The Rest Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews, Plus New Videos!!

(Updated at 4:07 PM) As promised, here's the second half of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, and again, these all had advance notice! To fill things out, I have added details on some new videos from a prominent local solo artist, but here's what you should know for the remainder of your concert plans over the Valentine's Day weekend!

We'll start in St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will return for shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino branch!  Playing just their third and fourth concerts of 2020 this weekend (following their Soo Kewadin stops last month), these will be Peril's first bookings at the St. Ignace Kewadin since November, and this veteran group should have another solid pair of hard rocking covers in store for Yooper fans tonight and tomorrow! No word on if they'll have any Valentine's Day song selections in their repertoire, but it would make sense for at least tonight. Both of these shows have no announced cover charges and 9:00 PM start times, and as usual, these have age limits of 21 or older. For more details on this weekend's Peril concerts, visit the above links, and for a preview, here they are live!



Next up, we'll head slightly north to The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino for that venue's first major touring hard rock concert of the 2020s, albeit in acoustic format, as Mr. Big frontman Eric Martin and Trixter bassist P.J. Farley will hit the stage TOMORROW NIGHT! Hair metal fans will know Eric from his vocals on Mr. Big hits like "To Be With You" & "Just Take My Heart", but this will be a stripped down unplugged concert with him also playing guitar, much like his recent solo shows have been elsewhere. On this night, P.J. Farley will accompany him on bass (might they tackle some Trixter classics?), while Eric's Facebook page reveals that Nashville freelance artist and percussionist Ben Hans will also guest with them on Saturday. This will be a big change of pace from Kewadin's usual hair metal concerts, but Eric, P.J., and Ben have the musical chops to make this a can't miss attraction for genre fans!

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge this Facebook teaser video to hype this concert, courtesy of Fozzy frontman and AEW Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho (yes, that Chris Jericho.) He missed the plural in the venue name, but never mind, it's Y2J! This 8:00 PM and all ages concert has tickets for just $12.50 ($15 for premium closer seats), and you can buy them at 1-800-KEWADIN, this link, and at the in-person box office. This will be a nice appetizer before The Hair Scare Live next weekend, so see above for more details, and here's Eric Martin in concert!



Lastly for this weekend, let's go back to Sault Ontario for a huge concert THIS SUNDAY NIGHT at The Sault Community Theatre Center, as British Columbia hard rock/post-grunge quartet Theory of a Deadman will make their long awaited Sault Ontario return on this night! While we haven't seen Theory on this side of the border since they opened for Seven Mary Three at the Princess way back in 2000 (thanks, Alex!), Sault Michiganders got the privilege thrice between 2012 & 2017 at The Dreammakers Theater, so if you couldn't see them across then, head to the former Kiwanis Theatre at White Pines Collegiate on Sunday! Touring in support of their new album "Say Nothing" (featuring the rock radio hit "History of Violence"), their new stuff continues down their more varied pop rock path compared to their earlier post-grunge/Nickelback lite material, but expect to hear older hits like "Bad Girlfriend", "Santa Monica", and "Lowlife" during the set as well! No opening acts are advertised. Presented by SL Concerts, this all ages event has a 7:30 PM start time.

As for tickets, I believe they are sold out online, but they were going for $52 presale, and you may want to visit the Sault Community Theatre's box office at the Station Mall or call (705) 945-7299 to inquire about any openings, or check the secondary market. I'm not a huge Theory of a Deadman fan, but I admire their diversity as of late and willingness to expand their sound, and I know they have a lot of fans in Sault Ontario who are highly anticipating this concert! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Theory of a Deadman live at Kewadin Casino!



We'll close today with new videos from prolific local folk punk/metal solo musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page, which has shared four solo acoustic performance clips in the past few days. In these,he tackles existing originals of his, including "Rites of the Wendigo", "Scabies", "Live To Work/Wear & Tear", and as embedded below, "Psychic Driving." These all appear to have been filmed on the same day, and they all capture Chase's intense and irreverent vocal & guitar work very well, with lots of solid musicianship to go around! His fast, ultra-direct playing is especially fun to see. Give these a look above & below!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Eric Martin & Theatre Of Night), Plus New Videos!!

Before we dive into this weekend's concert previews, here's a new news post that is mostly devoted to a pair of big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the winter at a major local concert venue, but there are some new videos to round things out. Here's what you should know!

Sault Michigan classical metal band Theatre of Night will embark on their third Christmas tour over the holidays, with at least one E.U.P. stop on the route once again, as they'll return to The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino on Saturday, December 14th! Apparently entitled the "Dreams of Christmas Tour" this year, fans both in the Soo area, downstate, and even in Illinois have enjoyed Craig, Steve, and company's metallized takes on Christmas carols since 2017, and as you heard in instrumental form on their "Christmas Night" CD, they should deliver more seasonal entertainment for hometown fans in a couple of months time! If you are curious, or live below the bridge, you can also see Theatre of Night in Jackson and Blanchard next month, plus in Holland on December 21st, so click here for information on those gigs. I expect further gigs to be added in due course, and for reference, Theatre of Night also played shows in Grand Rapids, Zeeland, and locally in Pickford last year, and in Midlothian, Illinois in 2017.

A 7:00 PM start time is expected for this ALL AGES concert, which will presumably be held in The Dreammakers Theater's table seating configuration once again, and note that food, drinks, and a cash bar were on hand here last year. Tickets are not on sale yet, but last year, they went for $15 (table seating) or $25 (theatre seating), with some proceeds going to the local Salvation Army. It's great to see Theatre of Night back for a third go-around of their Christmas tour, but will this be their only Chippewa County stop for 2019,and what other frills might pop up here and elsewhere? Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and before we move on with this post, they have a bunch of videos we have bypassed over the last few months as they've prepared for the tour, which I profusely apologize for missing out on! They are mostly short, and I'll definitely address them all in an upcoming post, but we'll start with a longer one shared from keyboardist Craig Harrison's personal Facebook page back in June.

This is of Craig playing his 2016 original composition "If I Could Just Tear Down These Walls", in a performance he labelled as "early morning piano work." If you missed his original deleted YouTube copy of this song, it's a dark and melancholy song without any Christmas hints, but you can feel the emotion in it, and the sepia filter in this video works to it's advantage! Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night soon!



Next up, here's the first big hard rock/metal concert announcement for 2020 at the aforementioned Dreammakers Theater, as Mr. Big frontman Eric Martin and Trixter bassist P.J. Farley will join forces for a special acoustic concert there on Saturday, February 15th! Hair metal fans will no doubt recall Eric's work with Mr. Big in the early 1990s, including such hit songs as "To Be With You", "Just Take My Heart", and "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind", and it'll be very interesting to hear him tackle his material in an apparent unplugged setting in four months! P.J. Farley isn't the opening act, as he and Trixter bandmate Steve Brown have routinely backed up Eric in his solo gigs as of late, though venue advertising lists this as a duo performance. We'll let you know if anything changes! Tickets for this all ages show go on sale this Friday at 1-800-KEWADIN, this link, and the in-person box office, and an 8:00 PM start time is advertised. No word on a possible opening act.

Unplugged shows from major touring headliners aren't a foreign concept at the Sault Kewadin (remember when Godsmack played here?), but with a Hair Scare-approved twosome making their way here, it should be an interesting show in many respects, and affordable too! Check the above links for more details as they roll in,and get your tickets on Friday!

Finally for today, here's a new video on Sault Ontario/Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith's YouTube channel, featuring the audio from his set at the annual Jamming For Jackets fundraiser concert in his current Thompson, Manitoba homebase this past Saturday! Mike only played an 18 minute set, but he was the event's headliner, and he performed his new originals "The Best You Never Had", "MorningStar", and "Communique" here, plus "The Nature Of The Times" from his delayed "Bridges" album. Nice to hear some new live copies of these songs, and the recording quality's solid overall, so give this a listen below, and keep watch for more from Mike!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Easter Bash), New Video Uploads, And Much More!!

After two days of Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles, we're back with a new news post on this Wednesday morning, so if you're wondering where coverage of the LOCAL CONCERT ALERT toplining this post was, here's your answer! We also have some new videos and assorted notes to round things out, so here's what you should know!

Local concert promoters Live705 will host their previously teased Easter weekend concert on Saturday, April 15th when they put on their first ever event at The Rockstar Bar! Breaking from their bi-monthly scheduling for their fourth concert, this show will feature giveaways ranging from band merchandise to concert tickets to even some type of items from A&W, which is a unique attraction for the holidays, so keep the added incentive in mind! Young local blues/hard rock trio Electric Church will headline on Easter Saturday in their Rockstar Bar debut, while new local pop/hard rock trio The Noochy Lanterns (featuring Apocalypse Afterparty & The Fury alumni) will co-headline in their public concert debut and first gig, private or otherwise, following their recent break, so come to see how they do on a big stage! Live705's flagship alt-punk quartet A Dire Setback are also lined up for April 15th, alongside indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. (fresh off of their LopLops show on the 14th) and newer local punk/metal trio Stegadeth.

Remaining acts include folk rock solo artist Shit Creek Survivor (listed on event promotion under Jacob Quarrell's initials J.Q. for unannounced reasons) & Deejay Elementz, a veteran local DJ from Underground Empire Records, whom featured A Dire Setback at their YouTube Party last year. Strong & diverse lineup with Live705 favourites and newcomers alike, so don't miss out! This 19+ show has an 8:00 PM start time on April 15th, and while admission is $10, Live705 is again utilizing vouchers for $2 off admission rather than selling $8 advance tickets, so contact performers if you want a voucher. This should be a fun concert, so check the official Facebook event page for ongoing details!

Next up, here's the latest installment of local alternative/hard rock trio The Din's ongoing cover video series (now no longer labelled as being monthly), as posted to their YouTube channel on Sunday! The cover choice won't be surprising for fans who've seen The Din's recent concerts, as this is of their version of The Tragically Hip's "Blow At High Dough", as recorded at Mission Control Studios, where The Din have done studio work at. The wide angle shot of the band isn't optimal, especially as the table the camera is on eats up a lot of that view, but the cover is solid and familiar for fans of The Hip and The Din in equal measure, so check it out below!

Also, here's a new YouTube find from former No Arrow drummer and Faithless Sin guitarist Joe Falco, who appears to have begun work as a solo musician once again! Apart from his former Joe Falco Experience solo project, he has recently been posting acoustic blues originals to his new Reverbnation page, and while his singing voice could be a little rangier, he has talent and adapts well to bluesier tracks, especially on "Malevolent Moonlight", which is asking for full band accompaniment. Over on his new YouTube channel, he's mostly focusing on outlining the specifications of and reviewing his Gibson Les Paul guitar, plus this video where he chats about songwriting, but he did upload one solo performance cover there, where he tackles Live's "Dolphins Cry". Not a bad cover, if very reserved, and Joe should project his voice a little more to improve on his clarity. Give Joe's recent solo material a look above & below, and hopefully he keeps at it!



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

• I have switched the link for local musicians union The American Federation of Musicians, Local 276 from their now closed website to their information page on the A.F.M.'s website. The local union can be handy to help work through legal red tape and paperwork for copyright and playing out of the country, so keep it in mind if your band aspires to do anything that requires paperwork!
• A local rhythm guitarist named Eric Rosset is looking to join a local band that plays rock, punk, metal, or alternative genres ideally, though he'd play anything other than country, and he can do backing vocals too. I'm not familiar with Eric musically, but if you're interested in trying Eric out, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday!
• Cheboygan, Michigan rock radio station Rock 105 (which gets fringe reception in the Soo) has re-obtained it's former Glen Arbor signal at 95.5 FM, and the station broadcasts as Rock 105 & 95.5 now! This mirrors the then Real Rock two station network from 2009-2013 before 95.5 (then WJZJ, now WGFE) became a simulcast of Onaway adult contemporary station Easy 106.3 as WQEZ. This won't directly affect local coverage of Rock 105 aside from on-air naming, but keep WGFE 95.5 FM in mind if you're driving out to Traverse City!

That's all for today, but stay tuned or weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

Faithless Sin's Return, The Latest Kiss Updates, And More!!

One final post in the lead up to the local concert event of the year, and yes, we have new Kiss updates, along with the latest on a local drummer's entry in a major contest, but first, the return of a notable local metal band! And remember to check out this morning's post with new concerts, a Skull Fist preview, and the latest from Woods of Ypres in the post below, and for an extended preview of the Kiss concert, click here or check two posts below this one!

Faithless Sin are BACK! Last seen on stage in 2006, the local thrash metal band that (more or less) evolved into Time of Ruin have officially reunited with new internet pages in tow! Currently, the band includes three of their old members, including former Time of Ruin/Operation: Killdozer frontman Jason Bourcier (you'll also recognize him as a former bassist in Fitswitch & SIGHdEFECT, among other bands), No Arrow drummer Joe Falco on guitar (you may remember him as part of the local cover band Flashback), and bassist Ryan Gratton! The other two band members from their last incarnation, drummer Mark Parent & Quite Frankly guitarist Frank LaTassa, are apparently not taking part in the band's return. Not a lot to say yet about Faithless Sin's return, they have launched a new Facebook page and a new MySpace page, but their old MySpace page is still online. Their Facebook page has some descriptions of their sound, and claims that we'll hear some updates and songs soon! We'll have to see, but I know I'm happy to see them back! I remember seeing them once or twice locally, and Jason's thrash projects are always worth seeing, though I wish they lasted longer! Check the above links for more, including their original MySpace page, which has an live jam session clip of their original song "Chaos Reigns"!

And now, the latest Kiss updates as we inch ever closer to this major concert event! Firstly, I can guarantee you that there was no inclement weather to stop Gene Simmons and company from making it to town for this show, as this photo will attest. A SooToday reader spotted one of Kiss' trucks on The International Bridge at 11:45 this morning, took a picture, and submitted it to SooToday, so if there's any skeptics out there still doubting this concert, voila! Next, videos have been posted on The Sault Star's official website featuring interviews with two subjects recently quoted in Kiss-related Sault Star articles! One is Rachelle LaBrecque's interview with The Rad Zone's Len Ward about the Kiss concert, the festivities surrounding it, and their extra stocking of Kiss merchandise at The Rad Zone in the lead-up to the show. You can check it out by clicking here! The other is Brian Kelly's interview with Ward 2 Councillor Terry Sheehan about his Kiss/Sault Ste. Marie t-shirt, and his hopes and plans for meeting with the band and attending the concert! Click here to watch, and note that I can't embed these videos here, so you'll have to visit the links to view the videos.

Two more notes. Firstly, I can confirm that my ticket says that camera are NOT allowed at the concert. That being said, people are bound to break that rule, so do so at your own risk. And, one more Sault Star article for you guys today, this being an interview conducted by The Sault Star's Jeffery Ougler with Kiss drummer Eric Singer! Eric discusses the pressure and reaction he still faces from replacing Peter Criss, Eric's take on our original December date's cancellation, how their tour is going, his past work with Alice Cooper, and he dropped a few hints as to what we might expect tonight as well! He vows that there'll be bigger and better effects and more pyro than we would have got last year, so watch out for that! Good article, check it out at this location, and stay tuned to this post over the next few hours if any new updates about the Kiss concert come to light!

(UPDATE 5:15 PM) Kiss are in Sault Ste. Marie! SooToday's David Helwig reports that the band landed in Sault Ontario at 3:39 today via a Raytheon Hawker 800 twin-jet aircraft. They left from a show in Indianapolis at 2:25 PM today. Click here to read the update, and click here for Donna Hopper's photo of a familiar face! And remember, a pre-show gathering featuring Len Ward, Terry Sheehan, Josh & Evan Belleau, and tons of Kiss fans will take place at 5:00 PM at Foggy Notions, so head on down there to get ready for the concert!

Finally for today, here's some more updates on Nixxon Dixxon drummer Jake LaLonde's quest to earn a full scholarship from Hollywood's Musicians Institute! Fans have really jumped on the bandwagon to support Jake and vote for him in the Full Ride Scholarship Contest, because he was in SIXTH PLACE out of 600 musicians yesterday! When I checked today, he was in third on the daily count, so it shows that people, fans, family, and supporters are really getting the votes in! The higher Jake gets, the more likely that The Musicians Institute will select him for the live finals in Hollywood on September 3rd! You have just FIVE DAYS TO VOTE, so click the above links to get on that! Remember, you have to register first, but that's simple and no different from most sites that need an account. It should be noted that in one e-mail sent to people supporting Jake through a Facebook event page for the campaign that Jake is apparently going to attend The Musicians Institute this fall regardless of if he wins or not, so I wonder what this will mean for Nixxon Dixxon? A new drummer? A hiatus during the school semesters? A breakup? I can't say, but the band don't have scheduled concert dates past this month, for what that's worth. Fingers crossed they're not breaking up though, they're too good of a band! I'll keep you posted on Jake's quest for the full ride, and of course, VOTE FOR JAKE TODAY!!!

That should be all for now, but as I said earlier, if new Kiss information comes out prior to when I head downtown for the concert, then I will edit this post with the news! Stay tuned if something does come out, and if nothing does, I will see you guys at The Essar Center TONIGHT and at The Rockstar Bar after the show! It's time to rock n' roll all night, and party every day!!!