The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews, Including A New Video!!

Before we get into today's post, here's a note that might be of interest for Iron Maiden fans, as local artist Darren Emond will be demonstrating his art and drawing some work on-site outside of the Sears entrance of The Station Mall tomorrow, and art on display will include pages from his upcoming Iron Maiden comic book. This should be fun to check out if you're able, especially for Maiden and comic fans, so consider supporting Darren's work tomorrow if you're able, as he's a very skilled artist!

Now, let's dive into this weekend's remaining hard rock concert previews (barring anything super late notice), and we'll start in the Eastern Upper Peninsula with a look at Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Banned's next gigs, which go down TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Fresh off of their Hessel gig this past weekend, this will be Banned's first St. Ignace weekend of the new year, and the Traynors & Wayne should be in fine form as they continue their busy schedule, so consider a trip south to St. Ignace this weekend for some varied and often heavy covers! If you miss them this weekend, remember that they'll be in the Soo next weekend, and back in St. Ignace in April. 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges are in effect, so check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new Banned concert video!

Filmed by the band's friends at Third Cinema Productions, this was uploaded to Banned's YouTube channel on Valentine's Day, and it's of the guys covering Nirvana's "Come As You Are" at last week's I-500 festivities in the tent during the race's annual pub crawl! Featuring opening and closing credits (and a mid-video bug with the YouTube channel URL), this is a strong widescreen performance of this grunge classic, with Alex Traynor handling the vocals well, so give it a look below, and don't miss Banned tonight or tomorrow in St. Ignace!

Meanwhile at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63 are advertised to return for solo headlining concerts of their own TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of St. Ignace Kewadin gigs this past weekend, these shows continue their 2016 pattern of (generally) monthly gigs at the two E.U.P. Kewadin branches, and should deliver another fun weekend of wide ranging classic favourites for fans in the Soo! Now, it should be noted that the band hasn't publically plugged upcoming concerts on their Facebook page yet this month, but they have updated the page recently, so I wouldn't expect a change in plans regarding this weekend's shows unless stated otherwise. As usual for Highway 63's frequent Kewadin gigs, look for no announced cover, 21+ age limits, and 9:00 PM start times for tonight & tomorrow's concerts, so check above for more details, and here's Highway 63 live!



Finally for this weekend's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario for the opening night of the first annual Fishbowl Festival, where local alternative/grunge trio The Pixo Control will be a part of the Like A Pisces tribute concert to Nirvana (and 1990s grunge, alternative, & new wave music) TOMORROW NIGHT at The Gore Street Cafe! The first of three hard rock/punk events taking place during this inaugural month long festival (coinciding with the Pisces stretch of the Zodiac calendar), this will be (I think) The Pixo Control's debut at the downtown cafe/laundromat, and coincides with what would have been Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's 46th birthday. What's more mysterious is the apparent headlining band Like A Pisces (referencing lyrics from "Heart Shaped Box"), who may or may not be playing collaboratively with The Pixo Control or separately, but performers were previously listed as including festival promoter/cafe co-owner Sam Decter, Honest Job's Drew Armstrong, and Lauren McClure.

Now, Sam and Drew are credited as "Insoosticide" & "Brash Gash" for unannounced reasons (possibly intended secrecy, or just creative license?), while Drew's bandmate Mister Tahti was once credited as performing with them as well. In any event, there's a lot of talent in store for this Nirvana tribute! Note as well that this event follows the opening ceremonies for the Fishbowl Festival at 5:00 PM, which will include presentations, speeches from organizers (and even the mayor!), and a mystery musical performance at 5:30 PM, though that's not considered part of the Like A Pisces show.The Fishbowl Festival itself has an eclectic lineup of local arts, culture, and awareness events largely taking place at The Gore Street Cafe through March 20th, and the ambitious roster includes everything from concerts, art exhibitions, and workshops to a film premiere, community meals, and a free market, so definitely visit the festival's Facebook event page for full details on all events scheduled for this month long activities, which offer a little something for everyone!

Admission for tomorrow's Like A Pisces concert is $10 (up from $5) unless you buy a $25 pass for all Fishbowl Festival events at the cafe beforehand, and with that, admission will be slashed to $5 tomorrow, and other events will either be discounted or free with said pass. All festival events are ALL AGES, and the concert will start at 7:00 PM, while tomorrow's opening cermonies beforehand also has free admission. For more details, visit the show's Facebook event page! The cafe and the Sault Ste. Marie Indian Friendship Centre have a great idea on their hands here, and hopefully this month's festival is huge, so stay tuned for much more on it, and here's The Pixo Control live last summer!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in due course! Thanks everyone!