More Weekend Concert Previews, Plus A New Live Video!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews today, in a surprisingly busy post-Halloween weekend! Due to the amount, previously announced shows taking place wholly or in part on Saturday were pushed to this post, so here's what you should know, including a new video from one of the performing acts!

We'll pick things back up in Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to the E.U.P. for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Soo's Kewadin Casino branch!  Be advised that Scarkazm hasn't plugged these shows on their Facebook page in recent days, which is odd for them, but Kewadin's entertainment page still has them playing here this weekend, so we'll treat them normally unless otherwise stated. Believe it or not, these will be Scarkazm's first stops north of the Mackinac Bridge in over six months, though their sister band Peril have been seen up here multiple times since. Assuming that all is well in Scarkazm's very similar camp, hopefully Adam, Dave, and Jeff's hard hitting covers find a solid audience once again this weekend! Tonight & tomorrow's shows have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Get more details above, and here's Scarkazm live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where the finals of The Soo's Got Talent take place TOMORROW NIGHT at Soo Blaster! After three prior rounds, the competitors have been whittled down to six competing for the $1,000 cash prize (no word on recording time like last year), and this year, your finalists are singers Xavier Pelletier LeBouef, Demoy MacSamuels, Greg McLeod, and Elly McWatters, plus singer/guitarist Storm Rausch and dancer Jophin Saju. Of course, Xavier was a finalist last year too, while Greg (who was gifted a finals spot after missing the semifinals due to a death in his family) has bettered his semifinal finish last year. In terms of SMS relevance, Xavier and Greg have both covered heavier songs in prior videos, while Elly (the winner of Shooters' Talent Quest this summer) was the frontwoman of Re:Born, but everyone will fit the SMS for the night, as like last year, a live band will perform with the finalists!

All six will perform twice, but one will feature local/Barrie alternative hard rock musician Mike Haggith & his all-local band playing their choice of song, and given that Jophin is a dancer, Demoy primarily sings original songs, and Storm plays guitar herself, it'll be interesting to see how Mike and crew fit in across the board! Mike & the band (including returning bassist Jacob Quarrell) will also play an intermission set of their own material, as they did at the semifinals two weeks ago. No word on possible guest performers, but judge Valerie Powley (who sings with Generations at Jay's later tomorrow night) has sung a cover at the finals in the past, while the most recent champion (singer Amanda Phillips in this case) has often been brought back to perform the following year. Valerie, Darren Robertson, Mike Severin, and guest finals judge Tim Murphy will be on hand to name the winners, so come on out to see what happens!

Like prior rounds, the finals take place tomorrow at 6:30 PM with an admission fee of $22 for adults and $12 for children. Proceeds this year will go to the Child & Adolescent Psychiatric unit at Sault Area Hospital, as part of their annual mission to donate to a different local cause. Hopefully everything goes smoothly for the finals tomorrow (and that someone's filming most acts, unlike the last two rounds), so best of luck to everyone competing for the top prize! See above for details, and for a preview, here's Mike & his band's entire T.S.G.T. semifinal intermission set!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll return to The Water Tower Pub, where local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! A one-nighter as is standard for this venue (Silent 9 are playing there tonight), tomorrow's show will be Bone Yard's first there since mid-September, and like their recent gigs there and at Gateway Casino, this will be an acoustic gig, not unlike what the dormant and Warren-less Bearded Lounge played. Bone Yard can handle an unplugged set nicely and still retain their grit and chemistry, and you can see proof by heading to this Great Northern Road staple tomorrow! If you'd prefer to see them plugged in, they'll be at The Esquire Club in two weeks. Tomorrow's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's a brand new video of Bone Yard live!

While not representative of their unplugged show tomorrow, this comes from their Halloween party at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this past Saturday, as live-streamed to their Facebook page, and and features the guys covering a song that would translate very well to acoustic, namely Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". Frontman Greg Simpson & guitarist Alex D'Ettore share lead vocals here. Unfortunately, this was shot vertically, and Bone Yard opted not to wear Halloween costumes for the occasion, but it's a fine country cover for genre fans, and it looks like attendees had a good time! Check it out below, and don't miss them tomorrow night!

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