LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Go North Music Festival, The Wyld Stallyns, And Soundcheck), Plus New Videos!!

(Edited at 7:49 PM) This weekend is shaping up to be a quiet one for hard rock shows, but SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS did hit my desk, so those will lead off today's post! Filling things out, we have one more big concert for the summer, and well as some new videos, so here's what you should know for this Thursday!

Local hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will hit the stage for one night only TONIGHT at... Tempo Modern Mediterranean?! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook event page back on March 9th, but concerts at this location were new to me until this week, and at press time, the band proper has not plugged it on their own Facebook page. A new venue for our coverage, Tempo is a Mediterranean restaurant located inside The Marconi Cultural Event Centre at 450 Albert Street West (just down the road from Low & Slow), and it opened back in September 2020. Presumably due to pandemic concerns, Tempo proper has not hosted live bands until this year (promotions of Marconi Club gigs notwithstanding), but classic rock duo Frankly Speaking were first up there for two weekends already, and now The Wyld Stallyns will rock Steelton for this special Thursday nighter!

The atypical mid-week booking coincides with singer/guitarist Rob Speers' birthday, so keep that angle in mind, and I hope Rob's big day goes swell! While there is no cover or advertised age limit for TONIGHT'S festivities (which kick off at 7:00 PM), be advised that Tempo is a fancy, high end restaurant, not a standard bar. This is indicated by both the menu offerings & price therein, but also by the fact that Tempo offers bookings for tables if you are so inclined, though this is not mandatory to attend. Hopefully Rob, Christina, and crew have a great time with their fan friendly and often heavy covers TONIGHT, and here's The Stallyns live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on the Facebook event page this morning, and the band has not promoted them on their own Facebook page at press time. Fresh off of their Shooters Downstairs Lounge debut this past Saturday, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows cap a three day run for Soundcheck at the former Roosevelt Hotel, following tonight's previously announced open mic night there (remember, we do not treat open mic nights as proper concerts given their nature). Their country tinged blend of classic and hard rock covers should go over well at The Reggievelt this weekend, so don't miss out on all of the action! They are on TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 8:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge, as is the case for tonight's open mic night.

For a preview, here's the new videos from Soundcheck's Facebook page that originally ended this post, featuring the band (with frequent substitute bassist Rob Gilmar in lieu of Paul Belair) covering Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places" and, as embedded below, John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good" at Shooters on Saturday, both with guitar Cameron Oliver on vocals. While both videos are unfortunately in the vertical cell phone orientation, fans will dig both covers, and it looks like Soundcheck got an active crowd for the occasion, and the lighting and setup looks good for live bands! Give both of these covers a watch above and below, and more from Saturday are floating around via private Facebook accounts!

Finally, Ottawa hard rock quintet Taming Sari and local classic/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will hit the road for the returning Go North Music Festival in Richards Landing on nearby St. Joseph Island on Saturday, July 9th! After a two year hiatus for very obvious reasons, this festival will come back to its old stomping grounds (1511 Richards Street, the old Cornfest site) for a weekend full of varied but indie/folk-leaning original music! Like in the Go North Fest's first three incarnations from 2017-2019, the lineup is mostly comprised of touring acts, with Juno winning Oshawa prog rock duo Crown Lands headlining this year. Other listed out-of-town acts on July 9th include Toronto folk musician Charlotte Cornfield, Thunder Bay folk rockers The Honest Heart Collective, Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles, and Toronto pop rock band Goodnight Sunrise, while CASS FM (made up of students from Central Algoma Secondary School in nearby Desbarats) will also perform here.

Also, an opening night concert will take place on Friday, July 8th, to be headlined by Hamilton folk musician Jay Pollmann, but there are no advertised support acts. With Taming Sari and The Uncanny Valley involved, this will be the heaviest Go North Festival yet, and both bands deliver a retro inspired sound with their own modern sensibility that should pair well if they're at all close on the bill (performance schedules are not out yet), so definitely give Taming Sari a spin when you get the chance! Uncanny Valley-wise, this is that band's first publically announced concert of 2022, but they have three+ months to play locally beforehand, so we could see them in city limits at any time! Local vendors, kids entertainment, late-night fireside jams, and on-site camping will be offered as usual. Tickets are now on sale at this link, but there are a lot of options for what you want to see that weekend!

Limited early bird passes for the whole weekend run for $45, and when they're gone, the advance sale price jumps to $60, or $45 if you only come for Saturday. At the gate, add $10 to both price options. Kids 12 and under get in free, but teenagers 13-18 years old will cost $35 for the weekend or $15 for Saturday only (there are no Friday only ticket options). Just as a refresher, Richards Landing is 45 minutes southeast of the Soo, and if you saw the Horizon Drive-In movie screenings there last year, Go North takes place in the same chunk of land. It is great to see the Go North Music Festival back after the pandemic hiatus, and definitely see above for current details on everything going down in July!

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