LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nate's Chow, Tarnished, And Dos Amigos) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Our crush of weekend concert previews ends here with shows in the EUP and Sunday matinee concerts, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly SHORT NOTICE ones, so here's what you should know to cap off this busy Saturday!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover band Tarnished will head back to The Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley for a two-man acoustic concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the casino only announced the show on their Facebook page on Wednesday, with the band corroborating it the following day. As usual for shows at this new acoustic-leaning lounge at "your perfect up north retreat", TONIGHT'S concert has just Alex & Josh (no Chris or Ron) playing 1980s-leaning rock covers for assembled fans, or if you believe Bay Mills' advertising, "the energy, great tunes, and good vibes". Just three weeks removed from their last show there, hopefully there's a decent turnout once again for their hard rocking cover action! This show is at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished at The Lakeside Lounge!

Next up, let's head north to the Soo, where local hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow will rock The Merchant's Bar TONIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band quietly confirmed this show via this updated AI-generated concert calendar on their Facebook page on August 24th, which also removed their cancelled show at The Merch last week, so TONIGHT's show is (like with Dos Amigos) a de facto rescheduling a week later. Their new show-specific AI-generated poster for TONIGHT indicates that this will be "Nate's Chows (sic) debut at The Merch", but that only goes back to their name change, as the former Unfortunate Sun played there over the I-500 weekend in February and multiple times prior, including when members were in Fake Chow. While we're on the subject, the concert calendar from August also confirms that Jody, Brett, and Jason will return to The Merch for two mid-week shows later this year, so what should you know on that front?

One will be on Wednesday, November 25th (on Thanksgiving Eve, or as Unfortunate Sun called it, "Drinksgiving"), and the other will be on Thursday, December 31st as part of The Merch's New Years Eve party. Holiday action is coming soon in two ways from Nate's Chow, so keep these shows in mind after TONIGHT'S regular Saturday nighter! All three Merch shows are 21+ affairs at 9:00 PM with no cover, and time will tell if there are frills to admission or the experience on December 31st. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Nate's Chow live!

Also, let's head north to Sault Ontario for two Sunday matinees, as local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will return to Thomson Farms Cider & Winery for a matinee concert TOMORROW! Apologies again for the short notice, the farm only announced that Dos Amigos would be performing via this AI-generated poster on their Facebook page, though Dos Amigos members did mention that they'd be playing TOMORROW in Facebook "Stories" a few days prior (the band has not publically confirmed it in a permanent social media post). TOMORROW's show will basically be a makeup for Dos Amigos' planned matinee gig at Thomson Farms this past Sunday, which they were "unable to make" for unannounced reasons (The Low Light Company replaced them on short notice). Last Sunday was the kickoff for the cider mill & winery's fall festival running through Halloween, so expect the corn maze, pumpkin patch, food and drinks, vendors, the corn cannon(!) and more.

No word on who the teased live musicians today are, but like today, TOMORROW'S Dos Amigos matinee is at 12:00 PM with no age limits or cover charges. This is implied to be outdoors on the patio again, so 9&10 News is calling or 13-14° temperatures with mostly cloudy skies, and while there is a slight rain risk that afternoon, it's expected to dissipate during the concert timeframe. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview of the acoustic punk action ahead TOMORROW, here's Dos Amigos live!

Finally for this weekend's previews, former Haggith/Project 421 singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will rock Beck's Bar TOMORROW! This show was actually announced by Curt on social media back in May, so Bone Yard 225's advertisement of it on their website's concert calendar must have been erroneous or was cancelled months ago. Regardless, Curt's brand of alternative and hard rock covers is a reliably entertaining sight at local venues, and hopefully he has some more good stuff in store for fans on Goulais Avenue tomorrow afternoon! As usual for Beck's Sunday matinees, this is at 3:00 with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and will take place during Beck's weekly euchre tournament on Sundays. If that interests you, inquire within about details on how to compete. Visit the above links for more details on tomorrow's concert, and for a preview, here's Curtis live a few years back!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Greg Simpson & Dos Amigos) And The ARCH Run Concert Preview!!

Today's post got somewhat rushed and altered thanks to not one, but two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TONIGHT, so those lead off today along with our preview of a returning charity concert on Saturday, so here's what you should know as our weekend concert previews roll on!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will make their apparent debut at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery for an outdoor patio concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via this AI generated poster on the winery's Facebook page last night, and it appears to have been relatively late notice in conception, as it's not on the band's summer concert calendar from Instagram on July 3rd. The 4057 Third Line West winery has been hosting occasional live unplugged musicians for Thursday evening concerts this summer, and it makes sense that Dos Amigos would step in for at least one of them, as singer/guitarists Mikey Hawdon and Dustin Jones played at Thomson Farms' teddy bear picnic in June 2024 and 2025 with BookcluB (such an event did not happen last month). Despite the late notice, hopefully there's a decent turnout TONIGHT for Dos Amigos' acoustic punk covers!

Thomson Farms are also hyping up having appetizers on sale, as well as seven different kinds of cider, so keep that in mind if that's your thing! This concert takes place TONIGHT from 6:00-9:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit given the winery aspect, and no announced cover charge. As this is on the patio, 9&10 News is calling or partly cloudy to clear skies TONIGHT with 22-23° temperatures. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dos Amigos live (albeit indoors!)

Next up, Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson will bring his "Ranting Rockstar" solo show back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Greg only announced the show via his personal Facebook page yesterday (he doesn't have a public page for his solo concerts that I am aware of), and while The Dive did finally confirm the booking on their Facebook page this afternoon, that's more than many of their concert bookings have gotten in recent months. TONIGHT's concert will be indoors in "The Naughty Corner", and if you're familiar with Bone Yard's "uncorked" gigs (let alone The Bearded Lounge), expect more of the same, just with Greg alone, though note that Soundcheck's Travis Sharpe has guested with him at the former Low & Slow before, and is a credited guest for Greg's set at the Maddy's Mighty Mutts family fun day in two weeks. Be there TONIGHT to see if he shows up again!

In case you're curious, Bone Yard 225 are playing at a stag & doe on Saturday night, which is listed on their website's calendar, but with rare exceptions, I don't cover stags & does as "concerts" here (even if ticketed) due to their hyper-personal nature. They'll next play proper public concerts next weekend at Beck's Bar, but TONIGHT'S "Ranting Rockstar" show is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details! The only public videos of Greg's solo dates that I can find are via The Dive, which now content matches their videos' audio as being their own, so embedding videos from their Facebook page now doesn't work.

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2 is an event that thankfully had lots of advance notice, namely the third annual ARCH Run takes place on SATURDAY outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub! After last year's ARCH Run bizarrely never had a public schedule release, we now know exactly which bands will be rocking out to support the Algoma Regional Community Hospice as bikers make their annual rally through Sault Ste. Marie. Of course, if you want to pledge donations to ARCH or ride in the rally proper, or get details on the draw for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, click here. Numerous vendors will also be on site on this closed section of Korah Road for all of today's action! And just to clear up any confusion, this is the only ARCH motorcycle rally/concert this year, as the Dragonfly Run (which the ARCH Run splintered off from in 2024) ended last month, and click here for more on that decision from their organizers. 

Musically speaking, there will be a nightcap inside Jay's once again, this time by country rock cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters at 9:30 PM, but outdoors, your headliners are young local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, another high profile set or them as they continue building their local name and reputation! Country cover veterans (and 2024 ARCH Run performers) Tex Riviera & The Ride will take the stage at 7:00 PM, preceded by newer classic rock cover quartet Doo & The Boyos at 6:00 PM (if there will be a Stones At The Alter sidequest then, it's not in the advertising). New local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will play their third public concert set (and penultimate gig with rhythm guitarist Liam Dinsmore) at 5:00 PM, while 1960s-themed classic rock band Whiskey Hippy are on at 4:00 PM. Prolific local drummer Chris Johns will hop on guitar for a reunion of his early 1990s local band The Korner Monsters at 3:00 PM.

If you're friends of his on Facebook, head there to see archival video of this band, and it will be interesting to hear how they go over on Saturday, or if this leads to more concerts! Chris will joined by singer/guitarist Rusty Barrel, bassist Dave Konkin, and drummer Jim Edwards, and they will be playing 1980s-1990s alt rock covers. Your openers are local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band in his first proper advertised local date of 2026, and of course, most of his band will be playing at night's end with Elly & The Drifters, so they have a big day ahead! While donations and pledges are encouraged, attending the ARCH Run and the indoor nightcap is free, and the outdoor festivities are all ages. In terms of the weather, 9&10 News is currently calling for overcast to mostly cloudy skies with a high of 23°, and as of the current forecast, the rain expected on Saturday morning should be done prior to Mike's opening set. 

Supporting ARCH and the work they do for those dealing with cancer is always a wonderful reason to come out for events like this and help out, and kudos to everyone for donating their time! While it is unfortunate that the Dragonfly Run isn't back this year, I am very glad that there is still an outdoor concert festival and motorcycle rally to raise money for ARCH, and hopefully there's a great turnout on Saturday, especially with the comfortable temperatures hopefully continuing! Visit the above links for more on ARCH Run III, and here's 5 Dollar Bribe live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned next for our Go North Music Festival and Sandman previews, and the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands and Sunday's all-local Blaster concert are also in queue! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bon Jovi Forever), One More Weekend Concert Preview, And More Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a late concert cancellation on the SMS, as Go Skateboarding Day did not take place as planned at Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Centre due to yesterday's very rainy conditions. The worst of it was in the morning, but it rained off and on all day, which isn't safe to skateboard in, let alone play plugged-in live music. As far as I can recall, this is the first time that the local Go Skate Day was ever cancelled by rain, but organizers did have a back-up plan to keep the annual June 21st festivities going. They were able to host an indoor Go Skate Day 20 minutes east at the Prince Township Community Center's skating rink, while a concert did take place, albeit at a private house party last night. Unfortunately, Hails and Pillory were not able to play the delayed concert, and they were replaced by a new mystery act named Adam Smith Death Parade and... The Sole Aggressors?

How they were able to swing getting the Sault Michigan punk band to play across the border on short notice, I don't know, but that would have been fun to see if you were able to get the address and come out! Our source for much of the above info is Spaceship Opening member Ralph Barber's personal Facebook page. As for the Queen Street Cruise events yesterday (including Bone Yard 225's concert under The Roberta Bondar Pavilion tent), that all went on despite the rain, so hopefully the car show and other events went as well as they could for all involved!

Today's post otherwise features one more weekend concert preview, some assorted updates, and to start, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will return to the Soo on Saturday, September 13th at the Sault Community Theatre Centre! Since the SMS launched, at least four different Bon Jovi tributes have came here (the others being Bed Of Roses, Keep The Faith, and the hybrid Bon Journey), but Bon Jovi Forever are the ones that played at The Rockstar Bar in May 2016. What distinctions you can make between them will depend on personal preference of their talents and appearances, but Bon Jovi Forever have the classic sound down, both for their early hair metal hits and their later songs, and fans should have a good time in their return to the Soo after nine years! As best as I can tell, there is no opening act. This all ages concert has an 8:00 PM start time.

Loads of tickets are on sale for this newly announced concert in all rows (the balcony is not open for this one), so click here to buy yours, or visit the in-person box office! Prices are much higher than in 2016, running $54.24 for adults, $42.94 for seniors over 65 years of age and students 14-21 years old, and $22.60 for kids 13 and under, but the former Kiwanis Theater is also a much larger venue. Visit the above links for more details on Bon Jovi Forever's long awaited local return this fall! 

Also today, here's one more weekend concert preview that really fell through the cracks while we jumped into our Rotaryfest coverage, and it goes down TODAY, as local alternative/punk cover sextet Bookclub and veteran R&B/soul band The Hustle Brothers will both return to Thomson Farms Cider & Winery at 4057 Third Line West for their second annual teddy bear picnic! Once again, this special matinee concert will see outdoor performances alongside family friendly entertainment at the cider mill. Of course, kids are welcome to bring their teddy bears for the picnic proper, but attendees and families will also get lots of activities to enjoy, exhibits from Entomica, prizes, vendors, food and drinks, tractor rides, and much more, so visit the Eventbrite ticket page and the above links for complete non-musical details! Admission is $10 per person, though babies 2 years old and under will be admitted free.

The teddy bear picnic begins at 1:00 PM (running until 4:00 PM), and if you do come to Thomson Farms, please prepare for the weather given today's heat warnings, including a 40° humidex, so dress accordingly and drink lots of fluids. It's great to see Bookclub and The Hustle Brothers back for year #2 of this fun family event, so keep it in mind this afternoon, and hopefully Bookclub's varied blend of covers finds another willing audience, humans and teddy bears alike! See above for more details, and here's Bookclub live!

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

 

• Toronto deathcore band Beguiler have been added as an extra act on the Insurrection-headlined concert at Soo Blaster on July 30th, as per promoter Mikhal Muto on the Facebook event page on Thursday. If the name Beguiler rings a bell, it may be because they were slated to play at the cancelled Crucifest metal festival in Leeburn in July of last year, making them the first of the planned five touring bands at Crucifest to land a new booking in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Very cool to see Beguiler finally make their way here next month, and they should add to the brutality well!
• In another instance of an additional act on a Mikhal Muto-promoted concert next month, Sylo frontman Eli Russell will also be performing at the Ricky Mullen/Washout-headlined folk punk show at The Distraction next Friday, as per the Facebook event page on June 14th. While Eli's solo material doesn't really cross our radar, his original acoustic folk material will fit that side of this concert, so don't miss him on the bill next week!
• I will likely be moving local industrial metal solo project Molten Imp to our inactive band links tomorrow. Led by former AlgomA guitarist Boyd "Lord Unterbiss von Wigwaus" Rendell, Molten Imp had retreated from updating most social media in recent years, with their most recent public update (to my knowledge) being the upload of their song "Diesel On The Steamship 1 & 2" to their Bandcamp page on June 23rd of last year. Hopefully all is well with Boyd, and that we hear more from him musically when the time is right, as Molten Imp were a very unique and distinct project with lots of potential! 

 

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

It's The Pits, Inconsistent Me, And BookcluB Concert Previews!!

Before we finally cap off this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews, just a friendly tip that Wyld Stallyns/ex-Elements frontman Rob Speers will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another acoustic show on their patio tomorrow night. I'm still not 100% sure if his solo dates are similar to his bands in set/sound or not, hence why I'm not covering it as normal here, but keep it in mind if you want some downtown unplugged music! Now, let's wrap up this weekend's previews by looking at a big festival an hour or so outside of town, plus two Sunday events, so here's what you should know!

We'll start at Robbie Adamson's old church in nearby Leeburn, where local concert promoters Piecing It Together Shows (née Dryer Fire) will host their biggest ever concert TOMORROW, namely the It's The Pits! Yes, live music returns to the site of the late 2010s Oh!No fesitvals and last year's private Bear Hunters reunion event, and P.I.T.S. (peach pit motif fully intact) will be bringing a wide array of styles to the church tomorrow, and while the former Dryer Fire have never been known as a metal/punk-first promotion agency, two of the ten acts tomorrow are SMS-amenable! Half of the bill is comprised of touring artists, and while it's not clear if the poster gives away the performance order (we don't know set times anyway), Toronto electronica duo LAL are definitely the headliners tomorrow night. Also making their way here are Toronto skate punk trio The Mendozaz, who genre fans will definitely take to with their melodic sound!

Other touring acts tomorrow are Ottawa indie rock singer/guitarist Catriona Sturton (who played in the Soo in October), Toronto "deep Earth folk" project Twintwa, and Grand Rapids, Michigan "dark folk" duo Rabbit Fur. The local contingent tomorrow includes crossover thrash/punk band Hails (who will be back in Leeburn for Crucifest next month), DJ Seith (who joined Ha!ls at the private Leeburn event last July), Chris West's local/Quebec indie solo project Tampa, lo-fi "anti-folk" singer/guitarist Shae Tull, and the cryptic regional Americana project Tye Lawless Co.. Note that ex-Shit Liver bassist Mike Kyle's folk project Sibling dropped out of It's The Pits last month after deciding to step away from music, and they were not replaced on the bill. Sam Emerson from local quilting/product repair company Muel Goods is tomorrow's host, and numerous arts and culture vendors will be selling their wares on site.

It's The Pits (which has no stated age limit) takes place tomorrow at 2:00 PM into the night at 5756 Highway 638 outside of Bruce Mines, and attendees are welcome & encouraged to camp out on site and leave on Sunday if they so choose. Just respect the space, and mind tomorrow's rainy weather forecast (though the concert proper is indoors). Tickets cost $45 in advance at this link or via P.I.T.S. staff, and the price jumps to $50 at the gate. Hopefully It's The Pits is a huge hit for Nicole and crew, so that they make this an annual event, and punk fans will enjoy The Mendozaz and Hails in particular among this talented lineup! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Mendozaz live!

Next up, let's head back into Sault Ste. Marie city limits for two concerts taking place on SUNDAY, starting with a matinee performance by online page-less local alternative/punk cover sextet Bookclub as the headliners during that day's teddy bear picnic at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery! Last crossing our radar when Tym Morrison had a weekly run there in late 2019, the 4057 Third Line West mill/winery will host their first ever teddy bear picnic on Sunday afternoon, where families and their kids are encouraged to come down (with picnic blankets and plush toys in tow) to enjoy refreshments, family entertainment, games, prize draws, local vendors, and of course, music! BookcluB will be headlining at 1:00 PM (running for three hours), while veteran R&B/soul sextet The Hustle Brothers will open the picnic with a few sets starting at 10:00 AM. What's unclear is if they'll be playing inside at the Wine Barn or fully outdoors.

Regardless of age, tickets run for $10 at this link or presumably upon entry, though if you have a baby 2 years or younger, they'll get in free. The Weather Channel is currently projecting partly cloudy weather in the 22° range on Sunday afternoon, but showers do bookend the 10 AM-4 PM timeframe, so if you are at all concerned about the rain messing with the picnic, keep tabs on your preferred local weather reports closer to Sunday. It'll be interesting to see how things go at Thomson Farms, both for the atypical concert setting, the potential weather impairment, and just how the teddy bear picnic goes, but BookcluB should get a good response! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here they are live!

Finally for this very busy slate of weekend concert previews, let's head to The Distraction, where Detroit pop punk solo project Inconsistent Me will headline on SUNDAY NIGHT! One of a surprising number of Michigan-based touring bands to play in Sault Ontario in recent months (if only Sault Michigan bands were similarly crossing over), Inconsistent Me's brand of up tempo & nostalgic pop punk should draw a good response from fans at the old barbership on East Street, so don't miss out if you can swing coming on a work night! No word on if Brendan will be playing solo with a backing track or if he has a band with him (both have happened in the past). Local support will come by way of punk trio Vanity First, capping off a busy weekend for Mikhal and Keeghan (and Carmen?) following their sister band Hails' sets at Go Skateboarding Day tonight and at It's The Pits yesterday! Also, this is their first show since releasing "Identity Crisis" in April.

Oddly, Vanity haven't been promoting this show much in recent weeks, but it does appear to be on for Sunday as scheduled, and as usual, this is an all ages concert. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and admission is via a "$10 or pay-what-you-can" model. If the rain scared you off of Go Skate Day, and if Leeburn is a little too remote for tomorrow, punk fans may find that Inconsistent Me is what the doctor ordered, so definitely visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Inconsistent Me live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (BookcluB), New Videos, And More!!

Today's post is roughly evenly divided between the Twin Saults, including some new videos and related updates from two E.U.P. metal acts, but we'll lead off in Sault Ontario with a new punk cover video and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a linked project, so here's what you should know!

Online page-less local alternative/punk cover band BookcluB will perform at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery on Sunday, June 23rd as the headline musical act during that day's teddy bear picnic! Covering an event like this for the SMS is new to me, but the venue isn't, as Thomson Farms hosted a brief weekly series from Tym Morrison at their on-site Wine Barn in the fall of 2019. The event next Sunday is indeed a teddy bear picnic, which Thomson Farms is hosting for the first time this year, and attendees of this family friendly event will get to take part in crafts and activities, a barbecue, tractor rides, and other activities that you'd hope to see at a strawberry farm like this! The performer lineup is oddly not given on social media, but organizers did list it on the Eventbrite page where you can buy your advance tickets. On his personal Facebook page, BookcluB frontman Mikey Hawdon confirmed that they're the 1:00 PM headliners, with the event running until 4:00 PM.

R&B/soul sextet The Hustle Brothers will open at 10:00 AM, reuniting them with Bookclub from last year's Summer Moon Festival. No word on if the bands will be playing outside or in the Wine Barn, but of course, this is an all ages event (and kids are highly encouraged to bring their own teddy bear and a picnic blanket for the occasion). The teddy bear picnic has advance tickets of $10 per person, regardless of age (though infants 2 years old and under will get in free), and you can buy them at this link or presumably in person at Thomson Farms. The door price will rise an unstated amount if you opt not to buy tickets ahead. Very unexpected booking, but it should be fun for all, so visit the Facebook event page for more details! 

Next up, let's stay on a Mikey Hawdon trajectory by looking at the long awaited tenth song in his punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke's 30th anniversary cover series of Green Day's classic album "Dookie"! Unfortunately, we have just had the longest wait yet between installments of this series, with song #10 only dropping on Wednesday, 36 days after "Sassafras Roots" was posted to the project's YouTube channel. In chronological order, the tenth track on "Dookie" is the album's final released single, "When I Come Around", and here, the guest vocalist is truly from afar, namely Nikola Sarcevic of the Swedish punk rock legends Millencolin. I do like them, so this is neat! Pennywise bassist Randy Bradbury returns for his fifth turn in the series (only missing two of the last seven videos), while Goldfinger alum Darren Pfieffer continues his role as the "Dookie" series' only drummer, and he's wearing a hockey jersey again!

The cover is really good, and Nikola's distinct accented voice fits very well on "When I Come Around"! Of note, his scenes were filmed at a snowy cemetery, while Mikey is also seen in scenes paying homage to the original Green Day music video, primarily of him and two young relatives (I assume) walking the aisles of what appears to be Sault College. Everything is professionally shot and recorded, so Green Day fans will be right at home here! It's deep cuts from here on out in this series, with song #11 ("Coming Clean") up next. Based on prior timelines, it should go online between Tuesday and July 18th (the current average would be on June 26th). Check out Mikey & His Uke's new video below!

Let's head south to Michigan for the rest of today's post, starting with the latest from St. Ignace metalcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to in the past month+? In Facebook posts from late April and early May, we saw ex-guitarist Ted Olson in new rehearsal photos, so did he return to the fold? No (the band already said that he left in part because he didn't want to tour anymore), but things are clearly still amicable, as he was jamming with H.L.T.C. to help teach "the new ones" in preparation for the Born Of Osiris show in Pontiac on May 26th. Curiously, the band has only posted once on Facebook since that show despite it being returning guitarist Nathan Switzer's first gig back, so hopefully that's just a sign that they've been busy and not that things went poorly downstate! It's after the fact now (my apologies, even with it being 5 hours away), but they did post a promotional video beforehand to get the final word out!

Drummer Jaxon Massaway filmed this in their tour vehicle while en route to Pontiac on the 24th for their Facebook page, and after initially getting tongue tied, he did plug the show, bands, ticket availability, and more. I do hope that the concert was a success, even with the band being relatively silent on social media in recent weeks, so get more from Heavy Lies The Crown above & below, and hopefully we hear more soon!

We'll close with the latest from local extreme metal solo project X's & Y's' YouTube channel! Just as a refresher, this is the current project from former Life's Eclipse guitarist and Werehold Records owner Jason Mills, who have sporadically posted material over the past couple of years. Two official songs have been posted since we last checked in with X's & Y's in January of last year, including a cover from November of the "Theme Of Solid Snake" from the 1990 video game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, which you may recall from modern Metal Gear compilations in the west. Jason is an acknowledged fan of classic computer games (he calls Metal Gear 2 his "favourite video game"), and this is a strong metallized rendition for fans! Embedded below is a brand new song from his long gestating debut X's & Y's album "The Obsidian Dream", entitled "A Flow Of Touch"

Fans of Jason's original material dating back to the Werehold days will take to "A Flow Of Touch", which has some strong djent-laden riffing and some melodic solos to match, along with good production, and it'd be great to see "The Obsidian Dream" get a completed release where Life's Eclipse albums of the past did not! Check out X's & Y's new songs above & below!

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

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

Before we begin, just an apology for missing a pair of shows in last weekend's concert previews, namely Highway 63's St. Ignace Kewadin shows last Friday and Saturday. We did cover them on the site in May, but they completely slipped us by last week. That's on me, I profusely apologize, but hopefully the shows went well! They will be back there in early December. Now, let's dive into this weekend's Halloween/early November concert previews, aside from Saturday's Who Made Who show (coming tomorrow), and we'll start with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

With a new month almost upon us, let's roll Tym Morrison's November concert slate into our concert listings today! First up, his long-term weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street marches on with matinee gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and then on November 8th-9th, 15th-16th, 22nd-23rd, and 29th-30th! As well, he will return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road TOMORROW NIGHT and then again on Friday, November 29th as part of his slate of occasional Friday nighters there through at least March. Finally, his seasonal run of Thursday matinees at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery on Third Line West will conclude with concerts next Thursday and on November 14th, joining his previously listed Halloween gig TODAY, so keep all of these dates in mind for the 30 days ahead! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's Gliss and Roadhouse shows, I should have rolled them in last week to preclude that. The veteran hard rock musician's busy schedule should be welcomed by his fans, so don't miss out on seeing him!

The Gliss and Thomson Farms shows are all ages events with early start times of 5:00 PM at the mill's on-site Wine Barn, and 6:00 PM at Gliss, while the Roadhouse shows are 10:00 PM affairs with 19+ age limits, and none of these concerts have announced cover charges. Also, I cannot confirm if Thomson Farms will have any special Halloween events today, but they have had no shortage of seasonal frills in the lead-up. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, local classic hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will apparently be returning to The Water Tower Pub for headlining concerts TOMORROW AND SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned of these shows via the venue's November concert calendar on your left, as shared on the Sault Music Newsletter Facebook page on Tuesday. These were not listed on Soundcheck's 2019 concert calendar, but more shockingly, these are consecutive gigs at The Water Tower Pub, a venue that historically books different acts nightly, festivals aside. I presume Soundcheck are a late replacement on one night, hence the change in format, but in any event, fans of Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen's old school covers should be right at home at this familiar central venue TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY! As usual for The Water Tower Pub, these are 9:30 PM & 19+ gigs with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live in concert earlier this year!

Moving to previously announced concerts, Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished will return to Biggby Coffee for the latest show of their "every Thursday" matinee run there TODAY! We'll wait to cover November shows there until the band or venue confirms them publically, just in case there are any changes to this still-relatively new arrangement. No word on possible Halloween frills for the concert proper, but Biggby Coffee will have free kids drinks for any children who stop by in costume, so parents might want to keep that in mind! Of course, Alex & Josh should have another entertaining afternoon of hard and classic rock covers in store for fans and patrons alike, so keep this show in mind if you want some live music before you head out trick or treating! As recently the case, today's show is at 12:00 PM with no age limits or cover charges, but mind the locale, as this is a coffee shop & restaurant, not a nightclub. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



Finally for today's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local promoter J.D. Pearce's 15th annual Halloween party goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Rockstar Bar! Yes, this is taking place (slightly) after Halloween, though after a two year run of having this event on two consecutive nights, this year's installment returns to a one-night-only format upstairs. However, the post-2013 focus on cover bands will continue this year, as three local tributes will take the stage, including the revival of Foo Fighters tribute The Soo Fighters, who we last saw at this venue and event in 2017. Only frontman Jules Cote is back from their first run, so how will new members Wes Greco, Max Ambeault and Jonas Gasperas sound? We'll know tomorrow! New local Volbeat tribute band The Guitar Gangsters (featuring Garden of Bedlam's Buzz & Derek Turner and Jack Spades alumni Jesse Cook & Tiffany Stocco) will also make their own local concert debut here, which already has a lot of people's attention.

It'll be very interesting to see Buzz & Derek back together after a 4 year absence, and we should be in good hands from this talented foursome! The third band is a Me First & The Gimme Gimmes tribute (replacing a planned Rob Zombie tribute), and while their identity is not public, I'd put my money on this being Jack Spades doing Me First-style punk covers of non-punk songs, given that J.D. fronts them. Should be interesting to find out, either way! Expect a costume contest as usual for this 19+ event, which has a $10 cover charge and a 9:30 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, I will see you there, and here's The Soo Fighters live two years ago!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Who Made Who preview and more on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Who Made Who, Just Leppard, Tym Morrison, & Tarnished!!)

A quiet weekend of hard rock concerts is in store for the last weekend before Halloween, so to round out this weekend concert preview post, we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to tackle for next month for you tribute band fans! That said, let's start with the previews, which both have very SHORT NOTICE add-on shows to note on here!

Reports of the end of Tym Morrison's Thomson Farms Cider & Winery run are premature, as the prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist will return to the Third Line West mill's on-site Wine Barn for matinee concerts TONIGHT and next Thursday! Apologies for the short notice on TONIGHT's show, Tym only confirmed that his Thomson Farms arrangement was extended via the new gigs' Facebook event page on Sunday. It looks like Thomson Farms either now close for the season in mid-November, or always did and I didn't know, but either way, Tym didn't advertise these last(?) four gigs until this week. These should be a prime chance to see Tym's unplugged hard rock covers at a familiar local establishment once again, so keep TONIGHT and Halloween's gigs in mind! We'll add his November shows here and at Gliss to our concert listings next week. And yes, Tym will continue his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT as well at his regular place and time!

Fans of Tym's skilled and vast setlist should be in good hands as he rocks Gliss this weekend, so don't miss out either! Also, I apologize for missing a late notice venue change for Tym' show this past Saturday, as his Gliss gig apparently did not take place, so he was able to play at Thomson Farms instead for a rare non-Thursday show there. Hopefully that went over well! TONIGHT'S Thomson Farms show is at 5:00 PM, he's at Gliss at 6:00 PM, and these gigs do not have announced age limits or cover charges. Click here and above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's ongoing "every Thursday" run of matinee gigs at Biggby Coffee will continue TODAY, but that's not all, as they'll be making their Lake Superior State University debut TONIGHT with a full band concert at The Galley in The Cisler Center! Again, apologies for the short notice on the latter event, it was only announced via this Facebook event page on Monday. You don't hear of hard rock bands playing on campus at LSSU very often, let alone in The Galley (a restaurant/lounge), so it will be interesting to hear how this advertised 90 minute set goes TONIGHT! It will also be a chance for fans to see the rarer electric version of Tarnished with drummer Tommy Korcal, which plays less frequently than the 2 man acoustic variant.

These shows do not have advertised cover charges or age limits, with Tarnished's regular unplugged Biggby concert taking place at the new 12:00 PM start time, and their trip to The Galley is at 8:00 PM TONIGHT. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



Also, here's some more new concert announcements for next month as part of The Canadian Nightclub's wave of live tribute bands this fall, starting with the return of Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band Who Made Who for one night only on Saturday, November 2nd! No, I did not put this concert off on purpose, it really only got two weeks notice online. By far the most familiar AC/DC tribute among local audiences in the 2010s, this will be Who Made Who's first local concert appearance since rocking The Rockstar Bar in April of last year, though they are no strangers to The Canadian, having played there most recently in 2012. It's great to see Who Made Who bring their brand of high voltage rock & roll back to the Soo next month, and hopefully there's a great turnout for their faithful sounding and looking stage show once again! Tickets for this 19+ & 9:00 PM event are $15 in advance at The Canadian Motor Hotel's front desk, or $20 at the door. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details as they roll in!

Finally, the other new tribute band concert at The Canadian Nightclub next month will see Sudbury-based Def Leppard tribute band Just Leppard make their local debut on Saturday, November 9th! Unlike Who Made Who, this band is very new to the live circuit, only having debuted in August, and this is just their second announced concert, if you can believe that. As such, this will be an interesting opportunity to see how Just Leppard compare to the real thing, and luckily, they do have this promotional video if you want to see what they bring to the table. Myself, I'm not a big fan of Def Leppard, but if you're a loyal Hair Scare listener, you'll want to circle this date on your calendar! Identically to Who Made Who's show the previous week (and the CCR tribute concert on November 16th), this is a 19+ concert at 9:00 PM with tickets running for $15 in advance and $20 at the door.) Head to the official Facebook event page for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Wyld Stallyns) & This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Now, let's dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews in a relatively quiet weekend slate! Just as a heads up, the Soo Zombie Walk does indeed return from it's 2018 hiatus on Saturday at the Bushplane Museum, but the only advertised musical performer is Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan's solo act. Click here for more details on the walk, but as for our previews, let's start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to their recent stomping grounds (The Whiskey Barrel) for one night only THIS FRIDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this show on their Facebook page on Tuesday, but it was previously announced on the venue's Facebook event page for October concerts there. The only stop at this Gore Street restaurant and bar this month for the Elements side project, this will be The Stallyns' first show since rocking The Upper Deck Bar & Grill last week, and first at The Whiskey Barrel in three weeks. Look for the Speers' and Jesse (and James & Jonas?!) to deliver more hard rocking and fan favourite covers on FRIDAY at 8:00 PM! This show has no cover charge or advertised age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a traditional nightclub. Visit the above links for more details, and here are The Wyld Stallyns live!



Next up, we'll move to previously announced concerts, starting with the continuation of Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's run of acoustic matinee concerts "every Thursday" at Biggby Coffee, as they'll be back there TODAY! The second week of the slightly later scheduling (now taking place at 12:00 PM rather than 10:30 AM), but everything else appears to be the same, as Alex & Josh are still here to bring their unplugged covers to fans and patrons as they play for "tips and coffee" once again. The later timeslot may be better or worse for some of you guys, pending your own work schedules, but if you're free in the afternoon, why not enjoy some free acoustic hard rock this afternoon? Of course, this is an all ages event. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live at Biggby Coffee!

Heading back to Sault Ontario, it's another busy weekend for local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who will wrap up his weekly seasonal run at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery TODAY, before continuing his long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY! With seven gigs at the Third Line West mill's on-site Wine Barn in the books, Tym will cap off the season with one more matinee go-around today (he is not advertised for October 24th), so if you want some live music with your cider, wine, and/or fresh produce, you know where to be! Of course, fans who want a closer downtown event can see him at Gliss once again tomorrow and/or Saturday, with more dinner-time hard and classic rock covers sure to be expected there! As usual, these arw all free shows without stated age limits, with today's Thomson Farms concert being at 5:00 PM, and the Gliss shows starting at 6:00 PM. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Finally for this weekend's previews, let's head to Reggie's West, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking last week off, this will be Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen's first concert weekend since playing The Esquire Club two weeks ago, and their first at the Reggievelt in just over a month. Always expect an entertaining night of hard rocking covers from this veteran quartet, and they should entertain the masses at Reggie's West this weekend! If you miss out, they will back here in mid-November. As usual for Soundcheck's concerts here, expect there to be no cover charges and a 10:00 PM-ish start time, while you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here a brand new video of Soundcheck live, courtesy of SaultOnline reporter Mike Caruso's YouTube channel!

A cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" at The Water Tower Pub last month, this oddly features Soundcheck as a trio minus singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe, with Terry obviously singing lead. No word on why Travis missed this song, but it's a well handled cover, and nicely shot on multiple cameras like with Mike's other recent cover band clips. Check it out below, and don't miss the real thing this weekend!



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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Tarnished), Concert Previews, And New Videos!!

With an unusual number of Wednesday and Thursday shows this week, I am starting our weekend concert previews early to tackle the bands playing the concerts in question in a timely fashion, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some on SHORT NOTICE) therein. As such, look for our Michale Graves, Scarkazm, Soundcheck, and Wyld Stallyns previews next, with Soo's Got Talent coverage to get it's own separate post either tomorrow night or Friday morning. Now, here's what you should know!

New Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished will return to the Sault Ste. Marie Farmers Market at the corner of Portage and Ashmun Street TONIGHT, with returns planned for next Wednesday and on October 9th as well! Apologies for the short notice for TONIGHT'S show, the band only announced their involvement via this Facebook event page on Sunday. Last seen at this weekly downtown market three weeks ago, TONIGHT'S concert should be another fine opportunity for Tarnished (in two man unplugged mode) to entertain market patrons and fans alike, so don't miss out then or in the next two Wednesdays! Note that the Farmers Market proper closes for the season at the end of October, as far as I know, so there's a maximum of three more there that they could play for 2019. These are all 6:00 PM matinee concerts with no cover charges or age limits, so visit the above links for more on these sets and everything at the Farmers Market proper!

Of course, this isn't all for Alex & Josh this weekend, as Tarnished will also continue their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee TOMORROW, and this time, they did advertise it in advance via a Facebook event page, which is helpful for fans! What's new to us is confirmation of a return to the Ashmun Street coffeeshop on Thursday, October 3rd, though they did not list dates beyond on the event page. Is this the series finale, or will more Thursday shows there be announced in due course? We'll let you know! You can see Alex & Josh rock out for tips and coffee tomorrow (and next Thursday) at 10:30 AM with no cover charges or age limits, and see above for more details! Finally for this weekend, Tarnished (again in acoustic form) will rock out THIS SATURDAY at this year's Fall Festival in Sault Ste. Marie on the Crooked Music Sound Stage outside of the store! This will be Tarnished's debut at the former Oktoberfest, and be sure to click here for all of the non-musical & family friendly event details on Saturday.

Tarnished will be playing at 1:00 PM alongside acoustic rock duo The Tavern Stool Townies at 4:00 PM, and alternative/folk solo musicians Kathleen Connelly and Magnet Moslov at 3:00 & 2:00 PM respectively, while Academy of Performing Arts student dancers will open at 12:00 PM. If you're ip for some Sidewalk Sales-esque outdoor live music with your Fall Fest entertainment, head to Crooked Music for all of the action! Again, this is FREE & ALL AGES. Click here and see above for more details, and for a preview of Tarnished's busy concert weekend, here's one more new video of them live, in this case at their post-race set at Kinross Speedpark earlier this month! This was filmed by attendee Malissa Prevost and shared to the band's Facebook page, and marks a rare live video of Tarnished plugged in with drummer Tommy Korcal, who doesn't play their more frequent acoustic gigs. The 27 second video features Tarnished covering Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell", so how does it sound?

Not bad, the guys have a good handle on this 1980s rock classic, but everyone is a little stiff, and between the vertical camera angle and the multicoloured stage lighting, this isn't an optimal look at Tarnished's full electric form. Still great to see some more footage out there, so give it a look below, and don't miss their varied gigs in the Soo over the coming days!

Finally for today's bonus preview post, let's address another frequently seen local hard rock cover act who tends to play non-traditional venues, namely Sault Ontario singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who has his own triple header of shows this weekend, including a return to the wine barn at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery TOMORROW NIGHT, before continuing his ongoing long-term matinee arrangement at Gliss Restaurant THIS FRIDAY & SATURDAY! While we're on the subject, let's roll his October gigs at both venues into our concert calendar today, as Tym will maintain his run at Gliss with more unplugged shows at the Spring Street restaurant on October 4th-5th, 11th-12th, 18th-19th, and 25th-26th, so keep all of these in mind for dinner-time hard & classic rock cover action! Meanwhile, his seasonal weekly run at Thomson Farms will wrap up with Thursday matinees on October 3rd, 10th, and 17th, with no more gigs advertised there before they close for the season after Halloween (we'll let you know if more are added.)

Clearly, his run of shows at the wine barn are doing well, so don't miss out tomorrow and next month, and enjoy the mill and winery while you're there! The Thomson Farms shows are at 5:00 PM, Gliss gigs are at 6:00 PM, and none have cover charges or age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video livestreamed from Thomson Farms' Facebook page last week of Tym covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"! Solid, if short cover that fans will definitely appreciate, but Tym's higher register singing may need some adjusting for some viewers. Give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for regularly scheduled weekend concert previews on the site tomorrow!