LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fort Creek, Tarnished, And The Wyld Stallyns), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

With pandemic restrictions easing up ahead of schedule this month in Ontario, and reports of the vaccine passport system ending at the beginning of March, this should be a good sign for Sault Ontario concerts in the near term, and that good will extends to today's weekend concert preview post, featuring a bunch of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS on both sides of the border, some on SHORT NOTICE! Yes, Soundcheck's open mic series at Reggie's West returns tonight too, but we historically do not treat open mic nights as "concerts". Now, here's what you should know, and follow your preferred Ontario news source for more on what is and isn't being scaled back!

Local hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns will play their first live concert of the year when they make their long awaited return to The Whisky Barrel at 113 Gore Street TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show on their Facebook event page on Tuesday, though note that the band proper has not promoted this show on their own Facebook page at press time. Last seen six months ago at The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir and at the Entomica fundraiser at the Bushplane Museum, The Stallyns were once the most common SMS-covered band to play at The Whiskey Barrel, but they hadn't played an advertised show there since March 2020 (we all know why). Since then, they've became an electric band complete with a bassist, but will that play into this show, at a venue primarily known for acoustic acts? Find out TOMORROW NIGHT one way or the other!

A 9:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and 19+ age limit are in effect, while vaccine passports must still be presented upon entry (pandemic willing, this will no longer be the case in two weeks), and please respect and follow any public health guidelines posted at The Whiskey Barrel, especially as they're only just now hosting live music again. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Stallyns live before the pandemic!

Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished will play a special concert THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at Rudyard Town Hall as part of a birthday party event! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this gig via their Facebook page yesterday. Despite advertising for the event being private, the band themselves confirmed that it is publically attendable, hence why we're covering it here despite ostensibly being a birthday party first and foremost. Held in honour of area resident Amy Jo's 40th birthday, SATURDAY's concert promises a live band (Tarnished), glow sticks, and fun, while attendees are asked to dress in black. Hopefully Amy has a great birthday, and Tarnished should provide a fitting musical soundtrack with their hard rocking covers & originals! There's no advertised age limit or cover for this 7:00 PM event.

As for the venue, town hall in Rudyard (a half hour south of the Soo) is at 18725 South Mackinaw Trail. Visit the above links for more on this somewhat unique event, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Tarnished live at Snows Bar & Grill in Cedarville last week! Featuring Alex, Nathan, Isaac, and Josh covering the back half of Ratt's "Round & Round", this was uploaded to the venue's Facebook page during the Snowsfest pub crawl gig proper. The cover is solid (I honestly like Alex's voice more than Stephen Pearcy's), but the focus on the crowd over the band is unfortunate, so give things a listen below, and don't miss Tarnished on SATURDAY!

Also in new shows (but not this weekend), Sault Ontario southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will play their first shows of 2022 when they return to Reggie's Place for two nights on Friday, March 4th & Saturday, March 5th! These will be Fort Creek's first live appearances in almost four months, with the re-introduced pandemic restrictions a key reason why not, but with those loosening and soon to be taken off the table completely (mask mandate aside), their return to the stage was inevitable! The band has promised new songs in their setlist and merchandise giveaways for both shows, while the concert on Friday the 4th will have an opening act, as they had begun experimenting with last fall. The musician in question is classic rock solo musician Jeremy Logan Newman, who opened for Fort Creek in November with his duo project Whiskey & Beer. Come early to avoid missing his set!

9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges will be in effect on March 5th, and while the vaccine passport system ends in Ontario at the start of March, please continue to use common sense re: the pandemic, and follow all public health measures in effect at the downtown Reggie's where asked. It'll be great to see Fort Creek's experienced and fan friendly brand of rock on stage again, so keep both shows in mind in two weeks' time, and visit their Facebook page for more details!

Finally for today, let's head back to this weekend's previews for a show that also had advance notice, as Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to Hulbert Happy Hour in nearby Hulbert Township TOMORROW NIGHT! Originally scheduled for January 6th before being postponed six weeks due to pandemic case counts in the state, this will be Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Odin's first public concert of 2022, their first show anywhere in three months, and their first publically advertised Hulbert gig since 2019, so if you've missed the 906 crew's hard rocking originals and select covers, you know where to be tomorrow! This show will take place at Hulbert Happy Hour (10402 South Maple Street, an hour west of the Soo) tomorrow at 9:00 PM, and you can expect a 21+ age limit and no cover. 

As usual, please respect any public health measures at the bar. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Project 906 live at The Strongs Tavern in November! Uploaded to the band's Facebook page to help promote tomorrow's concert, this appears to be from the same filmer as their original video from that show, albeit in a slightly different position on the counter (unfortunately, more of the counter is in frame here). This video features Project 906 covering The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post", and giving it some strong emotion and hard rock edge, so fans will wanna check it out below in advance of TOMORROW'S return gig at Hulbert Happy Hour!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!