LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Alex Traynor & Tym Morrison), Plus A Band Breakup!!

Well, our regular news posting schedule was thrown slightly for a loop this week, as we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to tackle from not one, but TWO artists who are playing shows TOMORROW... MORNING?! You read that right, so here's what you should know, plus some more new shows from one artist in question! Yes, Graves and Faps fans, those shows are coming, I apologize for the continued delay!

Local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play a special matinee concert TOMORROW MORNING at...the Duty Free Store?! Apologies for the short notice (and for missing one he played today as well), these shows were only announced via their Facebook event page this morning. While a concert at the 127 Huron Street store at the International Bridge plaza may seem wildly odd, this isn't new for Tym, as he played at least one more (publically unadvertised) show there this past weekend. Why? Well, the Duty Free Store has been hosting Duty Free Celebration Days to coincide with Canada Day and Independence Day, with the first two taking place on Friday and Monday, with Tym returning to headline today and TOMORROW. Well, this time out, Tym is advertising the shows on social media publically rather than through solely his personal accounts, so if you can head to the International Bridge, you can see his acoustic hard rock covers there! Expect refreshments, giveaways, and draws on both days for the occasion among other family friendly frills.

For what it's worth, Tym is not advertised by name on the Duty Free Store's Facebook page, but he has more than confirmed his involvement elsewhere. Given the cross-border outreach and with this being as close to the border as you can get for a show without actually entering the States, this may have some extra perks going for it! TOMORROW'S (and today's) concerts have special early start times of 11:00 AM, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but remember, this is a store, not a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details! While we're on the subject, we may as well cover Tym's other shows this weekend (and this month) rather than redundantly go through his announcements tomorrow. As such, his long-term Gliss Restaurant arrangement will continue with matinee concerts THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY, as well as July 12th & 13th, 19th & 20th, and 26th & 27th! Apologies again for the short notice on this weekend's shows, we held them from last week's previews due to post size concerns.

At press time, Tym hadn't publically announced any other shows elsewhere, but if you'll recall, his shows at Pointe Des Chesnes and The Old Stone House last week never got a public confirmation either (for what it's worth, the Old Stone House show was on Canada Day and was definitely open to the public, so I apologize for not covering it here despite the lack of promotion.) In any event, the Gliss shows (FRIDAY & SATURDAY included) are 6:00 PM matinees with no announced age limit or cover as usual. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live a few years back!

Also taking place TOMORROW MORNING is the return of Kinross/Mount Pleasant solo hard rock musician Alex Traynor to Sault Michigan, as he'll play a special Independence Day matinee concert at Biggby Coffee! Again, I apologize for the short notice, the venue only announced this show via their Facebook event page yesterday, while Alex has not publically confirmed it that I am aware of. This will be the first local concert from the former Banned frontman (more on that in a second) since May, also at Biggby Coffee, and while it's unclear if this will be another "play for tips & coffee" setup for Alex, the Ashmun Street coffee shop will celebrate the Fourth of July by knocking $1 off of all drink prices during Alex's set, which will be at an even earlier start time of 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Very unusual to see two hard rock shows on one day at this kind of hour, but hey, if you're a Yooper, you probably have the day off, so why not enjoy some live music?

Alex's talented covers and (maybe) originals should be more than welcomed back up north TOMORROW, so don't miss his latest solo return then! Of course, this is an ALL AGES event with no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Alex live at Biggby Coffee! I am aware that there's a brand new video of him on their Facebook page, but due to Facebook video streaming issues at press time, I will hold that for a future post when the bugs are worked out. If this video doesn't load for you, it's not my fault, #facebookdown is trending on Twitter for a reason.

Finally for today, we have a related band breakup to announce here, as Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned have officially ended their active run, as per a post by Alex on their Facebook page on Monday. A reason for their disbandment was not announced, but Banned had been unusually quiet since their last shows in Sault Ste. Marie & Grand Marais back in March, and his solo career has been more and more of his focus as it is. Of course, Alex's move to Mount Pleasant in late 2017 may be a factor, as the 3 hour drive from here to there can't have been getting any easier to manage, but Banned did make it work for well over a year. Launched in 2011, and continually featuring Alex and his dad Don in their various lineups, Banned became a favourite sight at Eastern U.P. venues and community events with their varied and often heavy selection of covers, even with some early original material, while they weren't afraid to hit the road for shows out west or even in the Lower Peninsula.

While I didn't agree with their late-period marketing that solely focused on Alex, and their brief country phase was tricky to maneuver on a metal/hard rock-centric site, Banned were always a reliable and talented source of live music in the region! It'll be odd not seeing them at the Sugar Island Music Festival this year in particular, but after 8 years, I think Banned have done all they can, and now's a good time to see how far Alex can go as a solo artist. Best of luck to him, Don, Wayne, and other former band members in the future! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!