LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Hard Rock Revue), Fort Creek Updates, And Much More!!

Here's another packed news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, and here, we have some recent assorted updates, a look at a unique concert from earlier this month, and big lineup changes from a local hard rock band, but let's lead off with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

The day before the Punk Rock Fiesta goes down in October, The Rockstar Bar will signal their return to hosting regular public concerts on Friday, October 2nd when they host the one-off Hard Rock Review! This is a supergroup of veteran local rock musicians led by Dodge This singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer in his first local concert appearance with a plugged-in hard rock band since Phatstick broke up in 2012, so that alone will be a pull for many. Other 1990s local rock veterans will join him here, including guitarist Jeff See, bassist Robert Iacoboni (later seen in Master Steven and the Taiwanese Pink Floyd tribute band In The Flesh), and former Gsis Murphy/Fort Creek drummer Anthony Fabiano, so local rock fans who were around then should be quite interested! As well, they will have a guest singer for six songs, namely Dallas Crockett, a friend of Rob's who sings for the Kelowna-based AC/DC tribute band High Voltage.

Dallas isn't local, but it will be interesting to hear how he does on six AC/DC classics during his planned guest spot in October! Hard Rock Review (isn't "Revue" more accurate in this context?) are advertised to play a 1980s-leaning hard rock set on October 2nd, including acts like The Scorpions, Judas Priest, Journey, The Cult, and even "a couple of one-hit-wonders". Doors open at 8:00 PM for this 19+ concert, and an admission fee or potential ticket sales are not known yet. The first weekend of October is shaping up to be huge for fans of hard rock and punk of the past, and an ideal way to kick off The Rockstar Bar's full relaunch as a proper concert venue, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Next up, we have some big lineup news from local southern hard rock band Fort Creek, who announced two new additions to their ranks via their Facebook page on Sunday! First, they have enlisted Half Past bassist Arthur Lacasse to replace the long-since departed Robin "Bones" Lee. Art is a good fit based on his musical background, though does him joining Fort Creek mean anything negative for Half Past's status? That band has yet to play live this year following drummer Johnny Amendola's departure and move to Soundcheck/Separate Wayz, but we'll let you know if anything is clarified from their camp! Meanwhile, in a surprise, Fort Creek have also brought in former Stillbroke/Borderline Divine alum Sam DeDominicis as their new drummer, replacing Phil Greco. A reason for Phil's departure was not announced, though if you recall Bones and Anthony's quiet departures in 2023, this won't be shocking.

Fort Creek were recording their long-awaited debut album at Phil's own Jettison Studios though, so does this signal anything bad re: the album sessions, or will he still work with the band behind the scenes? Again, we'll let you know! We last heard from Sam when Borderline Divine teased a reunion in 2016 that never got off the ground (the former Stillbroke last played live in 2012), so it's been a while regardless, but it's great to see him in a new local band after all these years, let alone Justin, Shane, and Bill having a full lineup again after almost three years! Stay tuned for more from Fort Creek in live and studio contexts hopefully soon!

Now to the oldest topic in our backlog that we hadn't yet covered in an SMS post, namely fallout from this year's Government Bay Barge Bash in Cedarville, Michigan! As you may recall, three bands play this annual Les Cheneaux Islands summer concert on a floating barge in Government Bay, with swimming and boating to the event and the stage encouraged among the revelry, and for the rain-delayed event on August 2nd, their official Facebook page did get two videos highlighting what went down four Sundays ago. One features quickly cut clips from the Barge Bash, including very brief looks at The Mark Bowen Band's set. Alas, this video is both vertical and 14 seconds long, but it is an effective teaser! The longer of the two captures Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore covering (as best as I can tell) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Running Down A Dream" for 51 seconds.

Shared from attendee William Maloney's personal Facebook page, he panned the camera around in a circle, and you can see that the barge isn't that far from shore, so you can walk around in the water (just don't slip!). The aesthetics alone make this video worth a watch, as you don't often get concerts where boats are parked so close to the stage, let alone the wide forest sightlines, so if you don't mind getting a little wet, this deserves more attention as a summer destination concert. Sadly, no public videos of Project 906's headlining set that I am aware of, but see above for more from this year's Barge Bash, and here's to another big one next year!

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:

 

• Local hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow have added a new gig to their calendar, but it will be on the road this Saturday at the Jerk-N Depot in Alanson, which is 90 minutes south of here (give or take Mackinac Bridge traffic) and 20 minutes northeast of Petoskey. According to the band's AI-generated poster, this is a "last minute add on show" due to a previously scheduled band cancelling. This will now be just the second gig since the former Unfortunate Sun rebranded as Nate's Chow, and while anything in the Lower Peninsula is out of our coverage range, hopefully things go well on Saturday night!
• While we await confirmation of who their new bassist is, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz shared videos of their "epic crossover" gig in Chapleau with their sister band Soundcheck via this batch post on their Facebook page last week! Unfortunately, both videos are 7 seconds long and do not have audio whatsoever, but from what we can see, it looks like a lot of fun was had by the bands and fans alike at the Gold Rush Nationals, and stay tuned for more from both bands!
• Former Spades GT bandmates J.D. Pearce, Matthew "Fang" Voros, and Sean "Skull" MacNab will reunite for the first time since their abrupt dissolution in December this Thursday at The Queens Nightclub in Barrie, when they play a one-off Misfits tribute set as Fiend Club! This show is an all-tribute band affair featuring six bands, mostly punk and emo ones, plus the amusingly named headliners Rage Against The Poutine. Matthew and Sean have remained active this year in their psychobilly band The House of Haunt, and it is good to see J.D. (a.k.a. Johnny Pints) back on stage again with them, but could this lead to more in some fashion?

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, Tarnished, And The Nameless) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

An extremely eventful and busy weekend of hard rock concerts is in store for the Twin Saults and area this weekend, so much so that I might have to break our previews into three posts! For now, this post is 100% devoted to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P., including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, two on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know to start the weekend!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, I was aware of these shows for a few weeks now after being announced on Kewadin's entertainment page, but they got lost in the shuffle in a very busy month (not helped by the glut of new-to-the-EUP touring bands playing there this summer that I covered initially). Last seen at the Soo Kewadin in May when they were late replacements for The Louie Longoria Band, these will be another good chance to see Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's 1980s-leaning hard rock covers all weekend long, so don't miss out if this is up your alley! No word on if SATURDAY'S booking is why their sister band Crush aren't defending their title at the second annual Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands in Brimley or not though.

As usual for Kewadin lounges, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are 21+ affairs at 9:00 PM with no announced cover charges.  If you can't make their next two shows in St. Ignace, then don't miss out on Tarnished here TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, let's head to Rudyard, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will return to Huck's Pub & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but in a new confirmation, they will also return to the annual Government Bay Barge Bash in nearby Cedarville on Saturday, August 1st! The #summerof906 marches on first tomorrow with a show timed with the annual Summerfest in Rudyard, and while this isn't an official Summerfest event, there should be a good crowd at the former Joe's Bar for Project 906 (or "906 Band", as it were) rocking out tomorrow! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in Saturday's Private Drive concert, and it goes down at 8:00 PM on Friday with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. While we're on the subject, let's discuss the aforementioned Government Bay Barge Bash one week from Saturday, which will again see Project 906 in Cedarville for quite a unique outdoor concert on the local summer calendar!

Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian have played this event many times, which is quite literally named, as the bash takes place on a barge in the water off the coast of Government Island near Bumpas on East Hodeck Street in Cedarville, and attendees are more than welcome to swim or boat over to the stage! 906 and Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore are both returning from last year's Barge Bash, while The Haske Brothers (formerly of Oddfellow fame) will replace The Mark Bowen Band as the third band this year, though of course, Jason Haske was in Mark's band last year. Project 906 are this year's headliners, with their set likely beginning on August 1st at around 5:00 PM, with the Shipheads playing a mid-afternoon set likely around 2:30 PM or so, and The Haske Brothers kicking things off at 12:00 PM  This is a fun event for those in and around the Les Cheneaux Islands, so keep it in mind, especially if you love being out on/in the water!

The Barge Bash is a FREE & ALL AGES event, and remember to please drink responsibly if you are so inclined here, especially given the nature of the concert being literally held on the bay. Visit the above links for more details on the Barge Bash and tomorrow's Huck's show in Rudyard, with lots of hard rocking covers in store from this talented local band at both events, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live! 

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will serve as the musical entertainment at the third annual American Legion Riders' Hell To Paradise motorcycle rally on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for erroneously noting when this was first announced that they'd be at The Rapids Lounge (Tarnished are there, obviously), the band has since confirmed that they'll actually be playing in The Dreammakers Theatre, so the ending banquet will be well staged! The two-day Hell To Paradise rally will see bikers drive north from Stockbridge to the Soo (15 minutes west of Hell & an hour+ east of Paradise respectively) to support awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health, as those battling depression can feel lost between Hell and Paradise. Click here for full details and how you can support the cause!

The Nameless will be rocking out after a buffet dinner and awards ceremony, and as best as I can tell, you do not have to pay a dedicated admission fee or buy dinner to see the concert, which will be 21+ at 8:00 PM. If you'd rather see them in normal concert confines, Kewadin's entertainment page confirms that their previously teased Kewadin dates (lounge then unclear) will indeed be at The Rapids Lounge on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th, so consider those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS too! Same ground rules as Tarnished this weekend. Visit the above links for more on Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie's Kewadin gigs of any scale ahead, and for a preview of the Hell To Paradise afterparty, here are The Nameless live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for previews of Sault Ontario concerts and the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands next! Thanks everyone!

Heavy Lies The Crown Updates From The Last Few Months!!

How did I go all of July without a post catching us up on St. Ignace deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown? Given that they're returning to the local stage this month for the returning 2nd Street Music Festival, it's high time we check out what the guys have been up to since late May! When we last left off with H.L.T.C., they were hitting the road for another concert downstate, this time 5 hours away in Chesterfield Township (outside of Detroit) on May 30th, where they opened for Buffalo post-hardcore band The Bunny The Bear at The Diesel Concert Lounge. Drummer Blaze Beairl was unable to make the trip that weekend, so they did a bit of lineup juggling. Guitarist Kaycee Mason sat in behind the drumkit (he already drums for Alpena metal band Katharsys Theory anyway), and they called in Kaycee's old bandmate Paul Nolan to sit in on guitar "for the time being", including at a private birthday concert the following day.

In their first Facebook video upload of the summer, Heavy Lies The Crown posted a very high quality performance video from the Chesterfield Township show, and while it only runs for 40 seconds, I do sincerely hope that this filmer got more content! The video in question shows Heavy and Paul in action, and this was reportedly the first time that bassist Christian Cook deployed backing vocals on stage with them, catching frontman Brandon West slightly off guard (in a good way). Christian has a very capable death growl there, so I'd be game to hear him more vocally! You can see more from that night in this highlight video featuring brief clips of all bands on May 30th, but it's another one of those videos that dubs over all live audio with an H.L.T.C. original ("Friend" here). With how good this video quality is, I'd be showing it off on full songs, but what do I know. Check everything out above & below!

Much of June was spent with Heavy Lies The Crown entering a contest to try and get voted in as a performer at the Global Citizen Festival in New York next month, which would also net them a $50,000 prize and a feature in Rolling Stone magazine. The Global Citizen Festival isn't exactly a metal haven in any year, but H.L.T.C. made a solid run at it, going as far as the quarterfinals, so congratulations to them on getting as far as they did! In their next Facebook video from early July, Brandon was seen driving his vehicle while talking to the camera in more of an off the cuff manner (not even saying "Hey guys, Heavy here" at the start). The focus here was on his vocal styles in their songs and what he prefers to do re: harsh vocals and "scare screaming", noting that their song "Jell-O" and his vocals there will very much be what their next album will largely sound like. Fun little update clip, so give it a watch below!

Regarding their annual 2nd Street Music Festival in their hometown (one of the very few times that Heavy Lies The Crown ever play public concerts in the E.U.P.), Brandon confirmed on their Facebook page on June 2nd that the show has moved up a week from this Saturday to next Saturday (August 16th), while also moving it from its prior 2nd Street location to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5114 at 1110 North State Street, right along the shore of the Straits of Mackinac. Now simply called Brandon's Birthday Bash, the show will feature H.L.T.C. alongside two touring metal bands from Metro Detroit, namely metalcore quintet Nothing After This and alternative/nu-metal band Influence. as well as Hannahville "rez metal" band Ghidora, who made the trip east for the St. Ignace show last year. Ghidora are replacing Macomb Country metalcore quartet At Water, as per this video on July 25th.

Brandon only said that "things happen. Understandable" when citing the reason for At Water dropping out, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, as it'd be neat to see more Detroit-area bands play north of the Mackinac Bridge! Because H.L.T.C. have been fairly quiet this summer beyond teasers and hype (including a mention last month of more potential lineup changes), we are now caught up on their recent updates, but with the big St. Ignace show ahead next Saturday, there'll be more to discuss from their camp soon, so stay tuned for more from Heavy Lies The Crown this month, and for more news & notes this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dodge This, Project 906, Curtis McKenzie, And Generations!!)

The weekend concert preview train rolls along on this Civic Holiday long weekend, but in a stroke of luck(?), ALL of the concerts in preview post #2 were publically announced on short notice by the featured bands. Not ideal, but it does add to a busy calendar, especially as all take place TOMORROW! Tym Morrison's previously announced matinee gig tomorrow at Misty's Fifties will follow in a separate post. Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to the annual Government Bay Barge Bash in nearby Cedarville TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, the guys first announced their involvement in this year's festivities via their Facebook page on Tuesday, but the lineup has been public since late June via the official Facebook event page. A very unique component to the local concert calendar every August, the Barge Bash literally sees bands performing on a floating barge off the coast of Government Island (near Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street) in Cedarville, which leads to some great optics as attendees can literally swim or boat to the concert proper! The band lineup TOMORROW is identical to 2024 save for the now-inactive Dirty Musky, with 906 joined by Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore and pop rock mainstays The Mark Bowen Band.

Oddfellow alum Jason Haske and Project 906 hand drummer Brian Duford will join Mark's band for the occasion, which will be cool! Mark and crew open the FREE & ALL AGES festivities at 12:00 PM, with S.O.S. playing at 2:00 PM, and Project 906 get the headlining honours TOMORROW at 4:00 PM. 9&10 News is calling for clear skies TOMORROW with temperatures of 71-75° Fahrenheit (22-24° Celsius), so cooler than last year, but the forest fire-induced air quality advisories are still very much in effect. Hopefully everyone has a great time off Government Island for the twelfth annual Barge Bash TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where Beck's Bar has another SMS-friendly double header TOMORROW, starting with a matinee concert from former Haggith/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via Beck's Facebook page on Tuesday, where they announced their complete live entertainment schedule for this weekend. Just two weeks removed from his last unplugged gig at the former Vibe Lounge, hopefully Curt's latest west end concert is a hit TOMORROW, so be at Beck's early for all of his entertaining alternative and hard rock covers! Like normal, this is a 3:00 PM matinee with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Curtis' Beck's matinee TOMORROW, and for a preview, here he is live!

As for the Saturday night band at Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, it's an acoustic double-header there, as unplugged classic/hard rock cover trio Dodge This will kick off the month there for the nightcap! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was also only announced in Beck's weekend schedule post on Facebook on Tuesday (though note that the band hasn't publically advertised a show on their own Facebook page in almost two months). Unless we missed something, this will be Jason & the July brothers' first publically advertised concert since rocking The Dive early last month. This should be a fun night of rocking covers from this veteran group, so don't miss out on the unplugged action at Beck's TOMORROW at 9:00 PM! Remember, Curtis McKenzie isn't "opening" for Dodge This, they are two separate & full shows on the same day, with Dodge This also having no cover and a 19+ age limit.

It's worth noting too that former Re:Born frontwoman Elly McWatters is playing the Sunday matinee at Beck's, as part of her recent push into more concerts as a solo headliner, including some with a full band (The Drifters) featuring Soundcheck alumni and bandmates of hers from Mike Haggith's Big Finish Band. To my understanding, Elly's modern solo sets lean towards country, but she is a very talented singer, so keep her in mind as well! Visit the above links for more on Dodge This' Beck's show TOMORROW NIGHT, and for a preview, here they are live there!

Finally for this short notice spree, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Once again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook group by drummer Tony Santoro on Sunday (the venue has not publicized a monthly concert calendar on social media since June). In that same post, they confirmed that they will return to Reggie's Place (where they played this past weekend) once again on Friday, August 15th & Saturday, August 16th, so fans of their classic cover array will want to keep those dates in mind. Hopefully things go well TOMORROW at The Water Tower Pub, let alone the Reggie's shows in two weeks! Remember, the Great Northern Road nightclub hosts different nightly acts, with tonight's band there being veteran classic rock band Flashback.

TOMORROW'S Water Tower concert is at 8:00 PM, the Reggie's ones ahead are at 9:30 PM, and these are all 19+ engagements with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Project 906 Concert Previews!!

After a pair of very busy weekends for local hard rock and metal fans in the Twin Saults, things are slightly less hectic to kick off August 2024, as I'll only need two posts to cover this weekend's heavier concerts! To spread things out, I'll hold our previews of this weekend's Tarnished, Half Past, and Curtis McKenzie shows for our next news post hitting the site hopefully by tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! (Updated at 1:07 PM)

Local classic/hard rock cover singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has another full month of acoustic solo concerts ahead at his usual seasonal haunts, starting with a show at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and a matinee at Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's non-Dive shows, I should have rolled in all of his August dates on the site last month. While we're on the subject, the former Caveman Morrison frontman will bring his unplugged classic and hard rock covers back to The Trading Post (weather permitting) on Friday, August 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, while west end fans will be able to see him on Saturday, August 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st at Misty's! Remember that he only plays at the former venue seasonally, and that arrangement ends for 2024 late next month.

Yes, this weekend's shows fall on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many readers, while the August 30th-31st shows are on the Labour Day long weekend, so if you get either Monday off, keep the scheduling in mind! Note that Tym was originally scheduled to play a "Think It Over Thursday" concert at The Dive Gastro Pub tonight as well, but it was cancelled due to illness, as per the venue's Facebook page earlier today. No word on if Tym's health will impede TOMORROW or SATURDAY's shows, but we'll let you know if we hear anything, and hopefully he feels better soon! TOMORROW'S and this month's Mike Case Stage shows also begin at 7:00, and SATURDAY'S and this month's Misty's matinees are at 4:00 PM. None have a cover charge, and the Misty's Fifties show is presumed to be 19+. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies TOMORROW with temperatures hovering around 25°.

The forecast implies that we're coming out of the humid snap that has hit the Soo hard this week, but it'll still be a warm one for fans seeing Tym out on Great Northern Road TOMORROW, so stay cool and hydrated where possible! Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here and here for more details on all of Tym's August concerts, and here he is live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan for some live hard rock concerts this weekend, starting with local hard/blues rock quartet Project 906, who have a busy weekend ahead via two outdoor concerts in the E.U.P.! The guys will first head to Pickford TOMORROW NIGHT for an outdoor set at this year's Pickford Hay Days, taking place this week throughout the town, but 906 will be performing at Pickford Township Park at 287 Harold Street #279. Food trucks will be on hand thanks to the Hay Days festival, but there will be a more poignant cause to support as well. Guitarist Joe Jenkins' wife Mary Jo has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and while tomorrow's concert is free, the band is raising money to help support Mary Jo and the family at this difficult time. The Curbside Cravings food truck at Hay Days will also be donating some proceeds to Mary Jo tomorrow.

Having lost my mother to ovarian cancer, I can definitely relate to what Mary Jo and the Jenkins & Croft families are going through right now, so our best support and wishes go out to her during this fight! You can enjoy Project 906's hard rocking covers tomorrow night at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and weather is expected to be similar to Tym Morrison's Sault Ontario show TOMORROW, with sunny-clear weather at 73-80° Fahrenheit (23-27° Celsius). Visit Hay Days' Facebook page for full details on remaining festival events and the official Facebook event page for more on 906's show proper! That's not all for the #summerof906 this weekend though, as Billy, Joe, Dustin, and Jason(?) will also head to Cedarville for another special outdoor concert on SATURDAY when they join three other bands for this year's Government Bay Barge Bash, literally playing on a barge on the water off the coast of the Les Cheneaux Islands!

Project 906 will literally be rocking Lake Huron just off the coast of Government Island (near Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street) as the second of four bands on Saturday, joining Sugar Island rock quartet Dirty Musky (more on them soon) at 6:00 PM, Cedarville classic rock veterans Shipheads On Shore at 4:00 PM, and veteran pop rockers The Mark Bowen Band at 12:00 PM (906 are at 2:00 PM). For the record, the Barge Bash is not openly tied to any charitable drives for Mary Jo, but I doubt they'd turn away any support there. There's no age limit or cover charge for the Barge Bash, but as it's being held on the water, attendees with boats or a love of the beach/swimming will obviously benefit. As this is outdoors, the current weather forecast is calling for a high of 84° Fahrenheit (29° Celsius) with sunny-clear weather, so very similar to tomorrow in Pickford. If you love the warm summer weather, it should be ideal waterfront conditions then!

Whether you'd prefer to see Project 906 on terra firma in Pickford or in Government Bay surrounded by water and boats, you have some very appealing outdoor options this weekend! Visit the above links for complete details on both of their shows ahead, and for a preview, here they are live!

That's all for now, but we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906!!)

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 have announced their summer concert slate via their Facebook page, which is the sole topic today! No word on where they've been since their last date in February, but they have multiple dates around the E.U.P. scheduled in July and August, while also announcing solo dates from frontman Billy Bernier in Mackinac Island (which is outside of our coverage range) and at The Islander Bar in Hessel tomorrow night. I'm not sure if Billy's solo show is basically Project 906 unplugged or if he explores less hard rock in his sets, so I won't cover that show on here just in case, but keep it in mind if you're in Hessel! If you want to see the full splendour with Joe, Dustin, and Jason too, they have two private bookings next month, but their first public date in five months will see them rock the aforementioned Islander Bar on Friday, July 5th with a return planned for Saturday, August 10th!

The former show is a normal affair, but the latter will be a special matinee set during the Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Wooden Boat Show, an event that 906 did play last year as well, albeit at a normal nighttime timeslot then. It's too soon yet to know what possible changes could be in store on August 10th, but last year, The Islander Bar had four nights of live music from different nightly acts the week of the boat show. Stay tuned for any updates! On Saturday, July 13th, Project 906 will return to The Well Diggers Watering Hole & Feed Lot in nearby Kinross for an outdoor concert, and their first show at this venue since last summer. Should be a good time in a relatively unique setting, so keep their Well Diggers return in mind also! Then on Friday, July 26th, the guys will return to the Soo for a concert at The Merchant's Bar alongside "special guests" The City Lines, so who are they?

As best as I can tell, 906 are actually opening for The City Lines, a power pop trio from Ann Arbor whose frontman is Sault Ste. Marie native and Sault Tribe member Patrick Deneau. Not the heaviest band going, but fans of indie rock and midwest emo (let alone more recent material by The Northwest) will take to The City Lines, and it's cool to see Patrick play a show at home like this, let alone the rare sight of Project 906 opening for a touring band! Moving ahead to August for another festival set, Project 906 will make their debut at Pickford Hay Days on Friday, August 2nd, and while they didn't specify the locale beyond saying that it'd be outdoors, the festival's Facebook event page confirms that they're playing at Pickford Township Park (no word on extra bands). Click here for full non-musical details on Hay Days, but food trucks will be nearby for festival and/or concert attendees, and you are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The last of the newly announced Project 906 shows will see them play in Cedarville on Saturday, August 3rd for this year's tenth annual Government Bay Barge Bash, which I am pretty sure is returning to its literal location on a floating barge in Government Bay in front of Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street. Promotion for this year's Barge Bash has not begun that I've seen, but this event has featured multiple bands in recent years, and how unique is it to see bands playing literally on the water? Note that one of the bands that played last year's Barge Bash (which didn't have known-to-me hard rock bands at the time) was Dirty Musky, a new band featuring 415E alumni Dave Menard and Brett Blackwood alongside Brett's dad Fran (of Clownsack fame). Despite that lineup, Dirty Musky have given no indication of their set/sound on social media, so I won't rush them into our coverage, but keep them in mind!

Most of these shows have 8:00 PM start times, but the Pickford show is at 7:00 PM, the Cedarville show is to be announced (remember, multiple bands play that), and the Hessel boat show gig in August is a 4:00 PM matinee. The Islander Bar, Well Diggers, and Merch shows are all 21+ while the rest are all ages, and while none have a stated cover charge, do inquire within as far as the annual festivals go. It's great to see Project 906 back (even without Strongs Tavern returns booked, surprisingly), so look for their hard rocking cover slate at multiple E.U.P. venues in the coming months, and stay tuned for more news on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Spades GT's Late 2023 Video Content From Rye Field Studios!!

With no currently announced Friday night hard rock concerts in the area for the St. Patrick's Day weekend, and two Sunday nighters taking place on said holiday, I'm postponing this weekend's concert previews to tomorrow so that we're slightly closer to what has been announced. Stay tuned!

Instead, let's continue playing catch-up on local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT's recent activity, and we're winding back to late 2023 for some performance and interview footage that they shot! These come from Rye Field Studios, a recording studio out of Brantford that also posts long-form content to their YouTube channel featuring bands that come in to their headquarters, particularly interviews and performance footage. The former Jack Spades aren't even the only band with local ties to be featured in Rye Field Studios content, as St. Thomas metalcore band Prosector (fronted by ex-State of Misery singer Steve Rhodes) got similarly covered in January, so give those a look if you've missed Steve locally! The first of Rye Field's videos featuring Spades GT was uploaded in September, before they ever made the 2 hour drive south to Brantford, and it has concert footage of them in Toronto in June!

The video (one of two compilation videos from Beer Bash 6, the other seen here) features the first five bands that played at Beer Bash 6, with Spades GT's segment beginning about 7 minutes in with introductions by Rye Field's Ben Zander & Shane Briand, who also host much of their YouTube content. Spades GT were introduced as "the first band" despite being the third seen in the 23 minute video, and they were filmed playing their newest album's title track "Sewer City Radio". Strong performance at a nice venue with great video quality (horizontal and multi-camera, at that), but the drum-cam of Tyler is pointed too far out from him. Check out Spades GT and much more from Beer Bash 6 above and below!

On December 8th, a 17+ minute in-studio performance video of Spades GT at Rye Field was posted to YouTube, but before that, two teaser videos were shared to preview the Spades content in the preceding couple of days. One video is a preview of the actual performance so I won't redundantly embed it here, but if they were going to crop it to vertical dimensions (presumably as a "Shorts" video), why not do that before the on-screen text is added? Embedded below is the other preview clip, which features J.D., Daniel, and Tyler (no sign of James) signing a Rye Field Studios banner on the wall there, that other musicians have apparently signed over time. Oddly, the song "Sewer City Radio" is playing in the background, albeit over speakers there and not added in post. Nice gesture to help Ben and Shane commemorate their in-studio sessions, if shot vertically too, so check it out below!

As for the proper in-studio performance (part of Rye Field's "Live In The Whiskey Pit" series), it leads off with Ben & Shane introducing Spades GT, then pertinent logos (the kids saying the studio's name caught me off guard), before we get to the band proper. As noted with on-screen text, Spades GT play "Hands", "Succubus", "Red", "Final Girl", and "Sewer City Radio" here, and at least three different cameras capture the band in action here, two facing the band at slightly different angles, as well as a drum cam that is better positioned than at Beer Bash 6. Very well performed, shot, and edited, so fans of Spades (Jack and/or GT) will be right at home, but the green lighting was overdone to me. Check it out below!

Finally, a 36 minute interview with Spades GT was posted to YouTube by Rye Field Studios on December 12th, so what are they asked about while sitting on "The PodCouch"? Ben and Shane start by asking the guys about how Beer Bash 6 went, followed by the origins of Spades GT. The Soo days and Tyler's old band Caym's shows up here are addressed, but much of it is about how the band came together in Barrie, including insights by James as to how far along songwriting for the "Sewer City Radio" album was when he joined. After briefly discussing the album and practicing, they ask about Anvil (whose drummer Robb Reiner is Tyler's dad) and Spades GT's experiences opening for Anvil last fall, including some notes on working with and hanging out with Anvil frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow. Their then-upcoming concert plans, including their cancelled winter tour run with The Dayglo Abortions, come up next.

Ben & Shane (who has a great voice) ask about Spades GT's early favourite bands before getting into Tyler's drumming style, the advantages and disadvantages of the internet, their plans to work on new material in 2024, and even James' story about meeting Robert Plant(!), among other topics. This is a fun and laid back interview with great presentation from multiple cameras, and it's nice to hear James so much throughout (he's definitely the quietest member in social media promotions). However, it can be hard to hear some of the conversations with everyone talking over each other at points, especially when things go off the rails a bit. Check the whole interview with Rye Field Studios out for yourselves below!

Lastly, kudos to Ben & Shane at Rye Field Studios for all of their work in promoting metal and punk bands in Southern Ontario, both from their YouTube videos and their actual recording studio work, so give much more from them a look above as well! That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Tarnished Concert Previews, Spades GT Updates, And More!!

As promised, the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews are in today's post, with a relatively quiet weekend in the area compared to what July had in store this year! After our E.U.P. show previews, we have some updates from other local bands, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Tarnished have a double header in store for fans in nearby Cedarville TOMORROW, starting with their outdoor set at this year's Government Bay Barge Bash, followed by a typical nighttime concert that evening at Snows Bar & Grill! The former event is the annual (2020 aside) concert festival currently held outside Bumpas at 74 East Hodeck Street, where bands will literally be playing on a barge floating in Government Bay! Unlike prior years for the Barge Bash in both Cedarville and Hessel, there will be four bands playing tomorrow, with Tarnished and fellow local hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews (in a rare multi-band event for them) joined by local country cover trio The Three Mile Band and The Bowen/Haske Band, who are the current incarnation of local musician Mark Bowen's pop rock cover band (possibly best known as Paradise Excuse).

Click here for full non-musical details on the Government Bay Barge Bash. This event appears to be free and all ages (boaters welcome!), with festivities starting at 12:00 PM. Tarnished have confirmed that they will be playing on the North Shore Dock Barge at 1:30 PM, with Rhythm & Brews appearing to the be the closing band at 5:30 PM (their set ends at 8:00 PM). If this image's band order gives anything away, then The Three Mile Band will open the bash, with The Bowen/Haske Band playing likely at around 2:00 PM. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for cloudy weather all day in Cedarville (an hour south of the Soo) with temperatures from 77-80° Fahrenheit. As for Tarnished's return to Snows (at 1187 Park Avenue) tomorrow night, that'll be an indoor respite under more standard conditions for their hard rocking originals and covers, so if you missed them three weeks ago, here's your chance for an encore!

The Snows concert takes place at 8:00 PM tomorrow, it does not have an announced cover charge, and it is definitely a 21+ event (if that's a concern, the Barge Bash is in the same town!) Should be a packed day of music for Cedarville-area concert goers and Tarnished, with both they and Rhythm & Brews sure to deliver the hard rock goods, so definitely visit the above links for more on both events, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, here's the latest from Sault Ontario/Barrie crossover thrash quartet Spades GT, so what have they been up to as of late? In terms of live dates, the former Jack Spades have at least three ahead where they're opening for Toronto metal pioneers Anvil, including a show in Brampton on September 16th, but before then, they will open for Anvil in North Bay and Sudbury on August 24th & 25th as both bands are en route to the Soo area for shows that weekend! Of course, Anvil return to Soo Blaster on Saturday the 27th, but Spades will miss out on the Timmins show on the 26th, presumably due to their commitments at the Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir that weekend, where frontman J.D. Pearce is curating the Forest Stage again, and where the band proper are playing in their first local date post-relaunch. Spades GT have not (yet?) said that they're opening for Anvil locally, which could be a sign that their Northern Vibe set is the same night.

Like last year, organizers have not revealed a daily band schedule for the festival, we will keep you posted if one surfaces. Video-wise, drummer Tyler "Jeeb" Reiner (Anvil drummer Robb Reiner's son) was featured last week in the clip embedded below, where he shows off some Daddario ProMark drumsticks that he was sent as a sample. No scoops relating to the band as a whole, but good promotion for the company, and the sticks should hopefully come in handy! Deceivingly deep voice for Tyler too, but the video was posted at 6:54 AM. Give it a watch below, and see above for more!

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:

 

• The Gutter Creek-headlined concert on Thursday, September 1st has been moved from The Rockstar Bar to the aforementioned Soo Blaster, as per this new Facebook event page. A reason for the venue change was not announced, but note that The Rockstar Bar has not advertised any concert dates since May, with Bone Yard's June 11th show there being cancelled outright. Hopefully things are okay at The Algonquin Hotel, but fingers crossed Gutter Creek (featuring the Soo's own Matt Hanchuck) deliver a solid show at this bigger downtown venue! No word yet on admission fees.
• St. Ignace, Michigan metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown will be without new rhythm guitarist Christian Thanasiu for their set opening for Nagazi in Battle Creek tonight due to an unspecified illness, as per their Facebook page. The band are jokingly asking attendees for "get well soon" cards, so keep that in mind if you happen to be in the area! As best as I can gather, this show will go forward with H.L.T.C. as a four-piece, which is nothing new for them, as their initial dates had just Ted on guitar. We'll have more from Heavy Lies The Crown soon!
• Sault Ontario/Thompson, Manitoba alternative/hard rock musician Mike Haggith will take a road trip to Flin Flon, Manitoba for a rare in-province date outside of Thompson tomorrow night! Mike will be the fourth-to-last act tomorrow on the Museum Stage at their annual Blueberry Jam concert festival, so click here for full details if you're so inclined. Best of luck to Mike in Flin Flon tomorrow, and hopefully someone's got a camera rolling!
   

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's now time to kick off our next round of weekend concert previews! Due to the amount, we're previewing Saturday night's Steel Panther concert in tomorrow's post, so don't worry, it's coming! Also, note that the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page accidentally credits the defunct 3 Day Millionaires as playing this weekend in their newest concert calendar post, albeit sans venue. Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, including some linked LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

With his ongoing Gliss Restaurant arrangement entering another month with matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, let's preview these latest Tym Morrison concerts while also adding the remainder of his December concert slate to our calendar! As previously announced via their official Facebook event page, you can see Tym's acoustic hard rock covers this weekend, and his long-term run at Gliss will at least continue through year's end, so look for him back there on December 7th-8th, 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, and 28th-29th. Of course, Tym has been a regular and fan-favourite sight at Gliss for a few years now, and his ongoing run there moved to the new Spring Street location when the restaurant re-opened this fall, so expect more unplugged hard and classic rock favourites there tomorrow, Saturday, and throughout next month! This weekend's double header and the 8 new additions are all 6:00 PM matinees with no announced age limits or cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, let's head back to The Grand Gardens North at 1324 Great Northern Road for a rare non-Toystock concert, as local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will be the musical entertainment at TOMORROW NIGHT'S third annual Builder's Bash from Habitat For Humanity! This special fundraiser event will help fund Habitat For Humanity's current home project on McAllen Street, and it will feature a four course dinner, a silent auction, games & prizes, and a photo booth, so there's a lot of non-musical entertainment to take in! This will be Fluid 5ive first public concert since playing at The Rockstar Bar this past Saturday, and this should be a big opportunity for the guys to get some more attention from a large crowd at a high profile event, so hopefully they have a great set tomorrow! Keep the above charitable ties and non-musical frills in mind when you note the $40 ticket price, but there is a $375 discount for a table of 10, which organizers are pushing as an idea for staff Christmas parties.

Tickets are available at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 32 White Oak Drive East (across from Superior Heights), while organizer Sandi Wheeler and Fluid 5ive drummer Jeff Pennett reportedly had physical tickets as well. A 6:00 PM start time is advertised for the Builder's Bash, but it is made clear on the Facebook event page that Fluid 5ive will be playing after dinner, so don't expect the band to hit the stage until 8:00 or 9:00.This should be a great event for Habitat for Humanity supporters, and Fluid 5ive's fan-favourite covers should provide a quality soundtrack, so visit the above links for complete details! No, we don't have videos of Fluid 5ive yet, hopefully soon!

Also this weekend, the first ever metal-featured concert at Soo Blaster goes down TOMORROW NIGHT, when local alt-folk/metal solo artist Chase Wigmore plays at the venue's second ever Indie Music Showcase! Following the success of last month's inaugural event with Man Feelings & Wes Armstrong, veteran local drummer Anthony Fabiano is co-promoting a sophomore installment at the new-ish sports bar/restaurant on Queen Street East, which will again unite some local bands who you don't see on a frequent basis around here. The headline act is reunited local original rock trio Wishbone in their first public concert in over 4 years, and it's great to see Dennis and company back after far too long! The other advertised band is The Blackmagic Bluegrass Band, a new supergroup from members of Tex & The Ride and A Band Named Soo, who will play eclectic rock covers in a bluegrass style alongside select originals, and they should make a big impression!

Chase himself is not advertised on the official Facebook event page (nor Wishbone's), but he made light of this on his own Facebook page by claiming to front a new local band named "Special Guests" and updating the poster himself. This set may be part of a new band named Chase & The Bastards, but either way, his varied and intense live show is reason enough to come to Soo Blaster tomorrow! A 19+ age limit is in effect for this 8:00 PM start time, which has a $5 admission fee. Hopefully the Indie Music Showcase 2.0 is another hit, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Chase live!

Finally, we have new hard rock concert previews in Sault Michigan again after the Thanksgiving break, as Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be the Peril sister band's first E.U.P. gigs since rocking the same venue almost two months ago, but this won't be it for them in 2018, as they will be back for their previously announced gigs over the December 21st weekend. Scarkazm's hard hitting covers and select originals should provide a welcome way to ring in the month of December, so don't miss out this weekend! Note that these shows were previously advertised to take place in St. Ignace, but were quietly moved north a few months back. Tomorrow & Saturday night's concerts have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Steel Panther preview and more tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) & Canada Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

The Canada Day weekend is upon us, and there's some live hard rock action to take in over the next few days in the Twin Saults, so here's this weekend's concert previews, sans potential late notice confirmations! There's even a pair of shows in Sault Michigan tucked in too, but let's start this preview post with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT, joining his regular Gliss Steak & Seafood matinees TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice on the Roadhouse show, it was only announced via it's official Facebook event page on Sunday. This nighttime solo show comes four weeks after Tym's most recent Roadhouse stop, and will give fans in the east end another chance to check out his hard rocking yet unplugged covers on this holiday weekend, so keep TOMORROW'S concert in mind if you want to see Tym live at a more typical time! As for his ongoing Gliss run, these could very well be his last weekend of shows there before his likely return to playing Thursdays as well as Fridays and Saturdays weekly (stay tuned for confirmation in that regard), but his acoustic covers should play well at The Quality Inn's house restaurant once again over the next two nights!

TOMORROW'S Roadhouse concert is a 10:00 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit, while this weekend's Gliss double-header will see 6:00 PM start times and no announced covers or age limits, but remember the locale, it's not a nightclub. Visit the above links and the Facebook event page for the Gliss shows for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live a few years back!



Moving to entirely previously announced concerts, TONIGHT will see the long awaited local debut by Whitby, Ontario garage/noise rock duo Deathsticks when they headline at The New American Pub! After seeing planned local concerts cancelled in October at The New A and April at The Gore Street Cafe for varying reasons, this "power slop" twosome should deliver a creative and aggressive blast of original music for fans in their belated Soo debut, and hopefully the third time is in the charm for Deathsticks tonight! Alt-hard rock quartet Bizotic will open the proceedings at the site of their live concert debut last year, and they should prove to be a solid choice to kick off the night, so don't be late for them! Promoted by Six, Two, Oh. (who spoke very highly of Deathsticks after AlgomA played with them on tour last summer), this 19+ concert has FREE ADMISSION, as a token of appreciation from the promoters for fans' support over the last few years.

Very nice gesture on Six, Two, Oh.'s part, so consider a trip to The New A tonight at 9:00 PM for all of the action! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Deathsticks live last year!

Also this weekend, let's take a detour to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino, where Kinross classic/hard rock trio Banned are scheduled to return for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen on the road in Manistique three weeks ago, these will be Alex, Don, and Wayne's first shows in the Soo in almost two months, and this should be another fine opportunity to check out Banned's varied and often heavy covers, so keep this weekend's shows in mind if you're in the E.U.P.! After all, Banned don't have a scheduled show within an hour of Sault Ste. Marie again until the fall, unless a non-Kewadin show is announced in the interim. Tomorrow and Saturday night's shows are both 21+ events, neither has an announced cover charge, and both are advertised to start at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Banned live!



Finally for today's previews, here's the best bet for metal and hard rock fans for some Canada Day action, as five bands will join forces at The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for a special in honour of Canada's 150th birthday! This Canada Day Bash will be headlined by indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. in the "kick"-off to their busy slate of July concerts, but the rest of the lineup is all hard rock, including punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' new lineup's third concert appearance, funk/hard rock veterans The Elements' second public set of 2017, reunited hard rock quartet Eclipse, and their frontman Curtis McKenzie in his solo Rockstar Bar debut. Not a bad lineup at all, and nice to see some original acts on Canada Day to ring in the sesquicentennial! Note that a previously advertised set by death metal rockers The Bear Hunters was previously removed from the lineup, and while the Facebook event page still advertises that more bands are "to be confirmed", the existence of a poster without any extra acts indicates that may no longer be the case.

Promoted by Paperclip Productions' Daniel Horton (also Eclipse & Jack Spades' guitarist), this show has a $5 cover charge, 8:00 PM start time, and 19+ age limit, while there will be a barbecue on the patio (if weather isn't bad), and the poster notably indicates that there will be prizes and giveaways for the occasion, which isn't stated on the Facebook event page, but prepare just in case! This should be a great concert to rock Canada Day with, so make sure to occupy The Rockstar Bar on Saturday night, and for a preview, here's Eclipse live earlier this month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and this month's CD review shortly! Thanks everyone!