LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished & Separate Wayz) And Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's the (relative) calm before the storm that is Rotaryfest weekend next week, as this weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews is much quieter by comparison! Still too many shows for one post, so Saturday's previously announced Quite Frankly concert will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to kick off this weekend, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE, and an apology for a missed concert last week!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz (and/or their sister band Soundcheck) will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Separate Wayz first announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday. Now, Jay's Facebook page has an AI generated poster crediting the shows to Soundcheck, a contradictory plug that I have surprisingly never seen since Soundcheck relaunched with a 75% identical lineup. I'm inclined to believe Separate Wayz' own promotion, but at the same time, could Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe be on hand too for another "epic crossover" weekend, or even just a smaller guest spot? Be at Jay's TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT to find out! If truly Separate Wayz-led gigs, these will be their first since rocking Reggie's last month, and their first standalone bookings at Jay's this year.

Hopefully there's a solid crowd TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits, and if this is of note, Jay's now serves Slush Puppies! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's just the second public video from Separate Wayz' Facebook page (at least it's not a "Story"!). This 13 seconds-long clip appears to come from their Reggie's show on June 13th, and features Travis on guitar despite those gigs not being advertised as "epic crossover" dates. He, Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Johnny were filmed here covering Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket", and what we hear sounds good, but look for much longer full performances from Separate Wayz (and Soundcheck?) this weekend!

Next up, let's head across the border to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to Kingston Kitchen on SATURDAY NIGHT, with two more Saturday nighters booked there on August 15th and September 19th! Again, apologies for the short notice on SATURDAY's concert, it was only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Monday. As you may recall, Tarnished debuted at the 250 South State Street Jamaican restaurant last year during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend in St. Ignace, and while unsaid in Kingston Kitchen's promotion, that appears to be the raison d'etre for the September 2026 booking. THIS SATURDAY'S and next month's shows appear to be just standard concerts, and clearly Tarnished's Kingston Kitchen debut went well last year for them to come back thrice this year! Remember, there's more going on in St. Ignace than just the casino, as Tarnished have proved umpteen times lately.

In two more new confirmations, Tarnished will end the summer with shows at The Back Bay Grill & Games Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th, so if you want some hard rock action a little closer to the Soo at our other regional casino, keep these shows in mind! They were announced via this batch Facebook event page for all Lakeside Lounge concerts for the next two months. All five dates (THIS SATURDAY at Kingston Kitchen included) are at 8:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details across the board, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live!

Now back to Sault Ontario briefly for a show that had lots of advance notice, as local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third show in the past week TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! Fresh off of his second Mike Case Memorial Stage show of the year yesterday (I believe the rain held off too), this is the third and last show (so far) for Tym at The Dive, as per his batch Facebook event page for shows there. While The Dive has hosted Thursday acts on their outdoor patio on occasion (including Old Roads last week), their AI generated poster confirms that tonight's "Think It Over Thursday" concert will be indoors in "The Naughty Corner". While we're on the subject, I wanted to apologize for missing a show of Tym's last week, as he debuted at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats this past Friday, in a solo concert that he never publically corroborated on social media, just on his personal account.

While Desbarats (40 minutes southeast of the Soo) only typically comes up on the SMS when referencing CASS, it is good to see a venue there hosting live music on occasion, though I do wish Tym would have said something about that gig, as I'd have happily plugged it had I known about it. Apologies again regardless! Tonight's Dive show (despite Tym's event page listing it as a matinee) takes place at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

We'll close this post by looking at more touring rock band action in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, but unlike the three bands debuting at Kewadin Casinos in the coming weeks, the band playing TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin is quite familiar, namely Traverse City classic metal trio Peril! While not newly promoted on the band's Facebook page, this weekend's shows are confirmed on their summer calendar seen here, and mark their first EUP shows since rocking the St. Ignace branch two weeks ago. Jeff and crew (whether in Peril or their sister band Scarkazm) are not advertised to return to either Kewadin branch, so unless you go see them at the Music In The Park series in St. Ignace, these are your last chances to rock out with either band north of the Mackinac Bridge this summer, so hopefully they have lots of fun covers in store!

As usual for Peril's shows at Kewadin lounges, tomorrow and Saturday night's concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Jeff, Howard, and Brooks' concerts in the Soo this weekend, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Quite Frankly preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (ARCH Run & Quite Frankly!!)

This news post had some big changes while it was being written, thanks to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month for a wonderful cause, but first, here's another new show and a related update from a talented foursome who suddenly have a high profile July ahead!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Saturday, July 11th! The band announced the show on their Facebook page on Sunday as a secondary note in a post thanking everyone for seeing them at The Water Tower Pub the previous night, and it's always good to get advance word of shows at Beck's on a band's end! This will be a 9:30 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover as usual. While we're on the subject, Quite Frankly made a big announcement yesterday, as they will make their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut on Friday, July 17th at 8:00 PM! There has been lineup shuffling to create this opening, as local Tragically Hip tribute band The Luxury have quietly dropped out of the closing 10:30 PM set on Saturday the 18th (I have not heard a public reason as to why). Festival organizers opted to move classic rock trio The Sidekicks into that timeslot instead.

As The Sidekicks were originally the 8:00 PM Friday band, that timeslot became available, so kudos to Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe for stepping in to play the Soo's summer festival! Quite Frankly will be the third-to-last band that night, only behind headlining North Bay classic rockers Just Press Play and local veterans Headrush. Click here for the updated Rotaryfest Stage 1 schedule, hopefully all is well with The Luxury, and visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's plans over the next month!

Next up, the full band lineup for the third annual ARCH Run at Jay's Piston Broke Pub has been announced! The annual Algoma Regional Community Hospice fundraiser motorcycle rally will take place on Saturday, July 25th, and along with the rally proper that starts and ends at the former Roosevelt Hotel, there will be a draw for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. If you want to take part as a rider and/or pledge for a great cause, click here. After not plugging a band schedule last year despite reportedly hosting live music all day and night (Bourbon Blue played inside Jay's as the nightcap), Jay's have mercifully publicized a schedule for 2026, albeit via an AI-generated poster on their Facebook page. Country rock cover quintet Elly McWatters & The Drifters will serve as the indoor closing band this year at 9:30 PM, but the rest of the bands will be playing outside on Korah Road, so who all can you expect for the ARCH Run on July 25th?

The closing outdoor band at 8:00 PM will be young hard rock cover quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, in what may be their highest profile gig yet, so keep this one in mind! They'll be preceded by country rock cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride (who played the ARCH Run in 2024) at 7:00 PM, with newer classic rock quartet Doo & The Boyos taking the stage at 6:00 PM. No sign of Stones At The Alter in the advertising here, for the record. New local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis will play another outdoor summertime gig at 5:00 PM (we'll have more on WestFest II when the full lineup goes live), preceded by acoustic 1960s classic rock duo Whiskey Hippy at 4:00 PM. A mystery band named The Korner Monsters are scheduled for 3:00 PM, and while I have zero idea who they are, note that 2024 had a mystery band too (The Hoovers, who ended up being most of Soundcheck with a singer from their old open mic nights).

Could The Korner Monsters be similar? We'll let you know when/if we hear anything! Lastly, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith (or, if you believe the AI bot, Mike Haggath) will kick off the music schedule at 2:00 PM, presumably with The Big Finish Band in tow. Most are playing with The Drifters that night anyway! Nicely varied lineup of music with a lot of hard rock to go around, and kudos to everyone for donating their time to support ARCH! Attending the concert will be free, but donations and pledges would be absolutely welcomed if you are able. The outdoor portion will be all ages, but you'll have to be 19+ to see Elly & The Drifters inside. If you're wondering, this will be the only ARCH benefit rally/concert this year, as the Dragonfly Run (the former Ride For ARCH that was held at Jay's in 2023 before things split in two between venue & organizers) has ended after a decade-long run, as per this statement last month.

Co-organizer Marcy Catherine D'Ettore said that "we have a lot on our plate right now", and that "I don't feel (that) I can give (the Run) the amount of time, effort, and care that it deserves this year, and something this meaningful should never be done halfway". While not mentioned directly, Marcy and her husband (Bone Yard 225 guitarist Alex D'Ettore) lost their daughter Ally in the spring, which must have played a factor into where priorities lie. Marcy & Alex did a lot for ARCH and the community with this ride, and at least they're ending things on a high note in terms of what they did accomplish! Visit the above links for more on the ARCH Run, and look or more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9, Soundcheck, And Generations) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin our latest round of weekend concert previews, just a heads up that the planned Dr. Feelgood concert at The Sault Community Theatre Centre has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of its ticket page from the S.C.T.C. website. I have not seen any public statement on a reason for the cancellation, but $61 adult tickets can't have encouraged sales, White Pines theater or not. Contact Miles Management or the local box office if you still haven't gotten a refund for purchased tickets. Dr. Feelgood deliver the goods for Motley Crue and hair metal fans, and hopefully they try here again!

This preview post will go into most of the weekend's hard rock shows, but due to the amount, I'll hold the Go Skateboarding Day and Quite Frankly concerts for our next post. Most of today's are SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only announced on the venue's Facebook page yesterday, creatively by sharing the AI-generated poster for their shows there last month, which didn't have date-specific details. Fresh off of their sister band Separate Wayz' shows at Reggie's last week, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts are not advertised to be "epic crossover" shows either, but as we saw last week, you never quite know when Nicole will turn up at a Soundcheck-only gig, and vice versa for Travis with Separate Wayz!

In the realm of Facebook "Story" videos, you may have seen one from their last show at Beck's Bar from that venue featuring Soundcheck covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" with Travis on vocals, but alas, "Story" videos disappear forever after being seen once or twice. Will they perform it again TOMORROW or SATURDAY? Find out at the former Reggie's West! These are 9:30 PM concerts with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover veterans Generations will play an hour-long set as part of Minelli's 75th anniversary Italian Celebration on SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement via their Facebook group on Tuesday, and the schedule was only released yesterday. To celebrate 75 years of Minelli's as an Italian restaurant in the Soo (currently based out of The Marconi Multicultural Events Centre at 450 Albert Street West), this one day festival on SATURDAY will celebrate Minelli's and give back to the community, including vendors, games, raffles, kids activities, food and drinks, and of course, live music. Not counting the DJ playing that night, there is a four band matinee program on SATURDAY, with Generations co-headlining at 3:00 PM. Local country musician Matt Tarantini will be last up at 4:30 PM, with the Elettra Marconi Society Choir performing at 2:00 PM, and classic rock mainstays RPM kicking things off with a 2 hour block at 12:00 PM, so there's a lot for many tastes!

To be held in The Marconi Hall's parking lot from noon until 10:00 PM, this is a free & all ages event, but food and drink tickets will be on site if you're so inclined. 75 years is quite a milestone, so kudos to Julie and the rest of the family and staff for sticking with Minelli's for all these years, and hopefully Generations and the other musical performers set the right notes on SATURDAY! As the concert is outdoors, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather on SATURDAY with a high of 20° and a low of 7°, and rain is unlikely. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Also this weekend, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will head west to Runway Park to serve as musical entertainment at Throttle Fest on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, we knew that they were scheduled to play at Runway Park via their website's concert calendar, but firm confirmation about the event proper only crossed my radar this week. Surprisingly their only public show in city limits this summer (they're not playing at Rotaryfest), Silent 9 will help close out Throttle Fest, a drag racing & mud bog festival taking place at the 573 Airport Road dirt racing venue that is most famous in a concert context for hosting the Bell Border Jam festival in 2008. Along with racing to take part in and watch, there will be a food truck and beer tent on site, tattoos, on-site camping, and more, so click here for fuller details on what to expect! Silent 9 are scheduled to perform from 7:00-11:00 PM on SATURDAY NIGHT.

General admission is $40 unless you're racing in Throttle Fest events proper (kids 10 and under are free), and gates open for the day's swath of events at 7:30 AM on SATURDAY. Like with the Minelli's festival, the weather forecast currently looks good here as well. Silent 9 should get fans moving with some fun hard rock and general covers to cap off a busy program, so visit the above links for more on Throttle Fest, and here they are live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll close with one more special summer festival (albeit one whose band details weren't on short notice), as local southern rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return as the house band for the annual Queen Street Cruise TOMORROW & SATURDAY! "The Dirty Three" have long served as musical entertainment for this classic car throwback event, with the home base returning to The Roberta Bondar Pavilion all weekend long. As usual, tomorrow's program is headlined by the cruise proper, with your local 225 playing under the tent from 6:30 PM onward, while they will set up shop outside on the boardwalk proper by Montana's from 12:30 PM onward during the show n' shine car show, preceding the awards ceremony to close the weekend. Outside of their concert action, click here for the full weekend itinerary, including appearances by Cristy Lee from All Girls Garage, the Touch-A-Truck, and much more.

Admission is free for general attendees (see above if you intend on registering for the car show or cruise), this is absolutely an all ages event, and while the Saturday forecast is already noted above, tomorrow's forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures of 13-16° when Greg, Alex, and Warren are slated to be performing, tent acknowledged. If you love classic cars, be you the owner of one or not, don't miss the Cruise this weekend, and if you've missed Bone Yard's full electric show in recent months, they'll be in full force downtown! See above for more details, and here's Bone Yard 22live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Quite Frankly and Go Skate Day previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Soundcheck!!)

A pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS fell into my lap this morning, so here's a rushed post to get those accounted for, along with a bunch of upcoming concerts from a familiar returning presence!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced these shows via the AI poster on their Facebook page overnight, and the band has not corroborated any bookings on their own Facebook page since their Esquire Club shows four weeks ago. Fans were last able to "get wobbly" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar this past Friday, at a show where Beck's filmed them covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" (with Travis singing) for a Facebook "Story" video, hence why I can't link to/embed it here. Jay's fans last saw Soundcheck late last month, and it should be another welcoming audience for their hard driving slate of covers! The marketing on Jay's end only credits Soundcheck, so this does not appear to be an "epic crossover" weekend with Separate Wayz.

Along with the requisite "good times, cold drinks, (and) great people!", these are 9:30 PM concerts with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges, and as usual at the Korah Road nightclub, the kitchen will be open late. Visit the above links for more on Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's late notice return to Jay's TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, and here they are live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are back from their recent break, and they have announced a huge slate of concerts for the summer! "The Dirty Three" had been publically idle since their acoustic St. Patrick's Day show at Smitty's, and hadn't played a plugged-in show since February, due in part to personal concerns (R.I.P. Ally), but their website's calendar has loads of new dates in store for June-August, so when can you see the guys next? Bone Yard will return to action next week on Friday, June 5th at The Water Tower Pub, and they will bookend their summer slate at the same venue on Saturday, August 29th! As usual for this central venue, these are "uncorked" (re: acoustic) shows, and both are 19+ events at 8:00 PM with no cover. In their first proper plugged-in electric concert together in four months, Greg, Alex, and Warren will rock Beck's Bar for one night only on Friday, June 12th!

They'll also make their way to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for Saturday nighters on June 27th and August 1st, and "uncorked" matinees play into both of the weekends with Bone Yard shows on Saturdays, but in different ways. On the 27th, they'll actually play the acoustic matinee timeslot before the full band show that same night, with the marathon double-booking coinciding with the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot event, as Beck's hosts the barbecue at the end of the motorcycle rally. Click here for more details on the Shoot & Scoot proper, but it is neat that this rally finally crosses our radar! The August 1st show (which falls on the Civic Holiday long weekend) will be complimented by an "uncorked" Sunday matinee on August 2nd, so that'll be good timing for your local 225! The two acoustic shows are at 3:00 PM, the nightcaps are at 9:00 PM, and expect 19+ age limits and no cover.

On Friday, June 19th & Saturday, June 20th, Bone Yard 225 will return as the annual house band for the Queen Street Cruise! The band's own schedule lists the venue as The Roberta Bondar Pavilion (homebase for the cruise once again), but the official schedule says that they will be playing "on the boardwalk" both days. As best as I can recall from past coverage, the Friday evening show at 6:30 PM is indeed under the tent during the cruise proper, but they set up shop on the proper boardwalk near Montana's for a 12:30 PM outdoor matinee concert on the Saturday during the car show. If we hear clarification, we'll let you know, but click here for full details on how to participate in the cruise! Admission is free for general attendees, and it is an all ages event. July 2026 appears to be devoted to out-of-town and private events, including gigs in Chapleau and Kirkland Lake and a stag & doe, but we'll let you know if the listed Bruce Mines date on July 4th ends up being a public event.

The last new public and local date for Bone Yard (so far) will see them return to Algoma Tree Services' annual charity barbecue & community meet and greet on Saturday, August 8th! This will be the third straight year that your local 225 have headlined this event (no word on if Angry Joe & The Growlers are opening again), and will presumably see them rock out at the Goulais River-based business' outdoor festivities at 7:00 PM (no announced cover, all ages). Time will tell if we hear of Bone Yard at other local venues or festivals this summer, but it's great to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back in the saddle, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (5 Dollar Bribe & Stones At The Alter), A New Local Band, And Concert Previews!!

The Victoria Day (or "May 2-4") long weekend is upon us, and as always, it's busy in Sault Ontario for concerts, but not as much as you'd think on the hard rock side. One show that I did want to acknowledge is that cover rock trio Wheelhouse (featuring Stiffler's Mom alumni Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson) have reunited, and now feature Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger in their lineup, and they're playing at Beck's Bar tomorrow night. I don't know what exactly Wheelhouse play beyond the date range of their setlists (and I'm not using band logos from their AI-generated images as proof), but we'll let you know if they hew close to Stiffler's Mom in sound and cover choices! Now to this weekend's full previews!

We'll start with a brand new addition to our band links, namely hard rock cover quartet Stones At The Alter! Yes, the last word in the band's name is spelled like that, not the more accurate "Altar". Publically launched in February, this is a side project from members of the also new classic rock/country cover band Doo & The Boyos ("Doo" being singer/guitarist Douglas White and "the boy-ohs" being everyone else). The two bands share a near identical lineup, but Stones At The Alter play a heavier set, with their Facebook group noting that they cover "punk, heavy, (and) diamond rock". So far, S@TA have only taken the stage as a supplementary band at Boyos concerts, starting with that band's debut at Beck's Bar in February, so if you've been out to see Doo & crew live, you've kinda sorta got two bands for the price of one! Douglas aside, who all is in both bands?

The Boyos consist of guitarists Jason McCoy (who is the lead singer for Stones At The Alter) and Sydney Hollebone, bassist Ben Eder, and drummer Sean White, while S@TA have enlisted With Gunfire/A.S.D.P. bassist William Wardlaw as their new lead guitarist, and he will debut in that role on SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, I only learned about this band's existence this week. As best as I can tell, William is replacing Sydney in Stones At The Alter, as Sydney wasn't credited by name in recent posts focused on that band. At Doo & The Boyos' first two shows, including a Beck's return in March, Stones At The Alter (who were unnamed for gig #1) played the third and final set, and from what I have gathered, Douglas isn't in the heavier sister group. Also, according to their Facebook group, S@TA will headline at Beck's Bar all on their own on Saturday, November 21st!

We'll know more soon, I'm sure, but it is interesting to see two new sister bands launching basically simultaneously, especially with their lineups comprised mostly of unknown commodities as far as SMS coverage goes! SATURDAY's Boyos/S@TA joint concert at Jay's is at 9:30 PM, November's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM, and both are 19+ with no cover charge. See above for more details! As far as I'm aware, there's no public videos of Stones At The Alter proper yet. Their sole video on their Facebook group appears to be part of a Boyos song and only focuses on Sydney, though note that Doo & The Boyos do perform some of Douglas' own original music.

Next up, who is playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW NIGHT? None other than fellow new hard rock band 5 Dollar Bribe, who will also be making their debut there over the long weekend! Like with Stones At The Alter, 5 Dollar Bribe cut their teeth at Beck's, and they have been making waves with their talent levels and unique setlist choices, and the guys were actually spotlighted in this Soo Spaces (SooToday's social media platform) article by Andrew Stuetz on May 5th. It goes into detail about the members' upbringing and path towards becoming musicians (I didn't know at least one band member lives in Bruce Mines), and while there's no massive scoops, they did tease that they are "getting ready for some summer shows". Good write-up, give it a look above! While 5.D.B. and S@TA are taking over Jay's this weekend, 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Beck's later this month!

In today's other LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, they'll play a special Wednesday night concert at the former Vibe Lounge on May 27th! Why it's mid-week, I have no clue, but this is a band on the rise, so don't miss Jayce, Randy, Tyler, and Chase in just under two weeks' time! Like with Stones At The Alter, expect a 9:30 PM start time tomorrow at Jay's and 9:00 PM at Beck's on the 27th, and both shows should be 19+ (5 Dollar Bribe members' own ages acknowledged) with no cover. Visit the Beck's show's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview of tomorrow's concert, here they are live at Beck's last month!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head across to Sault Michigan, and while it's not a long weekend there, a big show descends upon (well, in the basement of) Pizza Hut at 225 Ashmun Street featuring newer local hardcore punk trio Viscera on SATURDAY NIGHT! Playing their second show at the restaurant in a two week span (and their second with new bassist Chris Lovins), this will have more of a genre spread than the prior show there, as Viscera will be opening for two non-heavy touring acts in their apparent local debuts. One is local/Detroit electronica project Priority Waste (give them a listen on Soundcloud) and the other is Scanners, a drone/shoegaze band from Grand Rapids, so while metal/punk content will be lacking for the headliners, there sure is a unique mix of sounds here that you rarely even see on the Canadian side of the border! This is promoted by Serious Business, who have put on most of the eclectic multi-band E.U.P. shows of the mid-2020s (here's their Instagram page).

This 18+ concert goes down on Saturday night at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 at the door. This should be an intriguing concert with the sounds you'll get to experience at Pizza Hut, and with Viscera planning a couple of out of town dates ahead (details forthcoming), who knows when you'll get to see them in the Soo next? Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Viscera live in January!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Curtis McKenzie) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, just a heads up that while in-person advertising at The Esquire Club had listed Bone Yard 225 as playing there this weekend, those shows are not taking place, as their current break from live concerts continues. No word on a possible replacement band at press time, and our continued thoughts are with the D'Ettore family. This weekend's hard rock concert previews begin now, with the exception of Headrush's show on Saturday, which will be in tomorrow's post due to the amount. Now, let's lead off with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, both Curt and the venue only announced this show on their respective Facebook pages this afternoon. Why either couldn't announce the show on even a day's notice, I don't know, but TONIGHT'S concert sees Curtis return to "The Naughty Corner" inside the former Low & Slow, in his first gig there since late February. Should be a solid evening of hard rock covers, so don't miss out if you can swing it on a work/school night! Note that this promotional image from The Dive's Facebook page says "Thursday nights only", which reflects the venue's scheduling and not Curt, as (holidays aside) they haven't booked proper musical acts to perform on other days of the week since last year. Regardless, expect good music and great energy TONIGHT!

No comment on the bad decisions, but try to rock out responsibly! TONIGHT's concert begins at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, here's Curtis live!

Next up, reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for a full weekend TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via the venue's AI weekly schedule poster on Sunday, though as of this writing, the band has not corroborated these bookings on their own Facebook page. Last seen this past Saturday at Beck's Bar (which Soundcheck also didn't mention on their Facebook page), these will be Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's first bookings at the former Roosevelt Hotel in four weeks. Good to see the guys staying busy, and look for a nice array of old school rocking covers TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Note that TOMORROW'S show coincides with $5 Friday, which references food and drink specials there on Fridays. Both shows are 19+ and at 9:30 PM with no cover charges.

Looks like a solid weekend for Soundcheck to do their thing in the west end, and perhaps with the Triumph/April Wine concert still fresh in mind (fallout forthcoming), might they have a relevant cover or two in their deep setlist? No promises, of course. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Moving to shows that had advance notice before this week, let's head an hour south for concerts in St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will set up shop at their Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not newly promoted on the band's Facebook page, these shows have been advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page right along, and will mark Scarkazm's first E.U.P. weekend since they played at the Soo Kewadin in late March, but we haven't see that band (as opposed to their sister group Peril) at the St. Ignace branch yet this year. If you like hard rocking metal originals and covers with an old school flavour, then you won't want to miss Adam, Dave, and Jeff at the St. Ignace Kewadin this weekend, so keep these shows in mind if you're in the area! These concerts have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!

We'll close this preview post back in Sault Ontario, where reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will make their first ever stop at Gateway Casino on SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Quite Frankly's first show since rocking The Water Tower Pub on April 12th, a show that had a last minute lineup change, as Sidekicks/ex-Double Down bassist Dan Beaupre filled in for an absent Harley Syrette for unannounced reasons. Hopefully all's well with Harley and that he's ready to go on Saturday, but Dan's an experienced pro, so they were in good hands! Quite Frankly are on the younger end for bands who play at the casino, and it will be interesting to see how they go over, so head downtown to find out on Saturday! This 19+ concert has no announced cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time, and if you can't make it, they'll be back at Beck's next week. See above for more details, and here's Quite Frankly live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Headrush preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Separate Wayz, And TNT), Plus Recent Concert Clarifications!!

Before we dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we have two related notes to clear up. First, I want to profusely apologize for missing local alt-punk cover band BookcluB's concert at Searchmont Resort this past Saturday, as they were one of the bands booked to play at the C.S.R.A. Snowcross Championships festivities last week. Alas, I only found out that they were playing via a Facebook "Story" (one of the temporary vertical videos in that strip on your news feed) from BookcluB that I didn't see until a half hour to go before the concert was scheduled to end. Neither BookcluB nor Searchmont confirmed in a permanent public post that they were playing on Saturday whatsoever (I also have not seen a public confirmation of who played the Sunday matinee show during Snowcross weekend). For such a busy and well hyped weekend, why wasn't the promotion better for the bands playing at The Kiln? 

Apologies again for missing that show, I'd have happily plugged it had someone promoted it publically with even one day's notice, but hopefully BookcluB had a strong turnout! The other note relates to the band who played at Searchmont this past Friday (local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations), who announced on their Facebook page that their previously announced Water Tower Pub show on Saturday has been cancelled due to an unspecified family emergency. In lieu of that, bassist Pierre Anthony and drummer Tony Santoro will instead be playing that night with members of country cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride, so keep that in mind for the weekend, and I hope all's well with Valerie or Joe!

Today's previews will be broken up into two posts due to a bunch of linked SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS coming to my attention, so our previews of Tym Morrison's Saturday matinee and The BAG's album release party will be in tomorrow's post. Otherwise, let's start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday, though the AI program that Jay's uses for concert advertising didn't nail what this weekend's bands look like. When did "Elly" and comedian Ron White join Separate Wayz? This will be Nicole and the guys' first concert since their short notice "epic crossover" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar on Monday, March 30th. For standalone, Travis-free gigs, Separate Wayz last took the stage at The Water Tower Pub early last month.

Regardless of sister band collaborations, this will be Separate Wayz' first stop at Jay's in over six months, so expect lots of fun rocking tunes from this talented foursome TOMORROW! A rare one-nighter at the former Roosevelt Hotel (country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters are playing there on Saturday), TOMORROW'S concert is a 9:30 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Separate Wayz live!

Next up, this will be a very busy weekend for Separate Wayz guitarist Terry Eaton, as he'll be doubling up on SATURDAY at Beck's Bar, starting with a matinee concert with his Soundcheck bandmate Travis Sharpe in their new acoustic side project TNT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via this venue's own advertising on Monday, and I still am not aware of Terry n' Trav(is) launching an online page to promote this project or their shows. They do have an AI-generated logo to match Terry's current electric bands now, so there is that! Last seen a month ago at The Full Throttle Saloon, TNT are occasionally seen at local nightclubs, typically in acoustic-amenable matinee timeslots, and often in conjunction with shows from one/both of Terry's bands. This will be a solid appetizer for what's to come later that night at Beck's, so keep this one in mind!

As usual for Beck's Bar's (typically) unplugged Saturday afternoon acts, Soundcheck's acoustic splinter group will be playing from 3:00-7:00 PM with no cover charge, and while a 19+ age limit would make sense given that it is Beck's Bar, note that they did host the underage 5 Dollar Bribe as matinee performers earlier this month. Visit the above links for more on what might be TNT's Beck's debut, and we'll let you know when/if public videos of Travis & Terry unplugged surface for preview purposes!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll stay at Beck's Bar, where the aforementioned Soundcheck will complete the Terry triple header with a concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, I learned about this show in the exact same way as I learned about TNT's. Last seen at Reggie's two weeks ago, this gig will allow Terry & Travis to rock out in full force with Jim & Johnny returning from TOMORROW'S Separate Wayz gig at Jay's to make up the rhythm section once again. If you like classic and hard rock covers, you have a lot of options for how you want to experience it in the west end this weekend! I am not sure whether the Soundcheck or Separate Wayz concerts are respectively due to or the result of the other band booking a one-nighter, but if you're curious, Beck's are hosting a rare live band tomorrow (new blues rock cover band Sunday & The Broken Hearts) rather than bringing in a DJ.

And as I frequently note, TNT aren't technically "opening" for Soundcheck on SATURDAY, as the two bands have 4 hour timeslots each spaced 2 hours apart, but the common lineups are absolutely acknowledged. Soundcheck are on at 9:00 PM on SATURDAY NIGHT with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of Terry's short notice gigs this weekend, and here's Soundcheck live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison and The BAG previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this weekend concert preview post, just a heads up that in-person advertising at The Esquire Club reportedly had Bone Yard 225 playing there this weekend, but the shows are not taking place, and the band never confirmed them on social media. Your local 225 have only played one show (the acoustic St. Patrick's Day gig at Smitty's) in the past month, so hopefully things are well behind the scenes, and we'll let you know when they announce new gigs! Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend's hard rock concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with Saturday's Mammoth, Headrush, and Quite Frankly concerts to be previewed in our next news post!

Prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will make his return to the live concert stage TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via his official Facebook event page on Monday, though note that the venue has not corroborated this "Think It Over Thursday" booking at press time. As you may know, Tym broke his pinky finger last month, which has knocked him out of all announced and scheduled concerts since February 7th, but after what has to be his longest break from concerts since the pandemic, he's back TONIGHT. It will be good to see Tym on stage again after over 6 weeks on the shelf, and hopefully he has lots of entertaining rockin' covers in store for "The Naughty Corner"! While he was advertised to play at Misty's Fifties on Saturday as well, he has quietly removed both that show and his announced April 4th matinee there from their batch Facebook event page.

A reason for both shows being cancelled wasn't publically announced, but things are definitely amicable, and he will return to Misty's after two months away on April 18th, and he has a lot more Saturday matinees planned there in 2026! As for TONIGHT'S return at The Dive, this is a 19+ event with a 9:30 PM start time and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, in more Thursday acoustic action, Soundcheck bandmates Terry Eaton & Travis Sharpe will join forces for another unplugged two-man concert TONIGHT at The Full Throttle Saloon! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page this past Thursday. While not a weekly occurrence, the former Primavera Hall has hosted Thursday matinee concerts with unplugged artists in the past, and they're branding this as "Happy Hour" (well, four of them) with specials, so if you want to enjoy some unplugged rock from the singer/guitarists of Soundcheck, keep TONIGHT's show in mind! While we're on the subject, I did want to apologize for missing their St. Patrick's Day-themed Misty's Fifties concert on March 14th, which that venue only plugged once on the Tuesday prior, and if Travis & Terry have a social media or band page to promote their gigs with, I haven't seen it.

Advertising for the March 14th gig, which was originally supposed to go to Tym Morrison, does refer to this two-man-band as TNT, as in Terry N' Trav... or Trav N' Terry (Misty's and The Full Throttle both called him "Trav" rather than Travis when plugging these two shows). Apologies again for missing the concert two weeks ago, I'd have happily covered it had I known, but here's your encore TONIGHT! The action in Steelton goes down from 5:00-9:00 PM with no cover charge, and The Full Throttle Saloon confirmed that they are open to all ages until 9:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on TNT, and we'll let you know when/if pages or media for this side project turn up!

Also, the aforementioned Soundcheck will take over Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, these shows were first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Sunday, and despite the timing of the show in relation to a special day for half the band, Soundcheck proper have yet to corroborate these bookings publically on social media. Whether coincidental or not, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts take place a few days prior to the birthdays of the aforementioned Terry Eaton and Travis Sharpe, which are a day apart next week, so if you make your way to the Korah Road nightclub this weekend, give one/both an early birthday greeting! One week removed from Terry, Trav(is), Jim, and Johnny's gigs at Reggie's Place, these will be the reunited local classic/hard rock cover quartet's first shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel in over a month.

As usual for bands at Jay's, these are 9:30 PM concerts with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Soundcheck's month-ending concerts this weekend, happy early birthday to Travis & Terry, and here's Soundcheck live!

Finally, here's a concert that was publically announced before this week, as we'll head downtown to Soo Blaster, where new local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow will play their second concert TOMORROW NIGHT! This new tribute debuted at Beck's Bar in October for that venue's Halloween party, but they weren't a seasonal one-off, and they have the talent to deliver the grunge goods for their local encore! In case you missed that show or our prior coverage, their lineup consists of Barbarians/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers, Odd Man Out/ex-Sense of Truth guitarist Steve Myers, newer local guitarist Cameron Brock, and Rob's old Side FX bandmates Mike Bird & Derek Turner (both formerly of Papa Fogals Chair) on bass and drums. Very talented collection of artists, but they have yet to post media of them live in any form, so come out TOMORROW to see what Pearl Jam classics they cover, and how their stage show looks!

Coming not long after Soo Blaster upgraded their entertainment offerings with laser tag, bowling, and new arcade games, tomorrow's concert is an all ages event with an advertised 7:00 PM start time, and tickets run for $10 in advance at this link or through band members. See above for more on this grunge/alternative throwback tribute's sophomore outing, and we'll let you know when videos of them surface! That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Mammoth, Headrush, and Quite Frankly previews next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down & Tarnished), Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

Before we begin this preview post, I wanted to apologize for a show missed in last week's previews, as local alternative/punk cover supergroup BookcluB played at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort this past Saturday night. Both the band and resort only publically announced the show via their respective Facebook pages earlier that day, with BookcluB only giving fans five hours notice to make the trek to Searchmont. I'm sorry for missing this one, I'd have happily covered it had it even had a day's notice, but hopefully Mikey, Dustin, and crew had a blast for fans and skiiers alike on Saturday!

Today's first weekend concert preview post otherwise looks at most of this weekend's hard rock-leaning slate, but due to the amount of announced shows, we'll hold Saturday's Viscera show for tomorrow's post. As far as I'm aware, none of the hard rock-hosting venues this weekend are advertising early St. Patrick's Day festivities. Most of today's previews concern SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll start in Sault Michigan, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will play their first show of 2026 TOMORROW NIGHT at The Merchants Bar! Apologies for the short notice, the band first announced this show via their Facebook page yesterday, and as always, The Merch doesn't promote bands playing there by name on social media. The guys were last seen on stage at the local Kewadin Casino in December.

This will be Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's first stop at The Merch since late November, and hopefully there's a solid turnout! A one-nighter as usual at the 108 West Spruce Street nightclub, TOMORROW'S concert goes down at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, and if you believe Tarnished's own promotion, "it's going to be a BLAST" (they capitalized it, not me!). Visit the above links for more on the hard rocking cover action ahead, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live at The Merch!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will set up shop at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band first confirmed this weekend's bookings on their Facebook page on Monday, and the venue has not corroborated them on social media. Marking their first gigs at the former Roosevelt Hotel for this new year, fans last saw Double Down elsewhere in the west end this past Saturday at Beck's Bar, where they welcomed back guest singer Jack "Jacklyn Hyde" Alisat for at least one song. Unlike that gig, however, the band are 100% publically advertising that Jack is back in some capacity TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, so if you want to catch the original Quite Frankly frontwoman on stage with a full band again, you have at least two more chances in the west end this weekend!

Double Down's brand of rocking cover action can be enjoyed TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Double Down with Jack at Beck's on Saturday! Filmed by RPM drummer Joseph Bertrand and uploaded to the band's Facebook page, this cover of AC/DC's "Shoot To Thrill" really shows off her vocal range nicely, and you'd never guess she was just a guest here! I wish Joseph had zoomed in more from where he was in Beck's, but at least this is horizontal. Give it a watch below, and get more from Double Down & Jack TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's!

Moving to shows that did get advance notice, we'll next head to The Machine Shop, as Great Britain-based Queen tribute band Majesty: A Tribute To Queen will make their local concert debut TONIGHT! While local fans will be no stranger to Australia's Queen: It's A Kinda Magic's periodic concerts at the S.C.T.C., this concert will deliver an alternate British take on Freddie, Brian, John, and Roger's classic singles and stage show. Whether you prefer the performance quality and attention to detail of It's A Kinda Magic or not is subjective, but Majesty are the real deal, and if you love Queen, they'll deliver the classic rock goods tonight from across Queen's run! I have not seen any reference to an opening band. The second of three major hard rock concerts at The Machine Shop in a sub-2 month span (following The Trews and preceding Pop Evil), this is an all ages event taking place tonight at 8:00 PM.

Tickets remain on sale at this link, at the Community Box Office at Station Mall, or at the door tomorrow, and tickets run for $45 (seated) or $40 (standing). Despite this structure, this is a general admission event, so first come first serve for the best spots. This should be a fun concert, so consider coming out if you can swing it on a work/school night! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Majesty live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to the west end, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will rock Beck's Bar for the first time on SATURDAY NIGHT! It is surprising that this is their debut at the former Vibe Lounge, but remember that they had been prioritizing private and community events over the winter, only just playing their first nightclub gigs of 2026 this past weekend at The Esquire Club. This talented foursome should have a lot of fun rocking covers in store for fans on Saturday, so keep this one in mind! This is a one-nighter as is usual at Beck's (DJ Dark Mark is spinning tunes tomorrow), while the 3:00 PM Saturday matinee timeslot this week belongs to new local country rock duo Danielle Roberts & Brad Collar. Of course, they aren't "opening" for Silent 9, they and the band each have 4 hour timeslots spaced 2 hours apart, but you can hang out to see both if you like.

Silent 9 are up at Beck's on Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video from the band's Facebook page of them at The Esquire Club this past weekend! The band rarely uploads videos of full songs, so you only get 34 seconds of Silent 9's cover of Cher's "Believe" (featuring many front row fans as their "new backup singers") here, but at least the video is horizontal and filmed from a really close angle. Jess is completely at ease here, and everyone's having fun, so while not the most "rock" cover in their setlist, it's a fun rendition! Give it a watch below!

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