This Weekend's Local Metal/Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

I might as well get these up while I'm thinking about them, so for today's news post, we have previews for this weekend's slate of metal & hard rock concerts! Busier weekend than we've tended to see in recent weeks, with 7 total concerts on the heavier side of the spectrum (barring any late notice ones in Sault Michigan), and we'll go in rough chronological order while working our way north with these shows, so read on below for what you need to know before scheduling your weekend concert hopping! (Updated at 12:28 PM)

We'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Charlevoix metal trio Peril will return TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! No strangers to the area following many regular appearances in the Eastern U.P., this talented and hard working Northern Michigan band should have a ton of great classic metal and hard rock covers in store for their fans in St. Ignace this weekend, so don't miss a second if you're in the area or miss Peril! Admission should be free for these 21+ concerts, a start time of 10:00 PM is likely, and check the above links for more details! It's great to see Peril back after over two months since their last St. Ignace stops, and hopefully Jeff, James, and Brooks deliver lots of entertaining hard rocking tunes all weekend long! For a preview, here's Peril covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" a few years back!



Also going down tomorrow & Saturday night is the return of Marquette/Ishpeming hard rockers Nudge! Last seen in the area three months ago (planned concerts in September were cancelled), these local favourites will return to The Satisfied Frog over the next two nights for their own brand of modern hard rock renditions, and if past shows are any indication, these should be hits! Note as well that this will be Nudge's second local concert weekend with current drummer Scott Kusmirek, who joined frontman Danzo McCracken for his traditional acoustic sets at The Frog yesterday and TONIGHT, so if you want a mellower take on Nudge's sound, head down to The Frog tonight! Admission for the full Nudge concerts tomorrow & Saturday night will likely be free, with 21+ age limits and 10:00 PM start times likely. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! These should be some more great concerts from Nudge, so if you're in the Sault Michigan area, keep them in mind for your weekend plans! For a preview, here's Nudge covering Godsmack's "Whatever" in Skanee last year!

We'll close this post in Sault Ontario, starting with the last double concert set of the weekend, that being from local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison! Tym and company will be rocking The Roosevelt Hotel all weekend long for the first time in over a month, and you know from experience that their long sets of classic and newer metal/hard rock covers should go over very well, so keep both of these shows in mind for this weekend! Especially since these are the last announced gigs from Tym's recent batch of solo/Caveman concerts, so who knows when and where he'll be back. Admission should be free, as is usual for their Rosie stops, while a 19+ age limit and 10:00 PM start time are to be expected. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Caveman Morrison should have some great hard rocking times at The Rosie this weekend, so don't miss them if you can help it, and for a preview, here's their current lineup in 2010 covering Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Know"!



Finally for this weekend is the return of The Saigon Hookers to Sault Ontario on Saturday night! The Kitchener hard rock notables will make their third ever stop in the north this weekend (following their first two local gigs last year), and their energetic mix of classic rock, punk, and heavy metal should deliver a sizeable crowd to The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, as they did last year! In case you forgot, The Saigon Hookers have extra local familiarity from their associations with Lion Ride members (including final bassist Carmine Romano being a Saigon Hookers alum) but their music stands on it's own, and they should rock the house on Saturday night! Despite what the poster says, the local openers will not be Garden of Bedlam (due to scheduling conflicts), but instead, fans will be treated to two opening acts, including the return (for at least one night) of local classic metal quartet Late & Loud! Over two months after their breakup/hiatus began, this talented local band will make their Rockstar Bar debut for what might be their last show, but if it is, they're going out in style with the release of their debut EP on Saturday night!

This self recorded demo will be available in limited quantities for $6 on Saturday, so if you want a copy, be there early to ensure you have one, and if I get one, I'll review it on the site for sure! The other openers (who were just confirmed on Facebook this morning) will be local metal/punk quartet T-Rex Manning, in what (I think) is their own Rockstar Bar debut! According to guitarist Tiffany Stocco's personal Facebook page, this will be their last show for a while (possibly ever?) with drummer Daniel McDonald due to his imminent move out west, so hopefully their originals and hard hitting covers go over well on Saturday night! Admission should be around $5 for this 19+ event, and the Facebook event page lists a 9:00 PM start time (though I imagine it'll actually start later.) For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see The Saigon Hookers back in the Soo to deliver their fun and heavy blend of genres once again, and if you saw them here last year, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about!

Plus, it'll be good to see the band on all 8 legs again, as bassist Lee Brook played with a broken ankle here last summer, as you may recall. Late & Loud's return (one-off or full time) is also welcome, and if this is their last show, hopefully it's an awesome encore, while T-Rex Manning should rock hard as well for Dan's last show! I'll be sure to see you guys there on Saturday, and for a preview, here's The Saigon Hookers playing their new song "We Are The Girls" in Toronto in March!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile over the next few days! Thanks everyone!