LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Exit 808) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

In today's post, we're wrapping up this weekend's Sault Ontario hard rock concert previews, but leading off, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for you Sault Michigan/E.U.P. readers!

Sault Michigan hard rock band Exit 808 will make their debut at the Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Saturday, November 23rd! Concerts at Bay Mills' on-site bar/restaurant are not common, especially compared to what goes down at Kewadin Casinos, with this show being the first publically advertised Back Bay Grill show that I've heard about since Project 906 played there in September of last year. This will be Exit 808's first show since their Halloween concert at The Merch this past weekend, and will definitely see the return of co-vocalist Dillion Semasky after he had to miss the Merch gig. Just to clarify the lineup from that Halloween show, their Facebook page confirmed that bassist Myke Young was on hand despite not being tagged in pre-concert promotions, though former fill-in bassist Blaze Beairl did play on some songs. (Ex-?)guitarist Will Robbins was not present.

Exit 808 also welcomed Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins and Bob Libick from the Marquette hard rock band Spun as guest musicians at The Merch alongside No Expectations singer Drew Collister (who sat in for Dillion all night). While there's no videos (yet?), a bunch of photos of the spooky season festivities can be seen on their Facebook page! The costume-less action in Brimley later this month will have a 21+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Exit 808's Bay Mills debut in just over two weeks!

Next up, here's out preview of the semifinals of the fifth annual The Soo's Got Talent go down TONIGHT at Soo Blaster in Sault Ontario! With six judges picks & an implied audience save awaiting the twelve remaining contestants, things will get even better as the competition whittles down, and with all semifinalists performing twice, hopefully attendees will get a good sample of who will be worthy of the final round in two weeks! This year, all twelve semifinalists are singers of some description, though five have been seen in videos or photos from prior rounds playing guitar at least some of the time, those being Celeste Burton, Jennifer Joseph, 2023 semifinalist Arin Karki, Nicolette Rebello, and 2018 finalist/Lime frontwoman Madii Schomogyi. The seven singing-only competitors are Haley Alopaeus, 2023 third place finisher Demoy MacSamuels, Rebekah Moran, ex-Re:Born frontman Robert Nevitt, 2022 competitor Ricky Roy, 2023 semifinalist Kristina Sagrak, and golden buzzer recipient Chloe Tessier.

While videos from the second round have not (yet?) been shared publically by T.S.G.T., three semifinalists (Arin, Haley, and Robert) were filmed performing at least one hard rock cover through round #1, so will they be a genre respite for fans, or could we get some SMS-amenable surprises? Speaking of which, local/Barrie alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band (now featuring 2023 runner-up Elly McWatters on guitar) will be the halftime performers tomorrow, repeating their role as the house band for the final two rounds last year, so prepare for a fun set of Mike's original music in between the semifinalists' first and second songs! The semifinals begin tonight at 6:30 PM with admission at the door of $15 (adults) and $10 (kids). Remember that proceeds of this year's The Soo's Got Talent are going to the Second Chances Animal Rescue, as every year supports a different local charity. Visit the above links for full details on tomorrow's Soo's Got Talent semifinals, and here's Mike & crew live at Soo Blaster last year!

Finally, let's preview one more pair of hard rock concerts in the Soo this weekend, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at the Second Line West nightclub in September, this weekend's shows kick off a busy month for the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric, as they'll be playing somewhere over three of the next four weekends. Hopefully there's a strong turnout at The Esquire Club this weekend for Double Down's fan friendly and often heavy array of covers! If you can't make it, they'll be at Jay's next weekend. Tonight and tomorrow night's concerts have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details on Double Down's Esquire Club concerts tomorrow and Saturday night, and for a preview, here's a video of the guys live in concert earlier this year!

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