FORTY LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!! (Monkey's Uncle, Splitshot, Peril, River Witch, And Driven)

How's this for a stacked post? In what is an absolute record for The Sault Metal Scene, we have FORTY LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for you guys today! Why do we have so many? Well, you know how Kewadin Casino updates their entertainment page to reflect upcoming concerts and events, including those at The Rapids Lounge? Well, breaking from past trends, Kewadin Casino have posted a schedule for pretty much every week of 2011 for Rapids Lounge concerts, stretching from January 1st to December 17th, encompassing 41 scheduled weekend sets from local and Michigan touring acts! Before we get to the metal and hard rock bands, I'll mention who all else is scheduled so far, like The Flat Broke Blues Band from Marquette, rock n' roll cover band Crossroads, local country singer Paul Perry, local southern rock cover band The Hixx, Cheboygan solo artist Charlie Reager, local acoustic band Electric Motor Fish (featuring Shift drummer Tony Rogers), and solo artist Jimmy Cowles, along with bands I don't know very much on, like The Rock, Cruise Control, and Break-A-Way. If any of those are metal, or if you have any information on them, let me know!

Check the above links for dates for the above acts, but now we come to the metal bands! Five local and area metal and hard rock bands have weekend dates scheduled at The Rapids Lounge at Kewadin Casino over the next year, encompassing 20 weekends and 40 individual concerts! Despite the lack of band confirmation below, take my word on this: If Kewadin Casino announces the shows, then there is truth to them. Let's get right to it, with these five bands in chronological order by date of their first announced 2011 concert at Kewadin!

Our first twelve Rapids Lounge concerts come courtesy of local hard rock trio Monkey's Uncle, who will continue their frequent stints at Kewadin Casino well into 2011! The twelve announced dates for Monkey's Uncle next year are on these weekends: January 7th-8th, March 4th-5th, May 6th-7th, July 15th-16th, September 16th-17th, and November 25th-26th. Basically one weekend set every two months, seems about on track with their normal pace. There will be NO COVER CHARGE, a start time of 9:00 PM seems likely, and you must be 21 to enter on all of these nights. Note that Monkey's Uncle haven't confirmed these shows on their official MySpace page, but they haven't even visited the page since August 31st to begin with. Kewadin Casino's concert listings tend to be reliable though, so don't worry too much! It'll be nice to see Monkey's Uncle back on stage, their hard rock sound will go over well, and they have a nice selection of covers and originals in store that you guys can rock out to next year! Check out their original tracks and some live videos from the Jager days at the above links, and make note of the concert dates above!

The next twelve new concerts are from another local hard rock band with lots of covers in store, and in this case, it's Splitshot! Yes, the new local band featuring Nixxon Dixxon alumni Chris Hubbard and Kyle Beaumont will play twelve shows of their own at The Rapids Lounge in 2011, their first announced dates at a venue other than The Bird! Their scheduled concert dates are on February 4th-5th, April 22nd-23rd, June 3rd-4th, August 12th-13th, October 7th-8th, and December 9th-10th. Same pattern as Monkey's Uncle had, a weekend set every two months, only Splitshot are playing the months that Monkey's Uncle are not. The same house rules should apply as well, 21+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time. Splitshot have yet to confirm any of these shows on their official Facebook page, but their first two weekend sets were only announced a week or so beforehand on there, so the same trend could continue. If you haven't seen Splitshot yet, or you want the next best thing to Nixxon Dixxon reuniting, then Splitshot should fill the void with their brand of classic and modern rock! I don't know how they sound yet, but there's gotta be something there, and once I find out more, I'll let you guys know! For now though, keep the above dates in mind!

Thirdly, we have six new concert dates from Charlevoix metal trio Peril! This frequently touring band will bring their classic metal stylings to The Rapids Lounge on February 25th-26th, June 17th-18th, and September 23rd-24th! Not as many dates, but remember, they play a lot of venues during the year. Like the above shows, these should all be 9:00 PM 21+ concerts with no cover charge. Note that Peril haven't officially announced these dates either, but they frequently update and promote scheduled concerts on their pages, so word on these shows is likely in the cards. Peril have always impressed me with their tight and energetic brand of music, with covers and originals in store for their fans at any concerts! If you love classic hard rock and metal, Peril will be right up your alley! Get a taste by checking out some of their originals at their official MySpace page, and stay tuned for news on Peril's next local stops as I hear them!

Next, we have eight new concert dates from local classic/modern rockers River Witch! The local quintet will be back at The Rapids Lounge for four concert weekends on March 25th-26th, June 4th-5th, September 2nd-3rd, and December 2nd-3rd! Counting their shows last weekend, it looks like they're on a "one weekend every three months" schedule. Like the above concerts, these should be 21+ shows at 9:00 PM with no cover charge. It's great to see them booking more shows, but I wish I could tell you more about the band themselves! They have no audio material online (Blind Baby demos notwithstanding), their Facebook page hasn't been updated in two months, and as such, they haven't confirmed these dates. Still, expect a solid set of hard rock covers from River Witch whenever you check them out next year, as they have some talented guys in the band to keep an eye on! I'll keep you guys posted on River Witch as I hear more!

The final new metal/hard rock concert dates of 2011 that Kewadin Casino announced will come courtesy of Cheboygan hard rock trio Driven, in their first shows at The Rapids Lounge in eight months! However, like last year, they have just a sole weekend set booked for us local fans, taking place on May 20th and 21st. The exact same house rules should apply for both of these shows: No cover charge, 9:00 PM start time, and you must be 21 to enter. Driven also haven't confirmed these shows on their MySpace page, but I don't believe Driven are known for posting concert itineraries on their pages in the first place. I can't show or tell you definitively how Driven sound, but they do specialize in "anything with a groove that gets people off their ass and party", so that must count for something! They are definitely a hard rock band, and they'll hopefully put in a good show next May for those who attend! If I hear more on these shows or any other trips to Sault Michigan that Driven make, I'll let you all know!

There, how's that for a slate of new concerts? All our now in the Sault Michigan concert listings on the top right of the page, and it's great to see so many concerts scheduled for 2011 across the river! Stay tuned for more news hopefully later today, including ANOTHER LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for the Sault Michigan area (no, not at Kewadin), plus more news and notes from the last little while. Stay tuned!