LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & HeadF1rst) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into another weekend of local hard rock concert previews, but due to the amount, we'll hold tomorrow's BookcluB/Forever Seger and Sunday's Bone Yard 225-headlined car show for our next post. Here's what you should know, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst have a busy weekend ahead that will see them rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT and Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were respectively first announced on the venues' Facebook pages on Sunday and Tuesday. Fresh off of opening for Woodhawk last week, these will be HeadF1rst's... first headlining dates in a local bar since rocking Beck's in June. The split booking is likely due to Shooters only hosting bands on SATURDAYS, but regardless of their live band scheduling, we haven't seen bands rocking the Dennis Street nightclub since April, coincidentally when HeadF1rst wrapped up their mini-residency with themed menu items and whatnot. Meanwhile, TONIGHT'S Reggie's gig will be the guys' first there this year, so if you've missed Red, Rainey, Liam, Claire, and Anthony at either downtown venue, don't miss out this weekend!

If you're curious, the band playing at Reggie's tomorrow is Traces (no relation to the former Sault Michigan metal band), who are basically classic rock veterans RPM minus guitarist/vocalist Dino Mazzuca. Both of HeadF1rst's shows this weekend are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. It's great to see Shooters hosting live bands again after an unannounced summer break, and HeadF1rst should be primed to rock there and Reggie's after long breaks from both bars, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has a busy Saturday ahead TOMORROW, as while we knew about his scheduled matinee gig at Misty's Fifties, he is also scheduled to return to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club TOMORROW NIGHT as well! Again, apologies for the short notice, the Eagles show was a late addition to his batch Facebook event page for shows at the Wellington Street West venue, as was another new show there on Saturday, October 4th. Meanwhile, now that we have shows from other acts listed that late in the timeline, we can also add Tym's upcoming Aerie #3991 gigs through the end of the year as well, so don't bypass Tym there for Saturday nighters on November 15th & 29th and then to end the year for their New Year's Eve party on Wednesday, December 31st. Keep all of these new dates in mind if you'll be in the Steelton area or like the Eagles Club with your unplugged rock! 

After skipping a Saturday matinee gig there last week, Tym will return to Misty's on Second Line West nightclub tomorrow afternoon (and next Saturday as well), so he'll be quite busy as he juggles two distinct concerts in one day! He'll be at Misty's Fifties TOMORROW at 4:00 PM before rocking The Eagles Club at 8:00 PM, with neither show having an advertised cover charge. Click here and visit the above links for these and much more on Tym's busy solo calendar to end 2025, and here he is live!

Now let's move into shows that had lots of advance notice, starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's third show since the end of their summer break, which goes down TONIGHT at The Water Tower Pub! Last seen at the Great Northern Road venue at the end of June, fans who missed the Syrettes & Ric last week at Jay's should be eager to welcome the guys back to the weekend bar grind tomorrow, especially with their teased new setlist additions! After missing last weekend's shows due to injury, bassist Dan Beaupre will again be absent tomorrow, so they have recruited Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz to fill in the for the night. Lori has sat in for Dan before, back in March at Jay's Piston Broke Pub when his second gig after joining Double Down was double booked with a Sidekicks concert that same night. It's good to see Lori helping out tonight, so keep her in mind amidst the rock cover action!

Time will tell if Dan will be back in time for their next public gig, at Beck's Bar next Saturday. Tonight's Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Double Down at Jay's last week! Uploaded on Sunday (exact gig unclear), this features the guys and guest bassist Alex White covering Badfinger's "No Matter What" with Joel Syrette on lead vocals. The lighting is very dark so I can't really comment on how things look, but the cover is sound with strong bass from Alex, and you don't hear Badfinger covered often locally as it is, so give it a look below!

In a brief detour to the E.U.P., fans can check out Sault Michigan hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun in their return to the stage TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! While this will be their first nightclub gig in almost two months (last seen at Huck's in Rudyard in late July), I must profusely apologize for missing their most recent gig, as the Fake Chow successors headed to Trout Lake (an hour southwest of the Soo) on August 31st to headline an outdoor matinee concert coinciding with that day's Shytee Creek Lucky Bridge Walk. How that slipped through the cracks, especially as at a regional community festival, is beyond me, but apologies again, and I hope Unfortunate Sun got a great reception in Trout Lake! They had a relatively quiet summer, but hopefully tonight and tomorrow's St. Ignace shows kick off the fall slate on the right foot!

You can check out Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason's array of hard rocking covers at The Northern Pines Lounge tonight & tomorrow night at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for missing the Shytee Creek Bridge Walk on here, and for a preview, here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our BookcluB and Bone Yard 225 previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest 2025 (Stage 2) & Tym Morrison Concert Previews!!

Today's post wraps up this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, and if there's something else on late notice, I'll slot it in where I can. We're mostly looking at the Second Stage at Rotaryfest, but there are a couple more acoustic matinees to take note of, so here's what else you should know for this weekend on this Friday morning!

It's time to preview this weekend's eighteenth annual Rotaryfest Stage 2, as blues bands (tomorrow) and original-leaning acts (Saturday) set up shop at the outdoor stage beside the Art Gallery of Algoma at Clergue Park! In year #9 of the "Redirected" era, this lineup of FREE & ALL AGES music (just a short walk from Stage 1) features thirteen acts for 2025, and in its fourth year on the program, The Sault Blues Society is curating a Friday Night Blues themed lineup tonight that is devoid of hard rock or punk acts. If you're curious to check out the blues rock action, the lineup is headlined at 8:30 PM by local/St. Catharine's blues veteran Rusty McCarthy (credited as "Rusty McBlues") in his fifth solo Second Stage set. The Michael Yurich-led Smokehouse co-headline at 7:30 PM for their third year at Rotaryfest, and one night before they rock Beck's Bar. Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers are in the middle slot at 6:30 PM in their Stage 2 debut.

Fans of Generations may want to see them in their second consecutive year here, as Tony K. and Pierre will join past fill-in guitarist Mike McDonald in their lineup! New local power blues band Dark Eyed Junko (who have a stacked lineup of their own) debut at 5:30 PM, and Josh "The Preacher" McNally will lead off the Friday Night Blues action at 4:30 PM in his own first time at Rotaryfest. Mostly cloudy weather with temperatures of 18-21° is expected, and see above for more details on the Stage 2's opening night!

Veteran local alt-rock guitarist and Unsalted Audio head Dustin Goodall returns as the curator for the regular Second Stage lineup TOMORROW, and an eight band program is in store for fans of (mostly) original rock music! Your headliners tomorrow are local post-hardcore/midwest emo trio Fuller in their Rotaryfest debut and their first gig since their December 2023 reunion at LopLops and since releasing their sophomore album in the spring! You could call this the de facto release party, but A. they haven't confirmed anything about physical copies of "II" going on sale, and B. bassist Mark Rand will not be present for unannounced reasons (though remember that he has lived out of town for years). Former Nebraska Arms guitarist Dave Prendergast will reportedly handle the low end in Mark's stead, so hopefully things go well for Fuller's second post-reunion gig! They're up at 8:30 PM tomorrow.

Preceding them at 7:30 PM is local indie/pop rock band Jupiter Marvelous in their second Stage 2 set, and before them, fans can enjoy Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson at 6:30 PM in his first solo set at Rotaryfest (as in, not alongside Conika or in Planet Rock), and his turntable mixes will be original in their own way! In the heaviest booking on Stage 2 in two decades (if not ever), local progressive/djent metal quartet Convergence (featuring members of The Jazz Cats from tomorrow's Stage 1 lineup) will take over Rotaryfest for the first time at 5:30 PM, while hard rock quintet HeadF1rst will hit the stage at 4:30 as they continue building on their recent momentum! This heavier suppertime block begins at 3:30 PM with the Stage 2 debut of crossover thrash quartet Hails, and before then, we ease into things with two singer/songwriters, including Soundcheck alum Cameron Oliver at 2:30 PM in his first (only?) Stage 2 set.

Fresh off of his covers-leaning set with Mile 38 on Stage 1 tonight, this will be a chance to hear his own solo original material (no idea if he will have a backing band here) before his teased move out of town to further his solo career, so country fans won't want to miss him there! Opening on Saturday at 1:30 PM is folk singer/guitarist Matthew James in his second time on the Second Stage. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is currently calling for mostly cloudy weather with a high of 18°, which is relatively cool as July goes, but be advised that there is a 30% chance of rain that morning, so keep tabs on the forecast if you have any concerns. Visit the above links for much more on Stage 2 this weekend, and here's Fuller live!

Finally, local classic /hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has a busy weekend ahead, as he will double up with two previously announced acoustic gigs this weekend, including at the Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club on SATURDAY NIGHT and at Beck's Bar for a matinee on SUNDAY! As it turns out, we did announce Tym's Sunday stop at Beck's when first announced, it's easy to lose track given how often he schedules similar solo dates. Last seen with a short notice gig at The Dive last week, these two will be a good way for fans to enjoy Tym's unplugged slate of rocking covers from his extensive setlist, especially as he has never played at Rotaryfest that I am aware of. Tym last rocked Aerie #3991 three weeks ago, while it'll be almost four weeks since he rocked Beck's. It is worth noting that, as per Beck's Facebook page, Tym's show there on Sunday is actually taking place on his birthday, so help him celebrate in style, and I hope his show adds to his festivities well!

The Eagles Club show on Saturday is at 8:00 PM, while the Beck's date on Sunday is a 3:00 PM matinee. Both shows are 19+ affairs as far as I'm aware, and neither has an announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Tym's two shows this weekend, and here he is live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Insurrection & Tym Morrison) And Even More Concert Previews!!

As expected, we had to run this weekend's plentiful amount of hard rock concert previews to a third post focusing on acts playing shows tomorrow night that had advance notice, but it has been supplemented by LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, including a new SHORT NOTICE find, so here's what you should know to cap off the merry merry month of May (and beyond!)

Local classic/hard rock cover musician Tym Morrison will return to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert TOMORROW, but he will also rock The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club for another matinee gig on SUNDAY! Apologies for the short notice on the Eagles show, that was quietly announced via its Facebook event page on May 18th, which also includes new confirmations of other matinee bookings at Aerie #3991 for the summer! Tym will also bring his unplugged rock cover stylings to the Steelton venue for four nighttime Saturday gigs ahead, though we'll only list the June 28th, July 19th, and August 23rd ones for now due to the fact that only Tym has known public shows announced past mid-September online among local hard rock acts. Similarly, Tym has quietly added gigs through the end of the year to the Facebook event page for his Misty's matinees, so we'll only add seven of those to the calendar until other acts catch up for the fall.

As such, Tym's acoustic solo act will return to the Second Line West nightclub for Saturday matinees on June 7th, July 5th & 26th, August 2nd & 30th, and September 6th & 20th! The August gigs there fall on the Civic Holiday and Labour Day long weekends, for what it's worth. Good to see Tym staying busy between these dates and occasional Beck's and Dive shows, so keep all in mind for unplugged hard rock cover action! All Misty's shows (tomorrow included) are at 4:00 PM, SUNDAY's at The Eagles Club is at 2:00 PM, the other shows ahead there are at 8:00 PM, none have announced cover charges, and I believe the Misty's shows are 19+. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, Gatineau, Quebec death metal band Insurrection will make their local concert debut on Wednesday, July 30th when they headline at Soo Blaster! An established name in the Quebec metal scene with albums dating back to 2008, Insurrection's punishing, groove-inflected brand of death metal should attract a solid turnout of local metalheads in two months, and hopefully this stop on their tour in support of their new album "Obsolescence" is a huge hit! Local support will come by way of death/thrash metal trio Pillory (who are no strangers to support sets for touring metal bands this year) and crossover thrash quartet Hails, who will be just five days removed from opening for The Ripcordz, so momentum will definitely be on their side! Yes, we'll have more on Pillory's recent video content on the site soon. This concert is all ages (as usual for Soo Blaster) with doors opening at 6:30 PM, and advance tickets will be on sale for $20.

I don't know if advance tickets will be going on sale online, but members of the local bands will be able to hook you up (I believe Ha!ls guitarist Mikhal Muto is at least co-promoting this one), and the door charge will jump to $25. While the Wednesday scheduling won't be ideal for people working mid-week, this should be a brutal and high impact night of original metal, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more details on Insurrection's show here this summer!

We'll return to this weekend's concert previews now with two more concerts TOMORROW NIGHT, including the return of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations to The Water Tower Pub! A private event last week aside, this will be the Jus' Chillin successors' first public concert since rocking Jay's two weeks ago, and their first stop at the Great Northern Road nightclub since early last month. Fans of heavy-leaning classic rock will find lots to like from Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre once again, and hopefully they have a great turnout and lots of solid tunes in store at The Water Tower Pub to end the month of May with! Remember that this venue routinely hosts different nightly acts, with Out & Out Country (featuring Double Down drummer Ric Datson) playing there tonight. This is an 8:00 PM concert tomorrow with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Generations live!

Finally for this stacked slate of weekend concert previews, we'll head to where we started: The Dive Gastro Pub, where local acoustic classic/hard rock duo Dodge This will set up shop TOMORROW NIGHT! While not freshly advertised by the band on social media, this will be their first announced gig since debuting at Beck's Bar earlier this month, and continues a recent trend of playing at The Dive about once a month, though singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer did play in their "Naughty Corner" two weeks ago. Assuming that nothing unannounced has happened to this date, it should give fans a strong night of rocking covers from Jason & Jamie (and Jeff?), so consider a trip to the former Low & Slow tomorrow to cap off the month right! This show has an advertised 10:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dodge This live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), A New Battle Of The Bands, And New Videos!!

I hope everyone is having a good Good Friday as this late Easter long weekend gets underway! In today's post, we have new videos and original material, and early details on a big returning event that we haven't seen in Sault Ontario in years, but first, here's one more imminent concert preview wrapped in with a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

We'll lead off with the last of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, as local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club at 246 Wellington Street West for another matinee concert TOMORROW, and in a new confirmation, he will also be playing there on the Victoria Day long weekend on Saturday, May 17th! As confirmed via a quiet date addition to the Eagles Club shows' batch Facebook event page, this will mean that Tym will play three out of the next five Saturdays at Aerie #3991, alternating weeks with his existing bookings at Misty's Fifties on April 26th and May 10th. Regardless of if you'd rather head to Steelton or the west end, you have lots of opportunities to see Tym's skilled and experienced blend of classic and hard rock covers in the coming weeks, starting at the Eagles Club tomorrow! That show and the May 17th one are at 4:00 PM.

Neither date has an announced age limit or cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, Tym has some new original music online to check out! In the past two months, Tym actually posted six songs to his YouTube channel, so what is there now?  "To Say That You Care" is a love song written when Tym was in high school, and will appeal to fans of Tym's acoustic ballads in concert! More recently for compositions, Tym wrote "Little Missy" for his wife, and it's arguably a stronger ballad given Tym's development as a musician! Lots of photos of the two of them in the slideshow too. "Lucifer Deciever" is a metal song about "Lucifer, Freemasons, and Jesus", and while I won't get into the video's content here (not that kind of site), Tym shreds it up well with some strong riffs and solos! The last two are the instrumental "Souls Of Serenity" & "We Are Damned", which were both first heard on his 2006 "Solo Project" album.

The former has a video relating to Tym's faith, while the latter is about "world issues" and has more viewpoints and political stances that I'm hesitant to discuss on a music blog. I really liked both songs musically though, so keep these new YouTube copies in mind! Embedded below is "Dungeons & Dragons", which was once planned to lead off his unreleased second album, and while I don't know if this is the original recording from those sessions or a revision, fans of Tym's more 1980s metal-inspired songs will take to it! The video features footage from or inspired by the D&D cartoon and video games. Check out Tym's new and re-posted music above & below, and don't miss him tomorrow at The Eagles Club!

Next up, here's a surprise that Sault Ontario has been without for way too long: a battle of the bands! Some readers may recall Jay's Piston Broke Pub kicking tires on hosting a multi-night battle last year, but this would be the first one in Sault Ontario (as opposed to karaoke or general talent competitions) since the NLFB Meltdown battle of the bands at LopLops in 2017. Sault Michigan has had two since then, even! This planned battle of the bands will be a one-nighter on Thursday, September 25th, and it is being held by 705Live Sound Co., who provide live sound at many local events, concerts or otherwise, but unlike any local battle held in the SMS' lifespan, this will be outdoors at the Downtown Plaza. Yes, the stage is covered, but for everyone's sake, I hope that the weather holds up! This will be a judged battle, but details on band registrations, criteria, prizes, and more are to be announced.

I know that the pandemic played a role in why there hasn't been a battle of the bands of any scale in Sault Ontario in almost eight years, but still, eight years is a long time, so kudos to Mike and the Downtown Plaza for getting this one going, and hopefully it proceeds to completion unlike the Jay's battle last year! Stay tuned for more on this battle of the bands when it comes in, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll close today with one more promotional video for tonight's Pillory-headlined metal concert The Pit at Soo Blaster! This minute-long clip comes from Pillory's Facebook page on April 6th, and features clips of the death/thrash metal trio performing at a jam session, as well as at concerts at The Canadian Nightclub, Rockstar Bar, Robbie Adamson's church in Leeburn, and Soo Blaster. Some of the source videos are clearly from their 2015-2018 run with Jordan Leach on bass, and while most of the footage is publically available online in full elsewhere, I don't recognize the Soo Blaster clip as being publically uploaded or shared (it has to be from when they opened for The Fixer & Indigo in August). The backing audio is a recent recording and not synced up with the visuals. Nice little snapshot of death metal-era Pillory, so check it out below, and don't miss them, The BAG, Convergence, and Maynard Hayes tonight!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison, Dodge This, And The Isolation Sessions!!)

A busy final concert weekend for March 2025 is upon us, so much so that I'll have to hold our previews of this weekend's previously announced Generations and Headrush concerts for our next post. Don't worry, they are coming, but this post is 100% devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know, starting with a surprise band reunion at a special charity event!

Local acoustic hard rock band The Isolation Sessions are back and will play their first ever public concert at The Grand Gardens Downtown (the former Queen of Hearts Club above Shooters) TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band's involvement was only confirmed via the official Facebook event page on Thursday. The event in question is Helping Hearts For Helping Hands, a fundraiser being held by Sault College's social service worker program's 2025 graduating class for Sault Ste. Marie Helping Hands, a local non-profit that donates basic and household items for those in need. For this special event, a dress code of red, pink, and white is suggested, and there will be food from The Grand Gardens on offer, as well as live music. The Isolation Sessions (a side project of hard rock quartet Half Past) had been inactive for the past four years after only previously offering up at-home covers from 2020-2021 during the first year of the pandemic.

No word on how their lineup will look, but Half Past singer Jordan Rains and bassist Arthur Lacasse (on guitar) should still be involved. In their original run, they were joined by guitarist Todd Kidd (who isn't in Half Past) and the late Chris Thompson on drums. TONIGHT'S other musical performers are DJs, namely Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson and DJ "Dark" Mark Millington (last seen on the SMS at Toystock last fall), who is in the social service worker program himself. Cash only activities will also be offered TONIGHT, including a silent auction and door prizes. While there is an early 6:00 PM start time in effect, this is sadly a 19+ event. Admission is via $15 tickets at this link and presumably at the door, while $10 support tickets for those who are unable to attend in person have sold out. Sounds like a great event is in store for supporters of both Helping Hands and the SSW program, so keep it in mind for TONIGHT!

Gotta be honest, I didn't have an Isolation Sessions reunion on my 2025 bingo card (their original run seemed like something that only the early pandemic could have fostered, and members focusing on full live bands since made sense), but kudos to Jordan and Art (and crew?) for supporting these worthy causes, and hopefully there's more in store from The Isolation Sessions in the months ahead! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview of TONIGHT'S Helping Hearts For Helping Hands, here's Jordan & Art from The Isolation Sessions in their original run!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover duo Dodge This will bring their acoustic live show back to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced on the band's Facebook page on Tuesday, and the venue has not posted a March concert calendar on social media that I have found. Last seen two weeks ago at the Up & Down Lounge on Second Line West (at least TOMORROW'S show got a few days' notice!), this will be Dodge This' first show at The Water Tower Pub since early February. Hopefully things go smooth for Jason and Jamie (and Jeff?) as they rock this popular central venue again TOMORROW! You can enjoy Dodge This' often heavy range of covers TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dodge This live!

Finally for this post, local acoustic classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will return to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club at 246 Wellington Street West for three more solo headlining matinee gigs THIS SATURDAY and then for two more Saturdays on April 19th & May 3rd! Apologies again for the short notice on SATURDAY's concert, all three were only announced via their batch Facebook event page on Tuesday. Tym had just debuted his solo unplugged show at the Eagles Club two weeks ago, and clearly that show went well for him to get re-booked there thrice, including the April 19th show over the Easter long weekend. If you want to see Tym somewhere other than Misty's Fifties, maybe a trip to Steelton for his talented covers on SATURDAY or beyond will do the trick! All three of the new shows at Aerie #3991 are at 2:00 PM with no cover or announced age limit. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Headrush and Generations previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison) And The First Half Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

A busy concert weekend is upon us, no doubt accelerated by Monday being St. Patrick's Day, so this weekend's hard rock concert previews have been broken into two posts, possibly three if more late notice gigs turn up. As things proceed, I will note if the shows, bands, or venues have blatantly advertised any Irish themes, frills, or drink specials for the holiday (normally, I want the music to speak for itself, as alcohol is an inferred bonus at licensed bars, but urghabháil an lá!). Today's previews focus on bands playing tomorrow in some description, plus a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, and we'll touch on Saturday's Tarnished, Exit 808, Dirty Musky, and HeadFirst shows in tomorrow's post.

We'll start with that brand new date, as local acoustic singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his solo classic/hard rock covers to The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Club at 246 Wellington Street West for a matinee gig on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this concert via its Facebook event page on Sunday. Aerie #3991 (beside RJ's Market) came up on the SMS a few times last year when Piecing It Together Shows booked a handful of shows there, but this is the first in a public sense for Tym, who is filling the empty Saturday between two matinees at Misty's Fifties last week and next week. I don't know if there's a raison d'etre for this show beyond just Tym playing his diverse setlist of classic and hard rock hits at another local venue, but the Eagles Club has been hosting occasional Saturday matinees with local country veteran Al Mooney earlier this year, so this isn't new for them.

Hopefully a willing audience heads down to Steelton on SATURDAY for all of Tym's tunes! No word on St. Patrick's Day themes/frills, but the order's Facebook page will likely outline any that would be taking place. This SATURDAY matinee takes place from 2:00-6:00 PM with no announced age limit or cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live a couple of years back! 

Next up, here's some shows that got advance notice, starting with the return of Toronto melodic death metal band Selias to Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT! Less than six months after debuting here in September, this brutal original group will be back for another night of intense and hard hitting music in the lead-off of their Western Canada Annihilation Tour, so if you loved them last fall or missed out, keep tomorrow's action in mind! Spades GT drummer Tyler Reiner (who was in Selias for last year's local date) has since left the band, but we'll have more from them on the SMS soon. Whereas last year's Selias concert had seven opening bands, only three will have the honours tomorrow, including alt-punk trio A Dire Setback (the only returning local band from September), hard rock quintet HeadFirst (whose Shooters date on Saturday will be previewed in tomorrow's post), and folk punk/extreme metal solo musician Chase Wigmore. Nice diverse array there!

Promoted once again by Heavy North Entertainment in their first show of 2025 and second one post-relaunch, this ALL AGES show has doors opening at 6:30 PM, and tickets run for $15 in advance through H.N.E., the local openers, or in person at Soo Blaster, and an Eventbrite page for online sales has finally been created as well. The door charge for this show jumps to $20, and none of the official promotional materials point to St. Patrick's Day themes (inquire within if you're curious). This will definitely be the heaviest show of the weekend in the Soo area, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Selias live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen on Korah Road over the Valentine's Day weekend, they will do the honours for St. Patrick's Day, though be advised that neither the band nor venue have promoted any Irish or green anything on social media (that doesn't automatically mean that nothing is happening, of course). As usual for Generations' recent stops at Jay's, they will be serving as hosts of the Thursday jam night tonight as well, with singer Valerie Powley sitting out once again, though bassist Pierre Anthony Vaillancourt's son/ex-Fluid 5ive bandmate Liam will guest with his dad and the Tonys tonght. Direct promotion for the normal concerts tomorrow and Saturday doesn't credit Liam, but if the guest angle is intriguing (let alone the varied jam night performers), come down to Jay's for tonight's action!

The traditional concerts this weekend (and jam night) are 9:30 PM concerts with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Generations live at Gateway Casino this past Saturday! Filmed by drummer Tony Santoro's wife Dawn and shared in a batch post on the band's Facebook group, the video sees the band covering Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" with Tony S. on lead vocals and Valerie doing backing vocals & playing tambourine. While the video is sadly vertical, Dawn got solid audio quality here and was able to capture fans dancing on the floor with good energy and enthusiasm, so check out this strong cover below, and don't miss Generations at Jay's!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll zip across the border for Traverse City, Michigan classic metal trio Peril's return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While we have seen their sister band Scarkazm up here in the interim, these will be Peril's first shows in the E.U.P. of 2025, last rocking either Kewadin Casino in October. Good to see Jeff and crew back for another weekend chock full of classic and hard rock cover action, so keep their returns in mind in St. Ignace over these two nights! I have not seen any firm reference to St. Patrick's Day promotions on the band's or casino's end, but if you're downstate or up to travel, Peril (and Scarkazm) are taking part in a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl in Traverse City on Monday, so click here for details. The St. Ignace Kewadin gigs are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Peril live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween Concert Review, Plus A New Concert Video!!

In this post, we have a review of a Halloween concert from this past weekend, and a video of a separate local show from that same night, so here's what you should know on this Monday evening!

Apologies for the delay in this making the site, but I (in a Calvin & Hobbes costume) was able to go to most of Piecing It Together Shows' Halloween concert a the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West on Saturday night! Just down the road from the Primavera Hall, the Eagles Club definitely felt like a tale of two venues when we first arrived, with the right half being where the concert was set up and the left being more where Eagles regulars were mingling at the bar and watching the Leafs game, but this got mixed up as the night progressed. Definitely didn't feel like a traditional concert venue (likely because it's not one), but kudos to the Eagles Club for hosting some P.I.T.S. events this year Unfortunately, we were running late for the concert and missed the opening set by local electro/synth musician Owen Kjiersdam, a.k.a. Owen MK, so I do apologize to him for not seeing him live!

Owen did post a brief clip of him (dressed as Jack Skellington) singing on Saturday night on his personal Facebook page, so seek that out if you're curious. It's at the end of a "Reel" that starts with video of him at The Soo's Got Talent's last week. From what little I heard, he was singing with confidence and enthusiasm, but it's not a long watch, so I don't know if things got as intense as the bands ahead in unfilmed portions of the night. I do think he does better when he leans more into how his studio material sounds, but hopefully we see Owen back out there soon!

The middle act last night was hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails, who unleashed an eleven song set of aggressive and fast-paced original music! With the non-Muto members in costume (albeit with items shed as the set wore on), Ha!ls tore through an eleven song set featuring originals like "Serf City" and "Such Desperate Joy" and a few songs carried over from frontman Brenton Ellis' acoustic solo project Slumshine like "BiPolaris" and "Sole Crusher", though surprisingly, nothing from their EP "Rock & Rolls" (despite it being on sale on CD and cassette). The guys were on brutal form on Saturday, with a very fast and heavy sound that pushes their earlier descriptions of being a skate punk band way to the backburner, with Brent full of confidence and honesty on vocals and bass, while Mikhal & Carmen Muto both shone on guitar with some impressive solos, and Keeghan McAllister kept up well on drums!

I do like how many songs had changes in structure and tempo that made you feel like the song was going to end, but it kept going while still feeling natural (I hope that made sense). The Vanity First side project delivered a brutal set for gathered fans, so don't bypass them if you like thrash metal!

Your headliners on Saturday were Toronto grunge/alternative trio Skoff in their local concert debut, and they definitely delivered a fun set to end the night with! You can see proof in my video of theirs, as a bunch of costumed fans hit the floor to dance and rock out mid-song (fan of the night is whoever was wearing the chicken mask!) It was often hard to hear the vocalist introducing songs, but they played tracks like "Cancel Culture", "F.A.F.O.", and "Let Me Out", sometimes using an old telephone headset as a microphone, which was neat!  While not a fully packed house, assembled fans definitely took to Skoff's aggressive, 1990s inspired sound, and the band was dressed up for the occasion, so everyone definitely had a good time to end the night. Skoff are still a relatively newer band, but their future is bright, and hopefully they come back to the Soo in the near future!

Overall, this was a fun concert and it's nice to see a multi-band show taking place for the Halloween season again! Hopefully there's more along these lines in 2025. You can see our photos and videos of Skoff and Hails (apologies again to Owen MK) at this link or at our Facebook page, but here's our videos of Ha!ls playing the Slunshine holdover "Pink Clouds Of Density" and Skoff playing an original that may be titled something like "Guess When I Die"! Let us know if you can help title it.

We'll close this post with a video from another Saturday night concert, albeit not a public one, as newer Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Dirty Musky posted a video of them at a private birthday party event at Three One Three On Ashmun onto their Facebook page! The video sees Dave, the Blackwoods, and Jamie covering White Zombie's "Thunder Kiss '65", which is awesome just in concept, as Rob/White Zombie isn't tackled much up here! Uploaded in funny vertical dimensions, the lighting isn't fantastic, but this is a well played and lively cover, though Dave's vocals could be a little grittier to better match the original. Check it out for yourselves below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm) & More Halloween Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue with this weekend's hard rock concert previews as we continue the (pre-)Halloween concert slate! Remember, there are venues and bands holding their concerts/parties on Thursday and next weekend, given the proximity to the 31st proper. Also, just a heads up also that Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Dirty Musky are playing a private event at Three One Three On Ashmun tomorrow night, as per their Facebook page, but I won't offer further known details out of respect to the event's non-public nature. Now, here's what you should know for your Saturday night concert plans, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for later this year!

Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will play their last Eastern Upper Peninsula dates of 2024 when they return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, December 13th & Saturday, December 14th! While not yet confirmed by the casino online, Scarkazm announced the dates via this concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today, which also covers dates by their sister classic metal/hard rock trio Peril and their acoustic side act Project 6 (no relation). Peril will not be north of the Mackinac Bridge for the rest of the year, and Project 6 scarcely play in the E.U.P. at all, but Scarkazm are ending 2024 with three regional weekends up here, including St Ignace stops next weekend and the Thanksgiving weekend in the Soo. Hopefully next month's and December's Scarkazm shows have more great hard hitting covers in store! As usual, these are 21+ gigs at 9:00 PM with no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, we'll pick this weekend's previews back up in Sault Ontario, where local concert promoters Piecing It Together Shows (nee Dryer Fire) will host their Halloween party TOMORROW NIGHT at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West! The second concert that Nicole and crew are hosting at the Eagles Club, tomorrow's spooky festivities will be headlined by the local debut of Toronto grunge/punk trio Skoff, whose explosive retro stylings should appeal to early 1990s alternative rock fans, so don't miss this rising young group tomorrow! Joining them are local punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails in their first gig since opening for The Ripcordz last month, and this should be a prime chance for Brent, the Mutos, and Keeghan to unleash their fury on a new venue and audience! Online page-less local electro synth pop artist Owen MK (who debuted at a Dryer Fire event two years ago) will lead off this multi-genre event.

Specifics about the Halloween aspects of tomorrow's concert are not public, but if there's no costume contest, one assumes that costumes are at least encouraged, and hopefully there's some suitably scary decor! Admission is $15 via tickets at this link or $20 at the door. Everything starts at 7:00 PM and this is an all ages event. It's good to see a multi-band Halloween show like this post-pandemic, as there haven't been too many of those, so keep all of the Steelton action in mind tomorrow at the Eagles Club! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Skoff's debut music video! I struggled to find a video of them in concert.

Also, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Fresh off of rocking Shooters last week, this will be Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre's first show at the downtown casino in just over two months, and hopefully their classic and hard rock cover slate draws another strong reception as usual! What we don't know about tomorrow's concert is if it will be Halloween themed, as Generations have not indicated whatsoever if this show will have any seasonality to it. This is Gateway Casinos' Spooktacular Customer Appreciation week, which includes deals at the on-site Getaway Restaurant and nightly promotions for casino-goers midweek, but I have seen no promotion on the casino's end tying Generations' concert to Halloween at all. Of course, they will be playing on Halloween proper at The Water Tower Pub, but keep posted in case they/the casino clarify tomorrow's plans.

As such, wear costumes to Gateway Casino tomorrow at your discretion, but I can't guarantee that they're encouraged and/or if there will be a costume contest. The concert proper takes place at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

Finally, we'll head south to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula for this weekend's last known hard rock concert, as Sault Ste. Marie hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun will headline the Halloween party at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TOMORROW NIGHT! This one-nighter will be the Fake Chow successors' first show at the former Joe's Bar since debuting there with an outdoors gig back in July, and they'll be back there in three weeks if you want to see them in a regular, non-seasonal environment. Unfortunate Sun have fortunately delivered a strong show and gotten a reception to match since debuting, and hopefully they get more of the same in Rudyard tomorrow! Huck's Facebook page confirms that there will be a costume contest tomorrow, so wear your best outfit and you may be rewarded with one of three prizes! No word on other seasonal frills but the venue should be decked out for the occasion, so keep tabs with the band/pub for any possible new details on this show.

Like with Generations in Sault Ontario, Unfortunate Sun take the stage in Rudyard at 8:00 PM (though they're slated to run until midnight, one more hour). This show will be a 21+ affair with no cover charge, and in the unlikely event that Huck's is hosting this outdoors, 9&10 News are calling for partly cloudy skies with temperatures of around 39° Fahrenheit (4° Celsius), which I'd assume would be too chilly. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Unfortunate Sun live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Our Lady Peace), The Dany Laj/Handsome Sandwich Concert Preview, And More!!

For today's news post, I wanted to tackle the huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that has been the talk of local rock fans over the past few days, along with the last straggler from this weekend's hard rock concert preview slate, and a new cover video from earlier this month, so here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Juno Award winning Toronto alternative hard rock quartet Our Lady Peace will make their long awaited return to Sault Ste. Marie on March 2nd when they headline at GFL Memorial Gardens during their 30th anniversary Canadian tour! A staple of domestic rock radio thanks to hit songs like "Starseed", "Superman's Dead", and "Innocent", this will be O.L.P.'s first local concert since they headlined River Rave '98 in Richards Landing during the Homecoming 1998 festival, and in terms of Sault Ste. Marie proper, they have not played in city limits since headlining at The Princess Theatre in 1996. How they've went almost 27 years since playing up here is beyond me, but it will be great to see Our Lady Peace back next year, and hopefully there's a huge turnout of rock fans in March! Lead singer Raine Maida & bassist Duncan Coutts remain from their 1990s shows here, now joined by guitarist Steve Mazur and drummer Jason Pierce.

Local fans may recognize Jason as the live/session drummer for Treble Charger from their initial 2012 reunion until 2015, wherein he played with them locally at their 2013 Searchmont fundraiser at The Water Tower Pub and their 2015 Bon Soo concert at The Machine Shop. Jason himself isn't from here, but it is neat to see him come back to town for another big concert! Joining Our Lady Peace on tour next year are Georgia alternative rock mainstays Collective Soul, who will be familiar to many 1990s-early 2000s rock fans from hit songs like "Shine", "December", and "Precious Declaration". I believe this will be their first show here, and given how often they're still heard on Rock 101, Collective Soul should pull many fans alone with their familiar alt-rock classics! A third touring band is to be announced for the western Canada portion of the tour, which ends in the Soo, so don't go looking for Wintersleep or Ash Molloy.

Tickets for this all ages concert go on sale on Thursday at this link and at the Gardens' in-person box office, and they will start at $75 apiece, with packages also available with early entry, included merchandise, and autographs/meet & greets. It's been a very long time for Our Lady Peace fans to wonder why they don't ever play closer to here than Sudbury, so I hope this concert is a smash hit in five months' time! I've never been the biggest fan myself, but I respect O.L.P. and Raine's activism, and I want this concert to do well so that more GFL Memorial Gardens can bring in more big rock shows in the future! Visit the above links for much more on Our Lady Peace & Collective Soul's local date next year!

Next up, let's finally cap off this weekend's concert previews with TONIGHT's concert from alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich, who will make their debut at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club at 246 Wellington Street West when they open for Montreal power pop veterans Dany Laj & The Looks! Readers may recall seeing Dany Laj and crew here five times in the 2010s, including a Rockstar Bar show in 2017 that the original cover trio version of Handsome Sandwich opened, and while not a hard rock act, it will be good to see them back for the first time in five years! Also, David Briggs from SooToday's North Bay-based sister site BayToday actually interviewed Dany (who himself lived in North Bay and Sudbury in the past) for this article cross-posted on SooToday earlier this week. Tonight's concert will be Handsome Sandwich's first since last month's Northern Vibe Festival and first in the Soo since Poutine Feast.

A presentation of Piecing It Together Shows (née Dryer Fire), tonight's concert has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and tickets running for $15 in advance at this link or $20 at the door. Hopefully tonight's concert is a solid draw, especially given the competition from other shows tonight, let alone the relatively new venue (which P.I.T.S. will run again when Skoff headlines there next month), but if you saw and liked The Looks' upbeat garage rock in the 2010s, or want to order another sandwich, head to The Eagles Club tonight! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich live earlier this year!

Finally, here's the first new live concert video uploaded to The Dive Gastro Pub's new Facebook page (I still don't know why they deleted the old one and started over), and it features Dodge This/ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer covering Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" during his solo Patio Play concert there this past Saturday! He's joined by an uncredited guest singer, who is definitely not his Dodge This bandmate Jamie July. Truth be told, I had trouble identifying the song at first because the 30 seconds-long clip focuses on the bridge, but it's well done for hair metal fans, so check it out below, and we'll have more on Dodge This on the SMS soon!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and more on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!