LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Powerslug & Dirtbag In A Dress), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Our first post of the day is 100% Sault Michigan (and area)-centric, and it includes news on a recent album release across the river, previews of this weekend's known heavier concerts (including one for the Fourth of July), and much more, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for some upcoming dates in the region!

Local hard rock trio Powerslug have been newly confirmed for three upcoming dates in the region with some advance word, and neither are at Kewadin Casino! One will see them make their first ever live appearance (barring a missed late notice gig) at The Back Door TOMORROW NIGHT in a rare hard rock-leaning set for this venue, which will see Powerslug play live after the Fourth of July fireworks conclude, so how's that for a capper to the evening? Apologies for the short notice on that one, I held it a bit longer to avoid redundantly plugging it twice in a short span. The other new shows will be a full weekend at The Corner Pub Bar & Grill on August 2nd & 3rd where they'll share the stage with local rock cover band/Swayze Train successors Toast (drummer Bob Helsten is in both bands), though no word on if these will be outdoor or indoor gigs. It's unique to see local band sharing a weekend engagement like this, but with their own varied and proficient sets, this should be a fun weekend next month!

All three shows (including TOMORROW'S Back Door set) are 21+ with 9:00 PM-ish start times, and I'd bring cash for a cover just in case. For more details, check the above links and the Facebook event page for next month's "PowerToast" shows! Despite their lack of online pages, Powerslug have a good thing going, and hopefully tomorrow's Fourth of July show starts with a bang, literally! I have no videos to preview it with, but don't miss the action to kick off the holiday weekend, and don't miss their shows next month either!

The other new-ish show is something unique for our Sault Michigan coverage, as it's an outdoor concert (and publically attendable, I'll emphasize) being hosted at someone's house THIS SATURDAY! Think the old F.A.T.I.L. outdoor shows in Thessalon and Laird for a reference, but this one's in Sugar Island, and it will be headlined by recent LemmaFest performers Dirtbag In A Dress! The former Bucksaw (who are apparently looking to change their name once again in the near future) will play their first show that I've ever gotten advance word on for something other than LemmaFest on Saturday at the new home of Brandon McKerchie (a friend of the band) as part of a big outdoor party, though I don't know if there's other causes for the event. On Saturday, Dirtbag In A Dress will be joined by a band named "Bill & The Bare Bottom Boys" (I assume the Bill is D.I.A.D. guitarist Bill Ogston?), though I know nothing else on them at present. Like the F.A.T.I.L. gatherings, attendees are welcome to attend and camp out, and as far as I can tell, there's no admission costs or explicit age limits, but drink responsibly if you do go.

The full event has a 1:00 PM start time, but no explicit band times have been made available. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Also note that I have not posted details about the finite address of the event out of privacy concerns (it is a man's house, after all), but the event page will give you directions for when you get to Sugar Island. This should be a fun and unique weekend for sure, so don't miss the action on Saturday, and for a preview, here's Dirtbag In A Dress covering some heavier songs at LemmaFest last month!



Now to a previously announced show (and our last of the known heavier gigs to preview through Saturday), Kinross classic/hard rock quintet Banned will return to the region for a one night only show at The Runway Bar in nearby Hessel THIS SATURDAY for their first concert at this venue in almost 5 months! This also follows a quiet June for this generally busy band, during which their only dates (in Blainey Park and Gould City) were all outside of our coverage range, so it's great to have the Traynors and company back within an hour of the Soo for their expanding variety of covers and originals! Saturday's show in Hessel (a half hour northeast of St. Ignace, 50 minutes south of the Soo) will go down at 9:00 PM, with no announced cover charge, and a likely 21+ age limit. For more details, visit the above links! Banned should deliver once again as they return closer to home, so keep this show in mind, and for a preview, here's Banned's current lineup covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" earlier this year!



Finally for today, here's three assorted Sault Michigan-regional stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• Memphis hard rock band Devour The Day (featuring ex-members of Egypt Central) have been confirmed as the openers for the Shinedown concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on July 21st, as per Allstar Promotions' Facebook page last week. They should be a good fit with their high energy hard rock sound, so check them out above, and get your tickets A.S.A.P., as they're going fast!
• In their first bit of public updating since August 2012, Eckerman/Strongs hard rock band Moss have welcomed original bassist Terry Carrick back into the fold, replacing frontman David Mills, who will remain as their singer (making them a quintet.) I'm not familiar with Terry musically, but hopefully he adds well to Moss, and hopefully they'll have more news sooner than it has been coming!
• The first live video of local hard rock quintet RamWagon's live debut at LemmaFest was posted on their Facebook page last week, and it's an incomplete cover of Cameo's "Word Up" (or is it the KoRn cover?) Shot on a cell phone camera from a far distance, the guys do seem to know the song and rock it well, but I'd like to see longer, closer, and more videos of them in action before really judging. Check it out at the above links, but note that as a Facebook video, I can't embed it here.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new Sault Ontario-centric post later tonight! Thanks everyone!