LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Quite Frankly, Generations, And Viscera) And More Recent Updates!!

As my Rotaryfest review will be quite long, here's a news post to fill some time while that gets written, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some other shorter updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced their August concert calendar via their Facebook group this past Wednesday! After opting to take July off (with a Jus' Chillin reunion gig and Pierre playing with Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers at Rotaryfest Stage 2 in the interim), Generations will return to action on Saturday, August 1st at Gateway Casino, in their first concert there in almost two months, with said gig falling on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many. Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony will pack their bags for The Water Tower Pub (the site of their most recent concert) on Saturday, August 8th for another one-nighter, and they'll end the month at Reggie's Place on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th. Surprisingly, these will be their first Reggie's stops in over a year (and thusly their first there with Joe Miller on guitar), so if you're a fan of this downtown staple, keep this full weekend in mind for your concert planning!

The classic and hard rock covers will be flowing at all four of these 19+ gigs, none of which have an announced cover charge, and while the first two are 8:00 PM shows, the Reggie's weekend starts at 9:30 PM. Good to see Generations back at it, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will make their debut appearance at Outspoken Brewing on Friday, August 14th! Fresh off of their Rotaryfest debut on Friday (fallout forthcoming), this rare double header weekend for Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe will see them kick things off at the 350 Queen Street East microbrewery and nightclub, which only infrequently hosts concerts. Street parties aside, we last caught wind of a hard rock or punk concert there when Dos Amigos played there in May of last year. It's an intimate spot that is arguably better suited to acoustic artists, but hopefully there's a strong turnout for Quite Frankly downtown next month! If you can't make that date, they will return to the aforementioned Gateway Casino the following night. The Outspoken show on the 14th is at 9:00 PM (only for two hours at that) with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's upcoming dates!

Also newly announced is a new fall date from Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera, who will return to the basement of Pizza Hut on Saturday, September 26th! Unlike recent shows at the 225 Ashmun Street restaurant space, this show is a presentation of Viscera's new in-house promotion agency Soo Tang Records, and like their Three One Three show next month, they are the advertised headliners. The concert will see Marquette "ghostcore" band Particle Thrower open in their local debut, returning the favour after Viscera open for them in Marquette on August 1st. Their sound and imagery lean heavily into the original Ghostbusters movie, at least so far, so that will be a fun pull beyond their hard hitting brand of metalcore in two months' time! At least one more band is to be announced. This concert has an 18+ age limit and a 7:00 PM start time, but admission fees have not been announced yet.

The increase in eclectic original concerts in the E.U.P. in the past year has been very welcomed, and Viscera are making solid waves with their brutal genre mix, so visit Viscera's Instagram page for more details on this intriguing concert, and to get details on how to get their debut EP on CD!

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:

 

• In a minor spring cleaning note, these are songs recently seen in Facebook "Story" videos posted by band or venue that I was able to see, but alas, not feature here due to their self-destructing nature after one or two views: Bone Yard 225 covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" at their last "uncorked" gig at Beck's Bar, Silent 9 covering DNCE's "Cake By The Ocean" and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" at The Esquire Club in May, and TNT (Travis Sharpe n' Terry Eaton) covering Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars" and Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns" at Beck's last month. I strongly dislike "Stories", but these are setlist hints!
• If you're wondering who The Korner Monsters (the mystery band at this weekend's ARCH Run) are, they are actually a reunion of a local rock band from the 1990s featuring prolific local drummer and Rising Tide alum Chris Johns on guitar. Kudos to him for confirming some details about this band, but will anything extra public come out about them? Stay tuned for our preview of the ARCH Run later this week for more on the festivities in any event!
• New local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will be parting ways with guitarist Liam Dinsmore following this weekend's ARCH Run and Blaster Powerhouse concerts, as per their Facebook page earlier today. A reason for Liam's impending exit wasn't announced, but things are 100% amicable, and it comes off to me like he's moving out of town, but don't take that as gospel. Liam had joined this new band alongside Raine & Anthony when HeadFirst disbanded earlier this year, and while not the loudest or most front-facing member of either band, he is a talented musician that will be an asset at whatever comes next! See him off in style this weekend!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Rotaryfest review and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Let's dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews for today's post! Due to the amount of shows, we'll address Saturday night's Fyrbird show in St. Ignace, Michigan in our likely news post tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know for the majority of the hard rock weekend previews of June 2026, and miraculously, none (so far?) were announced on short notice!

We'll start TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub, when local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will end their 2+ month spring break by going "uncorked"! After some personal matters led to a hiatus from the stage since their St. Patrick's Day gig (also "uncorked") at Smitty's, the guys are back in full swing for what should be a busy summer, with tomorrow's one-night-only concert being their first at The Water Tower Pub since late January. It's great to see Alex back with Greg and Warren for what should be a fun evening of hard rocking covers and originals, though as usual for Bone Yard's trips to this central venue, this will be an acoustic show. If you want to see "the dirty three" in a fully plugged-in show, they make their electric return at Beck's Bar next week. Tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, as per usual for bands there.

As this venue doesn't host the same band on back to back nights, fans there on Saturday will be able to see Out & Out Country (featuring former Bone Yard drummer Ric Datson). Visit the above links for more on your local 225's return to action, and for a preview, here they are live!

Next up, we'll keep the unplugged vibes going when veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison returns to The Dive Gastro Pub for another solo headlining concert TOMORROW! Tym announced this show in his batch Facebook event page for Dive shows last month, and it is his second of three scheduled acoustic gigs at the former Low N' Slow in mid-2026. As this downtown venue is expanding their live music schedule for the summer, Tym's three Dive shows are all on different nights, and while The Dive has not corroborated Tym's own scheduling, this will be a relatively rare Friday nighter, so if you don't wanna think it over on Thursday for a change, keep tomorrow's show in mind! I have not seen firm confirmation as to if this will be an outdoor "patio play" gig or not, but based on recent promotion, it looks like they're sticking with hosting Thursday nighters indoors, as fans who saw Arik Karki there tonight will be aware.

The Facebook event page actually lists tomorrow's show as being at 8:00 PM, and it will presumably be 19+ with no cover. If Tym is on the patio tomorrow night, 9&10 News is calling for weather of 17-20° with cloudy skies, and a slight chance of rain in the 9:00 PM hour, but given that it isn't a matinee, it could easily be in "the naughty corner" too. Keep tabs with The Dive On Queen for updates, but see above for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also, let's hop the border quick to look at Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished's return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their most recent show (also in St. Ignace, albeit at The Driftwood Sports Bar), these will be Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's first stops at The Northern Pines Lounge in 2026, and they picked a good weekend to be in town. While not addressed in the band's own promotion of this weekend's shows, St. Ignace plays host to the annual Bronco The Mac Festival tomorrow and Saturday, with parades, a drone show, and trail rides for Ford Bronco owners and fans to take part in. Interesting to see such an event locally for one specific make of vehicle, but there are certainly lots of Broncos out there, so click here for full details! Tarnished's concerts are not official Bronco The Mac events, but they are well timed!

Remember, we are previewing Fyrbird's show in St. Ignace on Saturday night in tomorrow's post, partly because they have another new Driftwood show in a few weeks to make mention of, so I want to give it proper emphasis. Tarnished bring their own brand of rock to the St. Ignace Kewadin tomorrow and Saturday at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for our own Gateway Casino, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! This talented veteran quartet has been taking a two month break from the stage, in part due to an unspecified family emergency, though they have reportedly added a few new songs into their setlist since fans last saw them at Searchmont in early April for their Snowcross festivities. Hopefully Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony shake off the rust well with their classic and hard rock favourites on Saturday If you can't make it to the casino on Saturday, they'll be back at The Water Tower Pub in three weeks. This show takes place on Saturday at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live earlier this year!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Fyrbird preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations & Headrush) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For this final batch of hard rock weekend concert previews of May 2026 (and arguably, the spring), we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to lead off, along with a pair of other new show for next month, so here's what you should know on this sunny Thursday!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush will return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band first announced the gigs via their Facebook event page on Monday, and alas, the venue has opted not to post an early 2026 concert calendar on social media this year, instead plugging bands week by week. Last seen opening for Crazy Babies at The Full Throttle Saloon three weeks ago, fans last saw the Johns, Wes, Gino, and Frank at The Esquire Club early last month. Headrush (no space) will definitely be live and loud TOMORROW & SATURDAY with their 1980s-leaning cover rock slate, so if you want to "come out & dance, party, and get your freak on", you know where to be! In their last shows before their incoming summer slate, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's gigs are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges.

Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new jam session video from Headrush's Facebook group! Uploaded by bassist John Amendola, the video sees them covering Triumph's classic single "Lay It On The Line", and given how well Triumph went over in their concert here last month, it's good timing to cover them, especially when they handle the song this well! John Anderson hits the necessary notes on vocals too, but will you see it TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY? Be at The Esquire Club to find out!

Next up, let's jump ahead a tiny bit, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for shows at Gateway Casino on Saturday, June 6th and at The Water Tower Pub on Saturday, June 27th! Generations are in the late stages of a two month break, partly due to an unspecified family emergency for Valerie or Joe, having last taken the stage at Searchmont last month for their Snowcross weekend. Fans last saw this talented veteran quartet rocking Gateway Casino in early March, while the June 27th Water Tower Pub show will effectively be a rescheduling of their cancelled April 18th concert there (they last successfully played at this venue in February). Good to see the Jus' Chillin successors back at it, and keep both of their one-night-only shows in mind for your concert planning next month! Both shows are at 9:00 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details!

Back to weekend concert previews now, and we'll head south to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino next, as Munising, Michigan classic/hard rock cover quintet The Sky Pilots will make their way back east TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Fronted by former Electric Motor Fish/Swayze Train singer Melissa Strand, this weekend's shows will be The Sky Pilots' first in the EUP since they rocked The Rapids Lounge at the Soo Kewadin in March, and their first at the St. Ignace branch since November of last year. It's good to see Melissa back in our area with her entertaining current project, and fans can expect "live music, classic rock, and 90s hits" all weekend, so keep these May-ending shows in mind! As usual for Kewadin lounge gigs, tomorrow and Saturday's previously announced concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Sky Pilots live in their hometown!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for veteran local singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's return to Misty's Fifties for a matinee concert on SATURDAY! Fresh off of his Dive Gastro Pub show last week (which was 100% a "Patio Play" gig), this Saturday's concert is the last at the Second Line West nightclub advertised by Tym in his batch Facebook event page covering shows there, and it remains to be seen when/if he will announce summer dates at Misty's. He will definitely have shows elsewhere this summer, but just in case, consider a run to Misty's Fifties on Saturday to enjoy his well produced classic and hard rock covers! As usual for Tym's shows here, this is a 3:00 PM matinee concert with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9, Generations, And Separate Wayz) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

In what's shaping up to be a mild and rainy weekend, let's dive into this weekend's Sault Ontario hard rock concert previews, mostly including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS! Due to the amount and that it's on the other side of the border, I'll hold our preview of Saturday's Unfortunate Sun concert for tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show on their Facebook page yesterday, and the venue has not posted a March concert calendar on social media at press time. Last seen in their joint "epic crossover" matinee with sister band Soundcheck at The Tap Room two weeks ago, this will see Separate Wayz return to the site of their live concert debut from February of last year. As you may recall, singer Nicole Thibodeau had to drop out of the band's scheduled Esquire Club concerts last week due to illness (Travis filled in for her in what became a Soundcheck weekend), so hopefully she is 100% and ready to rock with the guys TOMORROW! As usual for The Water Tower Pub, they don't book the same band on consecutive nights, and the Saturday night headliners there will be Tex Riviera & The Ride.

Separate Wayz won't be idle on Saturday though, as for a second straight year, they will be headlining the dance party after the annual Wawa Ice Fishing Derby that night (Soundcheck have done so in the past too). Wawa is 2½ hours north of here, but if you're up there or are up for a road trip, keep this gig in mind, and click here for details! As for TOMORROW'S Water Tower Pub concert, it's an 8:00 PM event as usual with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will set up shop at The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and will also return there on Friday, May 22nd and Saturday, May 23rd! Again, apologies for the short notice on this weekend's dates, we only just heard about them via the band's Facebook page this past Saturday, and The Esquire Club has seemingly transitioned to plugging shows week by week on Facebook rather than a half year schedule like in the past. It is worth noting that both TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows and the May dates are recent additions to Silent 9's website's concert calendar, and were not among the 2026 dates listed there at the start of the year. After focusing on private events for most of the winter and Bon Soo last month, this weekend's dates will be Silent 9's first traditional bar concerts of the year, and they should have lots of fun rocking covers in store for west end fans TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Despite the proximity to May 24th, their shows in May are not on the Victoria Day long weekend, which is the week prior this year. All four shows are 19+ affairs at 9:30 PM with no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video from Silent 9's Facebook page from their Bon Soo-opening concert at The Machine Shop! This 33 second clip sees Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", albeit in two chunks, and alas, shot vertically (look at all that needlessly empty space above the stage!) Length and orientation aside, they sound good here, and Jess' voice sounds strong for what is included, so check this video out below, and don't miss out this weekend!

Also newly announced for this weekend, one more female-fronted classic/hard rock cover quartet will take the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT, as Generations will return to Gateway Casino! Apologies again for the short notice, the band first announced this show on their Facebook group on Monday. This will be Generations' first gig at the downtown Sault Ontario casino this year, and it will also be their first show there with new guitarist Joe Miller, (their most recent Gateway gig in October featured fill-in guitarist Michael Yurich). Hopefully there's a sizable crowd at the casino on SATURDAY for Generations' tried and tested classic and hard rock hits! As usual for shows there, this one-nighter is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on SATURDAY's concert action, and for a preview, here they are live last month!

Finally for this preview post, we'll look at a show that did get advance notice earlier than the past week, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago, this will be Double Down's second Beck's gig of 2026 and their first since last summer with bassist Dan Beaupre (not pictured, unless their AI prompt was really vague). No word on if there will be multiple guest appearances like fans saw last time, but there should be a solid array of hard rocking covers in store on Saturday from the Syrettes, Dan, and Ric for fans in the west end! Beck's is hosting live music tomorrow too, but like The Water Tower Pub, they don't double up on Fridays and Saturdays, so tomorrow's band is new local blues rock act Sunday & The Broken Hearts, who you may recall from last year's Toystock.

As for the matinee performer on Saturday, the 3:00 PM slot then goes to 2024 Soo's Got Talent semifinalist Arin Karki, who you may know as a frequent performer at The Dive Gastro Pub. Remember, Arin isn't "opening" for Double Down, he and the band have separate 4 hour timeslots spaced 2 hours apart, but you can hang out to see both if you like. Double Down are up at 9:00 PM on Saturday with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Unfortunate Sun preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Crush) And Saturday Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, I waned to note that this Saturday's planned Soo Falls-hosted Oktoberfest concert at The Machine Shop was quietly cancelled, as per the end of ticket sales (source here) and lack of recent social media promotion. A reason for the cancellation was not publically announced, but remember that we did have two other Oktoberfest events in Sault Ontario earlier this fall. Hopefully we see BookcluB and Silent 9 back at it soon, and Nein German Guys at Oktoberfest events next year! Now, let's lead off this busy weekend's hard rock concert previews (Rust and Beck's Bar gigs aside) with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

New Sault Michigan hard rock trio (and Tarnished spin-off) Crush will make their Sault Ste. Marie debut THIS SATURDAY NIGHT with a multi-band concert at The Savoy Nightclub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via this teaser video from their Facebook page on Sunday where the band amusingly sampled a bottle of Josh wine (as Josh Fair is their guitarist). While Crush did play a downstate gig since then in Prescott on August 22nd, and will also hit the road tomorrow to open for deathcore band Godstine at a "Creepy Cheapy Halloween Bash" in Battle Creek, this will be just the second local gig since Alex, Josh, and Iggy formed Crush as their new original music outlet, leaving Tarnished in their current covers-centric formation. The Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands winners are the headliners on SATURDAY, and will be joined by the local debut of Rose City metal quintet Tribe989!

Crush had previously opened for Tribe989 at the aforementioned Prescott show last month (a fundraiser gig for this tour run), and Crush debuted at Bar-N Stock in Rose City in July (which Tribe989 also played at), not to mention Tarnished's past gigs there, so it's neat to see paths cross 3 hours north for a change. Tribe989 are a solid and melodic mixed-gender metal band, so don't bypass them! Newer local punk/hard rock trio About:Blank (featuring fellow Tarnished alumni Parker Talentino and Nathan Webber) will also take the stage on SATURDAY in their own first gig since the aforementioned Superior Whitefish Festival, though they were in the Music In The Park block, not the battle. Good to see About:Blank back out there, and hopefully their original tunes and sometimes surprising originals kick things off on the right foot! For the record, you may recall seeing Alex & Josh with Tarnished at the 117 West Portage Avenue bar back on July 4th.

SATURDAY'S concert (named "Destroy The Savoy") is at 7:00 PM, there is a 21+ age limit, and admission is $5 at the door. Not a bad deal all around for three originals-leaning Michigan hard rock/metal bands, and if you miss Tarnished's original material and more comedic social media videos/postings (we have to play catch-up on those), then Crush will be very much up your alley, let alone from their clear musical talent! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Crush live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Ontario for a pair of previously announced concerts, starting with a matinee gig from prolific local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison, who will keep his busy slate at Misty's Fifties going with yet another early acoustic booking on SATURDAY! This is the second in a three week run of weekly Saturday matinees from the former Caveman Morrison and Nostalgic Band frontman, so whether you regularly see him live or haven't see his skilled mix of vocals and guitar talents as of late, head to the Second Line West nightclub on Saturday to check out the action! Tym will not be at Misty's over Halloween weekend, but he will have six more shows there in November & December. Saturday's concert is another 4:00 PM matinee with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally for preview post #1, we'll head downtown to Gateway Casino, where classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage on SATURDAY NIGHT! After taking a two months-long break while drummer Tony Santoro recovered from carpal-tunnel surgery, this will be Generations' first casino gig in four months, and also their first show since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar. In his place, Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (a frequent fill-in between Brandon and Tony K.'s stints) will guest on guitar on Saturday, so come on down to see how he fits in with Valerie, Pierre, and Tony S. anew! A one-nighter as is standard at Gateway Casino (they don't book bands on Fridays at all), Saturday's concert has an 8:00 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' return to the live scene, and here they are with Michael live!

That's all for now, but look for our Rust, Bone Yard 225, and Curtis McKenzie previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), Darsombra Concert Updates, And A New Pillory Song!!

I'd like to begin today's post by offering our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Darsombra synth player/vocalist Ann Everton, who passed away on Friday in a car crash in Essex County, New York. She and her husband/bandmate Brian Daniloski had been on the road towards Montreal for the beginning of their fall North American tour, which was slated to include a local concert this Friday at the Downtown Plaza, but their tour van collided with a police cruiser this past Friday. Brian and the police officer inside the cruiser were hospitalized with minor injuries, and you can read more about the incident at this link. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise money for Brian and Ann's family to cover related expenses in the aftermath of this tragic accident, so consider donating to help out. Local fans will recall seeing Darsombra (all the way from Baltimore, Maryland) thrice here at three different venues in the past.

The psychedelic hard rock duo's multimedia stage show debuted here at The New American Pub in July 2017, before rocking LopLops Lounge in August 2019, and they last played here at the so-called March Street Stage in July 2023. All but the Six, Two, Oh.-hosted LopLops gig were promoted by Dryer Fire (now Piecing It Together Shows), and Darsombra were to have played at the Downtown Plaza on Friday alongside British Columbia punk band Mean Bikini, locals The Floor Between Us, and a Muel Goods-hosted independent sellers market. That show will still take place, and according to P.I.T.S. owner Nicole Dyble on their Facebook page, they'll be showing Darsombra videos on the screen above the Plaza's stage, Brian will still receive his artist fee despite being unable to perform, and Mean Bikini will donate $5 from all t-shirt sales on Friday to him. Kudos all around for the support being shown in Ann's memory, both locally and afar!

I was unable to see Darsombra's local dates, but their brand of "post-apocalyptic galaxy rock" made a mark on local fans, and it was impressive to see an American touring band come here this much! Darsombra's mix of hard rock, drone, psychedelic, and experimental sounds, plus a diverse visual experience that Ann had deep involvement in, made them a captivating watch. I've heard very good things about Ann as a person, and I feel so bad for Brian and the rest of their family at this difficult time. We'll have more on Friday's concert in this weekend's concert previews, but consider coming out to show your support and still see some live outdoor music. R.I.P. Ann!

Today's post otherwise features a new song from an upcoming album and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will end their recent hiatus by headlining at Gateway Casino on Saturday, October 18th! This will be Generations' first concert in over two months, last seen at the now-closed(?) Reggie's Place in late July, and their first show at the downtown casino in four months, so fans will have been waiting a long time to see them in action! This wasn't a summer break like some other local cover rock bands had, as drummer Tony Santoro was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery, as per their (now-private) Facebook group. Of note, next Saturday's show will be Generations' first since they parted ways with guitarist Tony Kajnar after a two year run with the band, with Tony S. confirming that he left "due to personal reasons pursuing a new project".

 

Otherwise best known around here from Flat Stanley and The Peace Vibe, hopefully Tony K.'s new band is successful, but it will be easier to not have to specify which Tony when covering Generations! Smokehouse frontman Michael Yurich (who filled in with Generations before Tony K. came on board) will guest on guitar for next Saturday's one-nighter, which takes place at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Valerie, Pierre, and Tony's return to the stage!

Finally for today, here's the first advance single from local death/thrash metal trio Pillory's upcoming full length album "Old Soul!" Released on September 30th to Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music (all linked here) as well as their new YouTube Music channel, the song in question is "The Angst Of Existence", which has been a staple in Pillory's sets since their mid-2010s revival era. Of note, the Distrokid tags for the album credit 2015-2017 bassist Jordan Leach as a co-writer of the song alongside Robert and Bret. I have no idea if Jordan (who moved out of the country for work reasons in 2017) recorded bass tracks remotely for the album, or if this is just giving him credit for co-writing the song, but we'll let you know if the band confirms anything! I'll hold comment on "The Angst Of Existence" until we review "Old Soul" on the site next year, but give it a listen below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dodge This & Generations) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today's post wraps up this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, so here's what else you should know for Sault Ontario gigs over the next two nights, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will rock Gateway Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced by bassist Pierre Anthony on the band's Facebook group on Wednesday, which is unusual for them, as Tony S. usually announces their shows earlier than that. Generations are fresh off of their latest Water Tower Pub show this past Saturday, and will be playing at Sault Ontario's downtown casino for the first time in three months TOMORROW, so if you've missed them there (be you a gambler or not), don't bypass their classic and hard rock covers then! You can see Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre in action TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Next up, local acoustic hard rock duo Dodge This will return to Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced by the venue's Facebook page on Monday, and the band hasn't posted on their own Facebook page since plugging their Beck's debut last month. Good to see Jason & Jamie back at the former Vibe Lounge TOMORROW, and hopefully their unplugged covers find another solid audience as Beck's again hosts an acoustic act outside of their matinee timeslots! While we're on the subject, Dodge This will also return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only on Friday, June 20th, so centrally inclined fans will get their fill of unplugged covers there in two weeks! Our source is this brand new June concert calendar from that venue's Facebook page, and as you can see, classic rock trio The Sidekicks are playing there on Saturday the 21st (they never host the same act consecutively.)

As for TOMORROW at Beck's, the Saturday matinee belongs to Spyder's Web alum Shirley Marie Kominos, but this is a separate matinee concert from 3:00-7:00 PM, and she isn't "opening" for Dodge This. You can stick around though if you want! TOMORROW NIGHT's concert is at 9:00 PM, the Water Tower Pub show in two weeks is at 8:00 PM, and these are both 19+ shows with no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW's and June 20th's Dodge This shows, and here they are live!

Moving to shows that had advance notice, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! The guys are fresh off of their debut at Beck's Bar this past Saturday, where they were joined by bassist Dan Beaupre's Sidekicks bandmates Steve Cardiff & Tracey Hilderly for guest spots, as well as former Quite Frankly frontwoman Jack Alisat, as per their Facebook page. It's neat to see a local cover band publically acknowledging guest musicians like this, and more bands should acknowledge variances from the norm! This weekend's stops at Jay's will be Double Down's first there in three weeks,, and their talented and ever-growing cover sets should get a strong reception from fans and patrons alike in the west end! Tonight & tomorrow's shows should have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges as usual.

Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Double Down at Beck's Bar on Saturday! Well, technically, as it runs for just five seconds, but it does capture their cover of Collective Soul's "Heavy" (with singer/guitarist Joel Syrette on lead vocals). Dan and Ric are completely obscured from view at this (sadly) vertical camera angle, complete with superfluous Tiktok text about how they were "killing it tonight". Alas, we only see them doing so for five seconds, but it's long enough to get a unique view of the former Vibe Lounge, if not the whole band. Check it out below, and see Double Down for much longer at Jay's!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, local classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will continue his busy summer schedule on SATURDAY with another matinee concert at Misty's Fifties! Most of Tym's concerts through the end of the year are at Misty's, with tomorrow's show being his second there in as many weeks, though surprisingly, he won't be at the Second Line West nightclub afterwards until next month. Hopefully there's a solid turnout at Misty's Fifties on Saturday for all of the unplugged rock cover action from this talented singer/guitarist! As usual, this is a 4:00 PM matinee gig with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new studio original song of his, courtesy of his YouTube channel! The song in question is "Number Of The Beast", related in name only to the Iron Maiden song.

This song is influenced by the book of Revelations in the Bible, specifically chapter 13 where 666 is discussed, but the video takes some decidedly more contemporary viewpoints relating to vaccinations that I am severely unqualified to discuss on a music blog. Putting that aside, fans of Tym's plugged-in metal material will like the guitar shredding on display here, and his melodic singing suits the classic-influenced structure, so musically, old Hollow and Carbon Black fans will approve! Again, no comment on the video, this isn't that kind of site. Check out "Number Of The Beast" below, and don't miss Tym at Misty's Fifties tomorrow!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Exit 808, Generations, And Curtis McKenzie) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up another batch of weekend concert previews today, but it's supplemented with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), and a brief teaser clip from one of the bands in question, so here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced this past Saturday on their Facebook group when revealing their March dates, and while we covered the other shows at the time, we held TOMORROW'S for this weekend's previews due to the already late notice. This will be Generations' first concert since rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub three weeks ago, and their first at Sault Ontario's casino since January. If you want a night of fan-friendly and diverse classic/hard rock covers from this experienced quartet you know where to go TOMORROW! Remember, Gateway Casino doesn't host live music on Fridays, and Generations aren't playing elsewhere tonight. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, here's some shows with advance notice, including Sault Michigan hard rock sextet Exit 808's return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Saturday, March 15th! Four months removed from their debut at Bay Mills' on-site lounge/concert venue, this show was quietly announced on their Facebook page on March 2nd when they posted a teaser video that we'll outline in a second, and this show will be their first anywhere since their I-500 pub crawl gig at The Merch early last month. Good to see Exit 808 back after a quiet month+ stretch, and hopefully things go well in Brimley next weekend! No word on if there will be a St. Patrick's Day theme at the Back Bay and/or on the band's end, but note that Bay Mills' events calendar only lists the actual holiday (Monday the 17th) as having a tie-in event. This 21+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time and no advertised cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

As for Exit 808's teaser video, the 11 seconds-long clip features guitarist Alex Zimmerman and (seemingly now full-time member?) Blaze Beairl playing a new cover for their setlist, with Blaze playing guitar himself in the clip. Someone's holds a bass neck in frame but we don't see who is doing so. A commenter seemed to accurately guess that they were playing an Ozzy Osbourne song (possibly "I Don't Wanna Stop"), and while it's way too short to accurately judge the cover, maybe you'll see them play the full thing next week, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

Also, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock/grunge singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert on March 20th! This will be Curt's first stop at The Dive for a traditional concert since the start of February, and it was first announced via the venue's March concert cale-+-ndar on their Facebook page. It's always good to see the former Haggith/Eclipse frontman back on stage, and hopefully his hard rocking unplugged covers get another strong response from attendees and fans alike in a couple of weeks! All of the action in The Dive's "naughty corner" goes down on Thursday the 20th at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more show announcements and updates from Curtis when they roll in!

Finally, we'll wrap up this weekend's concert preview by heading to (well, under) The Distraction on East Street, where Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their second local concert appearance TOMORROW NIGHT! Unlike their local debut in May of last year, tomorrow's show will take place in The Stellar Door, the basement venue space under the barbershop proper, as has been the case for all scheduled rock concerts at The Distraction since the summer. Greg and crew made a strong presence on local fans last year with their folk punk originals and high energy live sound, and hopefully they get more of the same tomorrow!  This year, they won't be the closing band though, with new and online page-less local space rock duo The Spaceship Opening getting the honours tomorrow, and hopefully we learn more about them in due course!

Two solo acts will kick off the night, including local folk punk solo project Agnosticism (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) in their first public set of 2025, and local folk musician Tucker Lidstone, who has played at a couple of folk/acoustic-leaning events at/under The Distraction in the past year. This all ages concert has a $15 or "pay what you can" admission fee, and doors open at 7:00 PM. If you like a nice variety of alternative rock, you'll like what The Stellar Door is hosting tomorrow, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Greg Rekus & The Inside Job live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some long overdue fallout from recent major concerts next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Generations), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to acknowledge two shows that were/weren't fully addressed in this weekend's concert previews. Firstly, I apologize for missing local acoustic hard rock duo Dodge This' headlining concert at The Dive Gastro Pub last night, a show that was only announced via the venue's Facebook page yesterday afternoon (Dodge This have not updated their Facebook page in over a month). Simply no time to rush a post to cover it once I heard, and I apologize again for missing it, but hopefully there was a great turnout despite the late notice! Also, last night's planned Ha!ls-headlined mixed-genre concert at The Stellar Door under The Distraction was cancelled on Friday night, as per venue owner P.J. D'Agostino (a.k.a. ex-Danger Cats guitarist Paula Panther), due to her falling ill and unable to open. Definitely disappointing, but hopefully Hails, The Apocalypse Afterparty, and Eli Russell turn up on stage again in 2025, and that P.J. gets well soon!

Today's post otherwise has recent updates from a prominent local band, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and new videos, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on Saturday, January 11th! Their second announced show of 2025 (following another one-nighter at The Water Tower Pub one week prior), this will be Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre's first stop at the downtown casino since October. Hopefully this talented veteran quartet delivers lots of hard rocking covers for fans once again in three weeks! Expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. See above for more details! While we're on the subject, I should note that new videos from a recent private booking were posted to the band's Facebook group by drummer Tony Santoro on Friday, but all feature young attendees playing musical chairs to pre-recorded music, not Generations themselves, so keep that in mind!

Finally, here's some more recent updates from local/Barrie crossover thrash band Spades GT from the past month! On November 13th, the band posted a "Reel" onto their Facebook page, which alleges to have "old found footage" of the band's current members, plus ex-guitarist Jay Sarrazin. It's 13 seconds long, so you can't expect the "found footage" to be substantial, but it's something! It's also vertical and unembeddable on external sites like this. Spades' search to find their new permanent bassist was ongoing as of November 258h, and are hoping to fill the position A.S.A.P., especially as they plan to record their new album in February, so click here for full details on how you can apply! Remember, this is far more amenable to musicians living in the GTA given where the former Jack Spades relocated to in 2021. The band is also supporting a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for next month's celebration of life for guitarist Daniel Horton's mother Joy MacMillan, who died earlier this month. Click here to consider helping out!

On December 15th, the title track from last year's "Sewer City Radio" was played on Barrie rock radio station Rock 95 (CFJB 95.7 FM) during their Sunday night program Garage To Glory, so it's great to see that they're getting terrestrial radio airplay in their homebase again! Aside from teasers and reminders about their album recording plans for 2025, the other big news for the guys is that they will be playing at the third annual Walterstock at The Rockpile in Toronto on Saturday, January 4th! This memorial event in honour of beloved GTA metalhead and concert fixture Walter Froebrich will see 24 bands joining forces for charity, which is awesome to see again! Note that one of the bands is Stand Against Fear, who used to feature ex-Spades bassist James Roy Daley in their ranks, but the rest are not immediately familiar to me in a local context. 2025 is looking like a big year already for Spades GT, so stay tuned for more from them in the coming weeks and when announced!

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