More Weekend Concert Previews, A New Battle Of The Bands, And More!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck were slated to play at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tomorrow night (a show that they nor the venue had publically announced before today), but it has been cancelled due to half of the band falling ill, as per drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page. Hopefully everyone gets better soon, it's unusual to hear of Soundcheck cancelling a date, though maybe this explains why they dropped out of jam night at Jay's yesterday? This post otherwise concludes this weekend's concert previews, along with a new event announcement and some assorted updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Their second and third concerts of 2024, and first at The Esquire Club since that venue's Halloween party last fall, these will be the the band's first gigs in a run of monthly weekends at the Second Line West locale running through May. If you're up for Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve's hard rocking cover array, you know where to go this weekend! As usual for their Esquire Club stops, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges tonight and tomorrow night, and if you can't make it, Silent 9 will be back here on March 8th & 9th. Don't miss out on Silent 9's concerts this weekend for some fan friendly and often heavy covers, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live at The Esquire Club for Halloween last year!

Next up, we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews at Tazzi's Cafe & Restaurant TOMORROW NIGHT, where local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will topline their special Valentine's Day weekend dinner! While Tym started playing occasional acoustic concerts at the Queen Street East cafe last summer, this is not a standard event, as it's a ticketed deal that you must reserve tickets for to attend, either by phone or in person. Attendees, presumably hoped to be couples given the occasion, will get Italian cuisine for dinner, plus pre-meal cocktails, and while Tazzi's hasn't publically indicated that Tym will be performing, he confirmed the gig via his own Facebook event page. Tym is no stranger to non-traditional gigs and venues, and he definitely has a lot of songs fitting a more romantic persuasion in his setlist, so if you are planning a date, this might be worth a look!

This presumably 19+ event has a 6:30 PM start time (dinner at 7:00 PM, Tym at 8:00 PM), and while this is a ticketed event, Tazzi's has not announced the price for attendees (given their entree prices, expect to pay at least $40 for a couple). Call Tazzi's or head there to book if you want to attend, see the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also today, here's a surprise announcement: Jay's Piston Broke Pub is hosting a battle of the bands later this year! While there was one in Sault Michigan in November, this will be the first true battle of the bands in Sault Ontario since the NLFB Meltdown battle at LopLops in 2017, so that gap alone will make this a noteworthy event! The former Roosevelt Hotel did host the one-night Battle For The Blood (won by Winkstinger) back in 2012, but this is planned to be a multi-night battle on consecutive Wednesdays, not unlike the Rockstar Bar and VM Radio battles of the mid-2010s. We don't yet know the dates, scope, format, or prizes yet, let alone if it will have judges or be entirely fan voted, but the plan for the first place winners is for Jay's to match the band entry fees to come up with the top prize. Bands can register for the battle for $50 in person at the Korah Road nightclub, so do so A.S.A.P. just in case!

There are a lot of unknowns yet, not helped by the fact that Jay's only scarcely hosts bands primarily known for original music (granted, it was like that as Reggie's West too), but I am very curious to see how this shakes out, and after seven long years since we last saw an honest-to-goodness battle of the bands in city limits (not counting talent/singing competitions), think of the newer crop of local bands who could theoretically enter! Click here or above for more details on how you can enter!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• This can't be embedded here, as it's a "Reel", but local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard shared a "Reel" onto their Facebook page on January 25th of them playing the end of ZZ Top's "La Grange" at Jay's! The date wasn't given, but Bone Yard last played at Jay's over the December 1st weekend. Filmed/uploaded by attendee Marcy Catherine before being shared by the band, it's a fun clip (vertical angle aside) that shows Alex & Warren jamming on the floor with some attendees, so give it a look above, and don't miss them at Reggie's TONIGHT & TOMORROW!
• In another "Reel" that I can't embed here, local alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich posted a brief video clip of them playing "Stick Up" at the Lower Town Brewery in Ottawa during their southeastern Ontario tour last month on their Facebook page! The impromptu open mic performance did not feature guitarist Mitch Sirie or bassist Rafael Medina, with former Generations guitarist Brandon Ruch filling in for Mitch (no word on why there were absences or if they extended to their proper concerts last month). Fun rendition that is well applied to unplugged gear, but why is this a "Reel"? It wasn't shot vertically nor cropped to fit, and look at the pillarboxing as a result!
• Algoma University's music program's Facebook page has confirmed that Lake Effect frontman Frank Deresti and Pointless/Fuller drummer David Peredun will serve as the rhythm section for Treble Charger's reunion concert at The Machine Shop on March 7th! As such, they will take over for session bassist Darcy Yates & drummer Ian McKay in those roles. Bill Priddle has played with Frank at numerous gigs, and David is a member of his most recent live bands, so this will be a huge feather in their respective caps! Student bands, presumably all linked to the university, will open the proceedings for this music program fundraiser. Click here to get your tickets for what will be a huge night!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!