LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Hedley, Hells Bells, Detroit Rock City, And Lost Love!!)

Before I head off to TONIGHT'S Gorod-headlined concert at The Oddfellows Hall, here's a stacked post devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from next month through July! We're half looking at touring tribute bands, and half looking at pop punk concerts, with the last two notable big in scope, so here's what you should know!

Barrie-based AC/DC tribute band Hells Bells will return to Sault Ontario for a headlining concert on Saturday, May 14th at The Rockstar Bar! After a successful local return back in November at the same venue, this talented tribute to the Australian hard rock legends will surely be another entertaining blast of high voltage rock n' roll, so definitely keep this one in mind for next month! For tribute band fans, this show also joins the previously announced Bon Jovi Forever tribute concert on May 6th at The Rockstar Bar, whose Facebook event page also went up earlier this week. $12 tickets are now on sale at The Algonquin Hotel's front desk (it's not clear if they'll increase at the door), you must be 19 or older to attend, and there's an early 8:00 PM start time in effect. This should be a great concert for AC/DC fans, especially given Hells Bells' faithful sound and crowd-pleasing live show, so for more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, another new concert is now scheduled for that same weekend, just one day after the Hells Bells show, as Montreal alternative/punk quartet Lost Love will make their local concert debut at The New American Pub on Sunday, May 15th! An intriguing mix of pop punk with raspy, attitude-inflected vocals, Lost Love should find a solid audience for this New A show next month, so don't miss out if you want to see some pop/alt-punk in the Soo! Only one local support band is advertised, they being pop punk quintet Northwest, who will end a 9 month concert hiatus next month for their first show of the year. No word on where Northwest have been lately, but it's great to see them back at it! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. in a slight deviation from their norm, this 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. Check the official Facebook event page for more details, and stay tuned for updates when & if they come in!

In a brief detour to Sault Michigan, Detroit-based Kiss tribute band Detroit Rock City will make their own local debut when they rock The Soo Theater at 534 Ashmun Street on Saturday, June 11th! It's been a very long time since we've mentioned a concert at The Soo Theater on here, but the venue (in association with local bar Moloney's Alley) are hosting the Raise The Roof Summer Concert Series from next week through August that will see 5 out of town bands come north for concerts at the theater. All proceeds from the series will go towards reviving The Soo Theater and making it a year-round concerts/events venue, which is a great idea for historical and entertainment reasons alike, so hopefully each show has a huge turnout! Detroit Rock City are the only hard rock-leaning band on the schedule, but their authentic looking and sounding tribute to Kiss should electrify fans in Sault Michigan in two months time, so don't miss them! Admission for this and all other Raise The Roof shows is $15 and you can buy them in advance at this link or at the door. Sadly, all are 21+, but all start at 7:00 PM.

VIP ticket passes for all of the series' shows are also available for $65 (a total $20 savings), while donations are also being accepted online. For reference, the other Raise the Roof shows include Wisconsin blues quartet The Organgrinders next weekend, Ann Arbor bluegrass quintet Dragon Wagon on June 17th & 18th, Traverse City indie rock trio The Accidentals on July 22nd & 23rd, and fellow Traverse City folk musician Billy Strings on August 5th. With The Soo Theater's future as a year-round events venue hanging in the balance, hopefully this summer concert series is a huge success, so see the above links for more details on it and Detroit Rock City!

Finally, we'll return to Sault Ontario for a huge summer concert on Abbotsford, B.C. power pop/punk quartet Hedley will make their long awaited return to our area when they rock The Yard at 75 Huron Street on Friday, July 1st during the downtown outdoor venue's Canada Day Kicker! Last seen here at The Essar Center in November 2010, the Jacob Hoggard-led band has attained a lot of domestic success in recent years with hits like "On My Own", "Crazy For You", and "Everything", and while the Juno Award winners' newer material has drifted from punk, Hedley should get a huge turnout on Canada Day! Support will come via all-female Toronto indie rock quartet The Beaches (a very talented band in their genre) and local/Toronto punk/Celtic quartet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide in their first local concert date of the year! No word yet on who will be drumming for them in July, but it's great to see Dustin & the Jaaskelainens back on a local stage, let alone at a concert this big, so don't miss out on The Tide's return with Hedley and The Beaches!

Notably the first concert of any genre at The Yard since The Tech (the former St. Mary's College) bought it from Mill Square, the Canada Day Kicker will be rounded out by a show from Barrie country musician Kira Isabella on July 2nd, so keep that in mind also! A "Play in the Yard" suite of attractions, food, and family events for the occasion will also be on site that weekend. Tickets go on sale TODAY for $48 for both shows, with $89 passes for both shows, and $132 for VIP admission for both. These are ALL AGES events with gates opening at 6:00 PM. Check the above links for full details, click here to buy your tickets, and stay tuned for more on this huge Hedley concert!

That's all for today, but we'll see you guys at The Oddfellows Hall for Gorod, Bookakee, and local bands TONIGHT! Thanks everyone!