LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), Cory Marks Concert Videos, And An Inactive Band Note!!

One more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT has fell into my lap, so to fill out a surprise Saturday evening post, we have new videos from a big recent concert and a solo project newly moved to our inactive links, so here's what you should know on all fronts!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock cover quintet Project 906 will return to the stage TONIGHT at The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Apologies for the short notice, the band first announced this one-night-only gig on their Facebook page on Sunday, but it slipped past me before our last two weekend concert preview posts went live. After taking a three month break from the stage (characterized by the band as "some much needed time off"), this will be 906's first show since rocking Hulbert Happy Hour in early March, with the band last playing at The Strongs Tavern at the end of February. Of course, this belatedly kicks off their annual "#summerof906", so more shows should be announced in due course, but since we last heard from Project 906 at The Strongs, they completed renovations in the spring, so hopefully things look as good as the rock will sound TONIGHT! Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian will take the stage TONIGHT at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, as usual.

If you've missed the guys in recent months, and/or are up for the hour's drive west, don't miss out on their summer season kickoff! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview of TONIGHT'S opening #summerof906 event, here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario for some new videos from the Cory Marks concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on June 11th! Last week, Cory uploaded a highlight video from the event to his Facebook page, where he highly praised the concert, which included a sold-out meet & greet session, and some fans driving 8+ hours to see it. Cory called the the Bushplane Museum's hangar "a dream concert setting for me", and if you weren't there, the hangar doors were open with the stage was set up inside, allowing for outside light to get inside and for some nice views while the North Bay country/hard rock musician rocked out. The highlight video (set to the studio version of his song "Are You With Me?") features clips of Cory at the meet-and-greet, including of him playing acoustic for VIP fans, before we see footage of the proper concert.

Good thing that we knew ahead of time where this was, as the video only has fleeting glimpses of bushplanes, which is a testament in a way to how well everyone got the hangar looking like a concert venue for more than just local bands! I would prefer hearing raw audio from the concert, but miraculously, Facebook didn't content match the studio track, so I can embed it below!

If you do want to see raw audio from the concert proper, good news, as Mike Blair's 705Live Sound Co. were on hand to take care of sound for Cory and crew, and a video of them playing "Blame It On The Double" was posted to 705Live's Facebook page! Mike doesn't do the "pan the camera up from the soundboard" thing this time, FYI. Alas, the video only runs for 46 seconds, but it does let us get more of a view of where exactly in the Bushplane Museum that the concert was set up at (and where the VIP pre-show area was). Of note, Cory actually grabs someone's cell phone from the crowd to film things mid-song, which would be neat for that fan! What Mike shot looks and sounds good, so if you like Cory's southern fried hard rock, you can relive a snippet of this high production concert for yourself below, and we'll let you know if Cory returns to the Soo for a fifth straight year in 2027!

Finally, I have a local metal act to move to our inactive band links, namely local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore. We have heard no public updates from C.T.W. since 2024, with their final album "Bummer" being released on Bandcamp that July, and more recent updates from their owned-and-operated indie label Blood Shed Productions dried up by the spring of 2025. Active since 2012 and led by singer/guitarist Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson, C.T.W. became one of the more unique underground sights among extreme metal fans of the early-mid 2010s, releasing lots of studio material online and at concerts, including many of the final Oddfellows Hall concerts, plus various private & house party events. Updates from C.T.W. (let alone Blood Shed) really tailed off after the pandemic, even for a one-man project, which wasn't helped by their Facebook pages being taken down, if not by Tyler's own hand.

C.T.W. were really a critic-proof act, as a one-man goregrind band with such explicit imagery, pig squealing vocals, extremely short song lengths, a drum machine, and an ardent "I play what I want to play" ethos made it difficult to look at them in comparison with most contemporary bands. I still believe that all of the early-mid 2010s Blood Shed 1-2 man bands had the collective talent to make a great five-piece death metal band, but Tyler did what he wanted and kept this project going for a strong length of time, with fun crowd reactions and a solid skill set as a guitarist & producer. Hopefully we hear more from him and the label down the road! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

Not A Leap Year Party & Project 906 Previews, Plus Double Down & Tym Morrison Videos!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and in case you were wondering, the late replacement band at The Esquire Club was covered in an update to yesterday's post below this one, Along with this weekend's remaining heavier shows, we also have new videos from acts not playing live imminently, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with in Michigan for this post, as Sault Ste. Marie blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will play at The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman TOMORROW NIGHT! Historically a favourite venue for the 906 crew despite not playing a public concert there since July, tomorrow's show will be the first from Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian since rocking the Snowsfest weekend at Snow's Bar & Grill in Cedarville two weeks ago. Hopefully there's a solid crowd beating the winter blues in Eckerman tomorrow for Project 906's entertaining blend of hard rock covers, and there's lots of videos online to sample what they bring to the table! As usual for their trips an hour west to Eckerman, tomorrow's Strongs Tavern concert is an 8:00 PM affair with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above link for more details on Project 906's Strongs concert tomorrow night, and for a preview, here they are live last year!

Next up, if you've missed a multi-band concert in Sault Ontario in recent months, this might fit the bill, as local promoters Underground Events SSM are hosting a "Not A Leap Year Party" TOMORROW NIGHT! While this is a house party concert (something I usually don't cover due to their not-usually-public nature), this is a publically advertised event on Bruce Street with an admission fee and 19+ age limit, and while they don't give the exact address, there will be balloons outside the locale so you know where to go! Specifically, the venue is being called "Mellow D's Basement", which is an allusion to the former pop-up venue Mellow D's Underground. Six acts will gather in said basement tomorrow, including new local ska punk trio A.S.D.P. (in their first concert set since releasing their debut album "Atom Bombs & Lemonade"), party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, and online page-less space rock duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring A.S.D.P. drummer Ralph Barber).

As well, three solo acoustic acts will be playing tomorrow, namely Sylo frontman Eli Russell, folk singer/guitarist Gimiiwan Ikwe, and former Vanity First frontman Andrew Keith (Beggs). Promoted by A.S.D.P. frontman/Apocalypse Afterparty bassist Mikhal "Châ" Muto, this show has a $10 cover charge (or "suggested donation"), and doors open at 5:00 PM. An intriguing event for sure, especially as these six acts do not collectively update social media much, so come to Bruce Street tomorrow for all of the action, and look for the balloons! See above for more details, and here's The A.A. live!

Also today, let's talk about two acts that aren't playing this weekend, but have new videos to share, starting with classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down! As you may recall, they played their first show with bassist Dan Beaupre in six months this past weekend at The Water Tower Pub, and while there are videos from the show on their Facebook page, both of them have guest performers. One is a cover of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy" (possibly the Big Sugar version) with guitarist Joel Syrette on vocals and RPM's Joseph Bertrand on drums in place of Ric Datson. Still a relatively original cover choice as local bands go, and the guys do a good job with it! Joseph shows his stuff well behind the kit too, and don't bypass RPM, they have developed a good following with their own classic rock covers! The other video is embedded below, and it features the return of Mid Life Crysis bassist Lori Reinholtz, who was Dan's "stunt double" for most of his absence.

Thanked for helping Double Down out with this Cameo video by musician/social media personality Joey Breaux, Lori did two songs last week as a guest singer, with the filmed one being Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' "I Hate Myself For Loving You" (yes, Ric was back on drums here). While both videos are sadly vertical and incomplete, they are unique in that guitarist Beej Syrette filmed them with a headcam while performing, so we got to see his direct point of view on both videos. The audio quality is kinda tinny on both, but you sure get a different view of everything this way, and it'd be interesting to see Beej (let alone other local musicians) do this more! Check both videos out!

Finally for today, let's talk about local hard rock/metal solo musician Tym Morrison, who is taking a break from concerts until at least late March while he heals up from a broken pinky finger. He's not staying musically idle though, as he has posted four original songs to his YouTube channel in the past two weeks! All have accompanying music videos featuring assorted linked video clips, though be advised that some feature apparent generative AI. One song is an instrumental metal song named "Moon Patrol" that you may remember as being planned for his unreleased second album. The other three seem to be new, and the only one to exceed two minutes is "Jesus Save Me", which leans heavily into his faith. It is a lyric video if you wanna sing along! The other two new tracks are secular, including a comedy rock song named "Liar Liar Pants On Fire", which is about who the title suggests!

Embedded below is his new metal instrumental "Frantic Delay". It's good to see some heavy new music from Tym, who gets to let loose on these tracks and shred to his standards (granted, I assume these all predate his broken finger), and his singing voice is put to good use on the two songs with lyrics! Note that only "Jesus Save Me" even cracks 2 minutes in length. Give Tym's new songs/videos a look above and below, and we'll let you know if he has more material to post before he returns to the stage!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Even Flow) And More Recent Updates!!

Before we get too far today, we have another missed concert to acknowledge on the site, from Saturday, February 7th in Sault Michigan, albeit one that had no public advertising that I can find. On that night, local hard rock bands About:Blank and Crush joined forces at The Savoy Nightclub, and for a show that About:Blank plugged after the fact on Facebook & thanked attendees for coming out to, why didn't either band mention it on their public pages? Especially as it was both bands' first gig of 2026, though Crush haven't even posted on their Facebook page in over a month. I do apologize for not covering this show on here, but alas, it's hard to when no one publically advertises it online, especially from the Ontario side of the border. However, About:Blank did post two new videos to their Facebook page from Saturday's show of them playing their original songs "Hearse", and as embedded below, "Unheard", so what can we glean from them?

The video quality of these videos isn't the greatest (the vertical orientation and The Savoy's lighting don't help), but the performances are solid and have a good energy that fans of Parker's past work with Tarnished will appreciate! Note that this set appeared to be as a duo following Nathan Webber's departure last month (I knew Nathan isn't in Crush, cold bug-induced error, sorry Alex), and hopefully the guys find the right guitarist and/or bassist to refill their ranks soon! Check out Parker & Kade rocking out at The Savoy above and below, and apologies again! I'd have happily promoted this show had someone said something publically!

Today's post otherwise features updates from a rising young metal band and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll an hour west in Eckerman, where local blues/hard rock cover quintet Project 906 will play The Strongs Tavern for the first time this year on Saturday, February 28th! The band just announced this concert earlier today via their Facebook page when thanking everyone for seeing them in Cedarville last night, and it will mark their first show at The Strongs Tavern since July, an unusually long wait given that they historically play there often, especially compared to other regional hard rock bands. Hopefully the guys deliver a fun batch of rocking covers for fans out in Eckerman to end the month! If you're wondering, the picture is from the Cedarville show, but I don't know if hand drummer Brian Duford missed the gig, was just not present for the photo, or if he was one of the Snowsfest Bigfoot mascots in disguise.

If things go identically to 906's prior Strongs concerts, this will be a 21+ event with no announced cover charge and an 8:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more news and updates from Project 906!

We'll head north to Sault Ontario for the back half of this post, starting with one more new show announcement, as new local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow will play their second concert on Friday, March 27th at Soo Blaster! Coming almost five months after Even Flow debuted on Halloween at Beck's Bar, you know that the guys have high aspirations when they're already headlining a larger venue like this, and while public media of them performing isn't on social media yet, the talent is certainly there! And yes, their singer is indeed Barbarians/ex-Wyld Stallyns frontman Rob Speers, as per personal Facebook postings (the band's bio doesn't give his last name). Also featuring Papa Fogals Chair and Odd Man Out alumni, this grunge and alternative tribute goes down at 8:00 PM on March 27th, it will presumably be all ages, and advance tickets cost $10 at this link or through band members. See above for more details on this event!

Finally, here's the latest from local metalcore duo Hollow Sky, and while they just resurfaced for their first Facebook page update since June of last year, observant fans may have noticed recent activity on streaming services attributed to them. In December, an album named "Echoes Fade Slowly" by a band named Hollow Sky surfaced on major streaming platforms, and the local band's Linktree page kicks to this album on YouTube Music. The three red flags here were A. the genre (indie/pop rock), B. the singer (female), and C. the online footprint (minimal, I have suspicions that this Hollow Sky is AI-generated). I reached out to the local band to tell them about this so they can address the links and attribution as needed, and they confirmed that they are 100% not behind "Echoes Fade Slowly". I fear that this isn't the only time that such a name/credit issue will crop up on streaming, so be observant!

In terms of actual content by Liam and Adam, their new posting is of a cover-ish of the riff from "1. The Many Names Of God", a new song by Birmingham, Alabama progressive metalcore band Erra that isn't even coming out until Thursday. However, Erra posted the tabs for the main riff of the song on social media, encouraging fans to try to perform their own interpretation of the riff to guess how it will sound. The video (with Liam on guitar and Adam on bass) sure sounds good with a nice technical crunch, but it's a hypothetical teaser of another band's song. Check out Erra's new song when it drops later this week, and give Hollow Sky's interpretation a watch below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Curtis McLenzie & Tarnished), Concert Previews, And A Big Cancellation!!

Before we begin this post, we have a major concert cancellation to note here, as Saturday night's Headstones/Fortunate Losers show at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion is no longer taking place, as per this SooToday article by Greg McGrath-Goudie last night. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced by the bands or promoters Cabin Media Entertainment, but I sensed something was up, as I was literally writing up my preview of the concert when I noticed that ticket links and advertising had dried up in the past week. An obvious major concern with the show as scheduled was that it was booked opposite Rotaryfest's final day, as this ticketed concert (individual tickets ran for around $75) was up against the free bands at Clergue Park, five of which were scheduled across Stages 1 & 2 during or after the Headstones show was to have begun at 7:30 PM, including touring AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who on Stage 1, which was also getting advertised on local radio. Headstones ticket refunds are available from Cabin Media at point of purchase.

Very disappointing to hear that The Headstones aren't coming here (yet), especially as they're getting a lot more rock radio airplay now that we have 104.3 The Fox in Sault Ontario, so hopefully Hugh and company will try again down the road, as it's been 28 years already! Otherwise, for this second weekend concert preview post, we're leaving Clergue Park to look at hard rock shows this weekend outside of the Rotaryfest umbrella, and while we'll knock most of those out today, our previews of Tym Morrison's shows this weekend will be lumped in with Friday's Stage 2-led preview post, so don't miss all of that then. Here's what else you should know for this weekend, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will reportedly return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these dates were included in updates to Kewadin's entertainment page reflecting who's playing at their on-site lounges through the end of August, and while I missed that when first announced there, Tarnished have yet to corroborate these bookings on their own Facebook page. These will actually be Tarnished's second and third shows in St. Ignace this month, having rocked the Music By The Bay summer concert series there as well. Note that Tarnished were once advertised to play at The Northern Pines Lounge over the May 16th weekend, but the band never confirmed those bookings on social media, so while I do apologize for not acknowledging them in our previews that month, I don't believe they happened either. At least they're back this weekend!

Between the casino, the Music By The Bay gig, and their shows at the Driftwood Bar, Tarnished have been spreading their wings in St. Ignace a lot this year, but hopefully their hard rocking covers and originals find a strong audience at The Northern Pines Lounge once again this weekend! TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live! 

Next up, let's head north of the border for another late notice gig, as former Haggith/Project 421 frontman Curtis McKenzie will play a matinee concert at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday morning (we'll address Tym Morrison's also-short notice SUNDAY matinee there in our next post). As far as I'm aware, Curt has never played at Rotaryfest, but it will be interesting to see how his show there on SATURDAY does when there's the festival running concurrently, but there should be west end fans eager for something a little lighter musically! As usual at the former Vibe Lounge, they're doubling up with a separate nighttime concert at 8:00 PM, with this week's late band being blues rock veterans Smokehouse (fresh off of their Friday Night Blues set on Stage 2), but Curtis isn't "opening" for Smokehouse. These are two distinct concerts on the same day.

Curt takes the stage at Beck's on SATURDAY at 3:00 pm with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. This should be a fun change of pace if you want to enjoy some unplugged hard rock and alternative covers far from the downtown events, so check the above links for more details, and here's Curtis live! 

Finally for today, we'll head back to Michigan, as local hard/blues rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in Eckerman for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! First announced via
the venue's Facebook page last month, this will be Project 906's first stop at this favourite venue of theirs in almost two months, and is the only advertised July event there if this poster is anything to go by. This should be a fun night of hard rocking covers from this familiar and well-tested local hard rock band, so keep things in mind if you're out west or want to take the hour's drive to Eckerman! The guys should be whole again on Saturday after drummer Jason VanLuven missed their Cedarville matinee gig last week due to a scheduling conflict with his other band Unfortunate Sun, so keep his return in mind as well. Saturday's concert is at 8:00 PM with no cover and a 21+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's 906 live!

That's all for now, but we'll wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews next with Rotaryfest Stage 2 and Tym Morrison (and more?) tomorrow morning. Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Krang & Project 906), The M1 Concert Preview, And A New Punk Cover!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this Tuesday evening, which is half devoted to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with the back half featuring a special Wednesday night concert preview and a new studio cover to check out, so let's get things rolling!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on Saturday, July 19th! Not yet announced by the band on social media, this concert was announced by the venue's Facebook page two weeks ago in this poster advertising July events (or lack thereof, as they closed for two days during the Fourth of July long weekend). Last seen on stage in Brimley late last month, the guys last played in Eckerman at the end of May, and hopefully the #summerof906 continues well with another night of strongly performed and crowd friendly hard rock classics next Saturday! You can see Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian take the stage at The Strongs Tavern next Saturday at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Project 906's next show, unless they announce something on short notice prior!

Next up, remember how two Swiss death metal bands played in Sault Ontario this past Sunday night? Well, another band is trekking all the way from Europe to play in the Soo, as Czech skate punk band Krang will make their local concert debut on Monday, September 8th at The Distraction! An upbeat pop punk band whose songs are heavily based on retro pop culture and nostalgia (yes, the songs are in English), Krang will absolutely pique the interest of local punk fans this fall, so don't bypass their fun original attack in two months! Local support will include online page-less "east end rock & roll" duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring ex-Fitswitch/Redundant bassist Andrew MacDonald alongside Ralph Barber) and A.S.D.P., which I am 99% sure stands for "Adam Smith Death Parade". You may recall seeing them debut as a late replacement band at the private Go Skateboarding Day replacement event last month, which also featured The Spaceship Opening.

The venue describes A.S.D.P. as "crackrocksteady", so does the "rocksteady" reference imply ska punk? I don't known anything else on A.D.S.P., but stay tuned when we hear more! Taking place in The Distraction's current basement locale on East Street (all shows were moved out of the former hair salon upstairs starting last summer), this all ages concert will have a 7:00 PM start time and a cover charge of $15 or "pay what you can". Sounds like a fun way to kick off the fall season in style, so don't miss this stop on Krang's Real Canadian Moose Pit Tour if you can swing coming out on a work/school night! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Also, here's a special mid-week concert preview for your Motorhead fans in the area, as Calgary-based Motorhead tribute band M1 will rock Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! The first time that a touring band has headlined at Beck's since the Goulais Avenue nightclub re-opened three months ago, M1 will bring a faithful sounding (if not looking) tribute to Lemmy Kilmister and crew to local audiences, and it will be neat to hear Motorhead songs other than "Ace Of Spades" covered at a local concert, let alone this many! As per a quiet update to the Facebook event page, Dodge This singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer will open tomorrow's festivities. Having an acoustic solo artist open for a Motorhead tribute may seem odd, but Jason has ample experience in hard rock bands, most notably the out of town groups Phatstick and Human Disorder, so I'm sure he'd tailor his set somewhat for the occasion, and he is a very talented musician, so don't be late!

This 19+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time (moved up from 7:00 PM), and despite featuring a touring headliner, it will have no cover charge! While the work night scheduling won't be ideal for many, Motorhead fans won't wanna miss M1, especially at that (lack of) price, so visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Finally, remember how local crossover thrash quartet Hails released a self-titled album last month without much public warning? Well, that was prefaced by their appearance on the new compilation album "Punk Canada Vol. 4", and they released their contribution to it errrrrrrrrvrywhere on major streaming services on June 10th! Curated and released by Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz, you can get physical copies of the album (which features covers of Canadian punk bands by modern acts) on vinyl via Ha!ls members, and you can hear the whole thing on Bandcamp at this link, including Sault native Ash Richtig's band Avoid The Comment Section's cover of Grimskunk's "Dead End Violence". Hails contributed a cover of "Meathook" by Toronto punk legends The Almighty Trigger Happy, in their first studio recording with guitarist Carmen Muto in the fold. How is the cover overall?

Played a touch faster than the original (running for just 92 seconds), this isn't quite as ferocious as Ha!ls can get on their heaviest originals, but it's a faithfully executed cover that Trigger Happy fans will like, with a good pace & solid hardcore punk intensity! Give it a listen below or on other major streaming services, check out "Punk Canada Vol. 4" above, and look for our review of Hails' new album in October!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Double Down, Project 906, And The Nameless), Concert Previews, And More!!

As promised, we have more concert previews to knock out on this very busy final weekend of May 2025, so today's second post focuses primarily on SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for Saturday night, along with a previously announced weekend, with new videos to talk about from half of them. Here's what you should know as we continue this busy preview stretch!

Local blues/hard rock quintet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook event page on Tuesday. Last seen in Hessel a few weeks ago, this will be 906's first show out in Strongs since early March, and it should be a prime opportunity for fans an hour west to check out Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian's brand of melodic hard rock covers in a familiar locale despite the late notice! SATURDAY's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, there is no announced cover charge, and you must be 21 or older to attend. No word yet on when we'll next see Project 906 on stage, but perhaps another "#summerof906" is to be detailed, so stay tuned to their Facebook page for further updates. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Project 906!

This comes from their Back Bay Grill & Games concert at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley last month (via their Facebook page), and sees them covering the Black Crowes version of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle". Pretty good cover, if with somewhat gruffer vocals, but fans should take to this one well enough! Unfortunately, the video was shot vertically, and while everyone's more or less seen on camera, why accentuate the empty floor like this, occasional dancers aside? Give this new live video a watch below!

Next up, fellow local hard rock quartet The Nameless will return to The Merchants Bar for one night only themselves on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was also only announced via their Facebook event page on Tuesday. This will be the band's first stop at The Merch since April 10th, which was also their first show with Dirty Musky's Jamie Costner behind the drumkit, a role that she has since signed on with permanently. This will be her third concert with The Nameless, including their gig at Huck's in Rudyard earlier this month that the band never publicized on their Facebook page. It's great to see that Jamie is fitting in well with Joshua and the Mikes, and hopefully SATURDAY'S Merch show is another hit as The Nameless continue making their local name! A 9:00 PM start time is in effect for this one-nighter in the Soo, which has a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Nameless live!

Also taking place on SATURDAY NIGHT is Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's debut at Beck's Bar! Apologies again for the short notice, the band first announced the gig on their Facebook page on Sunday, with the venue's Facebook page clarifying the date/time one day later. The guys will be rocking a west end nightclub for a second straight weekend, after hitting up Jay's (sans Beej) last week, but Saturday's one-nighter (due to Friday DJ nights at Beck's) will hopefully give everyone a chance to unleash some solid live rock covers for a new audience! It will be a busy day for most of the band though, as Double Down (minus drummer Ric Datson) will also be playing in Beck's 3:00 PM matinee timeslot on SATURDAY as well, under the band name The T.R.I.P.. What that acronym stands for, I don't know, but Occam's Razor would suggest that this is an acoustic side project from Joel, Beej, and Dan.

I couldn't tell you what The T.R.I.P. play yet, or if they're basically an acoustic/drum-less take on Double Down or not, but we'll let you know when more comes out! If you're curious to come aboard this T.R.I.P., remember that it's technically a separate matinee concert, and they're not "opening" for Double Down, who take the stage 2 hours after their sister band wrap up. Double Down proper are on at 9:00 PM on SATURDAY with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, we'll stay in the west end, as fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Headrush will rock The Esquire Club TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Unlike the above dates, this one was announced with lots of advance notice, and will mark the end of their two month break from the public stage. It's worth noting that guitarist Wes Greco has posted nine live clips of the band on his TikTok page that haven't made their way to Facebook (a platform that I don't believe he uses), so if you want more samples of Headrush's live setlist, check those out! As they're on TikTok though, they're all short and vertical, and I can't get their embed codes working on the SMS, but you can see them there covering AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Sweeney Todd, Rick Springfield, Toto, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eddie Money, and two Journey songs (linked here & here).

Not the ideal way to post concert videos for SMS purposes, but kudos to Wes for posting these glimpses of "80's music at its finest" along with some earlier cuts! Headrush take the stage tomorrow & Saturday at The Esquire Club at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new Headrush video that I can embed here, and it sees them covering Bon Jovi's "Runaway" at a recent jam session! Posted by bassist John Amendola on their Facebook group on May 12th, this well shot horizontal video captures a solid rendition of this newer song in their live setlists, so give it a watch below!

That's all for today, but our weekend concert previews will conclude next with Saturday's previously announced Generations, Dodge This, and Tym Morrison concerts. Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906 & Double Down) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

You know the spring is almost upon us when concert schedules are picking up, and not only are there enough hard rock-leaning concerts to warrant splitting this weekend's concert previews into two posts, there's major headlining shows on both sides of the border this weekend! As such, we'll look at Sunday's Our Lady Peace show, Saturday's HeadFirst concert, and this weekend's Bone Yard 225 shows (and more) on the site tomorrow. so they are coming soon! Now, here's what you should know to start the weekend, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will rock The Water Tower Pub for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was quietly announced on the band's Facebook page on February 12th, which completely slipped us by at the time (the venue has yet to confirm their March concert schedule online). SATURDAY'S concert will be Double Down's first since their late January weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, and their first stop at The Water Tower Pub since January 10th, so it's been a relative while to see the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric rock out on a local stage. Hopefully their Cancon-laden night of hard rocking covers goes over swimmingly at this central nightclub on SATURDAY, and that the storm warnings are long over prior! This is a one-nighter due to tomorrow's previously announced Generations show, which will be previewed at post's end.

Double Down take the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT at 8:00 PM, this is a 19+ event, and there are no announced over charges. After taking all of February 2025 off, hopefully the guys are ready to rock once again, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brief new video of Double Down live at Jay's in January, and I mean brief! This 9 seconds-long (and vertical) clips sees the guys covering Prince & The Revolution's "Purple Rain" with Joel & Beej making the most of the floor during one of the Brad Stephen-sung choruses. Fun little clip while it lasts, though I would like to hear the full song! Still, check it out below!

Next up, let's head across to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P., as local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman on SATURDAY NIGHT as well! Again, apologies for the short notice, but it definitely is short notice here, as both the band and venue only announced this gig via their respective Facebook pages this afternoon. Like with Double Down above, SATURDAY'S show will be Project 906's first since late January, when they rocked The Strongs Tavern on January 26th. Exactly five weeks later, fans can welcome Billy, Dustin, Joe, and Jason (and Brian?) back for another night of hard rocking cover action, so consider the hour's drive west on SATURDAY if you're up for it! Yes, I am well aware of the fundraiser concert that 906 are taking part in next month, we will have more on that on the site this weekend, so stay tuned for full details shortly!

Project 906's second show of 2025 goes down on SATURDAY takes place at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on this late notice concert, and for a preview, here's Project 906 live and in concert last year!

We'll stay in Michigan for a big previously announced concert, as Sacramento glam metal/hard rock quintet Tesla will make their long awaited return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammaker's Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! Just to get this out of the way now, Kewadin Casinos have begun re-opening following the ransomware attack two+ weeks ago, with the Soo branch re-opening yesterday (St. Ignace's re-opens tomorrow, the rest will next week, source here), and they have confirmed that the Tesla show is still 100% on, so they re-opened just in time! This will be Tesla's (at least) fifth local concert appearance, but first since 2013, so if you've missed Tesla's rock radio hits like "Love Song", "The Way It Is", and "Mama's Fool" in the past 12 years, you'll wanna make your way to the Soo Kewadin for all of the action! This opener-less & all ages show is presented by Rock 101.

All center section seats are sold out for tomorrow's concert, but there are limited seats still on sale in the left & right sections in rows H-J ($85) and K-Q ($75) and in the standing room only area ($65), so click here, visit the in-person box office, or call 1-800-KEWADIN to get hooked up unless you want to chance availability at the door. If you're a loyal Hair Scare listener, you won't want to miss Tesla's local return tomorrow night, and they still sound good, so visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tesla live at The Dreammakers Theater back in 2010!

Finally for this preview post, we'll return back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will cap off February 2025 when they rock the aforementioned Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Remember, The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts different nightly bands, and doesn't book bands on consecutive nights as a rule, with Double Down playing there on SATURDAY NIGHT as noted at the top. Fans last saw Generations at Jay's two weeks ago, but tomorrow's show will be their first on Great Northern Road since early last month. This one-nighter should be a fine way to enjoy Generations' old school and hard rocking covers, weather permitting, so keep things in mind if you want something to do tomorrow night! Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre hit the stage at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Generations live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Our Lady Peace, Bone Yard 225, and HeadFirst previews (and more) next!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Project 906, Double Down, And Headrush), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another wave of weekend concert previews is upon us, and most of this post is comprised of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS as a result! Due to the amount, Saturday night's Mike Haggith & The Din-headldined Joy MacMillan tribute concert at The Dive will be previewed in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know on this Thursday night!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for their first concerts of 2025 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, bassist John Amendola only announced the shows via the official Facebook event page on Tuesday. This newer veteran group were last seen at The Esquire Club ("their favourite bar", if you believe the venue's Facebook page) just under a month ago, so it'll be good to see the Johns, Wes, and crew back on Second Line West for another weekend of 1980s-leaning rock covers! No major frills or themes to note, just two nights of old school rock hits, so don't miss out on all of the action from Headrush (not HeadFirst) TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT! As usual, expect 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges both nights. See above for more details, and here's Headrush live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT themselves! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook page on Monday, and we await any sort of concert calendar for upcoming dates like they were posting every so often last year. These will be Double Down's second and third shows of the year, last having played at Jay's back in November, so if you've missed seeing the Syrettes, Brad, and Ric in the west end, you'll get your fill of classic and hard rock cover action by doubling down with Double Down TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! For the record, Tex Riviera & The Ride hosted the Thursday jam night there tonight (I don't believe Double Down has ever hosted one of those). TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Double Down live!

Also, let's head across the International Bridge for the return of Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, who will play their first show of the year THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page on Monday (the venue has not corroborated the booking on social media at press time). While Project 906 haven't been seen at The Strongs Tavern since September, they actually have played one public concert since that I profusely apologize for missing on the SMS, as they returned to Brimley on November 9th to headline the Brimley Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 9023's annual Veteran's Day ATV ride for a second straight year. This was publically advertised and attendable (here was its Facebook event page), and I do apologize again for missing this concert last fall, especially given the aims of the event, but I hope the veterans, riders, and Project 906 had a great time at the ride in November!

SATURDAY'S Strongs concert appears to be regular fare for the guys as they kick off 2025, though I don't know if their choice of picture in the post announcing this show (from a gig featuring guest hand drummer Brian Duford) is a hint as to who will be playing here or if it was just the picture that they chose to use. Everything goes down on SATURDAY NIGHT at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details, apologies again for missing the Brimley show in November, and here's Project 906 live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's return to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY! Previously announced on Monday the 13th, this will be Tym's third straight Saturday matinee gig at Misty's and fourth out of the past five Saturdays, so whether this is a revival of his weekly arrangement or not, fans of his skilled and prolific slate of rock covers will want to head to the west end in a couple of days to check everything out! Fans can see the former Caveman Morrison and Nostalgic Band frontman on Saturday at 4:00 PM with no announced cover charge and a presumed 19+ age limit. If you want a more relaxed brand of acoustic classic and hard rock hits from this talented local mainstay, head to Second Line West for all of the action on Saturday! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Mike Haggith & The Din reunion/tribute concert preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Let's continue this weekend's concert previews by looking at five more concerts taking place on both sides of the border this weekend, one being a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock quartet Project 906 will return to The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page yesterday. While this is historically one of 906's favourite venues, this will surprisingly be their first show in at The Strongs Tavern since February, with no public shows booked there during their #summerof906. It's good to see the guys back in Eckerman TOMORROW, and hopefully there's a solid turnout for their hard rocking selection of covers as usual! If their new promotional image is anything to go by, Mark Bowen Band drummer Brian Duford (who guested with them frequently on hand drums this summer) will not be present for this gig. TOMORROW's concert is a 21+ affair with no cover and an 8:00 PM start time. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the late preview of tonight's show in this post, things slipped me by when plotting this busy weekend out. After dropping out of their planned Shooters gigs this past weekend, tonight & tomorrow's shows will see Greg, Alex, and Warren back downtown for their first plugged-in gigs since last month's Dragonfly Run, and their first normal solo concerts in city limits since they played at Reggie's in late July. A lot of the promotional material for this weekend's concerts has revolved around Bone Yard's infamous "Bone Yard shot" that will net you a free t-shirt if you can down the whole thing successfully, so if you're up for that challenge, keep that in mind this weekend! Otherwise, their hard rocking covers can be enjoyed tomorrow at 9:30 PM (and also today if you have a time machine. You can still go late!)

Both shows are 19+ affairs and there are no announced cover charges. Hopefully this proves to be another strong weekend for your local 225, and if you miss out, they'll be back on stage in two weeks and back at Reggie's in late October! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard live at Reggie's earlier this year!

Also, we'll head to Misty's Fifties, where former Caveman Morrison/Nostalgic Band frontman Tym Morrison will continue his weekly summer(?) matinee series TOMORROW! The penultimate advertised stop in his 2024 arrangement at the Second Line West nightclub (though it could always be extended), this will be your only announced chance to see Tym's classic and hard rock covers this weekend, as his Friday run at The Mike Case Memorial Stage ended for the year last week. Of course, if you prefer the matinee timing and indoor locale, you'll prefer this series continuing anyway, so consider a west end jaunt tomorrow to hear Tym's unplugged covers! Note that Tym recently indicated on his personal Facebook page that he had been suffering from pneumonia for much of the summer, but he is feeling better now, so if he didn't sound 100% at some recent gigs, keep that in mind! No word on if he missed any concerts outright though.

Tomorrow's concert has a 4:00 PM start time, presumed 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. In case this is the second-to-last show in this run for Tym, then don't miss out tomorrow at supper time! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here he is live! 

Finally for this preview post, we'll head south to Sault Michigan for this weekend's other major touring headline concert, as original Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy will make his local debut TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! While hair metal fans have seen Ratt (then fronted by Jizzy Pearl) in town as the openers for Skid Row back in 2006, this will be the first time that Saultites and Yoopers can bear witness to Stephen on local soil singing classic Ratt songs like "Round & Round", "Way Cool Jr.", and "Shame Shame Shame". I'm not a diehard hair metal fan, but Stephen sang many classic songs back in the day, and this is a good market for 1980s glam rock, so this should do well! Connecticut hair metal band Steelheart (not to be confused with Canada's Streetheart) will open tomorrow in their local debut, so look for their own hits like "I'll Never Let You Go" in their set!

Presented by Allstar Promotions in a rare hair metal booking for them, this concert has no age limit and an 8:00 PM start time. Tickets are still available in rows D-J ($49.50) and K-Q ($39.50) in the left/right sections, with all remaining center section seats (rows K-N) running for $49.50, and $39.50 standing room tickets are also available. You can buy yours at this link, at 1-800-KEWADIN, and at the in-person box office. If you love hair metal, you won't want to miss tomorrow's concert, so visit the above links for more details, and here's Stephen live!

That's all for today, but look for our Teenage Head and A&W car show previews and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!