LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906) & More Updates From Them!!

After a nearly three month hiatus, Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 resurfaced on their Facebook page yesterday with a bunch of new concert dates for mid-late 2023! Last seen in Hessel in March, the guys revealed that their break was basically due to paternity leave for bassist Dustin Paras, who welcomed a newborn baby with his wife (congratulations!), though they did make a lineup change during the gap, as veteran local rock drummer Jason VanLuven has joined the band, replacing Odin Osogwin. A reason for Odin's departure wasn't announced beyond them saying that he "decided to part ways with the band", but they thanked him for his contributions. You may recognize Jason as the drummer for bands like Bucksaw, Paradise Excuse, Chump Change, 415E, and more recently, Fake Chow and Buddy Repperton & The Camaros, so fans have nothing to worry about in terms of Jason's skill level!

Otherwise best known as Oddfellow's drummer, Odin had replaced Gary Croad in Project 906 in November 2021, and he seemed like a good fit with the band, but hopefully things are 100% amicable, and that we see him back in another group down the road! To avoid a redundant re-post in a few days, I'll hold Project 906's return gig this Saturday for our next batch of weekend concert previews, but note that it won't even be their debut with Jason due to Fake Chow playing in Hessel that night. His debut with 906 will come on Friday, June 16th when the guys will make their Kinross debut at...The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot? Located at 3047 West M-80 (20 minutes southwest of the Soo), Well Diggers opened back in 2018 and has sporadically hosted live musicians, but Project 906 will be playing on their brand new outdoor stage next week, weather permitting.

This concert will be an 8:00 PM affair with no stated cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details! Next, the guys will return to Sault Ste. Marie for the first time this year when they rock The Merchants Bar (a.k.a. The Merch) on Friday, June 23rd! The Merch rarely promotes musicians who play there on their Facebook page, but hopefully 906 rock the house down later this month! Five months after cancelling a planned show there due to an in-band illness, Project 906 will finally get a rain date at Jack's Grub & Pub in Brimley on Saturday, July 1st (a.k.a. Canada Day), in their first show there this year. Hopefully this date sticks unlike over the I-500 weekend! On Saturday, July 8th, the guys will return to one of their favourite venues, namely The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman. Last seen there back in January, this should be another fine opportunity to check out 906's hard rocking covers!

In their only return booking within these newly confirmed dates, Project 906 will return to Snows Bar & Grill in Cedarville (site of this weekend's show to-be-previewed) on Saturday, July 15th, and that's the last of the solid once-a-week bookings confirmed yesterday. The other three are more spaced out (at least currently), starting with a return to The Islander Bar in Hessel (site of their last show with Odin back in March) on Friday, August 11th. Their first announced date of the fall season will come on Saturday, September 16th when they rock The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley, their first stop at "your perfect up north retreat" since February. Obviously, these are all 21+ gigs with no announced cover charge, and Back Bay aside, all have likely 8:00 PM start times. If February's show is anything to go by, then they'll likely start the Bay Mills concert in September at 9:00 PM. 

The final new date will see Project 906 rock Huck's Pub & Grill (formerly Joe's Bar) in Rudyard on Saturday, October 28th in that venue's Halloween party! 906 were last seen at Huck's in December, but did not play at their Halloween party last fall, so hopefully their own spooky rock and roll provides the right soundtrack! This one should also be a 9:00 PM gig with a 21+ age limit and no cover. It's great to see Project 906 back with a busy slate of concerts, so don't miss out across the E.U.P. over the coming months, and stay tuned for more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!