT'S festivities are at 9:30 PM with no cover charge as usual for the former Reggie's West. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's another new video of 5 Dollar Bribe's headlining gig at Blaster Powerhouse this past weekend! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Tuesday, this otherwise plugged-in cover of Silverchair's "No Association" features guitarist Tyler Greely on acoustic guitar after he broke a string on his electric guitar (as noted with a caption at the start). Still a well done cover for 1990s grunge fans, if not the whole song, and I am impressed that they don't default to "Tomorrow" for Silverchair cover choices, so give it a watch below, and don't miss them at Jay's TONIGHT!

Next up, let's head to the eighth annual Algoma Tree Services community meet & greet and barbecue, which goes down TOMORROW at 1424 Havilland Shores Drive in Goulais River once again! In this summer staple where Algoma Tree Services gives back to and celebrates with locals for their support over the past year, they're bringing the same lineup as they have had since 2024 tomorrow. Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are headlining at 7:00 PM (fresh off of the Maddy's Mighty Mutts Family Fun Day themselves), while classic rock quintet Angry Joe & The Growlers will again kick off the festivities at 1:30 PM in an event that they have played at for years before Bone Yard got in on it (Soundcheck were the headliners prior to 2024). Both bands have four hour nightclub-esque blocks tomorrow, so The Growlers aren't really "opening", but if you like one/both bands, you'll get your fill!

Proceeds of the barbecue go to the Kiwanis Club's childrens operations, and there will be a bonfire on site as well. The meet & greet/concert proper is FREE & ALL AGES, and as this is outdoors, temperatures will run for 16-21° with mostly cloudy skies clearing up as Angry Joe & them are rocking out, and things should be clear for your local 225's entire set. Kudos to both bands for supporting Algoma Tree Services once again, and hopefully there's a decent turnout once again for the food, music, information, and more! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! One week removed from their return to the stage at Gateway Casino after a month+ break, fans will have last seen Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony at this Great Northern Road venue on June 27th. If you're up for a night of classic and hard rock cover favourites from this experienced foursome, you can do far worse than come out on Saturday, though be advised that they aren't scheduled for more concerts until they return to Reggie's in three weeks. As usual for The Water Tower Pub, they don't book the same band on consecutive nights, and tonight's performer there is North Channel Sound singer/guitarist Greg Cull as a solo act. Saturday's Generations concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live earlier this year!

Finally for this weekend's previews, another performer at the Maddy's Mighty Mutts Family Fun Day is hitting the stage for another concert this weekend, as former Haggith/Eclipse singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to Beck's Bar as their matinee performer on SUNDAY! I erroneously thought this was a short notice gig briefly, forgetting that Curt actually announced this show on his Facebook page back in May, as well as his Sunday matinee there in October. This will be your first chance to see Curtis at the former Vibe Lounge this year, having last played at Beck's in November 2025, and hopefully his grunge and hard rock covers find another willing audience on Sunday during Beck's weekly euchre tournament! As usual for matinee gigs here, this is a 3:00 PM concert on Sunday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Curt live!

That's all for now, but with our weekend concert previews likely done for the week, look for the clear-out of our backlog to resume in earnest over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), New Concert Videos, And More!!

Before we begin today's news post. I wanted to apologize for missing a pair of recent EUP concerts for coverage on the SMS. Firstly, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished reportedly played a second outdoor concert at American Legion Park in St. Ignace earlier today at 1:00 PM, separate (but still organized by the folks behind) the town's summer concert series, which they played at yesterday. The band only announced the added matinee on their Facebook page last night, too late for me to rush it into a post. I'm assuming that today's rainy forecast didn't impair the show, as I didn't hear about a late cancellation, but regardless, I do apologize for missing it even with the late notice! The other show, I really should have caught wind of, as Sault Ste. Marie promoters Serious Business brought another eclectic multi-act show to the basement of Pizza Hut on the Business Spur on July 18th.

The concert saw Detroit experimental band The Hum and Muskegon post-punk duo The Mollusks make their way north, alongside local acoustic folk openers Shae Tull (by way of Sault Ontario) and Kevin Blakeney. Not the most hard rock/punk-centric bill, but it did have The Mollusks, so I should have caught wind of this concert prior, and I apologize for that. Hopefully that Serious Business show and Tarnished's bonus matinee were both hits for artists and venues alike, and we'll have more from both soon!

Now, today's post is start of a big clean-out of accumulated news, videos, and announcements from last month that got delayed by busy weekend concert previews and our concert reviews from last month, and we'll start today with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, as Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet (quintet?) Soundcheck will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only on Friday, August 28th! A relatively rare stop at this Great Northern Road nightclub, this show was first announced in the venue's August concert calendar on their Facebook page on Wednesday. Soundcheck proper may not corroborate the booking on social media at all, as their haven't posted on their own Facebook page for any reason since May. You'd think they'd want to hype up their Drag Race Nationals gig in Chapleau with Separate Wayz in mid-August, at least, but we shall see how things go for updates this month!

As always for The Water Tower Pub, this is a one-nighter, and the Saturday the 29th band there will be southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who already announced that show on their own. Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny (and the new synth player?) will be on that night at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with a trip west to The Up & Down Lounge for videos from the first solo musician to play there during their Thursday summer concert series, courtesy of their Facebook page! As you may know, Tym Morrison played there this week, but for the first two Thursdays, the honours went to Dodge This/ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer, who was filmed playing covers at both gigs. On July 16th, the patio party had to be moved indoors due to that day's severely poor air quality, but musicians at The Up & Down Lounge were always playing inside anyway, and you get a look more at the fans than Jason in this 12 seconds-long clip of him playing keyboard that evening. A 31 seconds-long video of Jay covering Shinedown's "Symptom Of Being Human" (also on keyboard) was shared too, with a hard-coded caption above him plugging their Thursday musician search.

The other videos are from this batch post featuring media from the July 23rd concert. Jason is faintly heard on vocals & guitar in three sub-12 seconds videos there promoting the on-site Pizza Wagon by the patio, but I can't make out the song(s?) in any of them. Two slightly longer videos show him on camera, including a keyboard cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist", and as embedded below, a guitar cover of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)". The short lengths aren't ideal, let alone the on-screen captions, but it is good seeing Jason out there during Dodge This' ongoing break, and while most of the covers aren't songs I personally love, he performs them well, so check these out above & below!

We'll come full circle today by heading south to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet The Nameless headlined at The Driftwood Sports Bar on June 26th during the St. Ignace Car Show weekend! The venue shared two videos of their set to their Facebook page that night, and despite being shot and uploaded during the show, neither was a live-stream. Thank goodness, as we can still watch them now! One video is just 7 seconds long, and focuses on the turnout in the bar rather than The Nameless' cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". Embedded below though is the longer and more band-centric of the two videos (if still only 20 seconds long), which sees the guys covering 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite". Of note, bassist Mike East was not seen on camera for this cover, and I have no idea if he missed the Driftwood show entirely or just sat out this song.

The short lengths, vertical framing, and complete lack of band focus on the White Stripes cover don't make these ideal looks at this talented group (let alone Mike E.'s apparent absence), but what we hear is soundly performed, and it definitely looks like they had a solid crowd on a packed weekend in Mackinac County! Give these a watch for yourselves above & below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Quite Frankly), The Go Skate Day Concert Preview, And Epic Rush Concert Videos!!

Let's close out this weekend's known hard rock concert previews tonight, along with new videos from a recent tribute band concert, so here's what you should know for this late Friday night post!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band quietly announced the show on their Facebook page on June 2nd and it slipped us by until this week. Last seen on May 1st at Beck's Bar, this will be Quite Frankly's first Water Tower Pub stop in two months. This talented group should have another wide array of entertaining rocking covers in store for central fans TOMORROW, so keep this one-nighter in mind if it piques your interest! The Water Tower Pub never hosts the same band on consecutive nights, and as such, funk rock cover band The Rhythm Junction are playing there tonight (replacing the cancelled Yuk Yuk's comedy night). Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe take the stage TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Quite Frankly live at The Water Tower Pub!

Next up, here's this weekend's last known hard rock concert preview, and it takes us to Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre, where Go Skateboarding Day returns on SUNDAY! After promoters Underground Events SSM's planned debut as hosts of this event last year were severely impaired by heavy rain, I am pleased to report that 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies on Sunday with temperatures ranging from 16-19°, with no likelihood of rain, so Mikhal "Cha" Muto finally gets to put on the Go Skate Day he intended last year! Sponsors and vendors will be on site at the skatepark, and skaters of all ages & skill levels are encouraged to come down to hit the ramps and rails, play games, have fun, and of course, listen to live music! After last year's program was abruptly moved to a private event with late replacement bands, Mikhal has secured six acts this year, the largest Go Skate Day lineup in a decade, so who all can you expect on Sunday afternoon?

The presented lineup order lists the apparent headliners as Half Scoundies (Josh and Todd from The Golden Scoundrels) in an acoustic folk/bluegrass set. Preceding them are this year's two returning acts from Tidal Records-era Go Skate Days, including Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson with his fan favourite turntable mixes, as well as party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty (featuring Mikhal on bass). Fast-rising teenage hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe will make their multi-band/outdoor debut on Sunday, preceded by Mikhal's ska punk trio A.S.D.P., who were a late addition to last year's private Go Skate Day rainout concert. Local jazz/EDM solo artist Mario "Yecharo" Kwan is listed last for this year's bill, and while he is a bit of a wild card, he does appear on Underground Events SSM's compilation album. Nicely varied lineup for sure, and the weather should hold up for the duration!

Admission is FREE whether you are skating or not, and this is definitely an all ages event, with bands presumably set up on top of the big ramp at the skatepark like they were under Tidal's supervision. Things seem to be shaping up well on musical and logistical fronts this year, and hopefully things go well at the skatepark on Sunday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Apocalypse Afterparty live!

Let's close today with videos from last week's Epic Rush concert at The Full Throttle Saloon! Like at the Crazy Babies show there, a representative of the venue was filming videos for their Facebook page, but unfortunately, they were all shot vertically. We do get some longer videos this time though (all run for at least 3:45), and they include the former Rust playing the Rush classics "Time Stand Still", "Freewill", and as embedded below, "Red Barchetta". Notably, the latter cover was filmed from the back corner of the stage, giving us a unique angle of the proceedings, especially to really show off drummer Eric Kuthy channelling the late Neil Peart with gusto, but his playing comes off very loud as a result. I do wish that more fans were on the floor close to the band, let alone that the house lighting was at least darkened, but Rush fans got their fill from this talented Sudbury-based trio, so check out all three videos!

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

Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews for today's post! Due to the amount of shows, we'll address Saturday night's Fyrbird show in St. Ignace, Michigan in our likely news post tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know for the majority of the hard rock weekend previews of June 2026, and miraculously, none (so far?) were announced on short notice!

We'll start TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub, when local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will end their 2+ month spring break by going "uncorked"! After some personal matters led to a hiatus from the stage since their St. Patrick's Day gig (also "uncorked") at Smitty's, the guys are back in full swing for what should be a busy summer, with tomorrow's one-night-only concert being their first at The Water Tower Pub since late January. It's great to see Alex back with Greg and Warren for what should be a fun evening of hard rocking covers and originals, though as usual for Bone Yard's trips to this central venue, this will be an acoustic show. If you want to see "the dirty three" in a fully plugged-in show, they make their electric return at Beck's Bar next week. Tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, as per usual for bands there.

As this venue doesn't host the same band on back to back nights, fans there on Saturday will be able to see Out & Out Country (featuring former Bone Yard drummer Ric Datson). Visit the above links for more on your local 225's return to action, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, we'll keep the unplugged vibes going when veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison returns to The Dive Gastro Pub for another solo headlining concert TOMORROW! Tym announced this show in his batch Facebook event page for Dive shows last month, and it is his second of three scheduled acoustic gigs at the former Low N' Slow in mid-2026. As this downtown venue is expanding their live music schedule for the summer, Tym's three Dive shows are all on different nights, and while The Dive has not corroborated Tym's own scheduling, this will be a relatively rare Friday nighter, so if you don't wanna think it over on Thursday for a change, keep tomorrow's show in mind! I have not seen firm confirmation as to if this will be an outdoor "patio play" gig or not, but based on recent promotion, it looks like they're sticking with hosting Thursday nighters indoors, as fans who saw Arik Karki there tonight will be aware.

The Facebook event page actually lists tomorrow's show as being at 8:00 PM, and it will presumably be 19+ with no cover. If Tym is on the patio tomorrow night, 9&10 News is calling for weather of 17-20° with cloudy skies, and a slight chance of rain in the 9:00 PM hour, but given that it isn't a matinee, it could easily be in "the naughty corner" too. Keep tabs with The Dive On Queen for updates, but see above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also, let's hop the border quick to look at Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished's return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent show (also in St. Ignace, albeit at The Driftwood Sports Bar), these will be Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's first stops at The Northern Pines Lounge in 2026, and they picked a good weekend to be in town. While not addressed in the band's own promotion of this weekend's shows, St. Ignace plays host to the annual Bronco The Mac Festival tomorrow and Saturday, with parades, a drone show, and trail rides for Ford Bronco owners and fans to take part in. Interesting to see such an event locally for one specific make of vehicle, but there are certainly lots of Broncos out there, so click here for full details! Tarnished's concerts are not official Bronco The Mac events, but they are well timed!

Remember, we are previewing Fyrbird's show in St. Ignace on Saturday night in tomorrow's post, partly because they have another new Driftwood show in a few weeks to make mention of, so I want to give it proper emphasis. Tarnished bring their own brand of rock to the St. Ignace Kewadin tomorrow and Saturday at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for our own Gateway Casino, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! This talented veteran quartet has been taking a two month break from the stage, in part due to an unspecified family emergency, though they have reportedly added a few new songs into their setlist since fans last saw them at Searchmont in early April for their Snowcross festivities. Hopefully Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony shake off the rust well with their classic and hard rock favourites on Saturday If you can't make it to the casino on Saturday, they'll be back at The Water Tower Pub in three weeks. This show takes place on Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live earlier this year!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Fyrbird preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

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

A pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS fell into my lap this morning, so here's a rushed post to get those accounted for, along with a bunch of upcoming concerts from a familiar returning presence!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced these shows via the AI poster on their Facebook page overnight, and the band has not corroborated any bookings on their own Facebook page since their Esquire Club shows four weeks ago. Fans were last able to "get wobbly" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar this past Friday, at a show where Beck's filmed them covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" (with Travis singing) for a Facebook "Story" video, hence why I can't link to/embed it here. Jay's fans last saw Soundcheck late last month, and it should be another welcoming audience for their hard driving slate of covers! The marketing on Jay's end only credits Soundcheck, so this does not appear to be an "epic crossover" weekend with Separate Wayz.

Along with the requisite "good times, cold drinks, (and) great people!", these are 9:30 PM concerts with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges, and as usual at the Korah Road nightclub, the kitchen will be open late. Visit the above links for more on Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's late notice return to Jay's TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, and here they are live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are back from their recent break, and they have announced a huge slate of concerts for the summer! "The Dirty Three" had been publically idle since their acoustic St. Patrick's Day show at Smitty's, and hadn't played a plugged-in show since February, due in part to personal concerns (R.I.P. Ally), but their website's calendar has loads of new dates in store for June-August, so when can you see the guys next? Bone Yard will return to action next week on Friday, June 5th at The Water Tower Pub, and they will bookend their summer slate at the same venue on Saturday, August 29th! As usual for this central venue, these are "uncorked" (re: acoustic) shows, and both are 19+ events at 8:00 PM with no cover. In their first proper plugged-in electric concert together in four months, Greg, Alex, and Warren will rock Beck's Bar for one night only on Friday, June 12th!

They'll also make their way to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for Saturday nighters on June 27th and August 1st, and "uncorked" matinees play into both of the weekends with Bone Yard shows on Saturdays, but in different ways. On the 27th, they'll actually play the acoustic matinee timeslot before the full band show that same night, with the marathon double-booking coinciding with the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot event, as Beck's hosts the barbecue at the end of the motorcycle rally. Click here for more details on the Shoot & Scoot proper, but it is neat that this rally finally crosses our radar! The August 1st show (which falls on the Civic Holiday long weekend) will be complimented by an "uncorked" Sunday matinee on August 2nd, so that'll be good timing for your local 225! The two acoustic shows are at 3:00 PM, the nightcaps are at 9:00 PM, and expect 19+ age limits and no cover.

On Friday, June 19th & Saturday, June 20th, Bone Yard 225 will return as the annual house band for the Queen Street Cruise! The band's own schedule lists the venue as The Roberta Bondar Pavilion (homebase for the cruise once again), but the official schedule says that they will be playing "on the boardwalk" both days. As best as I can recall from past coverage, the Friday evening show at 6:30 PM is indeed under the tent during the cruise proper, but they set up shop on the proper boardwalk near Montana's for a 12:30 PM outdoor matinee concert on the Saturday during the car show. If we hear clarification, we'll let you know, but click here for full details on how to participate in the cruise! Admission is free for general attendees, and it is an all ages event. July 2026 appears to be devoted to out-of-town and private events, including gigs in Chapleau and Kirkland Lake and a stag & doe, but we'll let you know if the listed Bruce Mines date on July 4th ends up being a public event.

The last new public and local date for Bone Yard (so far) will see them return to Algoma Tree Services' annual charity barbecue & community meet and greet on Saturday, August 8th! This will be the third straight year that your local 225 have headlined this event (no word on if Angry Joe & The Growlers are opening again), and will presumably see them rock out at the Goulais River-based business' outdoor festivities at 7:00 PM (no announced cover, all ages). Time will tell if we hear of Bone Yard at other local venues or festivals this summer, but it's great to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back in the saddle, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations & Headrush) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this final batch of hard rock weekend concert previews of May 2026 (and arguably, the spring), we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to lead off, along with a pair of other new show for next month, so here's what you should know on this sunny Thursday!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band first announced the gigs via their Facebook event page on Monday, and alas, the venue has opted not to post an early 2026 concert calendar on social media this year, instead plugging bands week by week. Last seen opening for Crazy Babies at The Full Throttle Saloon three weeks ago, fans last saw the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank at The Esquire Club early last month. Headrush (no space) will definitely be live and loud TOMORROW & SATURDAY with their 1980s-leaning cover rock slate, so if you want to "come out & dance, party, and get your freak on", you know where to be! In their last shows before their incoming summer slate, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's gigs are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges.

Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new jam session video from Headrush's Facebook group! Uploaded by bassist John Amendola, the video sees them covering Triumph's classic single "Lay It On The Line", and given how well Triumph went over in their concert here last month, it's good timing to cover them, especially when they handle the song this well! John Anderson hits the necessary notes on vocals too, but will you see it TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY? Be at The Esquire Club to find out!

Next up, let's jump ahead a tiny bit, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for shows at Gateway Casino on Saturday, June 6th and at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, June 27th! Generations are in the late stages of a two month break, partly due to an unspecified family emergency for Valerie or Joe, having last taken the stage at Searchmont last month for their Snowcross weekend. Fans last saw this talented veteran quartet rocking Gateway Casino in early March, while the June 27th Water Tower Pub show will effectively be a rescheduling of their cancelled April 18th concert there (they last successfully played at this venue in February). Good to see the Jus' Chillin successors back at it, and keep both of their one-night-only shows in mind for your concert planning next month! Both shows are at 9:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details!

Back to weekend concert previews now, and we'll head south to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino next, as Munising, Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will make their way back east TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fronted by former Electric Motor Fish/Swayze Train singer Melissa Strand, this weekend's shows will be The Sky Pilots' first in the EUP since they rocked The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin in March, and their first at the St. Ignace branch since November of last year. It's good to see Melissa back in our area with her entertaining current project, and fans can expect "live music, classic rock, and 90s hits" all weekend, so keep these May-ending shows in mind! As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, tomorrow and Saturday's previously announced concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sky Pilots live in their hometown!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for veteran local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's return to Misty's Fifties for a matinee concert on SATURDAY! Fresh off of his Dive Gastro Pub show last week (which was 100% a "Patio Play" gig), this Saturday's concert is the last at the Second Line West nightclub advertised by Tym in his batch Facebook event page covering shows there, and it remains to be seen when/if he will announce summer dates at Misty's. He will definitely have shows elsewhere this summer, but just in case, consider a run to Misty's Fifties on Saturday to enjoy his well produced classic and hard rock covers! As usual for Tym's shows here, this is a 3:00 PM matinee concert with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!