LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck), New Concert Videos, And More!!

Before we begin today's news post. I wanted to apologize for missing a pair of recent EUP concerts for coverage on the SMS. Firstly, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished reportedly played a second outdoor concert at American Legion Park in St. Ignace earlier today at 1:00 PM, separate (but still organized by the folks behind) the town's summer concert series, which they played at yesterday. The band only announced the added matinee on their Facebook page last night, too late for me to rush it into a post. I'm assuming that today's rainy forecast didn't impair the show, as I didn't hear about a late cancellation, but regardless, I do apologize for missing it even with the late notice! The other show, I really should have caught wind of, as Sault Ste. Marie promoters Serious Business brought another eclectic multi-act show to the basement of Pizza Hut on the Business Spur on July 18th.

The concert saw Detroit experimental band The Hum and Muskegon post-punk duo The Mollusks make their way north, alongside local acoustic folk openers Shae Tull (by way of Sault Ontario) and Kevin Blakeney. Not the most hard rock/punk-centric bill, but it did have The Mollusks, so I should have caught wind of this concert prior, and I apologize for that. Hopefully that Serious Business show and Tarnished's bonus matinee were both hits for artists and venues alike, and we'll have more from both soon!

Now, today's post is start of a big clean-out of accumulated news, videos, and announcements from last month that got delayed by busy weekend concert previews and our concert reviews from last month, and we'll start today with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month, as Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet (quintet?) Soundcheck will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only on Friday, August 28th! A relatively rare stop at this Great Northern Road nightclub, this show was first announced in the venue's August concert calendar on their Facebook page on Wednesday. Soundcheck proper may not corroborate the booking on social media at all, as their haven't posted on their own Facebook page for any reason since May. You'd think they'd want to hype up their Drag Race Nationals gig in Chapleau with Separate Wayz in mid-August, at least, but we shall see how things go for updates this month!

As always for The Water Tower Pub, this is a one-nighter, and the Saturday the 29th band there will be southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, who already announced that show on their own. Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny (and the new synth player?) will be on that night at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

We'll close today with new videos, starting with a trip west to The Up & Down Lounge for videos from the first solo musician to play there during their Thursday summer concert series, courtesy of their Facebook page! As you may know, Tym Morrison played there this week, but for the first two Thursdays, the honours went to Dodge This/ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer, who was filmed playing covers at both gigs. On July 16th, the patio party had to be moved indoors due to that day's severely poor air quality, but musicians at The Up & Down Lounge were always playing inside anyway, and you get a look more at the fans than Jason in this 12 seconds-long clip of him playing keyboard that evening. A 31 seconds-long video of Jay covering Shinedown's "Symptom Of Being Human" (also on keyboard) was shared too, with a hard-coded caption above him plugging their Thursday musician search.

The other videos are from this batch post featuring media from the July 23rd concert. Jason is faintly heard on vocals & guitar in three sub-12 seconds videos there promoting the on-site Pizza Wagon by the patio, but I can't make out the song(s?) in any of them. Two slightly longer videos show him on camera, including a keyboard cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist", and as embedded below, a guitar cover of Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)". The short lengths aren't ideal, let alone the on-screen captions, but it is good seeing Jason out there during Dodge This' ongoing break, and while most of the covers aren't songs I personally love, he performs them well, so check these out above & below!

We'll come full circle today by heading south to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet The Nameless headlined at The Driftwood Sports Bar on June 26th during the St. Ignace Car Show weekend! The venue shared two videos of their set to their Facebook page that night, and despite being shot and uploaded during the show, neither was a live-stream. Thank goodness, as we can still watch them now! One video is just 7 seconds long, and focuses on the turnout in the bar rather than The Nameless' cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army". Embedded below though is the longer and more band-centric of the two videos (if still only 20 seconds long), which sees the guys covering 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite". Of note, bassist Mike East was not seen on camera for this cover, and I have no idea if he missed the Driftwood show entirely or just sat out this song.

The short lengths, vertical framing, and complete lack of band focus on the White Stripes cover don't make these ideal looks at this talented group (let alone Mike E.'s apparent absence), but what we hear is soundly performed, and it definitely looks like they had a solid crowd on a packed weekend in Mackinac County! Give these a watch for yourselves above & below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

Downtown Street Party & St. Ignace Car Show Weekend Concert Previews!!

Thanks in part to the St. Ignace Car Show and Canada Day being mid-week this year, the last weekend of June 2026 is very busy, so much so that I'll have to break up this weekend's hard rock concert previews into three posts! As such, our previews of this weekend's Peril, Stones & Crows, Tarnished, A.S.D.P., Bone Yard 225, and Generations shows will be in our next two news posts, with today's focusing on shows taking place tonight and tomorrow. Let's get things rolling with tonight's festivities in Sault Ontario!

The first downtown street party on Queen Street East for 2026 goes down TODAY, so what can you expect? While the City of Sault Ste. Marie has taken over development of these events from the former Downtown Association, things will be similar to past downtown street parties, with Queen Street being closed from Pim to Brock Street to enable vendors, bands, family activities, and beverage gardens to pop up for the occasion, with business in this block also opening, many with deals. Click here for full details on what to expect! Musically speaking, there is only one SMS-leaning band playing today, specifically newer local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow in just their third public concert, so if you want to check out this supergroup's take on the grunge/alternative icons, head downtown! They'll be playing on the "Brock Street Stage" and are listed as the middle band in social media promotion.

Also playing tomorrow are Half Scoundies (Josh & Todd from The Golden Scoundrels in an acoustic folk/country set, as last seen at Go Skate Day) and classic rock veterans The Cloud Bandits. Meanwhile, the "Pim Street Stage" will feature sets from rocakabilly cover trio The Steeltown Playboys, classic rock staples Angry Joe & The Growlers, and Mustang Heart keyboardist/singer Vito Tassone, and they are spaced far enough apart where music won't be fighting to be heard at either end. The street party goes down tomorrow from 6:30-11:00 PM, this is absolutely an all ages event, and it has no cover charge. 9&10 News is calling for temperatures of 14-17° tomorrow night, and while there is a chance of rain through the 9:00 PM hour, the You Belong SSM Facebook page assures everyone that the party will go on rain or shine. I'd say be prepared for the elements regardless, but hopefully things stay dry!

Visit the above links for more on what should be a fun evening of entertainment, and for a preview, here's the first public video of Even Flow, courtesy of their Facebook page on Monday! The jam session clip sees them covering Pearl Jam's "Animal", as filmed by singer/Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers while singing. The tight camera angles mean that Rob has to pan around for the duration to capture everyone in view (including himself), but it's a well handled cover of this early Pearl Jam classic, and not an obvious song that gets modern radio over-play, so look for this(?) and more tonight!

Next up, let's take an hour's drive south to St. Ignace, Michigan for some of the concert action taking place this weekend in conjunction with the St. Ignace Car Show! As this is the 50th anniversary of this popular car show, there's lots of activities happening in town for the next few days, and The Driftwood Sports Bar is capitalizing again like they did for Bronco The Mac, with three days of live music at their 590 North State Street headquarters. Coinciding with TONIGHT'S cruise night, The Driftwood will welcome back Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird for a Thursday night encore almost three weeks later, and with lots of folks in Mackinac County for the car show alone, hopefully there is another sizeable crowd at The Driftwood for Jamie and Rikk's hard hitting slate of rock favourites! Like earlier this month, tonight's Fyrbird concert is at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fyrbird live there!

Finally for today's preview post, we'll stay at The Driftwood Sports Bar, who are tripling up live music this weekend like they did for Bronco The Mac, and like then, this includes DJs on Saturday night. However, they will have another familiar hard rock band gracing their stage TOMORROW NIGHT, namely Sault Michigan cover quartet The Nameless! Leading out from tomorrow's annual Down Memory Lane Parade of classic cars, this is the first show on their most recent schedule posting on their Facebook page, and marks their first publically advertised show in St. Ignace in two years, believe it or not. Hopefully their Driftwood debut proves to be a success for Josh, Mike M., Mike E., and Jamie, and that it sets the tone well for their private booking on Saturday night! Their next currently advertised public show is in the Soo late next month. The Nameless will also be up at 9:00 PM tomorrow with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more on The Driftwood's car show weekend slate, and here's The Nameless covering Chevelle live!

That's all for now, but barring a late notice announcement of some type, our next post will preview this weekend's Tarnished, Stones & Crows, Peril, and Bone Yard 225 concerts, so look for that next, with Generations and A.S.D.P. to follow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fyrbird & Nate's Chow) Plus More Recent News & Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a concert on Saturday on here that ended up being called off anyway. New local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe were supposed to play a free hour-long set outside of Long & McQuade that day at 3:00 PM for the McDonald Avenue chain music store's customer appreciation day (beginning at noon), but the store's Facebook page confirmed that it was postponed due to the unpredictable weather, and it did indeed rain heavily at points on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully Long & McQuade do indeed reschedule this event for fans and customers alike! Now, here's some recent assorted updates, and kicking things off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P.!

The Sault Michigan hard rock cover band once known as Unfortunate Sun will end their recent break by headlining at The Islander Bar in Hessel on Friday, August 7th! This show comes five months after frontman Skip Parish stepped away from the band, and after teasing a name change to simply "Unfortunate" in April as part of their effective relaunch, they have settled on Nate's Chow, combining the names of Unfortunate Sun and their predecessors Fake Chow. "Nate" is the AI-generated beaver in their recent promotional images, implying that he will be their mascot going forward (for better or worse, Unfortunate Sun embraced AI art for their concert posters and schedules, and unlike the name, that hasn't changed). Unless "Nate" is representing a mystery lead singer to be announced, their Facebook page lists the band as a trio, with Jody, Brett, and Jason all credited on vocals.

How will the new look Nate's Chow fare at The Islander Bar in two months, especially as they haven't played there since December? Time will tell, but hopefully this is a successful return/relaunch! This 21+ concert will take place at 8:00 PM with no announced cover charge, and while it takes place the night of the Les Cheneaux Islands Car Show On The Bay, that will be based out of nearby Cedarville. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, let's take the half hour drive southwest from Hessel to St. Ignace, where Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will return for a special Thursday night concert at The Driftwood Sports Bar on September 17th! Like with the previously-covered Tarnished show on Friday, September 18th (that Saturday will have DJs), Fyrbird are returning to Mackinac County for that weekend's Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show. The Driftwood are happy to book bands on St. Ignace vehicle show weekends this year, with Fyrbird already playing during/after Bronco The Mac and also during next week's car show, so clearly this tie-in is working! Like their other Driftwood shows this year, Jamie & Rikk will rock out at 9:00 PM that night with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, so visit the above links for more on Fyrbird's St. Ignace shows ahead! While we're on the subject, three videos from Fyrbird's Bronco The Mac weekend show were posted on The Driftwood's Facebook page!

Alas, the videos are all vertical, around 12 seconds long apiece, and filmed distantly from the stage, with attendees at the bar more prominent than Fyrbird themselves. They're just background noise in this clip, while this video appears to show them covering Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", but they're not focused on compared to bar patrons. The best of the three (featuring their cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell") at least zones in on dancing fans near the stage, and you do get Jamie singing on it. What we hear sounds good and tight for their duo setup, but if only these videos were longer, closer, and horizontal! Give them a watch above and below!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

 

• I have moved Sault Ontario death metal quintet Bardos (née Bardo) to our inactive band links. The Them spinoff (led by Heavy North Entertainmnent promoter Tyler St. Amour) have not posted on their Facebook page for reasons other than plugging H.N.E. events since October 2024, a few weeks after their sole gig opening for Selias at the former Soo Blaster. They had a promising lineup, and hopefully we hear more from Tyler, Danielle, the Christophers, and Travis in due course! As their public activity largely predated their name change, they'll be listed in our inactive links as Bardo, but I'll re-add the S if they come back with that name.
• Local hard rock cover band Half Past have parted ways with drummer Johnny Amendola, as per their Facebook page on May 21st. Since their most recent gig at Beck's Bar on New Year's Eve, Johnny has joined both Soundcheck and Separate Wayz, and even if things are 100% amicable with Half Past, that obviously eats into his availability. Half Past are looking for a new drummer that is able to rehearse once a week and perform "a handful of times per year", and has means of transportation. If you're interested in trying out behind the kit, message Half Past above, but kudos to Johnny for helping Jordan, Al, and Art in their return as a live act since 2023!
• Also newly moved to our inactive band links are Half Past's acoustic side project The Isolation Sessions, who last updated their Facebook page to thank everyone for seeing them at the Helping Hearts For Helping Hands fundraiser at the Grand Gardens Downtown in March of last year, which was both their public concert debut and the reason for their public revival after a three+ year hiatus. This pandemic-birthed unplugged act always had promise given their Half Past ties, and hopefully we see Jordan and Al back at it soon! 
• After four years of only opening for private and specialty bookings, The Rockstar Bar has properly re-opened, as per recent social media marketing! Their Facebook page notes that the patio is open for the summer, and that they are currently running with a live DJ on Saturday nights. No word on when/if they'll resume hosting bands on any semblance of a regular schedule, but it is great to see the upstairs nightclub at The Algonquin Hotel back in action after such a long & mostly dormant period!
• Regarding the aforementioned Soundcheck and Separate Wayz, Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe appears to have guested with their sister band during Separate Wayz' Reggie's Place concert on Friday, as per a new photo from their Facebook page featuring all five combined band members on stage there (Travis was on guitar with Nicole singing). Assuming that this isn't an old Soundcheck concert photo from an "epic crossover" gig, it is neat that Travis was available for at least one song with Nicole and their mutual bandmates! This weekend's shows were always advertised on social media as being Separate Wayz gigs only.
• If you're wondering why we didn't cover the WestFest talent show at Beck's Bar last week to determine the day's opening band, it's because the event was cancelled "due to unforeseen circumstances", as per the West Village Renewed Facebook page. Alas, whether for ticket sales or band sign-ups, "unforeseen circumstances" usually means "we didn't foresee that turnout would be this low". As such, organizers confirmed that "we are choosing our opener", which would have happened if there wasn't a talent show anyway. The lineup is being gradually announced on social media, and we'll let you know when the entire bill for WestFest II is unveiled!

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Peril, Fyrbird, And The Nameless), Plus About:Blank Updates!!

Today's post does indeed wrap up our weekend concert previews, but things fell into place for an all-Sault Michigan/EUP post, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and new videos, so here's what you should know!

Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will set up shop at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace TONIGHT, but they will also return there for a special Thursday night concert on June 25th! Both shows were announced on The Driftwood's Facebook page (thankfully with lots of advance notice each), and both line up with special events for vehicle owners in and visiting Mackinac County. As noted yesterday when we previewed Tarnished's shows at the St. Ignace Kewadin, tonight's show takes place during the Bronco The Mac Festival (whether you have a Ford Bronco or not, click here for details), but the Thursday the 25th show coincides with an even bigger institution, namely the 50th annual St. Ignace Car Show Weekend! Kudos to Fyrbird and The Driftwood for jumping in on this too, and there should be a sizeable crowd tonight and on the 25th for Jamie & Rikk's minimalist hard rock covers! The show on the 25th is a nightcap for the cruise night.

Both tonight's and the 25th's are 9:00 PM concerts at The Driftwood with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Unless they've played in our neck of the woods (an hour's drive from Sault Ste. Marie) in an unadvertised gig, we haven't seen Fyrbird locally in around a year, so even with the expected large turnout for both car shows, keep their shows in mind, starting with tonight! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fyrbird live!

Next up, that's not all for hard rock fans in St. Ignace during the Car Show weekend, as Sault Ste. Marie hard rock cover quartet The Nameless will reportedly make their Driftwood Sports Bar debut on Friday, June 26th! The venue announced the show via their Facebook page on Sunday, and at press time, the band has yet to corroborate this booking on their own Facebook page. Fans last saw The Nameless at The Merch two weeks ago, but this will be their first show outside of the Soo in 2026, and their first in St. Ignace in two years, believe it or not. Fingers crossed that Josh, the Mikes, and Jamie recruit a strong turnout for this one-nighter on what will be a very busy weekend for St. Ignace at large! This concert will also serve as lead-out entertainment, this time for that evening's Down Memory Lane Parade, and if you're curious, The Driftwood will be hosting DJs on Saturday the 27th.

Like with Fyrbird the previous night, The Nameless take the stage at 9:00 PM on Friday the 26th with no cover charge and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, but is that all for the St. Ignace Car Show Weekend in a hard rock context?

Nope, as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril have booked The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for shows on Friday & Saturday, June 26th-27th! Like with The Nameless, Peril have not corroborated the booking on social media yet that I have found, but Kewadin's entertainment page confirms that these well travelled Northern Michigan live favourites have snagged the casino's lounge for what should be a busy and lucrative weekend! The guys are no stranger to the conceit of a well timed weekend at this Kewadin branch, as their last St. Ignace shows were in February during the Labatt Blue UP Pond Hockey Championships. Jeff, Howard and Brooks should deliver a fun weekend of rocking classic covers for Car Show participants ans fans alike later this month, so keep these in mind as well! These shows are also at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details!

We'll stay in the E.U.P. to close, via two new videos from Sault Ste. Marie hard rock/punk band About:Blank! On May 4th, the guys shared a clip on their Facebook page of them playing their new song "Dilettante" when they opened for Bimbo in Pizza Hut's basement a few days prior. The 44 seconds-long video sounds promising with a 1990s alt-rock flourish, but the video is fuzzy, Parker completely obscures Kade at this vantage point, and the video was (sadly) uploaded in vertical dimensions with letterboxing despite being horizontal from the off. Embedded below is About:Blank's newest Facebook video, and while it also has a horizontal video forcibly crammed into vertical "Reel" dimensions with major pillarboxing. How does that happen twice in a row? In any event, the video sees the guys jamming their song "What You Wanted", albeit for 48 seconds. The big scoop is that there is a third performer in the clip!

About:Blank have not firmly or publically said if they have finally replaced Nathan Webber in their lineup after four months as a duo, or if this musician is just a guest/fill-in, but based on appearances, this looks like local rock bassist and visual artist Jon Stone (please let me know if I am incorrect). Assuming that they have added him full time, it is good to see About:Blank without a blank in their lineup, and while the tight camera placement doesn't do Kade many favours here either, the guys deliver some good intensity in what we do see, so check it out for yourselves below!

That's all for now, but we'll catch up with recent Sault Ontario news and notes next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fyrbird & Tarnished) Plus Wednesday Night Sault Ontario Concert Previews!!

Today's post is half devoted to previews of two mid-week concert previews in Sault Ontario tomorrow, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for concerts in Michigan's E.U.P. next weekend during an upcoming festival!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will reportedly be rocking The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino on Friday, June 5th and Saturday, June 6th! Kewadin's entertainment page has confirmed the bookings as part of their calendar updates through the end of next month, which is great to see, as Tarnished's own show announcements over the past seven months have all been with (at best) three days' notice. At least some venues get the word out prior! The classic/hard rock cover quartet had just played at The Driftwood there this past Saturday, which will be a good primer for their return two weeks later, and while not specified on Kewadin's end, this is a good weekend for Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron to be in town. Next weekend is the Bronco The Mac festival, where owners and fans of the Ford Bronco will congregate for a ride across the Mackinac Bridge, plus parades, a drone show, and more varied activities for truck owners and everyone else.

Whether intentionally timed for Bronco The Mac or not, Tarnished should get an attendance bump for their hard rock and classic covers, so keep things in mind whether you'll be around for the festival or just wanna hear some live music! As usual for Tarnished's stops at the regional Kewadin Casino lounges, next weekend's shows are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, that's not all for fans in the Straits/Mackinac County next weekend, as Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will also return to the E.U.P. on Saturday, June 6th when they rock The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace! While not a common venue for our coverage, it just came up on the SMS the other day when I apologized for missing Tarnished's recent show there, but I am trying to keep better tabs on The Driftwood's own advertising, which is how I heard about this booking yesterday. We haven't heard of a new Fyrbird booking in our coverage area since Jamie & Rikk played at the St. Ignace Kewadin in March of last year, possibly complicated by lengthy schedules not being posted on their Facebook group recently, but I haven't seen any Kewadin shows on the casino's end either, so this may legitimately be their first show within an hour of the Soo in over a year. It will be good to see their minimalist and hard edged cover attack back next week!

The Driftwood's own advertising even mentions Bronco The Mac, so they're likely expecting an attendance bump next Saturday. Like with Tarnished, Fyrbird's show next month is a 21+ event with a 9:00 PM start time and no cover charge. See above for more on what should be a busy weekend in St. Ignace for live rock and Ford Bronco fans alike!

Now to previews of two special Wednesday concerts TOMORROW NIGHT in Sault Ontario, starting with the final concert of Piecing It Together Shows' nine month residency at their pop-up venue at 331 Wellington Street West! While music at the Steelton locale in this spell has either been not SMS-amenable or open mic/jam nights right along, the former Dryer Fire will end things a little heavier when Victoria, B.C. noise rock project Pet Retina and drummer Max Patterson's solo outfit i.o will both return to the Soo for the season closing concert! Fans last saw both Pet Retina and i.o here at Shae Tull's album release party in May of last year, but this time, they are the advertised headliners, and their brand of abrasive yet creative noise punk should turn heads again tomorrow! Local support includes comedy rock quartet The Floor Between Us (who I hope to talk about more soon) and online page-less experimental rock group A.D.H.D.

This all ages concert goes down tomorrow at 8:00 PM (it is projected to end at 11:00 PM for folks who work or have school in the morning), and $15 advance tickets remain available at this link. The door charge will jump to $20, but "no one (will be) turned away for lack of funds". This looks like a fun way to cap off a successful nine month stay on Wellington Street for Nicole and crew, so hopefully there's a solid turnout to welcome Pet Retina back to town tomorrow evening! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Pet Retina live!

Finally for today, if you want some mid-week hard rock concert action, you can also get it at Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT via the return of fast rising local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe! Why this is on a Wednesday, I truly don't know (the venue says they booked them mid-week "just because", but perhaps Beck's weekend slots are booked solid?). Regardless, this talented young group made their public debut at the Goulais Avenue nightclub to a strong reception in April, and kudos to Beck's on bringing them back for an encore! If you missed their ample videos from their debut, you can expect lots of heavy covers along with some rock classics and a bunch of really surprising pulls and deep cuts (especially for their ages), so keep things in mind if you're up for it! This will be a later night (9:00 PM-1:00 AM) with a 19+ age limit for attendees, and no announced cover charge. For a preview, we have a new video of 5.D.B. live!

While videos from their debut were plentiful, only one video from their second show (at Jay's Piston Broke Pub two weeks ago) was shared to their Facebook page, this time shot by bassist Randy Lundigran's dad Chad for his personal Facebook page. Continuing their impressive run of covers of bands that you do not see tackled locally, this sees 5 Dollar Bribe covering Husker Du's "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely" with Randy on lead vocals.  Well framed from a close and horizontal vantage point, Randy captured a strong rendition of this post-hardcore staple, and when else are you going to see Bob Mould covered here? Check it out for yourselves below, and look for much more tomorrow night from 5 Dollar Bribe at Beck's!

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

Halloween Night Concert Previews!!

As it turns out, this weekend is scheduled advantageously for Halloween, as October 31st is a Friday, a.k.a. tomorrow! Even still, some venues are hosting Halloween-themed concerts on Saturday as well based on band or venue preference. Today's first weekend concert preview post will focus on hard rock shows taking place tomorrow proper, and we'll dive into the honestly busier Saturday slate tomorrow, as well as Peril's St. Ignace Kewadin gigs. Here's what you should know to kick off the spookiest weekend of the year!

We'll start with the only hard rock show of consequence in Sault Ontario on Halloween night TOMORROW (though there are definitely other concerts concurrently from general classic or pop rock bands), and it takes place at Beck's Bar in a rare deviation from their Friday DJ/dance party nights. Your headliners are the debuting & online page-less local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow, who will reportedly feature ex-Garden of Bedlam drummer Derek Turner alongside former Sense Of Truth/Parabol guitarist Steve Myers and a musician named Cameron Brock (as far as I can tell), but we await further public confirmation of them and their lineup. Pearl Jam aren't often covered locally, so it'll be interesting to hear how this band handles the grunge legends! New (and also online page-less) local party rock quartet The Barbarians will join them tomorrow, so if you've liked former Elements/Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers' recent solo work, keep that in mind!

In a late confirmation via Beck's Facebook page, Sylo frontman Eli Russell will return home from university as the opening act. His solo material leans more to indie rock than his band work, but it'll be good to see him back in the Soo for Halloween! Costumes are absolutely encouraged tomorrow, with prizes to be awarded for the best makeup, most creative, and best duo/couples costume, while Tarot card reader Stephanie Poitras will be on hand as well. This concert has a 9:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more details, and no preview videos yet!

The rest of today's previews take us to Halloween night concerts TOMORROW in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, and we'll start at The Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace, where local hard rock/classic metal quartet Tarnished will set up shop for their Halloween night party! Part of the guys' expansion of gigs in St. Ignace beyond the Kewadin Casino umbrella (they've played four different venues there this year), this will be their first gig there since last month's Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend. As you might expect, this one-nighter is a full-on Halloween party, with a mystery grand prize for the best costume, hourly prize giveaways,"thrilling vibes, haunted music, and dancing till dawn". Maybe you can do the latter, but Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron are blocked from 9:30 PM-1:00 AM for this 21+ concert, which has no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

For a preview, here's a rare live video of the band's current lineup from their Facebook page, but there's a reason this got filmed. As you may remember, Tarnished played at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino this past weekend, and were rocking out after Saturday night's Trixter-headlined Spirit Of 1989 concert at The Dreammaker's Theater. Among the fans to stop by after the big show was one its performers, namely Jake Curtis Allard, the guitarist of Pretty Boy Floyd, and he actually guested on vocals with Tarnished for a cover of The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane". Definitely impromptu, as evidenced by how Jake got the lyrics, but a fun bonus for hair metal fans, so give it a watch below!

Making our way north, fans in Rudyard will get Halloween concert action of the hard rock variety TOMORROW as well, as local hard/blues rock quintet Project 421 will take the stage at Huck's Pub & Grill for their October 31st festivities! Last seen in Hulbert Township four weeks ago as the post-poker run musical entertainment, this will surprisingly be 906's first show at Huck's all year, and what a way to end that gap by rocking out with their Halloween best for what should be a packed and eclectic night! As you might expect, there will be a costume contest at Huck's, with prizes to be awarded for the best overall costume, funniest costume, and best couples costume, so come dressed to impress! Project 906's fan friendly brand of hard rock covers are up at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Project 906 live at The Islander Bar in Hessel for Halloween in 2022!

We'll close this preview post in Sault Ste. Marie, where local hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will headline The Merchant's Bar's Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT! Now, before we get too far into this preview, note that drummer Jason VanLuven is a member of both Unfortunate Sun and Project 906, but neither band has confirmed whether they'll have a guest or fill-in drummer or not. Project 906 had recruited Exit 808's Jackie Moon to fill in for Jason when they played in Kinross last month, and they have played shows with just hand drummer Brian Duford on percussion in the past, and while I believe Unfortunate Sun (and Fake Chow before them) tend to get priority for these conflicts, I have no idea which of the two bands Jason will be playing with. Tomorrow's Halloween party at The Merch will be Unfortunate Sun's first show since rocking the St. Ignace Kewadin in mid-September, and their first show in the Soo (or the Merch) since the spring.

The Merch rarely promotes bands playing there on social media, but their Facebook event page confirms that there will be drink specials and prizes on offer. including for best costume, so expect a fun night of spooky music and good vibes tomorrow! "The hottest band in Sleepy Hollow" will take the stage at 9:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Hard rock fans will have a lot to like in the Soo tomorrow, let alone Rudyard and St. Ignace, so visit the above links for more on this trifecta of local band-headlined Halloween parties in the E.U.P., and here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned in our next post for our previews of this weekend's Peril, Bone Yard 22, Tym Morrison, and Generations concerts! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished, Double Down, And Curtis McKenzie!!)

A busy weekend is upon us in the Sault Ontario the E.U.P., so much so that we'll need a second post to cover all of the hard rock action ahead! As such, our previews of this weekend's Bon Jovi Forever, Bone Yard 225, and Nameless shows will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to start via an all-SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT post!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will rock The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Curt only announced the booking last night via his Facebook page, and The Dive have not corroborated the announcement on theirs whatsoever (they haven't posted a monthly calendar in a few months either). Surprisingly, this will be Curtis' first stop at the former Low & Slow in almost three months, having exclusively played at Beck's Bar in the interim, so if you've missed him at this cozy downtown bar & restaurant, keep his alternative, hard rock, and grunge cover action in mind TONIGHT! Curt will be back in "The Naughty Corner" at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, as usual for The Dive. Visit the above links for more details on TONIGHT's latest unplugged concert of his, and here's Curtis live!

Next up, we'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will continue spreading their St. Ignace wings by rocking The Driftwood Sports Bar again TOMORROW NIGHT before debuting at Kingston Kitchen on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band first announced these shows on their Facebook page yesterday, but the Kingston Kitchen show was first announced on their Facebook page last month. The raison d'etre for Tarnished to rock two St. Ignace venues in one weekend is the annual Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show, which takes place all weekend at the Mackinac County Airport, so see above for full details on the events relating to the show, parade, and everything else. The airport is just a four minute drive from The Driftwood (which Tarnished first played at back in March), and it is neat to see Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron back there on a busy weekend in St. Ignace TOMORROW!

Technically all on the same street, The Driftwood Sports Bar (590 North State Street) is just three minutes away from Kingston Kitchen (250 South State Street), which happens to be the brand new sister location of a popular Jamaican/American fusion eatery on Mackinac Island, and they have been hosting live music on occasion since the summer, though this is the first weekend that they've hosted advertised rock bands. Kudos to Tarnished for helping diversify where rock bands can play in St. Ignace, as they've now had shows at four different spots there this year. It's not just Kewadin Casino there, after all! Whether due to or the result of these extra bookings, the off nights at both venues will have music to check out too for truck show weekend. Friday at Kingston Kitchen, fans can check out Cheboygan classic rock cover quartet The Lonely Pines, while a DJ party takes place at The Driftwood on Saturday, so keep these in mind as well if you'll be in the area.

TOMORROW'S Driftwood show is at 9:30 PM with a 21+ age limit, the Kingston Kitchen show on SATURDAY is at 7:00 PM with no stated age limit, and neither has an announced cover charge. Hopefully Tarnished make the most of the extra people in St. Ignace for the truck show with lots of hard rocking classic tunes, so visit the above links for more on their busy short notice weekend, and here they are live!

Finally for this all-late notice weekend concert preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will formally end their summer break TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies again for the short notice, these shows were first announced via their Facebook event page last month, but by the time we could get to them for coverage here, we were only a week away. After eleven weeks away from live concerts (not even for a festival), the guys will set up shop at the former Roosevelt Hotel all weekend long in their first of four monthly bookings there to end 2025, and they have teased having lots of new songs in their setlist TOMORROW & SATURDAY, so come down to Jay's to see what Double Down have in store for their return! However, note that the band will be not feature bassist Dan Beaupre for either of these gigs.

A public reason for his absence wasn't given, and while I did hear what happened, I'll refrain from giving details other than to say that there's no issues in the band. Hopefully Dan comes back soon! Former Soldiers of Misfortune/Cowboys & Indians bassist Alex White will step in this weekend, which will definitely be interesting to see! Double Down and Alex take the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished) & The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we kick off our first round of weekend concert previews, just a reminder/heads up that the annual Poutine Feast is back at the Downtown Plaza this weekend, but as far as I can gather, organizers have still not released a schedule for the musical entertainment aside from gradually announcing individual artists. We'll let you know when/if anything comes out in regard to heavier/punk acts there this weekend! Now, let's dive into the first chunk of this weekend's advertised concerts, specifically bands playing live tomorrow in some public degree. Here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to the Driftwood Sports Bar in St. Ignace for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on the venue's Facebook page earlier today. Tarnished made their successful debut at the 590 North State Street nightclub in April, and it's good to see them spreading their wings beyond the Kewadin Casino there for St. Ignace gigs, so hopefully TOMORROW'S concert is a hit for them despite the late notice! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in DJs Bob & Troy spinning tunes at the Driftwood on Saturday night after that day's planned car show there. Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron take the stage TOMORROW at 9:30 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links fro more on Tarnished's short notice St. Ignace show TOMORROW NIGHT, and here they are live!

Next up, we'll head to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will kick off their busy weekend when they headline TOMORROW'S Socch-Fest memorial concert at Soo Blaster! Yes, this event is being publically advertised via its Facebook event page, and organizers have even said that it's "open to everyone" there, but Socch-Fest is to honour the memory of local chef, bartender, and film lighting worker Mark Gigliotti-Socchia, who passed away in January at just 51 years of age. Aims are for this to be a big party to celebrate Mark's life, and he was well known and liked locally, so hopefully there's a strong crowd at Soo Blaster for Socch-Fest tomorow, let alone for Headrush's debut at this venue! Socch-Fest has an 8:00 PM start time and no stated cover charge or age limit. Visit the above links for more details, here's Headrush live, and look for our preview of their show with Hotel California in tomorrow's preview post!

Also taking place TOMORROW is the return of local classic/hard rock cover quarter Double Down for one night only at The Water Tower Pub! Unlike last year, the guys are planning to take a summer break to work on new songs, with tomorrow's show being their last until the fall begins, hence why they're not playing at Rotaryfest next month. The Syrettes, Dan, and Ric were last seen at Jay's three weeks ago (at least for public events), and after guesting with them on at least one song that weekend, former Quite Frankly frontwoman Jack Alisat (a.k.a. Jacklyn Hyde) will be back for a turn with Double Down tomorrow, as per their recent Facebook advertising. No idea how much she'll be present for the night's sets, but it'll be neat to have credited guest involvement again! Remember, The Water Tower Pub hosts different bands nightly, with classic rock quartet RPM doing the honours there on Saturday night.

Double Down take the stage tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. With their implied summer break beginning afterwards, come down to this popular central nightclub tomorrow to see Double Down while you can! Visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll head downtown to Reggie's Place, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will set up shop for two more sermons TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fresh off of their rainy (if partially tent-covered) gigs at the Queen Street Cruise, these will be their first proper bar gigs since rocking Reggie's at the end of May, so if you've missed "the dirty three" in regular indoor confines, you know where to find them this weekend! Just as a mild apology from our Queen Street Cruise coverage, the Friday night gig was again outdoors near Montana's during the cruise proper, which I forgot to reflect when previewing the Cruise gigs (the Saturday matinee was at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion as planned). Tomorrow and Saturday's southern fried cover action (with a few covers) is at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview,  here's your local 225 live!

That's all for now, but we'll next preview Peril, Tym Morrison, and Curtis McKenzie's concerts this weekend in the Soo area, plus Headrush opening for Hotel California, with The Upheaval and (maybe?) Poutine Feast to follow! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), More Weekend Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

Let's wrap up this weekend's known hard rock concert previews in today's second post, and to round things out, we also have some new live concert videos and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month, so here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Sault Michigan classic metal/hard rock band Tarnished will head back to St. Ignace for a one-nighter on Saturday, April 12th, but not at their Kewadin Casino branch. Rather, the guys will be debuting at the Driftwood Sports Bar at 590 North State Street, which is a long established nightclub there that has been kicking tires on hosting live musicians in the past month. While Tarnished will be the first SMS-amenable band to play at the Driftwood since, St. Ignace residents may have seen classic rock cover band Aisle8 there at the start of March, while they brought in Project 906 singer Billy Bernier (with frequent guest hand drummer Brian Duford) for a St. Patrick's Day concert as well. Good to see Tarnished spreading their wings to a new venue, and hopefully things go well in two weeks! No word yet on if Alex & Josh will be joined again by Chris & Ron next month, but the band photo in the venue's poster is obviously a stock photo, so it's not a hint as to their live makeup at present.

Tarnished's Driftwood debut takes place at 9:00 PM on April 12th, there is no announced cover charge, and this should be a 21+ event. Visit the above links for more details on this show, and stay tuned for more from Tarnished!

Next up, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and we'll do so in Sault Ontario, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations, who will end the month with shows at Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be Generations' first shows of any stripe since rocking Jay's two weeks ago, and their first at Reggie's since last year, and it will be good for fans to see this talented veteran group at this downtown staple again this weekend! No major frills to speak of from the usual, just solid rocking covers from Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre, so don't miss out tomorrow and/or Saturday! No word on when we'll see Generations next after this weekend yet, but stay tuned for updates on their April schedule. Tomorrow and Saturday's shows have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for their second concert weekend of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Not the most regular sight on the weekend nightclub circuit among their cover cohorts, this will be Headrush's first pair of concerts since rocking The Esquire Club two months ago. If you like their hard rock-leaning slate of old school 1980s-centric covers, including a nice selection of Canadian content, then don't miss out on the return of Headrush (not HeadFirst) to this Second Line West staple this weekend! As usual for bands at The Esquire Club, both tomorrow and Saturday's concerts are at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Should be a good weekend of rocking hits from the Johns, Wes, and crew, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Headrush live!

We'll close tonight's post with new videos from a local classic/hard rock cover band not playing live this weekend, but who has been openly plugging and supporting ones that have been lately, namely Double Down! Their most recent shows were three weeks ago at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, with the gig on Friday, March 7th being their live debut with Sidekicks bassist Dan Beaupre, but as The Sidekicks were playing at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday the 8th, Double Down had to find a fill-in bassist for the night. Mid Life Crysis/ex-Havadder bassist Lori Reinholtz stepped in for that concert, and a video of them covering Big Wreck's "That Song" with her was uploaded to their Facebook page the following day. Guitarist Joel Syrette handled lead vocals on that song, which was filmed from a high stationary vantage point. Very dark lighting, but at least it's horizontal! Strong cover with good melody, and Lori fits in well!

One more video was uploaded yesterday from what appears to be the March 8th show with Lori as well, but the lighting is even darker still and I can barely make out anything visually as a result. The video sees Double Down covering Gary Numan's "Cars", and I think drummer Ric Datson is providing lead vocals here, but I can't be 100% certain given the lighting, let alone that the video was forcibly pillarboxed into vertical dimensions despite being shot horizontally. "That Song" is shorter but much easier to watch, so check it out below, and see more from Double Down (and Lori) above!

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