The Go North Music Festival & Sandman Concert Previews!!

This stacked concert weekend presses on, so for our third of (now) four weekend concert preview posts to cover the hard rock and punk-integrated action, we're looking at a big returning regional festival today, as well as the return of the very first band that I ever saw at a licensed 19+ concert, so here's what you should know on this Friday morning!

Continuing this marathon weekend, we'll take the hour's drive southeast to Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island for the eighth annual Go North Music Festival, which takes place TONIGHT & TOMORROW! Returning to the former Cornfest site at Centennial Grounds, this outdoor festival will again see two days of live music, and in a non-musical sense, there will be food vendors both days this year, alongside an artisan market, a family zone featuring Science North displays, games, crafts, and a large interactive community mural project, and as always, on-site camping. Visit the official website for complete details on this front! After not having any hard rock or punk acts for 2025's Big Sugar-headlined program, Go North will have one band that pings our genre radar, namely Juno nominated Saskatoon blues/hard rock band Wide Mouth Mason (of "My Old Self" and "Why" fame, among other hits).

Surprisingly their first concert within an hour of the Soo on record, Wide Mouth Mason's brand of accessible and catchy hard rock with distinct vocals should make a good impression tomorrow night! Curiously, festival advertising does not confirm set times, just the performance order. Your Saturday headliners are Juno-winning Halifax indie rock veterans Wintersleep (they of "Weighty Ghost" and "In Came The Flood" fame) and three touring acts from Toronto, namely alt-rock band Jackie, pop rock solo artist Loviet, and alternative/indie singer/guitarist Keegan Powell & his band The Jetpacks. Local openers tomorrow are CASS FM, Central Algoma Secondary School's student rock band, who have played Go North multiple times. Also on Saturday are returning London children's musical band The Thinking Caps, who will headline the separate children's stage that afternoon. An eclectic lineup for alternative and indie rock fans, so don't bypass the talent here!

Tonight's shorter opening night program will be headlined by Niagara Falls brass/funk supergroup My Son The Hurricane (with ex-Redefined/Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea still in their ranks), alongside Oakville R&B/country duo Yassin & Sean Terrio and local indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (the former Hollow Heads). The music lineups of Go North VIII go down from 3:00-11:00 PM tomorrow and 6:00-11:00 PM tonight, and while online ticket sales have ended, you can still buy tickets at the gates. At last word, day passes cost $40 tonight and $70 tomorrow ($20 and $25 respectively for teenagers 13-18 or students with valid student ID). Camping passes are a separate charge, as are $15 premium parking passes, while discount bundles for groups of 2+ adults were also an option. Recent social media hype suggests that this year's Go North is outselling last year's event, which is great news all around!

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies tomorrow with a high of 25°, though there is a slim chance of rain starting during Wintersleep's set into the overnight, so make note of that if camping (tonight's opening concert is projected to have clear skies and a high of 24°). Conditions look to mostly hold up, so best of luck to everyone enjoying the music on St. Joseph Island this weekend! Visit the above links for more on this year's Go North Music Festival, and here's Wide Mouth Mason live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #3, let's head home to Sault Ste. Marie, where Toronto-based Metallica tribute band Sandman will return to town TOMORROW NIGHT, this time at The Full Throttle Saloon! The only tribute band officially licensed by Metallica (and featuring three ex-members of Helix in their ranks), this will be Sandman's fifth local concert appearance on record, and first since they rocked the former Soo Blaster in October 2022, but this time, they're heading into Steelton as the third touring tribute headliner at The Full Throttle Saloon this year. The former Primavera Hall has done well booking the Crazy Babies and Epic Rush shows despite some eyebrow raising over the ticket prices, but Sandman have the most local experience of the three, so hopefully they draw well with their faithfully performed take on Metallica's 1980s and early 1990s catalogue! This 19+ concert goes down tomorrow night at 10:00 PM, and has no announced opening band.

Tickets cost $50 at the venue, and while this is cheaper than the $70 Crazy Babies show at The Full Throttle Saloon, it's also way above the $40 that both of Sandman's 2022 Soo Blaster gigs cost combined. Still, Crazy Babies and Epic Rush appeared to draw well, so if you want to enjoy Metallica's classic hits again, get your tickets while you can! I'm not seeing the "no ticket sales at the door" restriction this time, but call ahead if you're at all worried. Visit the above links for more on the the thrash metal tribute action tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's Sandman live!

That's all for now, but look for our Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands and 2 Stoned Crows In The River previews next, as well as (finally) our Rotaryfest review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Go North Music Festival!!)

Single topic post today thanks to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Juno Award-nominated Saskatoon blues/hard rock band Wide Mouth Mason will (as far as I'm aware) make their first ever local concert appearance as one of the co-headliners of the eighth annual Go North Music Festival on Saturday, July 25th! A staple of Canadian rock radio and MuchMusic in the late 1990s thanks to hit songs like "My Old Self", "Why", and "Smile", it will be neat to finally welcome Shaun, Safwan, and crew to our area (if not the Soo proper) this summer, and their jam-friendly alt-rock sound and distinct vocals still set them apart! Wide Mouth Mason are really the only hard rock-leaning outpost for this year's festival, which didn't have anything that really crossed our radar in 2025 (when it was headlined by Big Sugar, featuring former W.M.M. bassist Gordie Johnson). Presented by SooToday & 104.3 The Fox, this annual event returns to the old Cornfest site at Centennial Grounds in Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island for two nights of music.

As seen on the poster, the headlining Saturday band this year is Juno-winning Halifax indie rock quintet Wintersleep (of "Weighty Ghost" and "Amerika" fame), who have also never played in the Soo area before. While their name sounds heavier than they are, Wintersleep are a very talented and acclaimed band, so don't bypass them this summer! Also making their way to St. Joseph Island in four months are three acts from Toronto, namely alt-indie trio Jackie, pop rock musician Loviet, and alternative singer/guitarist Keegan Powell, who should also make some waves with their skill sets and rising national profiles! Your only local band on July 25th is CASS FM, the Central Algoma Secondary School student rock band (a'la Mustang Sally), who are multi-time veterans of Go North, if with a lot of lineup turnover. As well, London children's music group The Thinking Caps will return to headline the kids stage that afternoon.

The night #1 lineup on Friday, July 24th has more local ties despite only having three acts, those being fan favourite Niagara Falls brass/funk collective My Son The Hurricane (still featuring former Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea), Oakville country/soul hybrid duo Yassin & Sean Terrio, and local indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (née The Hollow Heads). Along with the announced musicians, attendees can also expect to find local art and food vendors amongst the outdoor surroundings on Centennial Grounds, and if you're bringing the kids, there will be interactive Science North exhibits, games, crafts, and a mural that everyone can help paint at the family zone. Timeslots for the individual acts are not out yet, but gates open on Friday at 6:00 PM and Saturday at 3:00 PM, and bands are projected to wrap up nightly by 11:00 PM. On-site camping is absolutely available as usual, and a fireside jam will again be held after hours.

Advance tickets are now on sale at this link, and minus online processing fees, day passes run for $40 on Friday and $70 on Saturday ($20 and $25 respectively for teenagers 13-18 or students under 25 with valid student ID). Camping passes for 2 or 4 adults for the whole weekend or Saturday only are also available (kids/teens are free to camp thusly but must be with an adult), but these do not include festival tickets, which are a separate purchase. $15 premium parking passes are also available if you want to get a really close spot, but this is an optional bonus. Discount bundles for two adults with camping & premium parking are also available. It is great to see the Go North Fest back for year #8, and while they have had heavier lineups, there's a lot of established and up & coming names to watch out for here, so definitely visit the above links for more on this year's event an hour east of the Soo! Thanks everyone!

The Go North Music Festival & Handsome Sandwich Concert Previews!!

Let's continue with this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews in today's second post, but with our write-up on a big local concert festival eating up most of this post, I have opted to hold our preview of Project 906's show in Strongs, Michigan tomorrow night to our next post, but it is coming! Now, here's what you should know for that Sault Ontario-area festival and one more show here tomorrow night!

We'll start with an hour's road trip southeast to Richards Landing on St. Joseph Island, where local indie/punk quintet The Northwest will be the local openers for the fifth annual Go North Music Festival TOMORROW! Last seen at Outspoken Brewing in May, The Northwest have been oddly quiet in the last couple of months, but it will be good to see them add a little punk flavour to the Go North Festival, which returns to the former Cornfest grounds at 1511 Richards Street. As in past years, this all ages festival will feature loads of food and craft vendors, family entertainment, games, and on-site camping, so visit the official website and the official Facebook page for complete non-musical details! The conceit of having a separate "family stage" for bands to play a second kid-friendly set will return too, so clearly that did well last year! Organizers have clarified that the "kids zone" stage will have short 15 minute sets between main stage acts.

The Northwest are one of three bands to pull double duty tomorrow, as they are the opening band on the main stage at 4:00 PM and the headliners at the kids zone at 6:45 PM. For the remaining bands, I'll note in brackets if they are on the kids zone stage or not. Juno winning Toronto alternative trio The Monowhales will make their local debut in a big headlining set at 9:40 PM, preceded by London alt-rock quartet Texas King at 8:15 PM, and Guelph garage rock trio The Royal Castles (finally playing Go North after dropping out of last year's event due to COVID exposure) at 7:15 PM (5:45 PM on the family stage). Toronto country/folk singer/guitarist Jeremie Albino takes the big stage at 6:00 PM (and opens the kids zone at 4:45 PM), with Toronto retro rock quartet Propter Hawk beginning the non-local contingent of the frstival at 5:00 PM. A shorter country-centric program featuring Toronto's The Holy Gamblers, Port Hope's Nickola Magnolia, ...

...and Kingston's Solomon Woodland takes place tonight at 7:00 PM. Advance ticket sales have wrapped for Go North V, but general tickets at the gate are $65 (full weekend), $55 (Saturday only), or $25 (tonight only), price points that are $30, $25, and $15 respectively for youths aged 13-18 (kids 12 and under are FREE). Camping fees are separate if you are looking into that, so click here for full ground rules on this licensed festival. The festival will happen rain or shine (the main stage has a roof), but 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather of around 23° for tonight's country program, and mostly cloudy weather with a high of 22° and a 30% chance of rain on Saturday. At least this year's Go North Music Festival seems to have dodged the recent humid snap that we had up here! The lineup this year mostly doesn't cross the SMS' genre radar, but The Northwest will add some punk zest, and there's still a lot of talent!

Visit the above links for complete details on Go North's band lineup, vendors, camping details, and much more going on an hour southeast of the Soo tomorrow, and for a preview, here's The Northwest live!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll head back into Sault Ste. Marie for local alternative/hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich's debut at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! One week away from their return to Rotaryfest Stage 2, this will be Handsome Sandwich's first solo headlining concert with no other bands of the year, so expect a lot of covers along with their fan favourite originals to fill out a full night's worth of music, not unlike many of their quartet gigs in early-mid 2022. Hopefully this trip up Great Northern Road will prove bountiful for the Sandwich, and that they make some new fans at The Water Tower Pub tomorrow! Shows here are traditionally one-nighters, as The Water Tower Pub almost always books different bands on Fridays and Saturdays, and if you're curious, folk/country musician and Face To Face co-headliner Brian Tremblay (with his wife Lynn) will be playing there tonight.

Tomorrow's Handsome Sandwich show has an earlier 8:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. This should be a fun show for fans of Handsome Sandwich's eclectic sound, so don't miss out tomorrow, and here they are live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Project 906 preview and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), A New Local Band, A 1980s Local Scene Short Story, And More!!

And today, we hit 30 posts for the month of July! Very busy month, and we have some more exciting news today, including a VERY cool local scene-relevant short story, Kewadin Festival updates, the identity of one of the bands from there, and new material from a local band! But first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!!

Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has scheduled another solo acoustic date for August 6th! Once again, he'll be rocking out at The Roosevelt Hotel for a day full of acoustic metal covers to have a drink to! Note that I said "day", not "night", because this concert starts at 4:00 PM and runs until around 8:00 PM, unlike most Tym/Caveman Morrison shows. I think this show is tied to an event of some kind, especially with the "free dinner and meat draw" plugged on the Facebook event page, but I'm not entirely sure what the occasion is. What I do know is that if you wanna chill out with some great renditions of your favourite hard rock hits from one of the area's better known guitarists, head to The Rosie on August 6th! Check the above links for more details on this show and on Tym Morrison's musical projects!

Next up, I have found a VERY cool short story that fans of the local music scene from the 1980s will absolutely want to read! This was a completely random find on some Google searching I conducted the other day, and it's the second part of an (at least) five part short story from local concert photographer Paolo Colasacco. It's about the concerts and experiences at the old Centennial Lanes venue on Gore Street (Nite-Life Dance Club is now in it's old location), and it really is a cool read! Paolo discusses the genre divisions of concertgoers from shows there, the environment that Centennial Lanes gave to create a "new music scene", what it was like at the concerts in terms of what people did, what the alcohol policies were, what bands you'd typically see, and just how much fun people had! A good deal of it is spent talking about that band Riggy Zomba that I mentioned in yesterday's post, and Paolo's description of their two separate fanbases is noteworthy! He also notes that metalheads tended to frequent the Eastgate Hotel way back for concerts. The grammar and spelling isn't perfect, but believe me, this is another awesome window to the past of the local scene, and you'll wanna check it out!

Paolo uploaded this portion of his Centennial Lanes story onto The Internet Archive five years ago, and you can click here for the download link! Note that it's a WordPerfect file, but programs like Microsoft Word can also open it. Paolo has uploaded many other files onto The Internet Archive in the past, including some concert photos and the fifth part of the Centennial Lanes story, click here for more of his work! Part 5 doesn't deal much with metal, mostly concerning the walk home from a punk show headlined by classic local band The Reggulars, but read it too! This is great stuff that people should be more aware of, but I wonder what happened to the other parts of the Centennial Lanes story? I'll let you guys know if I hear more!

Next up, we have some new Kewadin Casino 25th Anniversary Summer Festival updates to share! Kewadin's Facebook page now features tons of photos from Bret Michaels, Vince Neil, Three Doors Down, and Meat Loaf's sets, and more! Good quality, but I have one major complaint about the photos: Most of them are sideways! That is a nuisance, but they're good photos, click here to check them out! SooNews.ca also has new Kewadin Festival-related stuff online, courtesy of a new article and video from Winging It! host Tami Fremlin! The video, which isn't embeddable, features some quality performance clips from the festival of Three Doors Down and assorted other events, as well as portions of interviews with many of the acts and performers, including members of Clownsack and Nixxon Dixxon, among many others! Tami asks good questions, though she has a soft voice that can be hard to hear on lower volumes. Expect to see extended versions of these interviews and pieces when the new episode of Winging It! come online on SooNews.ca. For now though, check out the video at this location!

Yes, there's also some new YouTube videos from the festival, though none are of the metal/hard rock performers. YouTube user tishialee uploaded two videos from Meat Loaf's set onto her channel, user pltreasures has a Meat Loaf video and two Three Doors Down clips, user daliellepeters has a parking lot video that shows the festival atmosphere and tents, and user Kylerawesome has a video of his band performing at the festival, named Attaca. Judging by their apparent ages and the stage setup, it looks like these guys were one of the "Rock Camp" youth groups that performed on the third stage on July 22nd and/or 23rd. And my assumption that the youth groups were from Shift guitarist Joey Beairl's Guitar Studio was a correct one, as you can see the upper half of the Guitar Studio logo in a banner on the far left of the stage in the Attaca video. These kids do have talent, so check out the video, but don't expect metal, as they cover The Ramones, The White Stripes, and Green Day in the clip. Click all of the above links for the newest Kewadin Festival footage!

Finally today, one more Kewadin Festival-related note. Remember the local band Elipzis that played at the festival on the Saturday as one of the Meat Loaf supporting bands? Well, I now know what's up with this band, and yes, they are SMS-coverable! The band consists of frontwoman Rachel Kiger, guitarist Chris Webster from the inactive Muskegon hard rock band Kilacel, bassist Ryan Harrison (former Riot! By Night frontman, more on that in a second), and drummer Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten, who you'll best recognize as Integrated System of Machines' original frontman! They only just launched a MySpace page on July 13th, and it doesn't mention Sault Ste. Marie at all, which probably explains why it's taken me so long to find out details on this band. Musically, they list influences ranging from Stuck Mojo, Fates Warning, and Iced Earth (I heavily approve!) to The Police and Johnny Cash! Interesting, especially with a female singer, that'll give the band a different flavour! Looks like these guys have a lot of promise, I now have them in the SMS band links, and I'll definitely try to update you guys on their upcoming shows and events from here on out!

Thanks to Ryan Harrison and the anonymous commenter on my June 29th post for some of the above information, as well as the above links! I have some cool stuff coming up on some of the bands and outfits related to Elipzis members in the next while, but I want to quickly add that yes, Ryan Harrison is no longer in Riot! By Night. Their MySpace page hasn't been recently updated at all, but I have heard rumours that Absolute, the band that most of Riot! By Night was in immediately beforehand, may be reuniting. I'll keep you posted if there's any truth to that, but it sucks that Riot! By Night may have ended, cause they sounded very promising and I heard nothing but good things about their shows!

That's all for today, my next post will (in all likelihood) be my next local metal CD review! Remember, it's an album from a band that I've already reviewed an album for, so get speculating! Stay tuned for that, and more, in the coming days!