LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rhythm & Brews, Soundcheck, And Generations), Plus Weekend Concert Previews!!

The last concert weekend of January 2024 is upon us, so let's devote this post to weekend concert previews! Hard rock fans have a decent amount of (publically announced) shows to take in, so let's lead off this post with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Joining their previously announced Hawaiian-themed party at the same venue on SATURDAY NIGHT, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will also be playing a normal un-themed concert at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, drummer Glen Thomas only confirmed TONIGHT'S show via their Facebook page earlier today (yes, you could infer that they'd be booked both nights but Jay's Facebook page was solely promoting the Hawaiian party on Saturday). Joining tonight's usual jam night hosting duties, Soundcheck will be seen at Jay's in three very different lights this weekend, but if you want to see them with Cameron and just playing a traditional concert, you'll want to be at the former Reggie's West TONIGHT! As for tomorrow's Hawaiian party, this is a reprise of the themed events that Jay's hosted in early 2023, and you can expect drink specials, limbo and bikini contests, and tropical decor, while Hawaiian shirts and such are encouraged for attendees.

TOMORROW & Saturday night's Soundcheck concerts are 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. Whether you just want a night out or if you want to pretend it's a luau to beat the winter blues, you'll get a solid soundtrack via Soundcheck's talented classic & hard rock covers, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will play their first concert of 2024 THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge! Again, apologies for the short notice, drummer Tony Santoro first announced this gig via their Facebook group this past Friday but I didn't see it until earlier this week. After a slowed down concert slate to end 2023 with just one public date in December (also at Shooters), Generations are back to deliver more old school rock hits on SATURDAY, so keep their return in mind! Like at their shows at Reggie's in September, Muckrakers frontman Mike McDonald will be subbing in for guitarist Tony Kajnar on SATURDAY due to "a prior family commitment", and hopefully things aren't too serious for Tony K., but Mike is a talented musician! A one-nighter due to Shooters' continuation of weekly DJ nights, this 19+ concert takes place at 9:30 PM on SATURDAY with no cover charge.

It's good to see Valerie, Pierre, and Tony S. back on stage, with Tony K. presumably back in time for their Jay's concerts next month, so definitely consider heading to Shooters on SATURDAY to see this talented veteran group for the first time this year! See above for more details, and here's Generations live!

Also this weekend, let's hop across the border for Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews' return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Their first publically announced shows of 2024 and first in St. Ignace since August, these will see a change from their normal gigs, as frontman Brandon Carr will be absent for unannounced reasons, as per guitarist Chris Hubbard's personal Facebook page (the band hasn't posted on their Facebook page yet this year). Chris noted that vocals will instead be handled by a combination of himself, bassist Chris Leask, and Tarnished frontman Alex Traynor this weekend, and while I can't vouch for Chris H.'s lead vocal abilities, Power Slug and Tarnished fans should be intrigued! No word on if Alex is playing with them all night on guitar too, or if he's just joining the band for select songs. While we're on the subject, Rhythm & Brews will also rock The Rapids Lounge at the Soo branch on February 2nd & 3rd!

As first announced via Kewadin's entertainment page (we'll have more soon on the other Kewadin hard rock shows next month), this rare scheduling on consecutive weeks will see Rhythm & Brews crucially serving as the live band during the International 500 snowmobile race weekend, with many pre- and post-race events being held at the casino already, so they'll reap the benefits of the busy and exciting I-500 weekend! This and next week's shows are all 21+ events with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and alas, we do not have any public videos to preview Rhythm & Brews shows with yet!

Finally for today's known hard rock previews, we'll head back north to Sault Ontario, where young local metal trio The BAG and punk cohorts Vanity First will join forces on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Distraction! The first of two concerts in seven days from these two acts on the same stage (joining next Friday's Esquire Club gig), this will be The BAG's debut at the former Big Guns Barbershop building on East Street, while Vanity First ended their months-long hiatus from the stage at this new downtown venue in December. Whether you're a metalhead or a punk fan, these two bands are injecting some youthful energy to the scene, so don't miss out on their two pronged attack on Saturday (and if you can't make it, they have an encore in the west end less than a week later!). This is an all ages event at 7:00 PM with a "$5 or pay-what-you-can" entry setup. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The BAG live last year!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on the site next! Thanks everyone!