Thursday, June 29, 2023

Canada Day Weekend Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

With the Canada Day long weekend upon us (not to mention Engineers Day in Sault Michigan tomorrow), this weekend's non-Poutine Feast hard rock concert calendar isn't as packed as you may expect, partially due to Canada Day proper being on Saturday and not all nightclubs opening that day as a result. There are shows on both sides of the border to take note of, all getting some advance notice too, so let's lead off today in Sault Ontario!

First up for this weekend is local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's special Moose Lodge concert TOMORROW NIGHT as part of singer/guitarist Terry Eaton's inductee celebration into the Great Northern Opry! As is traditional in the lead-up to the induction ceremony in November, the Northern Ontario Country Music Association puts on special concerts in the preceding months to spotlight the forthcoming Opry members in their hometowns, and Terry (a veteran country musician in addition to his rock work) will be feted as such tomorrow with Soundcheck backing him up! Expect this show to skew heavily towards country as a result, but long-time fans of theirs know not to be surprised when they break out a country cover. This special event has a 19+ age limit, 6:00 PM start time, and $20 advance tickets that can be bought by calling the phone number on the event poster or presumably at the door.

While not (yet) a Hall of Fame induction, being put in the Great Northern Opry is a huge deal for Northern Ontario country musicians, so congratulations to Terry for being honoured this year, and hopefully a solid crowd heads east to The Moose Lodge to enjoy him and Soundcheck tomorrow! Visit the above links for more details, don't miss his Soundcheck bandmate Cameron Oliver's acoustic country gig at Reggie's on Sunday afternoon, and here's the full band live!

Next up, let's head from east to west, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard will rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub with traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! As they are doing for all of their Jay's weekends this summer, they are replacing Soundcheck as the Thursday jam night hosts too, but remember that we don't cover jam nights as "concerts" due to their unpredictability by design. The long weekend is a busy one for Greg, Alex, and Warren, with these shows also joined by their Poutine Feast headlining set on Saturday outside of the Old Stone House before they pack their gear and head back to the former Rosie for their Canada Day bash. Perhaps a little far to see fireworks, but if you want a heavy capper to the holiday itself, your best bet is Bone Yard at Jay's! All of this weekend's Jay's shows (tonight's jam night at 8:00 PM included) are 19+ affairs with no cover charges, and the two normal shows begin at 9:30 PM as usual.

Counting jam night, Bone Yard are playing live four times in three days this weekend, so if you are at all a fan of their southern fried classic and hard rock covers, you have plenty of chances to see them ahead! Visit the above links for more details on their "Triple Threat Canada Day Weekend Bash", and here's Bone Yard live at Jay's earlier this year!

Now let's hes south to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews will return to the stage for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch! Last seen at The Merch in April (a show that they never publicized on their Facebook page), these will be their first shows at The Rapids Lounge this year (again, unless I missed something that they didn't announce beyond personal Facebook accounts). Note that in the post plugging this weekend's shows, they seem to have confirmed a lineup change/reversion, as original bassist Chris Leask is pictured in their Photoshopped (as always) band picture rather than Brett Blackwood. Chris had left Rhythm & Brews shortly before their live debut in July 2021 due to medical issues that would impair his bass playing, and it is good to see him back on stage again almost two years later!

If Brett has indeed left the band, then a reason for his exit wasn't announced, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and don't miss him with classic rock cover band Fake Chow! This union of two members each of Nixxon Dixxon & Highway 63 will rock out at The Rapids Lounge tomorrow and Saturday night at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and no sign of public videos to preview them with yet! Hopefully even one turns up in time!

We'll close today's previews with local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906's return to Jack's Grub & Pub in nearby Brimley on SATURDAY NIGHT! While Saturday is not a holiday in the US, Jack's is promoting this as being part of the lead-up to their Fourth of July festivities on Tuesday, so keep that angle in mind! Saturday's show is a bit of a rain date for Project 906, who were scheduled to play there in February before an in-band illness called the show off. Five months and a new drummer later, hopefully this rescheduling proves to be a hit for 906 and attendees alike! You can enjoy Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason's blend of hard rocking covers on Saturday night at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 21+ age limit, and if you can't make it, they'll be in Eckerman next weekend. See above for more details on this show at 9915 West 6 Mile Road on Saturday, and here's Project 906 live!

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

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