LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Banned) & Easter Weekend Concert Previews!!

Despite approaching the holiday weekend, there's a fair slate of hard rock concert action to take in before the Easter Bunny arrives! With shows on both sides of the border, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some new band confirmations on two of these events, here's what you need to know on this Thursday morning!

Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock trio Banned will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their official Facebook event page on Monday, with Kewadin's entertainment page not listing these dates at press time. Two weeks removed from their most recent Soo gigs at the Dondee,  this will be Alex, Wayne, and Don's first weekend of hard rocking cover action at The Rapids Lounge of 2018. This fan favourite band should have another solid weekend of tunes in store for their Sault fans, so don't miss out TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! As usual for Banned's Kewadin bookings, expect 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times this weekend, so check the above links for more details, and here's Banned live a few years back!

Next up, Sault Ontario indie/hard rock quartet Id Iota will end their nearly year-long hiatus from the local stage when they headline at LopLops Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! Though Espanola fans got to see the Free Beer successors live in February, this will be Id Iota's first Sault Ste. Marie date since May of last year, and will also mark their first local show since beginning recording sessions for their upcoming full length album, and since replacing Dan Linklater with an (oddly still unrevealed) new bassist. How will Id Iota sound and perform to kick off this new year? Be at LopLops tomorrow to find out! Local drone/noise rock trio Pointless (now featuring Id Iota's Dustin Goodall on bass in lieu of the relocated Jordan Leach) will hit the stage as well with their own unique original array, while a late surprise third band was confirmed on the Facebook event page on Monday, namely local/St. Catharine's folk rock trio Tea With Lincoln, who fans may remember from a number of high profile appearances in the early 2010s.

I believe it's been a few years since Tea With Lincoln played a local show, so be sure to welcome them back north tomorrow with their skilled folk originals! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover charge and a 9:00 PM start time. It's great to see a show full of familiar faces to help send out the month, and Id Iota should give a heavier edge to the proceedings, so check out more details at the above links, and here's Id Iota live!



Also today, fans can see ex-Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison three times to end the month of March, as he'll rock Gliss Steak & Seafood with matinee shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY, as well as returning to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill for a traditional nighttime show TOMORROW NIGHT! Tym's prolific and often heavy selection of covers always provides a good time for fans, and whether you're into a supper-time matinee at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, or a late night event in the east end, you have three options! It should be noted that Tym played at Mark's Breakfast Plus earlier this week in concerts only advertised on his personal Facebook page. Given the nature of the venue, I doubt these were private bookings, so I profusely apologize for missing them on here, we'd have covered them here had we known about them publically! Tym is still scheduled twice weekly at Gliss through at least the end of June, while tomorrow's Roadhouse show is the final one advertised on their Facebook event page.

If his bi-monthly schedule there continues into April, we'll know very soon (April 6th & 27th would be the next dates there if nothing changes), but we await firm public confirmation. All three shows do not have a cover charge, and while the Gliss matinees are at 6:00 PM with no stated age limit, tomorrow night's Roadhouse show is at 10:00 PM with a 19+ age limit. Click here and visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for this weekend's currently announced hard rock concert previews, the second Musicians Competition at The Superior Cafe in Sault Michigan goes down THIS SATURDAY, and we now know more performers on the lineup! We already knew via the bands' own postings that local hard rock quartet Project 906 and alt-rock quintet (and defending champions) Midnight Logic would be in the field, but the venue revealed in this poster yesterday that Sault Ontario indie pop duo All Us Others will also return, while the fourth advertised band is The Ordinares, a debuting folk rock trio featuring 3/4ths of classic rock cover band Stuck in Reverse, though Bob & Troy played as The Tavern Stool Townies in January. They actually state their genre as "folk/punk", but their posted songs so far owe more to the former genre, though stay tuned in case they show off their punk side more! Other acts (solo and bands alike) are teased, possibly as they're still open to performer additions, but note that January's event had 9 competing acts.

A fan vote will determine the winning acts on Saturday, with money from band admissions going to the top three groups. This ALL AGES battle of the bands will have a 5:00 PM start time on Saturday, and while there are no announced admission fees for attendees at The Bird's successor venue, band registrations were $10, and fans who vote will get 10% off of drink purchased on Saturday. This should be a fun event for fans of original music in the E.U.P., but can Midnight Logic defend their crown, or will a new band take top honors? Be at The Superior Cafe on Saturday to find out, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!