Let's dive into some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) on this Sunday morning, mostly in Sault Michigan and the E.U.P., so here's what you should know!
Local metal/hard rock band Tarnished will play an acoustic matinee concert at Biggby Coffee THIS MORNING?! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page last night. While this gig may seem abnormal for some readers (Biggby is effectively Sault Michigan's answer to Tim Hortons), TODAY'S show is a return to Alex Traynor & Josh Fair's roots in this band, as Tarnished effectively started off in mid-2019 as a duo playing a weekly Thursday arrangement at the chain coffee shop, a series that continued off and on until the pandemic began in March 2020. The timing of TODAY'S concert leads me to wonder if there's a special event or occasion to warrant the booking, but I have not seen any confirmation of one on the band's or Biggby's end (maybe Cinco De Mayo?). At least they announced this concert in advance, unlike their acoustic Art Center gig that they played last month!
TODAY'S show takes place at the unusually early start time of 10:30 AM, but Tarnished's past Biggby shows (and Alex's prior solo dates there) usually started at 12:00 PM. No cover charge or age limit, but if the format is similar to 2019-20, Alex & Josh would be playing for "tips and coffee". Biggby is still located at 2502 Ashmun Street, near Goodwill and Bins Ahoy. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Alex and Josh (with much shorter hair) at Biggby Coffee five years ago!
Next up, Kewadin Casino have announced their concert slates for this month and next month at the Sault Ste. Marie and St. Ignace branches via their respective entertainment pages, which is a nice change of pace from their recent month-by-month schedule postings! The bands playing at both locations are largely not hard rock/metal-centric from what I have seen, but not counting this weekend's Fyrbird shows in the Soo, two heavier bands are coming to the regional branches in the next two months, starting with Traverse City metal trio Peril, who will return to The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace for shows on May 24th & 25th (yes, Memorial Day weekend) before returning on June 28th & 29th! This will mean that Peril have played in the E.U.P. for three straight months, following shows that I regrettably missed in this past weekend's concert previews, as they rocked The Rapids Lounge in the Soo this past weekend.
I'm not sure if these were late notice bookings or not, but when I last checked Kewadin's entertainment page for April shows, Peril were definitely not listed, so something went awry. I profusely apologize for missing Peril's Sault Ste. Marie dates on April 26th & 27th, but hopefully Jeff, Adam, and Brooks rocked the house on both nights! We definitely haven't missed Peril's next two weekends though, so if you're in St. Ignace/Mackinac County or are up for the hour's drive south, don't miss their old school hard rocking covers then! These shows (and last week's) are/were 9:00 PM events with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and apologies again for missing last week's shows!
Before finishing up the Kewadin announcements, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local skate punk trio Hails will headline at The Distraction on Sunday, May 19th! No word on if there's a significance to the date beyond taking place on the Victoria Day long weekend, but it does mirror their Sunday headline concert at the East Street barbershop-turned-concert venue in mid-March. This will be Ha!ls' first local concert since their Bay City, Michigan road trip last month, and if you want an excuse to get out and enjoy some ripping punk originals, you know where to go in two weeks! Like the March show, a solo artist will open for Hails here, but taking over for DJ Seith then is prolific local folk punk/extreme metal singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore in an increasingly rare live set. Good to see him back out there, and he should display his considerable guitar talents!
Note that the poster is likely just playing off Hails and "tales" rhyming, I don't believe they've changed their name to Hails From The Crypt. As usual for The Distraction, this is an all ages show with an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is on a "$5 or pay what you can" model. Visit the Facebook event page for more details on what should be a fun time for punk fans!
Lastly, the other new Kewadin Casino shows from a definitely hard rock-leaning band will come on Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st, when Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Rhythm & Brews return to The Rapids Lounge in the Soo! Last seen (as far as publically acknowledged shows go, at least) at the same locale over the I-500 weekend in February, readers and local music fans will more recently recognize guitarist Chris Hubbard sitting in on drums with the aforementioned Tarnished in some jam session clips. Assuming that we haven't missed shows that the band didn't publically advertise on social media, it will be good to see Brandon, the Chris', and Ron back at it at month's end (and beginning), so don't miss out on their own hard rocking cover slate! Like with Peril, these are 21+ & 9:00 PM gigs with no cover charge. See above for more details, and stay tuned for a big Kewadin show announcement on May 13th (teasers here!)
That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site as the week continues! Thanks everyone!
All video post on this Tuesday evening, including some recent concert videos from both the Soo and out of town, along with an apology for a recent missed show, but let's lead off with videos from two different bands at the same major venue in recent weeks!
Chris was not in the closest seating section, but he had a good central view of the stage and fans ahead of him, which especially works to the benefit of "Amigo" with all of the clapping in time with the song mid-way through! The audio on heavier stretches can be scratchy, which is nothing new, but softer parts come through nicely, and fans of The Glorious Sons should take to all of these videos, which you can watch above & below!
Next up, here's the latest from young local hard rock quartet Raincourt, and first off, I do have to apologize for missing a concert of theirs, as they played a publically attendable concert at the aforementioned Sault Community Theatre Centre this past Wednesday! The humongous venue is explained by it being on the campus of White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School (which Raincourt's members currently attend), and White Pines has been hosting a Coffee House concert series there during the 2021-22 school year, with last week's being their semester-closing event, including a show for students only at 1:00 PM and a show open to everyone at 7:00 PM. The main attractions were The White Pines Concert Band and their Mustang Sally-esque school group The Pine Tones (who feature all of the guys from Raincourt), but other student artists performed, including Raincourt proper. I profusely apologize for missing this show, hopefully it was a huge hit!
If you missed this event, never fear, as a video of Raincourt (sans face masks!) covering The Beatles' "Come Together" was uploaded to their Facebook page on Friday. Solid cover from a nice and close angle, with Elijah showing some nice grit & swagger with his vocals and stage presence, and everyone has a strong handle on this classic rock favourite! Give it a watch below, and apologies again for missing the White Pines Coffee House show last week on here!
Note that in the song introductions, J.D. first calls the band "Jack Spades" still (old habits die hard?), but later acknowledges that they used to be "Jack Spades SSM" before relocating. This set will be very familiar for local Jack Spades fans, as nothing here wasn't seen in their local sets in 2019, only the venue and two new faces will be different. Great video quality with multiple camera angles and a nice crooked angle of the stage and front row fans, and Daniel Rodbard & Tyler Reiner compliment J.D. & Daniel nicely here and on the new Toronto clip! More videos are teased to be forthcoming, but give all of these a look above & below!
Finally, here are three videos of new local acoustic hard rock duo Short & Sweet's opening set for Parabol at Soo Blaster this past weekend! Uploaded to frontman Cory Murchison's YouTube channel yesterday, these feature him and bandmate/fellow Skeyes of Seven alum Kyle Sweet covering Breaking Benjamin's "Forget It", Slipknot's "Vermilion Pt. 2", and as embedded below, a stripped down version of his old Sense of Truth song "Anything At All". Despite some jittery camera work, the videos are nicely angled and capture Cory and Kyle in a good element with some strong vocal & guitar work, and they'd definitely be added to our links if they got a Facebook page or something! Give these a watch above & below!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, continuing our monthly looks at local metal. hard rock, and punk bands from the past with surviving online pages, in order to spotlight their runs for current readers! I had originally planned to lead off this month's double profile with all-female Sault Ontario hard rock trio Apocrytha, but in looking at their MySpace page, it's downgraded even further from when I last logged it for our band links, and not even the pictures load there anymore! As such, I opted to replace them with the next closest un-featured alphabetical band in our defunct links that didn't have massive surviving information to warrant a solo profile. Now, here's what you should know on two randomly selected acoustic hard rock bands from both sides of the border!
2wo Man Baand (the spelling of their name is correct)
Genre: Improv/Hard Rock
Hometown:Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (they were co-listed as being from Stephen's hometown of Windsor, but were visibly based out of the Soo)
Members:
Elliott "Grudge/Oiyett" Corston-Pine, vocals/guitar Stephen "Speed" Quackenbush, guitar/vocals
Info/Analysis: Active locally circa 2006-2007, the 2wo Man Baand were influenced by
classic rock groups, but said that "we don't sound like anyone nor does
anyone sound like us". Elliott & Stephen pledged to make one or two
all-original albums a year, but only one 2006 song survives publically
today via Elliott's YouTube channel,
which sees the baand playing a promising hard rock instrumental named
"Sky High", though it was a departure from their more
comedic songs with vocals that were once on MySpace like
"Ripped Off Old Man" & "Duh Rock Star". The 2wo Man Baand were ahead
of their time considering how much attention metal duos got locally in
the 2010s, and hopefully Elliott & Stephen are still musically
active!
Audio/Video: None exists publically online, but an original song named "I Know" was uploaded to YouTube in March 2016, and while it is sadly now private, I did compliment it's heavy structure and driving nature despite the acoustic trappings. In their original run, they did release a demo EP, though it has likely been out of print for two decades. For members' later bands, I would recommend tracking down media from Tony Rogers' old band Electric Motor Fish, where he also played the djembe.
Info/Analysis: Featuring future I.S.O.M. and Clownsack bandmates, The Creepy Little Coffee People were originally active in the early 2000s, and had a reasonably successful run, playing multiple area concerts & even opening for some name touring bands, but most of this information predates social media. Their original lineup reunited in December 2015, and they did play at The Merchant's Bar in March 2016, but nothing followed the upload of "I Know", and they are believed to have dissolved for good by year's end. The C.L.C.P.'s laid back unplugged sound served them well and gave them an audience, and it's a shame their mid-2010s reunion didn't last longer!
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month, we're heading to Sault Ontario for a single band profile, as our randomly selected band will be mid-late 2010s hard rock quartet Eclipse! Look for that on or around September 10th, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
Another busy weekend of concerts is upon us to end February with, so much so that I have broken things into two posts, with this one focusing on hard rock acts playing today or tomorrow in some fashion. Our previews of this Saturday's 415E, Barely Covered, and (late notice) Project 906 concerts will be coming in our next post, with room for another short notice booking if it crosses our wires. Now, here's what you should know to start off the weekend, starting with acts with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!
Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another matinee show there TODAY, but while we're on the subject, let's add their March slate of Thursday gigs to our concert calendar as well! Unless the band or venue says anything to the contrary (remember, every Thursday), look for Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) to rock the Ashmun Street coffee shop with unplugged cover sets on March 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. Tarnished have been very quiet on social media in the past month+, but assuming there's nothing wrong, Alex and crew should have another great batch of hard rocking afternoon tunes in store, so keep these Thursday afternoons in mind! Today's and next month's shows are all 12:00 PM affairs with no cover charges or age limits. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Restaurant for his own regular supper-time matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY, sandwiching his latest return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but like with Tarnished, that's not all! With March approaching just as fast up here, I'll add Tym's own March slate to our concert calendar today, including returns to Gliss for more weekend sets there on March 6th-7th, 13th-14th, 20th-21st, and 27th-28th. Meanwhile, Tym will play consecutive Fridays at The Roadhouse when he rocks the Trunk Road nightclub again next Friday, March 6th, while returning there once more on March 27th. Finally, Tym will play his third (and last?) announced matinee date at Northern Superior Brewing Company's on-site tap room on Saturday, March 14th. Busy month as usual for this veteran solo artist, so keep all of these dates in mind!
The Gliss shows are all at 6:00 PM, the Roadhouse shows are at 10:00 PM, and the Northern Superior show is at 3:00 PM. None of these have announced cover charges, and while only the Roadhouse has a firm age limit, mind the locales elsewhere. Tym's hard rocking cover selection should go over well at each venue next month, plus at Gliss this weekend and at The Roadhouse tomorrow. so visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and here's Tym live!
Also this weekend, new local hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their LopLops Lounge debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for Kawartha Lakes alt-rock quartet Heaps and Hamilton indie rockers Basement Revolver in those bands' own local debuts! With their own comparatively heavier, classic rock-influenced sound, The Uncanny Valley are somewhat outliers on the bill tomorrow, but this should be a great showcase to see this rising young group at a popular downtown locale, and they should set the tone before the touring bands hit the stage tomorrow night! Heaps and Basement Revolver aren't heavy acts, but each bring their own atmospheric and accessible sound to the LopLops stage, so whether you like your alternative music with more melody or trance elements, definitely give both bands a listen to see what they have in store! This stop on Heaps' Live Debut Tour has a 19+ age limit, a $10 cover charge, and a likely 9:00 PM start time.
For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's a new video of The Uncanny Valley that was posted on their Facebook page earlier this week! A short jam session clip where they play their newer original "This Love Is Psychedelic", this again harbours 1970s hard rock influences to good effect, but the angle is way too tight and not optimally angled to capture the guys (Adam's not in frame at all!) The song sounds good while it lasts, so give it a listen below!
Finally for today's concert preview post, local alt-punk cover trio Handsome Sandwich will return to The Rockstar Bar in a rare weekend bar band capacity via headlining dates TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at Room 21 in unplugged format, this will be Johnny, Jesse, and James' first electric concert since their late notice fill-in date at The Rockstar Bar four weeks ago, but with advance notice and more time to prepare, this weekend's concerts should be even better for them and fans alike! With their eclectic cover selection and sense of humour, these will be can't miss events for fans, so keep tomorrow & Saturday night's shows under advisement! As usual for The Rockstar Bar, these are 19+ concerts with 10:00 PM start times and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich at Acoustic Heartstrings!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our 415E, Barely Covered, and Project 906 concert previews next! Thanks everyone!
Another busy concert weekend is upon us, so we're breaking up our previews into two posts once again! Due to the amount, we're bumping Saturday night's Tom Keifer/Kix and Bon Jovi Forever concerts to our next post, coming either tonight or tomorrow, with other news and/or short notice show announcements rounding things out there. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend in rough chronological order!
We'll start with the expected continuation of Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee, as we should see them back for another matinee acoustic concert TODAY! Unfortunately, neither the band nor venue have plugged any installments of this series on social media this month, but when the shows don't really change week to week, maybe they don't feel they have to regularly, barring a change or timing perk. "Every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, I would assume! Look for Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) at the Ashmun Street establishment once again this afternoon at 12:00 PM rocking out for tips and coffee, and as usual, this is an all ages event with no cover. Tarnished have a strong hard rock base and clear talent, so whether this is Alex alone or with company, don't miss out! See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live at Biggby Coffee last year!
Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Ontario, where another weekly run of acoustic matinee concerts continues TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Gliss Restaurant courtesy of prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison! However, that's not all, as Tym will play his second concert at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site taproom THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON, so you have three chances to see Tym's acoustic covers downtown this weekend! Tym's Gliss run is long established for fans, but he only just debuted at the 50 Pim Street brewery last month, and by accounts I have read, that show was a hit. Another usually busy weekend is in store for Tym and his fans, so keep all of the action on Pim and Spring in mind for these two days! The Gliss gigs are at 6:00 PM sandwiching Saturday's Northern Superior show at 3:00 PM, and while these don't have stated age limits or cover charges, mind the locales. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!
Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Rockstar Bar for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Not counting last week's fill-in as hosts of Mojo's weekly jam night, this will be their first true concert weekend since rocking the Reggievelt three weeks ago, and this will mark their Rockstar Bar debut with their current lineup, last playing there before Cameron joined. Soundcheck proper have not verified these shows publically, but the venue's Facebook event page has that covered, so look for another strong weekend of hard rocking and increasingly varied covers from this veteran outfit tomorrow and/or Saturday! No word as of yet on Soundcheck's next gigs after this weekend, we'll keep you posted when the band or venues announce anything, hopefully with reasonable notice. As usual for Soundcheck's Rockstar Bar gigs, these shows have 10:00 PM-ish start times, no cover charges, and age limits of 19 or older. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert last year!
Finally for today's concert preview post, we'll head back to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch! Last seen in the E.U.P. when Scarkazm played at this same venue early last month, this is the second of three straight months where they're coming to the Soo for a full weekend of hard hitting cover action, though their sister band Peril were just in St. Ignace last week (video footage forthcoming.) Adam, Dave, and Jeff should have another great weekend of tunes in store for local fans this weekend, so don't miss out on either night this weekend! As usual for their local road trips, expect Scarkazm to be on at 9:00 PM both nights, with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges in effect. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live in concert in their own right!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Hair Scare Live and Bon Jovi Forever previews (and more) on the site next! Thanks everyone!
Before we begin today's weekend concert preview post, just two quick notes. One is that The Rad Zone re-opens at 721 Queen Street East (the former Foch Cleaners) TOMORROW at 10:00 AM, so head downtown to see how the new storefront looks and to buy some wares once again! I hope to be in myself shortly. The other note relates to this busy weekend's concert previews, as we'll be holding this weekend's Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concerts for tomorrow's post due to their relatively later scheduling. Look for them then, and now, here's what you should know for half of the hard rock shows this weekend, all with advance notice!
We'll start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members therein) are expected to continue their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Alex and company have yet to post an update on their Facebook page in the month of February, and the venue hasn't newly plugged an acoustic matinee for this week either, but "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, and both band and venue have went weeks between advertising gigs in this arrangement. As such, expect Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) to be on hand with more unplugged hard rock covers for tips and coffee, so don't miss out on their well received tunes this afternoon! As usual, this show has an early 12:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, a handful of familiar faces will gather at Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT for a Valentine's Day-themed concert called Acoustic Heartstrings! What originally began as just a seasonal concert has developed extra resonance this month, as Room 21's sister barbecue restaurant Low & Slow (located downstairs) have announced that they are leaving 480 Albert Street West after Friday. The restaurant will re-open on February 21st at 648 Queen Street East (the former J. Caroline's location), and while their announcements did not elaborate on Room 21's future, Acoustic Heartstrings co-promoter Daniel Horton indicated on the Facebook event page that he believes that "this is the last night for Room 21", which has been open since the fall of 2017. I don't know if Low & Slow plans to host concerts in some form in their new location, but hopefully the downtown locale is a boost for their business and operations, even if concerts don't continue there!
As for the concert proper, the three acts are advertised to take part, with the advertised headliners being Big Mistake, the new local acoustic pop rock quartet featuring the aforementioned Daniel Horton on guitar alongside singers Robert Nevitt (ex-Re:Born) & Taylor Emlaw, plus fellow guitarist Rick Atkins. You can hear Big Mistake cover Justin Timberlake's "Say Something" at this link, and while they are a big departure from Dan & Rob's better known projects, they have a lot of talent on hand! Resurgent alternative/punk trio Handsome Sandwich are fittingly sandwiched in the middle slot for this rare unplugged set, and the guys should adapt themselves well to the more intimate setting! Finally, the advertised openers are another debuting new band from Daniel Horton, they being his new hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads, reuniting him with his old Haggith and/or Eclipse bandmates Curtis McKenzie, Caleb Cachagee, and Chris Thompson after 2+ years apart.
While not a fully representative debut set for The Bridge Heads (see them plugged in opening for First Jason in April), this should be a fine way for them to shake off the stage rust, so don't be late! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover, and doors open at 9:00 PM tomorrow. It's sad to see Room 21 close up shop after 2½ years as a reliable source for live musical entertainment in a more casual locale, but hopefully Acoustic Heartstrings sends the venue off on the right notes! See the above links for more on the move/closure and this concert, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!
Finally for today's previews, we'll head downtown to Gliss Restaurant, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return for his usual acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After a busy weekend with four shows at three locales, Tym is only visibly scheduled to play at Gliss over the Valentine's Day weekend, and given that the big day is tomorrow, might Tym have some love songs ready to cover for the occasion? In any event, his covers always deliver a positive reception, so if you want some dinner-time cover action, you know where to go! As always, tomorrow & Saturday's Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live last year!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
In what may be our last full news post of the month, we have updates from a newer local band, a preview of a special touring musical event, and leading off, LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) and related concert previews as we get an early jump on this weekend's concert previews! With all of that said, here's what you should know!
Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished have a busy few days ahead, including their previously announced acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Signatures Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch and full band gigs at The Double D Bar & Grill at Dondee Lanes on FRIDAY & SATURDAY, but there are new confirmations to note as well! First up,we can now confirm that their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee is alive and well, despite going weeks between plugging shows there, as the band confirmed another show there for THIS THURSDAY in their latest Facebook page post. As it turns out, the coffee shop's Facebook page plugged Tarnished (well, Alex solo) as playing there "every Thursday" last week on short notice, marking the first firm confirmation that the arrangement was alive and well since early December. Maybe the lack of online advertising is reflective of the Biggby run not really changing week to week?
In any event, I profusely apologize for missing the past 6 weeks (assuming there were no breaks) for Tarnished's Biggby run on here, but alas, the shows were not being advertised by band or venue during that time on social media. With that in mind, I have added Tarnished (be it Alex solo or with Josh/Nathan) to our concert calendar for Biggby concerts on THURSDAY and then on February 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th! All are 12:00 PM matinees with no cover charges or age limits, and see above for more details! Of course, you can see Alex (and company?) unplugged at Kewadin tomorrow in a rare Wednesday nighter (6:00 PM, 21+, no cover), plus their Dondee stops with the full roster this weekend (9:00 PM, 21+, no cover), but their previously announced Thursday night show at Moloney's Alley (coinciding with the I-500 pub crawl) has quietly been cancelled for unannounced reasons, as per their removal from the venue's Facebook event page, though Tarnished themselves never confirmed that booking. Hopefully nothing bad happened, but the pub crawl proper is still on!
Lastly for Tarnished, their I-500 association doesn't end there, as they will be performing unplugged at the I-500 beer tent THIS SATURDAY! A timeslot wasn't given, leading me to believe this is more of an informal jam, so I won't include it in our concert listings, but if you're at the annual snowmobile race this weekend, look for Alex and crew under the tent! Visit the above links for more details, apologies again, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, this isn't a concert per say, but I'd be hard pressed to not acknowledge this on the site, as the North American touring production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You will perform at GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ontario TOMORROW NIGHT! Eight months removed from St. Mary's College's student production of this same musical, the real thing will bring this dystopian tale about rising against the oppressive ruling class to life, as set to two dozen classic Queen songs. I'm not a huge musical buff, but this should be a great time for fans of Queen and classic rock, and the over-the-top theatrical nature and skilled actors should provide ample entertainment! Besides, it's not often when a touring production like this gets performer interviews from two different local news sources (click here & here for SooToday & The Sault Star's separate coverage.) Presented by Annerin Productions, tickets for this ALL AGES and 7:00 PM show run for between $69.50 & $89.50.
You can buy them at this link, at the Gardens' in-person box office, or at 1-866-775-9422. Between the two We Will Rock You productions and Queen: It's A Kinda Magic coming here in June, this is a good time to be a Queen fan in Sault Ste. Marie, so check the above links for more details on tomorrow's touring production, and if you can swing tit, don't miss out!
Finally for today, here's the latest from newer local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek, who have been hard at work in studio in the last month, while also hitting the stage three weeks ago at Reggie's West during one of blues rock veterans Mojo's weekly jam nights. The Halfway Loaded successors haven't shown their cards towards what specifically they're up to in the studio, let alone when they might make their formal concert debut, but their Facebook page is loaded with recent teases. Bassist Robin "Bones" Lee shared not one, but two more covers of Thriving Ivory's "Angels on the Moon" onto his YouTube channel this month (making three total there), while he's featured in this Facebook video from earlier today where he's "dialing in a sound." Solid playing from this local veteran, and the Thriving Ivory covers sound solid! Embedded below though is a new preview video for the band at large, as shared onto The Wicked Wire's YouTube channel on Sunday.
For the record, I don't know what The Wicked Wire refers to (possibly an old band name?) The video features monochrome still images of band members, logos, and even a map showing where Fort Creek is, as set to audio recordings from their recent jamming, primarily Pink Floyd's "Time" and Luke Combs' "Can I Get An Outlaw". Solid teaser of what's to come, and 2020 looks like it will be a big year for Fort Creek, assuming all goes according to plan! Give it a look below, and see more above!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and this month's CD review shortly! Thanks everyone!
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday! We are back with previews of the last hard rock concerts of 2019, but we aren't done here, as due to the amount, I am holding our preview of Saturday night's Cover-Up show at LopLops for our next formal news post, hopefully coming by tomorrow. Don't worry, it;'s coming! Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend off, including some attached LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!
We'll start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another matinee concert TODAY! Remember, Boxing Day is not an observed holiday in the United States, and neither band nor venue have confirmed any break, so the coffee shop should be open as usual. While we're on the subject, let's add Tarnished's likely January 2020 gigs there to our calendar today, so unless someone says otherwise, look for Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) there on January 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th. Fans of this talented group's acoustic incarnation should be glad to see more of them on Thursday afternoons in the new year! As usual, expect 12:00 PM start times today and next month, no cover charges and no age limits, while their last show of 2019 (at Moloney's Alley on Tuesday) will be covered on the site in the coming days. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local acoustic hard rock musician Tym Morrison will play his third and second-last shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Gliss Restaurant! Like Tarnished, Tym will be back at Gliss on Tuesday for New Year's Eve (separate preview forthcoming), but if you prefer his earlier supper-time matinees on the usual days, you can expect more of the same at the Spring Street restaurant this weekend, so don't miss out before 2020 rolls around! Speaking of which, we might as well add Tym's own January dates to our calendar also, so look for him back there on January 3rd-4th, 10th-11th, 17th-18th, 24th-25th, and 31st-February 1st. For what it's worth, Tym's new Facebook event page for Gliss gigs only goes until January 4th, but given his busy long-term scheduling, I wouldn't worry beyond that date unless given reason otherwise. His wide setlist and strong talent will be on full display this weekend & next month!
As usual for Tym's many, many Gliss matinee concerts, expect this weekend's and next month's to have 6:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that this is a formal sit-down restaurant, not a nightclub. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!
Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Esquire Club for previously announced concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not their last booking of the year (stay tuned for details on their late notice New Year's Eve gig), this will be their last regular concert weekend of 2019, and their first at The Esquire Club in two months. Also, these will be their fourth & fifth shows with new singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver, following Toystock and the Reggievelt gigs two weeks ago that the band didn't publically promote anew at the time. The Facebook event page says that "a few changes have been made", so beyond Cameron, what are they getting at? New covers, or are other things afoot? Find out tomorrow and/or Saturday! These are 10:00 PM gigs with no entry fee and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!
Finally for today's previews, let's head to The Rockstar Bar, where reunited ska-punk/hard rock band Tripod the Dog will return to cap off 2019 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! It's hard to keep track of T.T.D. updates when they don't have an actively maintained online page, but as far as I can tell, these will be Mark and the Amendolas' first public gigs in three months, and first at The Rockstar Bar since April. We don't see the new look Tripod the Dog often, so their concerts are even bigger deals as a result, and they should put on a good show as usual this weekend! Note that bassist John Amendola's personal Facebook page revealed that they will be joined this weekend by a special guest, namely Piero Tucci, a friend of John's who has been a steady presence in jazz and R&B circles for over 15 years, and plays the saxophone, keyboard, and accordion. Given Tripod the Dog's ska roots, Piero playing the saxophone makes a lot of sense!
Click here for more about Piero, who currently lives in Great Britain, but is home for the holidays, one assumes. As usual for Rockstar Bar-hosted local cover band events, this has a 9:00 PM-ish start time, no cover charger, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details om this talented group's latest gigs, and while we wait for a public video of theirs, here's Tripod the Dog's song from "Local Steel"!
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our newest YouTube Channel Profile next, with our Cover-Up preview and more to follow! Thanks everyone!
The concert weekend before Christmas is upon us, so let's begin this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews today! Due to the expected higher amount of shows in the coming days, I am holding our previews of Saturday night's Rising Tide and Oh!Noel concerts for tomorrow's post, perhaps with late notice announcements if confirmed. Now, here's what you should know to start off this weekend, in rough chronological order!
We'll lead off in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another matinee gig TODAY! Unless there's a holiday break to acknowledge on Boxing Day, this will be Tarnished's penultimate Biggby concert of 2019, and this should be another fine opportunity for fans and patrons to take in Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) delivering another afternoon of hard rocking covers before Christmas proper! As usual for this lengthy run at the Ashmun Street coffee-shop, expect no cover charges or age limits today, and this starts at 12:00 PM once again. Of course, don't forget that Tarnished will close the year with a special 3-man acoustic show at Moloney's Alley on New Year's Eve, if you want a more traditional show. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!
Next up, let's hop north to Sault Ontario, where local indie/punk quintet Northwest will return to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! This will cap off an eventful yet quiet year from this veteran band, who are still riding high following their Timmins festival gig this summer, but have only played twice in city limits this year, and just once with the full band. The holidays would seem like an ideal time for Northwest to get back in the swing of things, but will teases of new studio material in 2020 lead to some new songs for the occasion tomorrow? New local punk supergroup The Sick Sons (featuring 12 Gauge Ready & Downshift alumni) will make their LopLops debut as openers tomorrow, in just their third live appearance and first at a show with no touring headliners. This talented ensemble should deliver some high energy punk covers for the occasion, so don't be late for their set! This visibly self-promoted show has a 9:00 PM start time, a 10:00 start time, and a $10 cover.
LopLops fans have a great weekend of local punk rock ahead (look for our Tide preview tomorrow), so look to start things on the right foot with these local punk and alternative music mainstays! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Northwest live!
Also this weekend, local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street is expected to continue as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After this weekend, the former Caveman Morrison frontman only has three shows left at Gliss in 2019 (next weekend's regular matinees and New Year's Eve), so if you want to see him before the holiday, you know where to go, and who knows if he'll have any Christmas songs in his setlist! Expect more of the same high quality entertainment there from Tym this weekend, with 6:00 PM matinee start times, no cover charges, and no stated age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Also, we'll add his January shows at Gliss to our concert calendar next week. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live!
Finally for today's previews, let's return to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be the final Soo-area concerts of 2019 for any of Jeff & Adam's linked bands, so if you can't wait to see Scarkazm on the January 3rd weekend at The Rapids Lounge, you may want to take the hour's drive to St. Ignace for their high impact metal covers over these two nights! As usual for Scarkazm's Kewadin bookings, expect these to have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. For what it's worth, their sister band Peril will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the end of January, though Scarkazm won't be until at least the spring. 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 Oh!Noel and Rising Tide previews (and more?) on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
With the holidays approaching ever faster, we have a busy weekend of concerts ahead, so we are breaking this weekend's previews into two posts. Bands with advance notice gigs on Saturday (re: Theatre of Night, Soundcheck, and Tym Morrison) will be covered in our next post, but for now, let's dive into bands involved in SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, plus one-nighters today and tomorrow. Here's what you should know!
Local funk metal band The Strange Coyotes will reunite for the first time in over 5 years TONIGHT at the temporarily re-opened Dryer Fire pop-up venue at 128 Bruce Street! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via singer/guitarist Chase Wigmore's solo Facebook page last week. This is not the first time that this band has announced a reunion, as Chase and bassist James Watterworth had planned to reunite for Chase's cancelled Devil's Night concert last year, but TONIGHT's show looks to proceed as advertised. It's great to see them back, but details are admittedly scant on the Facebook event page. As Mike moved out of province, will there be a new drummer? Are any other acts playing? Is this a one-off reunion, or can we expect more Strange Coyotes gigs in 2020? In any event, this is the only metal-featured concert in Dryer Fire's two week return engagement on Bruce Street, and this show has a 6:00 PM start time, a "pay what you can" entry model, and no age limit, as usual at the pop-up gigs.
The Strange Coyotes had a fun and eclectic set during their original run that produced two albums, and whether or not this is a full time reunion, it will be cool seeing Chase & James back to do their thing again TONIGHT! Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Strange Coyotes live! Also, Dryer Fire are now linked in our "Other Local Metal Links" section (not with concert venues due to the short-term rental nature of the Bruce Street locale.)
Next up, local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Whiskey Barrel! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Monday. The Elements' side project had taken a three week break while singer Christina Speers acted in the local production of Cats (as the band promoted on their Facebook page), and this will be their first public concert set at the Gore Street nightclub since The Whiskey Barrel's first anniversary party on November 16th. A stop at their arguably favourite public concert venue should be a great way to shake off some cobwebs, so don't miss The Stallyns' eclectic cover selection on SATURDAY! As usual for their shows here, expect an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charges, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more on their return to the stage, and here they are live!
Moving on to shows with advance notice, let's take a brief detour to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members thereof) will continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Another afternoon's worth of hard hitting and classic covers should be in store for coffee-shop patrons and fans alike, and whether you're getting Alex alone or Alex with Nathan or Josh, you should be in good musical hands! As usual for this long-term run at the Ashmun Street business, today's show is a 12:00 PM matinee with no cover charge or age limits, but remember that Tarnished traditionally play here for tips (and coffee.) Visit the above links for more information on today's show if it comes in, and here's Tarnished live!
Finally for today's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will return to The New American Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! As previously announced via the venue's Facebook event page, Fluid 5ive actually did update their Facebook page after a three month break to plug this show, as well as an apparent concert at The Marconi Event Centre on Albert Street West one week ago. Given the nature of the hall and the events it tends to hold, plus the lack of advertising on social media for any Marconi Club concerts last week, I am inclined to believe that was a private event, but I'll let you know if that assumption is wrong. In any event, I'm glad to see that the 5ive are using their Facebook page again, you'd think they would want to given their uptick in gigs to end 2019! As usual, tomorrow's New A show is a one-off due to the venue's Saturday karaoke nights. An 8:00 PM start time is in effect, you must be 19 or older to attend, and there is no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Fluid 5ive live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Soundcheck, Theatre of Night, and Tym Morrison previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
