LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Stones & Crows), A New Local Band, And The Headrush Concert Preview!!

As promised, we're wrapping up this weekend's hard rock concert previews tonight on the SMS, along with featuring new videos of the band in question, but leading off, we have a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and the first public info on the new band involved, so here's what you should know!

We have a new local blues/hard rock band to add to our active band links, and they are Stones & Crows! This is the new project from former Electric Church frontman Spencer Pine, and if you liked that project, you may not have to seek them out to like their Facebook page, as Spencer just renamed the Electric Church Facebook page to repurpose it for the new band. This isn't common for local bands to do, but Generations did that with Jus' Chillin's Facebook group. I'll probably leave Electric Church (who broke up in 2018) in our inactive links with the same URL though, because the page has a double purpose now! Spencer is joined here by Floor Between Us bassist Nicholas Gingras and former HeadFirst/Them drummer Anthony Boudreau, with all three being given a stage name on social media (Spencer is "Bukky VanZant", Nicholas is "Nikki Crow", and Anthony is "Tony Stone").

Their lineup may not be complete, as according to this Musicians Wanted Facebook group posting from April 16th, S&C are looking for a keyboardist "who can bring that vintage feel to the... keys that sit right in the pocket to add depth to heavy blues grooves". Applicants must be aged 20-35, consistent and on-time, able to improvise and learn songs quickly, have their own setup, and have "feel, tone, and stage presence". Auditions can be in person at their jam space or online. Keyboards in local rock bands aren't exceedingly common, so hopefully they can find the right person, and contact the guys above if you're interested! In that LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, Stones & Crows will make their live debut on Friday, June 26th at Beck's Bar, which was announced in this jokey Facebook video featuring the guys sitting on a couch. No word on why this horizontal video was needlessly letterboxed into vertical "Reel" dimensions though, making it tiny.

The concert will be a 19+ affair at 9:00 PM with no announced cover. Based on early sound descriptions, Stones & Crows do sound like successors to Electric Church, with "a modern hard rock sound rooted in blues & grit" and artists like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan cited as being covered along with planned originals. Then as now, they'll stand out locally, so stay tuned for more from Stones & Crows soon, keep their debut show in two months in mind, and give their first video a look below!

Next up, here's the last of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Full Throttle Saloon for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at this venue in late March, tomorrow's concert coincides with a "rabbit party" at the former Primavera Hall, literally meaning that they're serving roasted rabbit on the dinner menu tomorrow, so keep that in mind if that interests you! This will be Headrush's last Full Throttle gig before they open for Ozzy Osbourne tribute band The Crazy Babies there on May 9th, and if you didn't hear about the admission fees for that show, tickets cost $70 at the venue or at this link, and reportedly, there will be no admission at the door, which alone is unusual for a local concert. I won't pass judgment on how the venue/band landed on that price, but I hope that the concert draws as well as they're hoping!

Tomorrow's headlining concert is at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's some brand new videos of Headrush live at The Esquire Club two weeks ago! Bassist John Amendola shared three clips from attendee and local music supporter Audrey Marshall's personal Facebook page to the band's Facebook group, with Audrey filming the guys covering Triumph's "Lay It On The Line", Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny", and as embedded below, AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie", which is the only one of the three to exceed one (or two) minutes in length. The Tommy Tutone cover notably features Soundcheck/Half Past drummer Johnny Amendola (John's son and ex-bandmate) sitting in for Gino Pulente behind the kit. That video happens to be vertical, alas, but Audrey did seem to focus on Johnny primarily for it.

He fits in well with his dad and gang on that cover, as you'd expect! The other two covers see Headrush in heavier territory (and timely in the case of Triumph) and doing a solid job on them, with John Anderson's voice suiting early AC/DC well in particular, so give everything a watch above and below, and don't miss Headrush tomorrow in Steelton!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Triumph/April Wine Concert Preview, Plus Fallout From The BAG's Album Release Party!!

I have a packed news post for the SMS on this Tuesday morning, which includes a big preview for a mid-week concert tomorrow night, and some notes on what went down at another downtown venue this past weekend, including an album release and videos of an opening band, so without any further ado, here's what you should know!

We'll lead off with a major concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as reunited Mississauga, Ontario hard rock legends Triumph will kick off their 50th anniversary reunion tour here at GFL Memorial Gardens! Alongside a touring lineup including Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X and members of Slash's solo band The Conspirators, original Triumph members Rik Emmett, Mike Levine, and Gil Moore will join forces for this milestone tour, with tomorrow's local stop being Triumph's first here since they rocked the old Sault Memorial Gardens in 1985. As this is the first show on the tour, we will be among the first to see and hear how Triumph sound in 2026, let alone how involved Rik, Mike, and Gil are throughout, so look for classic hits like "Hold On", "Magic Power", and "Say Goodbye" during their set! Opening tomorrow are Halifax hard rock veterans April Wine in their first local gig since rocking Sault Michigan in 2013 and their first in Sault Ontario since 1999.

Since we last saw April Wine in the area, Marc Parent has succeeded the late Myles Goodwyn on vocals, and he has the right voice and presence to handle "You Could Have Been A Lady", "Roller", and "Enough Is Enough"! This all ages concert goes down tomorrow at 8:00 PM, and there are limited tickets available at this link and at the arena box office for the floor and in sections 108-109 and 117 from $60.50, with VIP passes also available. This should be a great time for fans of vintage Canadian hard rock, so see above for more details, and here's Triumph live in their pre-tour kick-off in Orlando!

Next up, here's some fallout from Saturday night's album release party from local metal trio The BAG, so let's talk about their debut album "Sacculus", which did indeed drop on major streaming platforms that night! CD copies were on sale at the concert at Soo Blaster, but they did not specify what those cost on social media, or if they will be available at any brick-and-mortar stores. You can stream "Sacculus" on YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Qobuz, though Google searches don't list other platforms, so poke around elsewhere if you're curious. No, it is not on Bandcamp, but you can buy the album on iTunes for $8.91. "Sacculus" features nine songs, all with titles capitalized except "6", which (confusingly) is track #5. The album does not feature their 2022-2023 singles "Roadkill", "Get Out", "Our Rock", and "Eccentric Refuge" for unannounced reasons.

It's not unheard of for some local bands to exclude prior standalone singles on their eventual full album (ask Jonesy Land and Heavy Lies The Crown for proof), but I'd have included them, if only to lengthen the album and get those songs on CD! The producer of the album is credited solely as "Gene" on streaming services. Two songs have a guest performer, including A.S.D.P./Agnosticism singer/guitarist Mikhal Muto (who promoted the release concert) on "Emergency Room Mayhem (Break Through The Gates)", and Jordan Alexander (who I'm not familiar with musically) on the "gurd version" of "Dream Machine". Did they intentionally misspell "good"? Regardless, that and the original version are on the full album if you want to compare the two. With all of the above said, and some blanks still left to fill, when can you expect our review of the full album? Believe it or not, it's currently scheduled for a review on the SMS in January.

This is our current queue for new album releases for the rest of the year (by release date order): The Realignment Project, Pillory, Viscera, Mike Haggith, A.S.D.P., Heavy Lies The Crown, The Realignment Project again, X's & Y's, and finally, The Sole Aggressors. We've been blessed with new albums in recent months, and you can see the conundrum that has developed! It is coming, I promise, but congratulations to Spencer, Austin, and Bradley/Ben on finally getting "Sacculus" out! Listen to track #1 ("Braindead") below!

To close today's post, I wanted to share some videos from the release party, and while The BAG and most openers have not done so publically that I'm aware of, Pillory have, courtesy of drummer Bret Shuttleworth's personal YouTube channel! Bret posted six videos from the show there, including four videos from an attendee of the back half of their set, but I'll embed the full 33+ minutes long drumcam video that Bret uploaded here today. In performance order, the death metal trio played started with their usual intro ("End Of Small Sanctuary" from Silent Hill 3) before playing their originals "Specimen Of Egotism", "Abhorred Apprehension", "Curse Of Eternal Sickness", "The Angst Of Existence", "The Passing", and "A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean Of Guilt". Of note, the latter song (which is not on Pillory's new full-length album "Old Soul") was separately uploaded as a cropped & vertical video on Bret's channel.

Pillory next headed back to their thrash metal roots to play an original intro named "The Stalker" that was the last piece of music that they wrote with original second guitarist Andres Duchesne before his passing (nice of the guys to pay tribute to him!). That segued right into a cover of Death's "Pull The Plug" to close the set. The drumcam angle isn't ideal to capture the whole view (as such, you never see Robert), but it's a ferocious half hour, and Robert's stage presence and banter is slowly improving! You've gotta love Devon's Crimson Crusade shirt too, they were a solid band, and their Death influences were always present. Check the set out below, and we'll have more of Bret's videos from this show soon!

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

The Realignment Project Updates, Plus Their Interview On The Borderline!!

It's high time that we play catch-up on what local industrial metal solo act The Realignment Project have been up to in early 2026, especially as my next EP review of theirs is coming up by month's end! In early January, "Bones & Dust" from their third EP "War Songs" was included in an episode of The Autopsy Report Rock & Metal Radio Show, a British-based podcast where host Hellwyck plays and spotlights independent & unsigned rock artists. Kudos to him for giving some attention to artists from across the pond, and click here to directly hear the episode with T.R.P.! On January 5th, project leader Matt Hicks confirmed that their fourth and newest EP "Let You Fall" would be released on vinyl via his indie label East London Recordings and ElasticStage, also confirming that both it and "War Songs" would get standalone vinyl releases with each having its songs split across two sides.

As you may recall, The Realignment Project's first two EPs were combined on one vinyl release, but as "The Frustration Sessions" exceeded 23 minutes in length, most songs were edited down to fit the limitations. Both "War Songs" & "Let You Fall" would have to have been similarly cut down to do the same, so Matt clearly decided to give each their own unedited spotlight on vinyl. CD copies of both of the latter EPs are also now on sale via ElasticStage, but at press time, you can't buy the first two EPs on compact disc. Work on T.R.P. EP #5 was ongoing in early January, with Matt teasing on the 10th that he was "working on something that's... a little bigger". Is he referencing a full length album, the scope of the music, or something else? As teased in this vertical video, Matt was interviewed about The Realignment Project on local internet radio station The Borderline, so what should you know there?

Premiering on January 21st, this was for an episode of Across The Tracks, the local musicians interview show hosted by Adrian Vilaca that last crossed SMS territory when he talked with the late Troy Isaac in 2024. The 51 minutes-long episode starts with Adrian asking Matt about the inspiration behind the Realignment Project name (he had the name in mind since 2003), his musical subgenres, his prolific EP release schedule, what brought him back to original songwriting, and the process behind writing the title track from "Let You Fall", which is played on air at 9:15. The interview resumes with Adrian asking Matt about the personal lyrical themes of his songs and his own frustrations, leading into the song "Where Did You Go?" (also from "Let You Fall") at 16:35. Afterwards, Matt discusses the background behind "Scatterbrain", which is played at 25:10 to start the second half of the episode.

Next, Adrian asks about Matt's usage of "they" as an ominous force being spoken up against in T.R.P.'s songs, and his views about original music acceptance in Sault Ste. Marie and trying to break a stigma that only cover acts can get regular attention. The next two songs played on air (at 32:45 and 38:20) are also cuts from "Let You Fall", namely "By Myself" and "The Last Time You See Me", with Adrian asking directly about the latter in between. In the last pre-song stretch, Adrian asks Matt about his vocal style and emotions in his songs, especially in regards to Matt being a father and what he's hoping for in the future. The last song heard in the episode is the last unheard song from "Let You Fall", namely "Find My Way Out" at the 46:25 mark, and this installment of "Across The Tracks" wraps up with the possibility of inviting Matt back to talk about their fifth EP in the future.

This was an entertaining interview and a personal one with Matt going into good detail about the background of his Realignment Project material! Note that, despite the description on The Borderline's website mentioning Matt's local band work in the the 2000s and early 2010s, Adrian does not ask about Dirty Virgin or Riverin in the interview proper, which is by and large about "Let You Fall". Of course, we'll be reviewing the preceding T.R.P.'s EP "War Songs" on the SMS this month, but fans of industrial rock and metal should definitely give Matt's solo music a spin and/or hear this interview at this link or at the above links! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bimbo) & Ripcordz Concert Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of veteran radio host Bob Kevoian, who passed away yesterday at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Read more about this news at this link. Many readers will remember Bob as the long-time co-host of The Bob & Tom Show, the nationally syndicated morning zoo crew show that locals could hear on Classic Rock: The Bear throughout its 2002-2010 run on the local dial via WIHC 97.9 FM in Newberry. Long before The Bob & Tom Show began out of WFBQ in Indianapolis, Bob and Tom actually started working together much closer to here than you may think, at radio stations in Petoskey in the early 1980s. They moved to Indiana in time to debut their show in 1983, which went national in 1995. The Bob & Tom Show left the local dial when Northern Star Broadcasting took WIHC (now Strong Tower Radio) dark in February 2010 upon selling off their E.U.P. stations.

Save for a 2017-2023 spell where The Bear replaced Bob & Tom with local morning shows (it aired on sister stations then), the program has continued to air on The Bear's network, including its current tip-of-the-mitt home on WWSS 95.3 FM in Tuscarora Township, which gets fringe reception in the Soo. Bob retired from the show in 2015, but it still carries his name, and while I preferred Scott & Brian back in the day, Bob & Tom certainly had their moments, especially if you stuck with the show regularly to get their in-jokes and recurring gags. Along with Tom Griswold, Bob gave so many listeners a lot of laughs over the decades, and he will be missed. R.I.P. Bob!

Today's post otherwise mostly keeps is in the E.U.P., with a brief Sault Ontario detour, but we'll start with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for Sault Michigan, as Marquette art punk duo Bimbo will make their local debut on Saturday, May 2nd at... Pizza Hut? It's hard to be shocked about that conceit when the Ashmun Street chain restaurant hosted Permanently Pissed, Werewolf Jones, and locals in November, so why not an encore? Like then, this is expected to be in Pizza Hut's basement. Bimbo are a brother-and-sister band with noise rock influences and an minimalist yet distinct and abrasive original sound, and it will be neat to see them make their way east in two weeks! Detroit electronica musician Nicholas "R. Solomon" Sapounas will return to the Soo as well, who you may recognize as the mixer of local punk trio The Sole Aggressors' self-titled album, but he also headlined locally at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley in August 2024.

Nice to see an extra local connection from R. Solomon, and this will definitely be a diverse bill! Two local bands will open here, including the new local hardcore punk band Viscera, who you may recall making their local debut at Three One Three On Ashmun last month! For this concert, they will expand to a trio, as they have added Chris Lovins as their new bassist, as per their Facebook page. I don't know anything about Chris musically, but hopefully he compliments Blind Bob and Mitchell well next month! Another band who was a duo at the aforementioned Three One Three gig will round out the bill, namely punk/hard rock band About:Blank, though I don't know if Parker and Kade have found a new guitarist/bassist in time for this show. While I don't know if this Pizza Hut show is a Serious Business-promoted event, they did host the last Pizza Hut concert. This concert has a 7:00 PM start time, a $15 admission fee, and will have an 18+ age limit. 

While multi-band, originals-leaning concerts in the E.U.P. have been trending upward in the mid-2020s, this is still now the most common thing, especially compared to Sault Ontario, so come on down to Pizza Hut in two weeks to see this diverse array of musicians rock out! See above for more details!

We'll close this post in Sault Ontario with some notes relating to the previously announced Ripcordz show at Beck's Bar on Saturday, July 18th! The venue confirmed this show months ago, in arguably their biggest touring artist booking yet, but a Facebook event page with the particulars went live this week, including the openers, including Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box, who first played here at the still-closed Distraction in May of last year. Good to see their hardcore punk-tinged original attack back in town this summer, so don't miss them! Local crossover thrash band Hails (who opened last year's Danger Box concert and were playing at The Ripcordz' Distraction show last year when the cops pulled the plug) will fittingly do the honours in July! At press time, this will be Ha!ls' first show of 2026, as well as their first gig since the departure of founding guitarist Mikhal Muto in January.

Unlike last year, this will presumably be a 19+ event, it will have a $10 cover charge, and bands start at 9:00 PM. Some fans will also have two chances to see Danger Box in July, as on the way east on tour before looping back, they'll actually be headlining a private house party concert on Thursday, July 2nd alongside local openers A.S.D.P. (fronted by Mikhal) and 5 Dollar Bribe. While a publically advertised event with an admission fee, the address is not public, so if you want to go, "ask a punk", and click here for more details! See above for more on The Ripcordz' return, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

The BAG & Tym Morrison Concert Previews, Plus The Last Of Crush's Live-Streams!!

Before we begin today's post, we have one more concert cancellation to take note of this weekend, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are not playing at The Water Tower Pub tonight, as per the venue's Facebook page yesterday. The band never confirmed the gig on their own social media, and aside from last month's "uncorked" gig at Smitty's, they haven't played live in two months. I'm not sure if their recent break is directly related, but I do want to offer our deepest condolences to guitarist Alex D'Ettore and his family following the recent passing of his daughter Ally. I can't imagine the pain and heartbreak that Alex, Marcy, and everyone who knew and loved Ally are going through, and hopefully things proceed as naturally and respectfully as possible in her honour! Newer local blues rock band The Low Light Company are filling in at The Water Tower Pub tonight.

Today's post otherwise concludes this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, as well as wrapping up our coverage of a recent live-streamed concert, so let's start with the return of local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison to Misty's Fifties TOMORROW! It's been an unusually long 2+ month wait for Tym to play another matinee gig at the Second Line West nightclub, as he was laid up for much of that time healing a broken pinky finger, having last played at Misty's on February 7th before dropping out of that night's Reggie's show due to the injury. Tym returned to the stage on March 26th at The Dive, but he ended up cancelling his next two scheduled Misty's shows for other reasons, so if you have missed his prolific setlist of classic and hard rock cover favourites at this west end staple, head there tomorrow! As usual for Misty's Fifties, this is a matinee concert taking place from 4:00-8:00 PM.

This is a 19+ event with no announced cover charge, and while it is Tym's only scheduled show at Misty's this month, he gets back to a more typical schedule with three shows there in May. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on tomorrow's return to one of Tym's favourite recent stomping grounds, and here he is live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, we'll head to Soo Blaster, where local metal trio The BAG will play their first show of the year TOMORROW NIGHT by headlining their long awaited album release party! While the band has been very cagey on particulars for their debut album "Sacculus" in the lead-up, fans will get their first chance to buy physical copies tomorrow, and assuming it drops on streaming as well, I'll let you know about that when specifics go live! This will be Spencer, Austin, and Bradley's first concert in nine months, and hopefully the anticipation builds to make tomorrow's concert one to remember! Openers will include local death/thrash metal trio Pillory, newer local ska punk trio A.S.D.P. (fronted by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto), and Winnipeg folk punk musician Greg Rekus, who fronted The Inside Job here twice in the mid-2020s and is hopping on this bill mid-tour.

Remember, Mikhal is a huge fan of folk punk, so the shoe fits for the early portion of this concert! As seen in this (AI-animated?) poster from The BAG's Facebook page, tickets cost $15 in advance (via the local bands, promoters Underground Events SSM, and The Rad Zone), but admission fees jump to $25 at the door. This is an all ages show, the concert starts at 7:30 PM, and again, I don't know further details on "Sacculus" (i.e. formats, price, track listing, production details, etc.), so you may be the first to know tomorrow night. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, stay tuned for more from The BAG and the new album, and here they are live!

Finally for today, let's wrap up our coverage of Sault Michigan hard rock trio Crush's live-streamed concert at The Merchants Bar while these videos are still viewable! Remember, as per Facebook's current live-stream video regulations, these will only be left online until around May 11th unless the band converts or re-uploads them to their Facebook page, and click here for our recap of the first two sets' videos. This live-stream abruptly stopped 21:26 into its presumed half hour runtime, but it at least stopped in between songs. From what we can see from The Merch last week, you'll see the guys covering Eric Clapton's "Cocaine", Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", and Led Zeppelin's "Rock & Roll", before playing an apparent original comedy rock song named "My Cheese" that some attendees were requesting. Kudos for answering the call from their fans when they weren't originally planning to play this one! The last song here is "Fire", an original that ended their Superior Whitefish Battle Of The Bands-winning set in Brimley last year.

Bassist Isaac "Iggy" Royer sings lead on the first two covers, singer/drummer Alex Traynor handled "Rock & Roll" and "Fire", and guitarist Josh Tyler sang "My Cheese". The stage lighting at The Merch was a little too vibrant for my liking, and like with the prior live-streams, this was shot vertically, but the performances are strong with good energy and a sense of humour, and the guys have a good grasp of their covers (you'd hope so given the obvious Tarnished links) while still showing strong original songwriting, so give Crush's third set a watch below (until May 11th?)

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Separate Wayz, And TNT), Plus Recent Concert Clarifications!!

Before we dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we have two related notes to clear up. First, I want to profusely apologize for missing local alt-punk cover band BookcluB's concert at Searchmont Resort this past Saturday, as they were one of the bands booked to play at the C.S.R.A. Snowcross Championships festivities last week. Alas, I only found out that they were playing via a Facebook "Story" (one of the temporary vertical videos in that strip on your news feed) from BookcluB that I didn't see until a half hour to go before the concert was scheduled to end. Neither BookcluB nor Searchmont confirmed in a permanent public post that they were playing on Saturday whatsoever (I also have not seen a public confirmation of who played the Sunday matinee show during Snowcross weekend). For such a busy and well hyped weekend, why wasn't the promotion better for the bands playing at The Kiln? 

Apologies again for missing that show, I'd have happily plugged it had someone promoted it publically with even one day's notice, but hopefully BookcluB had a strong turnout! The other note relates to the band who played at Searchmont this past Friday (local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations), who announced on their Facebook page that their previously announced Water Tower Pub show on Saturday has been cancelled due to an unspecified family emergency. In lieu of that, bassist Pierre Anthony and drummer Tony Santoro will instead be playing that night with members of country cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride, so keep that in mind for the weekend, and I hope all's well with Valerie or Joe!

Today's previews will be broken up into two posts due to a bunch of linked SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS coming to my attention, so our previews of Tym Morrison's Saturday matinee and The BAG's album release party will be in tomorrow's post. Otherwise, let's start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday, though the AI program that Jay's uses for concert advertising didn't nail what this weekend's bands look like. When did "Elly" and comedian Ron White join Separate Wayz? This will be Nicole and the guys' first concert since their short notice "epic crossover" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar on Monday, March 30th. For standalone, Travis-free gigs, Separate Wayz last took the stage at The Water Tower Pub early last month.

Regardless of sister band collaborations, this will be Separate Wayz' first stop at Jay's in over six months, so expect lots of fun rocking tunes from this talented foursome TOMORROW! A rare one-nighter at the former Roosevelt Hotel (country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters are playing there on Saturday), TOMORROW'S concert is a 9:30 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Separate Wayz live!

Next up, this will be a very busy weekend for Separate Wayz guitarist Terry Eaton, as he'll be doubling up on SATURDAY at Beck's Bar, starting with a matinee concert with his Soundcheck bandmate Travis Sharpe in their new acoustic side project TNT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via this venue's own advertising on Monday, and I still am not aware of Terry n' Trav(is) launching an online page to promote this project or their shows. They do have an AI-generated logo to match Terry's current electric bands now, so there is that! Last seen a month ago at The Full Throttle Saloon, TNT are occasionally seen at local nightclubs, typically in acoustic-amenable matinee timeslots, and often in conjunction with shows from one/both of Terry's bands. This will be a solid appetizer for what's to come later that night at Beck's, so keep this one in mind!

As usual for Beck's Bar's (typically) unplugged Saturday afternoon acts, Soundcheck's acoustic splinter group will be playing from 3:00-7:00 PM with no cover charge, and while a 19+ age limit would make sense given that it is Beck's Bar, note that they did host the underage 5 Dollar Bribe as matinee performers earlier this month. Visit the above links for more on what might be TNT's Beck's debut, and we'll let you know when/if public videos of Travis & Terry unplugged surface for preview purposes!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll stay at Beck's Bar, where the aforementioned Soundcheck will complete the Terry triple header with a concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, I learned about this show in the exact same way as I learned about TNT's. Last seen at Reggie's two weeks ago, this gig will allow Terry & Travis to rock out in full force with Jim & Johnny returning from TOMORROW'S Separate Wayz gig at Jay's to make up the rhythm section once again. If you like classic and hard rock covers, you have a lot of options for how you want to experience it in the west end this weekend! I am not sure whether the Soundcheck or Separate Wayz concerts are respectively due to or the result of the other band booking a one-nighter, but if you're curious, Beck's are hosting a rare live band tomorrow (new blues rock cover band Sunday & The Broken Hearts) rather than bringing in a DJ.

And as I frequently note, TNT aren't technically "opening" for Soundcheck on SATURDAY, as the two bands have 4 hour timeslots each spaced 2 hours apart, but the common lineups are absolutely acknowledged. Soundcheck are on at 9:00 PM on SATURDAY NIGHT with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of Terry's short notice gigs this weekend, and here's Soundcheck live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison and The BAG previews next! Thanks everyone!