LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Tym Morrison, And The Wyld Stallyns), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

The first concert weekend of March 2020 is here, so let's start with this weekend's concert previews on this Thursday morning! Due to the amount of shows in the coming days, I am holding our previews of this weekend's Highway 63 shows and Saturday's Bridge Heads/Big Mistake concert for tomorrow morning's post, so look for them then! Now, here's what you should know to kick things off, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly on SHORT NOTICE, as well as a cancellation!

Local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will play a rare concert at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via the venue's March concert calendar earlier this week. I can't immediately recall the Speers' and Jesse playing a show here, so consider a run to this popular north/central nightclub TOMORROW for their varied and often heavy cover array, especially as the only hard rock act there this month! As usual for the venue, this is a 9:00 PM affair with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, and see above for more details! I would have continued here to note The Stallyns' headlining set at the Docs & Food & Beer & Bands fundraiser at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on Saturday night, but the event has quietly been postponed for unannounced reasons, as per Docs on Ice's Facebook page on Tuesday. For what it's worth, the ticket website says it was cancelled, and tickets bought there have been refunded.

Seeing a charitable event like this being postponed is unfortunate, but hopefully it a necessary bump in the road, and that it does take place. If a new date is announced and the Docs on Ice ties remain intact, it would have to take place before April 17th, when that tournament kicks off. We'll let you know if we hear anything, but don't miss The Wyld Stallyns TOMORROW at The Water Tower Pub! Here they are live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the Sault Music News Letter's Facebook page on Tuesday, and they have not been publically confirmed on social media by the band or venue at press time. Assuming these are on as scheduled, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts will be Soundcheck's first anywhere in two weeks, and their first at The Esquire Club in about two months. This should be a solid opportunity to check out Cameron, Terry, Paul, and Glen's brand of hard hitting covers, established and newer alike, so don't miss out on this weekend's action in the west end if you can help it! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows are 10:00 PM events with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck's current lineup live & in concert!

Also this weekend, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will kick off another busy month with matinee gigs at Gliss Restaurant TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, which bookend a traditional nighttime concert at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the second straight week where Tym is playing these two venues at these three times, so if you missed out last week or can't get enough of his hard rocking acoustic covers, these three familiarly dated concerts should take care of things! While we're on the subject, Tym announced one more new date for this month via this Facebook event page yesterday, as he will apparently return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort for a matinee concert on Sunday, March 15th! Yes, this is a photo of him playing there, new haircut in tow. Searchmont haven't corroborated this booking online as of this writing, but clearly Tym's Kiln debut went well last month, so look for more fan favourite covers next weekend!

Tomorrow & Saturday's Gliss shows are at 6:00 PM, tomorrow night's Roadhouse concert is at 10:00 PM, and next Sunday's Searchmont gig is at 4:00 PM, which is a later start time than last month. Only The Roadhouse will have a 19+ age limit, and none of these shows have an announced cover charge. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here (and the above links) for more details, and here's Tym live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members therein) are expected to continue their weekly arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another acoustic matinee concert TODAY! Neither the band nor venue have plugged this show on social media, but remember, "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated. That said, Tarnished didn't update their Facebook page at all in February, but they haven't been idle, as the guys have recently been in the studio recording a debut EP! This was revealed by frontman Alex Traynor in a personal Facebook post shared to the band's Facebook page on Sunday, confirming that the EP will have 5 songs (much like his solo debut EP from last year), and it was recorded with producer Matt Dalton at Rock Hill Sound in Rochester Hills outside of Detroit. If scheduling conflicts related to the sessions impaired February dates at Biggby Coffee, no one firmly said that online publically.

Also, the above post heavily suggests that Alex himself is drumming on the EP rather than Tommy Korcal, who was not credited as taking part in the sessions, and has quietly been removed from their lineup on their website. If Tommy has indeed left Tarnished, a reason wasn't announced as to why, but hopefully nothing bad happened, and that we see him back with Project 906 soon! I'm very curious to see how Tarnished's EP shapes up, especially as the band hasn't posted original content online before, so stay tuned as updates roll in! As for today, look for Tarnished at Biggby at 12:00 PM with no cover or age limit. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Highway 63 and Bridge Heads previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

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

Another busy weekend of concerts is upon us to end February with, so much so that I have broken things into two posts, with this one focusing on hard rock acts playing today or tomorrow in some fashion. Our previews of this Saturday's 415E, Barely Covered, and (late notice) Project 906 concerts will be coming in our next post, with room for another short notice booking if it crosses our wires. Now, here's what you should know to start off the weekend, starting with acts with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another matinee show there TODAY, but while we're on the subject, let's add their March slate of Thursday gigs to our concert calendar as well! Unless the band or venue says anything to the contrary (remember, every Thursday), look for Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) to rock the Ashmun Street coffee shop with unplugged cover sets on March 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. Tarnished have been very quiet on social media in the past month+, but assuming there's nothing wrong, Alex and crew should have another great batch of hard rocking afternoon tunes in store, so keep these Thursday afternoons in mind! Today's and next month's shows are all 12:00 PM affairs with no cover charges or age limits. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Restaurant for his own regular supper-time matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY, sandwiching his latest return to The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but like with Tarnished, that's not all! With March approaching just as fast up here, I'll add Tym's own March slate to our concert calendar today, including returns to Gliss for more weekend sets there on March 6th-7th, 13th-14th, 20th-21st, and 27th-28th. Meanwhile, Tym will play consecutive Fridays at The Roadhouse when he rocks the Trunk Road nightclub again next Friday, March 6th, while returning there once more on March 27th. Finally, Tym will play his third (and last?) announced matinee date at Northern Superior Brewing Company's on-site tap room on Saturday, March 14th. Busy month as usual for this veteran solo artist, so keep all of these dates in mind!

The Gliss shows are all at 6:00 PM, the Roadhouse shows are at 10:00 PM, and the Northern Superior show is at 3:00 PM. None of these have announced cover charges, and while only the Roadhouse has a firm age limit, mind the locales elsewhere. Tym's hard rocking cover selection should go over well at each venue next month, plus at Gliss this weekend and at The Roadhouse tomorrow. so visit the Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Also this weekend, new local hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their LopLops Lounge debut TOMORROW NIGHT when they open for Kawartha Lakes alt-rock quartet Heaps and Hamilton indie rockers Basement Revolver in those bands' own local debuts! With their own comparatively heavier, classic rock-influenced sound, The Uncanny Valley are somewhat outliers on the bill tomorrow, but this should be a great showcase to see this rising young group at a popular downtown locale, and they should set the tone before the touring bands hit the stage tomorrow night! Heaps and Basement Revolver aren't heavy acts, but each bring their own atmospheric and accessible sound to the LopLops stage, so whether you like your alternative music with more melody or trance elements, definitely give both bands a listen to see what they have in store! This stop on Heaps' Live Debut Tour has a 19+ age limit, a $10 cover charge, and a likely 9:00 PM start time.

For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's a new video of The Uncanny Valley that was posted on their Facebook page earlier this week! A short jam session clip where they play their newer original "This Love Is Psychedelic", this again harbours 1970s hard rock influences to good effect, but the angle is way too tight and not optimally angled to capture the guys (Adam's not in frame at all!) The song sounds good while it lasts, so give it a listen below!



Finally for today's concert preview post, local alt-punk cover trio Handsome Sandwich will return to The Rockstar Bar in a rare weekend bar band capacity via headlining dates TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at Room 21 in unplugged format, this will be Johnny, Jesse, and James' first electric concert since their late notice fill-in date at The Rockstar Bar four weeks ago, but with advance notice and more time to prepare, this weekend's concerts should be even better for them and fans alike! With their eclectic cover selection and sense of humour, these will be can't miss events for fans, so keep tomorrow & Saturday night's shows under advisement! As usual for The Rockstar Bar, these are 19+ concerts with 10:00 PM start times and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Handsome Sandwich at Acoustic Heartstrings!

 
That's all for now, but stay tuned for our 415E, Barely Covered, and Project 906 concert previews next! Thanks everyone!

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

Another busy concert weekend is upon us, so we're breaking up our previews into two posts once again! Due to the amount, we're bumping Saturday night's Tom Keifer/Kix and Bon Jovi Forever concerts to our next post, coming either tonight or tomorrow, with other news and/or short notice show announcements rounding things out there. Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend in rough chronological order!

We'll start with the expected continuation of Sault Michigan hard rock band Tarnished's "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee, as we should see them back for another matinee acoustic concert TODAY! Unfortunately, neither the band nor venue have plugged any installments of this series on social media this month, but when the shows don't really change week to week, maybe they don't feel they have to regularly, barring a change or timing perk. "Every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, I would assume! Look for Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) at the Ashmun Street establishment once again this afternoon at 12:00 PM rocking out for tips and coffee, and as usual, this is an all ages event with no cover. Tarnished have a strong hard rock base and clear talent, so whether this is Alex alone or with company, don't miss out! See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live at Biggby Coffee last year!

Next up, let's take a detour to Sault Ontario, where another weekly run of acoustic matinee concerts continues TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Gliss Restaurant courtesy of prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison! However, that's not all, as Tym will play his second concert at Northern Superior Brewing Co.'s on-site taproom THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON, so you have three chances to see Tym's acoustic covers downtown this weekend! Tym's Gliss run is long established for fans, but he only just debuted at the 50 Pim Street brewery last month, and by accounts I have read, that show was a hit. Another usually busy weekend is in store for Tym and his fans, so keep all of the action on Pim and Spring in mind for these two days! The Gliss gigs are at 6:00 PM sandwiching Saturday's Northern Superior show at 3:00 PM, and while these don't have stated age limits or cover charges, mind the locales. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Rockstar Bar for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Not counting last week's fill-in as hosts of Mojo's weekly jam night, this will be their first true concert weekend since rocking the Reggievelt three weeks ago, and this will mark their Rockstar Bar debut with their current lineup, last playing there before Cameron joined. Soundcheck proper have not verified these shows publically, but the venue's Facebook event page has that covered, so look for another strong weekend of hard rocking and increasingly varied covers from this veteran outfit tomorrow and/or Saturday! No word as of yet on Soundcheck's next gigs after this weekend, we'll keep you posted when the band or venues announce anything, hopefully with reasonable notice. As usual for Soundcheck's Rockstar Bar gigs, these shows have 10:00 PM-ish start times, no cover charges, and age limits of 19 or older. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live in concert last year!

Finally for today's concert preview post, we'll head back to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch! Last seen in the E.U.P. when Scarkazm played at this same venue early last month, this is the second of three straight months where they're coming to the Soo for a full weekend of hard hitting cover action, though their sister band Peril were just in St. Ignace last week (video footage forthcoming.) Adam, Dave, and Jeff should have another great weekend of tunes in store for local fans this weekend, so don't miss out on either night this weekend! As usual for their local road trips, expect Scarkazm to be on at 9:00 PM both nights, with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges in effect. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live in concert in their own right!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Hair Scare Live and Bon Jovi Forever previews (and more) on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Half Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews, Plus An Apparent Venue Closure!!

Before we begin today's weekend concert preview post, just two quick notes. One is that The Rad Zone re-opens at 721 Queen Street East (the former Foch Cleaners) TOMORROW at 10:00 AM, so head downtown to see how the new storefront looks and to buy some wares once again! I hope to be in myself shortly. The other note relates to this busy weekend's concert previews, as we'll be holding this weekend's Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concerts for tomorrow's post due to their relatively later scheduling. Look for them then, and now, here's what you should know for half of the hard rock shows this weekend, all with advance notice!

We'll start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished (or members therein) are expected to continue their "every Thursday" run of matinee concerts at Biggby Coffee TODAY! Alex and company have yet to post an update on their Facebook page in the month of February, and the venue hasn't newly plugged an acoustic matinee for this week either, but "every Thursday" means what it means unless otherwise stated, and both band and venue have went weeks between advertising gigs in this arrangement. As such, expect Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) to be on hand with more unplugged hard rock covers for tips and coffee, so don't miss out on their well received tunes this afternoon! As usual, this show has an early 12:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and no age limit, but mind the locale. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



Next up, a handful of familiar faces will gather at Room 21 TOMORROW NIGHT for a Valentine's Day-themed concert called Acoustic Heartstrings! What originally began as just a seasonal concert has developed extra resonance this month, as Room 21's sister barbecue restaurant Low & Slow (located downstairs) have announced that they are leaving 480 Albert Street West after Friday. The restaurant will re-open on February 21st at 648 Queen Street East (the former J. Caroline's location), and while their announcements did not elaborate on Room 21's future, Acoustic Heartstrings co-promoter Daniel Horton indicated on the Facebook event page that he believes that "this is the last night for Room 21", which has been open since the fall of 2017. I don't know if Low & Slow plans to host concerts in some form in their new location, but hopefully the downtown locale is a boost for their business and operations, even if concerts don't continue there!

As for the concert proper, the three acts are advertised to take part, with the advertised headliners being Big Mistake, the new local acoustic pop rock quartet featuring the aforementioned Daniel Horton on guitar alongside singers Robert Nevitt (ex-Re:Born) & Taylor Emlaw, plus fellow guitarist Rick Atkins. You can hear Big Mistake cover Justin Timberlake's "Say Something" at this link, and while they are a big departure from Dan & Rob's better known projects, they have a lot of talent on hand! Resurgent alternative/punk trio Handsome Sandwich are fittingly sandwiched in the middle slot for this rare unplugged set, and the guys should adapt themselves well to the more intimate setting! Finally, the advertised openers are another debuting new band from Daniel Horton, they being his new hard rock quartet The Bridge Heads, reuniting him with his old Haggith and/or Eclipse bandmates Curtis McKenzie, Caleb Cachagee, and Chris Thompson after 2+ years apart.

While not a fully representative debut set for The Bridge Heads (see them plugged in opening for First Jason in April), this should be a fine way for them to shake off the stage rust, so don't be late! This 19+ concert has a $5 cover, and doors open at 9:00 PM tomorrow. It's sad to see Room 21 close up shop after 2½ years as a reliable source for live musical entertainment in a more casual locale, but hopefully Acoustic Heartstrings sends the venue off on the right notes! See the above links for more on the move/closure and this concert, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head downtown to Gliss Restaurant, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return for his usual acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After a busy weekend with four shows at three locales, Tym is only visibly scheduled to play at Gliss over the Valentine's Day weekend, and given that the big day is tomorrow, might Tym have some love songs ready to cover for the occasion? In any event, his covers always deliver a positive reception, so if you want some dinner-time cover action, you know where to go! As always, tomorrow & Saturday's Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no cover charges or age limits, but mind the locale, this isn't a nightclub. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live last year!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Theory of a Deadman, Eric Martin, and Peril concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tripod The Dog, Tym Morrison, And Fluid 5ive) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another weekend of concert previews is upon us, and as luck would have it, all but one act have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS attached! Due to the amount of concerts this weekend, our preview of Saturday night's late notice Wyld Stallyns concert at LopLops (details here) will hit the site tomorrow, so watch for it then! Now, here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quintet Fluid 5ive will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this concert in recent days via the venue's February concert calendar, as seen on the right. This will be their first publically advertised concert set of 2020, unless the Esquire Club gigs advertised on the Sault Music News Letter Facebook page last week did occur (the band and venue did not validate them on social media), and it will be the 5ive's first show at this venue since October. It's good to see this veteran group back out there and north/central fans should consider a trip to The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW to see Fluid 5ive's brand of danceable rock, including many covers you don't see elsewhere from their contemporaries! TOMORROW'S concert has a 19+ age limit, a 9:00 PM start time, and no cover charge. See the above links for more details, and here's Fluid 1ive last year!
 

Next up, local ska punk/hard rock trio Tripod The Dog will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned of these gigs via the aforementioned Sault Music News Letter Facebook page on Tuesday, though note that the venue has not confirmed these bookings online either, and Tripod the Dog don't have an actively updated social media page to plug them. Assuming these are on as advertised, this will be Mark & the Amendolas' first concert in two weeks, and their first at The Esquire Club since September in a gig (or two?) that received similarly minimal advance advertising. Tripod The Dog always deliver a fun set with their ska and hard rock selections, so don't miss their next shows TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY in the west end! Expect 10:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's an original song of theirs! No public live videos post-reunion yet.

Also this weekend, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Restaurant for his usual weekly matinees TOMORROW & SATURDAY, joining a nighttime return engagement at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but that's not all, as Tym will play a rare solo gig on SATURDAY AFTERNOON at.... Searchmont Resort?! Apologies again for the short notice on that event, Tym only announced it via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday, and Searchmont have not advertised it themselves that I am aware of. While not specified on the event page, I believe this show will take place on SATURDAY at The Kiln, Searchmont's new on-site restaurant and bar that officially opened in December, and which has played host to a handful of local acoustic concerts in the ensuing weeks. This will be Tym's first announced gig at the popular area ski resort since playing an outdoor set at 2011's Searchmont Music Festival, so if you want some live hard rock entertainment on SATURDAY after hitting the slopes, keep this gig in mind!

And yes, his usual Gliss shows and his second straight Friday nighter at The Roadhouse should provide more entertaining hard and classic rock covers this weekend, so don't bypass him at these three venues! The Gliss dates are at 6:00 PM, the Roadhouse show is at 10:00 PM tomorrow, and the Searchmont gig at The Kiln is on SATURDAY at 2:00 PM, not unlike his Northern Superior Brewing shows. The Roadhouse has a 19+ age limit, the rest don't, and none have announced cover charges. Visit the Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Finally for today's preview post, let's take a detour to Sault Michigan for a show that had advance notice (as inferred by the "every Thursday" scheduling), as local hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their weekly engagement at Biggby Coffee TODAY! After a busy I-500 weekend for Alex and company, he (and Nathan or Josh?) will be back at the Ashmun Street coffee-shop today for their only publically advertised show of this week, so look for another afternoon's worth of entertaining hard and classic rock covers for the usual tips & coffee! This show has not been newly plugged by band or venue at press time, but they each went 6 weeks without verifying that the "every Thursday" series was still alive, so you can't expect that this will get a guaranteed acknowledgement. Today's show has a 12:00 PM start time, no cover, and no age limit. See above for more details, and here's Alex/Tarnished live at Biggby Coffee last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Wyld Stallyns concert preview and more on the site tomorrow!

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

Let's dive straight into our (non-Tarnished) concert previews for this weekend! Due to the amount, I am holding our preview of Peril's St. Ignace Kewadin concerts for our next news post, which will hit the site by Friday morning. Also, note that the Sault Music News Letter page lists both classic/hard rock veterans Fluid 5ive & cover rock quintet Chunks of Manh as playing at The Esquire Club this weekend, shows that neither band nor the venue have corroborated online. If we hear confirmation re: Fluid 5ive there, we'll let you know. Now, here's most of the hard rock previews, starting with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, while also returning to The Rockstar Bar on Friday, February 21st & Saturday, February 22nd! Apologies for the short notice on this weekend's Reggievelt gigs, they were only confirmed via their Facebook event page yesterday. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts will be Soundcheck's first at Reggie's West in four weeks, and the guys are hyping up new songs in their setlist, so what's added this time out? Be there this weekend to find out, and of course, at The Rockstar Bar next month, in their first shows there with new frontman Cameron Oliver! Speaking of which, Cameron will be playing a solo concert at The Water Tower Pub next Thursday (source here), though his solo shows tend to skew towards country. All four of these shows are 19+ affairs with no cover charges and 10:00 PM-ish start times.

Despite the short notice this weekend, it's great to see Soundcheck back in the west end TOMORROW & SATURDAY, but circle those February dates on your calendar if you want to make plans to see Cameron, Terry, Paul and Glen's classic and hard rock mix downtown! See above and The Rockstar Bar's Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison (pictured with his old hair) will return to Gliss Restaurant for matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY, as well as a regular nighttime show at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill TOMORROW NIGHT, but we might as well add his February concert slate to our calendar today too! Saturday the 1st aside, obviously. Tym will return to Gliss like clockwork for evening matinee gigs on February 7th-8th, 14th-15th, 21st-22nd, and 28th-29th, so if you enjoy his dinner-time acoustic jams at this popular restaurant, you know where to go next month! Tym will also hit The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road twice in February, playing Friday nighters there on the 7th & 28th, so nighthawks and east enders won't want to miss those! Finally, Tym will play his second gig at Northern Superior Brewing Co. at 50 Pim Street on Saturday, February 22nd, giving double the downtown matinee action on this day.

A busy month lies ahead as usual for Tym, but he has the talent, experience, and extensive setlist to pull everything off flawlessly, so don't miss him at any of the above dates! The Gliss shows are at 6:00 PM, the Roadhouse concert is at 10:00 PM, and the Northern Superior taproom gig is at 3:00 PM. The matinees are all ages, the Roadhouse show is 19+, and while none of these have cover charges, remember where they are all being held. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details, and here's Tym live at Gliss last year!



Also this weekend, TOMORROW is the kick-off for this year's annual Bon Soo Winter Carnival at The Machine Shop, and the opening night's musical entertainment will primarly be comprised of finalists from last year's Soo's Got Talent competition, including third place finishing party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty! It's great to see Paul, Amanda, and the presumed guest bassist back for the first time on a public stage since the finals, and they should add a solid blast of irreverent heaviness tomorrow night! Five of the seven finalists will perform at The Machine Shop, including winner (and Uncanny Valley frontman) Adrian Sullivan, runner-up Juliana Regan, beatboxer Robert "Killabeatz" Drolet, and vocal group The Dancing Divas, so if you missed the finals, this could be seen as an encore! Note that an earlier plug by organizers indicating that The Lock Cities Chorus of the Sweet Adelines would also be performing has quietly been removed for unannounced reasons. They wouldn't have fit the the Soo's Got Talent theme, but hopefully nothing bad happened to force their withdrawal!

Of course, there's much more going on for Bon Soo opening ceremonies beyond music, including guest speakers, a fire show, and fireworks, so click here for full details on that front. Also, country veterans The Jeff & Jeff Show will be playing in The Machine Shop after the fireworks, but this is being advertised as a separate concert from The Soo's Got Talent block.  The concert proper starts at 6:00 PM, this is absolutely ALL AGES, and admission is free with the purchase of an $8 Bon Soo button either upon entry or from select local retailers. Bon Soo's a wonderful event, and this should kick it off right, so see above for more details, and here's the finalists live!



Finally for today's previews, we'll head to the aforementioned Rockstar Bar, where local funk/hard rock quartet The Elements will headline a concert TOMORROW NIGHT! This one-night-only event marks a rare, though not unheard of, solo showcase for this fan favourite group, which coincides with frontman Rob Speers' birthday. What better way to celebrate than with a live concert and all of the frills therein? If you enjoy The Elements and have missed them as The Wyld Stallyns have gained more and more live dates, don't bypass this show to help end January on a high note with their hard rock, funk, and punk covers & originals! If there's a musical act playing at The Rockstar Bar on Saturday, I don't know who they are. Tomorrow's Elements concert has a 9:00 PM start time and no announced cover charge, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Elements live!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Peril previews and more in our next news post, either before or after this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck) & New Year's Eve Concert Previews!!

Well, everyone, 2019 is almost over (as are the 2010s), so it's time to wrap up the year and decade with our last regular news post of 2019, focused on previews of New Year's Eve concerts from local hard rock bands! Due to holiday commitments and the extra time needed to compile our year-end retrospective post (which is coming tomorrow), this post is longer than normal, featuring previews of five shows taking place on the 31st. If you want some live hard rock action, you have a lot to pick from tomorrow, so let's begin with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will end 2019 with a New Year's Eve concert TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Saturday, with the band posting their own Facebook event page last night. This will be Soundcheck's sixth concert with new singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver, in his Water Tower Pub debut with the group, and this should be a huge showcase for him, especially with the usual New Year's frills on display! Pub advertising says that there will be a "midnight toast" as well as an appetizer buffet and party favours, so keep those perks in mind. New Year's parties are often treated as bigger deals than just another concert, and to that end, tickets apparently run for $50, and that's not even getting into the $260 "Party & Stay Package" for couples (click here for details on that front.)

Of course, this is a 19+ event with a 9:30 PM start time, at least as far as Soundcheck's set goes. The price may be steep, but given the New Year's party and festivities alongside the concert, the value does show itself more, and hopefully this is the perfect way to end 2019 with TOMORROW, in spite of the late notice! See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!



Next up, we'll head to a previously announced matinee concert taking place TOMORROW, as prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his final public gig of 2019 at his usual stomping grounds, Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street! Another successful year is almost in the books for his long-term weekly arrangement here, and while you can fully expect to see him back here in 2020 like clockwork, this rare Tuesday nighter should provide more of his unplugged classic & hard rock goods! Like at The Water Tower Pub, this is not just another night at Gliss, as patrons can expect a special New Year's Eve menu where $79.95 gets you your choice of the items on offer. I assume attendees are at least encouraged to have said meal for the holiday, so mind that when planning your night out. Otherwise, there are no advertised age limits, and a 6:00 start time is in effect for Tym's set as usual. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Tym live in concert at Gliss!

Lastly for hard rock shows in Sault Ontario TOMORROW, let's go to The Whiskey Barrel, where local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will cap off 2019 with another headlining set! The Elements' side-project has made the Gore Street bar & restaurant their favourite venue in the past year, so they're a fitting choice to send 2019 out with, and their varied but often heavy covers should provide the ideal soundtrack! The Facebook event page's cover photo features Elements drummer Jonas Gasperas, a frequent live guest with The Stallyns, but it's unclear whether he will be on hand tomorrow or not. If you are looking for a cheaper night out, this may be what you're looking for, as the event page says that "there are no tickets and no cover charge". There may be less frills than elsewhere as a result, but it's a lot less pricey! Of course, this is still a 19+ event. Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!



Moving across to Sault Michigan next, we'll start there at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch, where sporadically seen local hard rock quartet 415E are scheduled to return to the stage TOMORROW NIGHT for their New Year's bash! Despite their talented lineup and extensive experience in past local bands, this will just be 415E's fifth advertised public concert of the year, their first anywhere since July, and their first at the Soo Kewadin since January. It's a shame that Dave, Chris, Brett, and Jason don't play live more regularly, but what better time than New Year's Eve to shake off the rust? Of course, Kewadin Casino is not lacking for New Year's festivities, both for gamblers and music fans, so visit their official Facebook page for full details on all of that. Regarding 415E's show directly, I have read nothing to indicate that this isn't the same as usual, so expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover at the lounge. See above for more details, and here's 415E live (original lineup still though.)



Finally for tomorrow (in hard rock terms), we'll wrap up these previews at Moloney's Alley, where local hard rock cover band Tarnished will play their last show of 2019 TOMORROW NIGHT! After a successful debut at the 227 West Portage Avenue nightclub three weeks ago, the Banned successors will be back for an encore tomorrow, albeit short-handed due to drummer Tommy Korcal's absence (if it's due to a Project 906 gig, I haven't heard about it at press time.) As a result, Alex, Nathan, and Josh will play a special acoustic trio set TOMORROW, which will shock no one familiar with Tarnished's "every Thursday" run at Biggby Coffee, so they should acclimate themselves well here! As best as I can tell, the concert proper has no cover charge, a 21+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time, but a dinner-for-two special for $50 is in effect for those wanting a meal, so click here for details on that front. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



Lastly, for friendly reference, Moloney's Alley is a 2 minute drive down the road from Sault Michigan's annual New Year's Eve ball drop at the corner of Ashmun & Portage, in case that's any extra incentive to going there tomorrow night. That's all for today, but stay tuned for our 2019 retrospective post on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

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

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday! We are back with previews of the last hard rock concerts of 2019, but we aren't done here, as due to the amount, I am holding our preview of Saturday night's Cover-Up show at LopLops for our next formal news post, hopefully coming by tomorrow. Don't worry, it;'s coming! Now, here's what you should know to start this weekend off, including some attached LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

We'll start in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another matinee concert TODAY! Remember, Boxing Day is not an observed holiday in the United States, and neither band nor venue have confirmed any break, so the coffee shop should be open as usual. While we're on the subject, let's add Tarnished's likely January 2020 gigs there to our calendar today, so unless someone says otherwise, look for Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) there on January 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th. Fans of this talented group's acoustic incarnation should be glad to see more of them on Thursday afternoons in the new year! As usual, expect 12:00 PM start times today and next month, no cover charges and no age limits, while their last show of 2019 (at Moloney's Alley on Tuesday) will be covered on the site in the coming days. See above for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local acoustic hard rock musician Tym Morrison will play his third and second-last shows of the year TOMORROW & SATURDAY at Gliss Restaurant! Like Tarnished, Tym will be back at Gliss on Tuesday for New Year's Eve (separate preview forthcoming), but if you prefer his earlier supper-time matinees on the usual days, you can expect more of the same at the Spring Street restaurant this weekend, so don't miss out before 2020 rolls around! Speaking of which, we might as well add Tym's own January dates to our calendar also, so look for him back there on January 3rd-4th, 10th-11th, 17th-18th, 24th-25th, and 31st-February 1st. For what it's worth, Tym's new Facebook event page for Gliss gigs only goes until January 4th, but given his busy long-term scheduling, I wouldn't worry beyond that date unless given reason otherwise. His wide setlist and strong talent will be on full display this weekend & next month!

As usual for Tym's many, many Gliss matinee concerts, expect this weekend's and next month's to have 6:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and no age limits, but remember that this is a formal sit-down restaurant, not a nightclub. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!



Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to The Esquire Club for previously announced concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not their last booking of the year (stay tuned for details on their late notice New Year's Eve gig), this will be their last regular concert weekend of 2019, and their first at The Esquire Club in two months. Also, these will be their fourth & fifth shows with new singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver, following Toystock and the Reggievelt gigs two weeks ago that the band didn't publically promote anew at the time. The Facebook event page says that "a few changes have been made", so beyond Cameron, what are they getting at? New covers, or are other things afoot? Find out tomorrow and/or Saturday! These are 10:00 PM gigs with no entry fee and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!



Finally for today's previews, let's head to The Rockstar Bar, where reunited ska-punk/hard rock band Tripod the Dog will return to cap off 2019 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! It's hard to keep track of T.T.D. updates when they don't have an actively maintained online page, but as far as I can tell, these will be Mark and the Amendolas' first public gigs in three months, and first at The Rockstar Bar since April. We don't see the new look Tripod the Dog often, so their concerts are even bigger deals as a result, and they should put on a good show as usual this weekend! Note that bassist John Amendola's personal Facebook page revealed that they will be joined this weekend by a special guest, namely Piero Tucci, a friend of John's who has been a steady presence in jazz and R&B circles for over 15 years, and plays the saxophone, keyboard, and accordion. Given Tripod the Dog's ska roots, Piero playing the saxophone makes a lot of sense!

Click here for more about Piero, who currently lives in Great Britain, but is home for the holidays, one assumes. As usual for Rockstar Bar-hosted local cover band events, this has a 9:00 PM-ish start time, no cover charger, and a 19+ age limit. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details om this talented group's latest gigs, and while we wait for a public video of theirs, here's Tripod the Dog's song from "Local Steel"!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our newest YouTube Channel Profile next, with our Cover-Up preview and more to follow! Thanks everyone!

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

The concert weekend before Christmas is upon us, so let's begin this weekend's hard rock and punk concert previews today! Due to the expected higher amount of shows in the coming days, I am holding our previews of Saturday night's Rising Tide and Oh!Noel concerts for tomorrow's post, perhaps with late notice announcements if confirmed. Now, here's what you should know to start off this weekend, in rough chronological order!

We'll lead off in Sault Michigan, where local hard rock band Tarnished are expected to continue their "every Thursday" arrangement at Biggby Coffee with another matinee gig TODAY! Unless there's a holiday break to acknowledge on Boxing Day, this will be Tarnished's penultimate Biggby concert of 2019, and this should be another fine opportunity for fans and patrons to take in Alex (and Josh or Nathan?) delivering another afternoon of hard rocking covers before Christmas proper! As usual for this lengthy run at the Ashmun Street coffee-shop, expect no cover charges or age limits today, and this starts at 12:00 PM once again. Of course, don't forget that Tarnished will close the year with a special 3-man acoustic show at Moloney's Alley on New Year's Eve, if you want a more traditional show. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!



Next up, let's hop north to Sault Ontario, where local indie/punk quintet Northwest will return to the local stage TOMORROW NIGHT at LopLops Lounge! This will cap off an eventful yet quiet year from this veteran band, who are still riding high following their Timmins festival gig this summer, but have only played twice in city limits this year, and just once with the full band. The holidays would seem like an ideal time for Northwest to get back in the swing of things, but will teases of new studio material in 2020 lead to some new songs for the occasion tomorrow? New local punk supergroup The Sick Sons (featuring 12 Gauge Ready & Downshift alumni) will make their LopLops debut as openers tomorrow, in just their third live appearance and first at a show with no touring headliners. This talented ensemble should deliver some high energy punk covers for the occasion, so don't be late for their set! This visibly self-promoted show has a 9:00 PM start time, a 10:00 start time, and a $10 cover.

LopLops fans have a great weekend of local punk rock ahead (look for our Tide preview tomorrow), so look to start things on the right foot with these local punk and alternative music mainstays! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Northwest live! 

Also this weekend, local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's long-term arrangement at Gliss Restaurant on Spring Street is expected to continue as usual TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After this weekend, the former Caveman Morrison frontman only has three shows left at Gliss in 2019 (next weekend's regular matinees and New Year's Eve), so if you want to see him before the holiday, you know where to go, and who knows if he'll have any Christmas songs in his setlist! Expect more of the same high quality entertainment there from Tym this weekend, with 6:00 PM matinee start times, no cover charges, and no stated age limits, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. Also, we'll add his January shows at Gliss to our concert calendar next week. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

 

Finally for today's previews, let's return to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be the final Soo-area concerts of 2019 for any of Jeff & Adam's linked bands, so if you can't wait to see Scarkazm on the January 3rd weekend at The Rapids Lounge, you may want to take the hour's drive to St. Ignace for their high impact metal covers over these two nights! As usual for Scarkazm's Kewadin bookings, expect these to have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. For what it's worth, their sister band Peril will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the end of January, though Scarkazm won't be until at least the spring. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Oh!Noel and Rising Tide previews (and more?) on the site tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tym Morrison), More Weekend Concert Previews, And Related Updates!!

As promised, it's time to wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews by tackling hard rock acts playing shows on Saturday, but all three examples have extra new material to discuss, including new live footage, a new band member, and leading off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for later this month! Here's what you should know!

We'll start this preview post at Gliss Restaurant, where prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his ongoing weekly concert arrangement with matinee concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW! After a 2 week run of also playing at The Roadhouse, his only formal public concerts this weekend are at the Spring Street restaurant, but look for more entertaining unplugged covers from this long-standing local music veteran this weekend and through the end of the year! Literally, as in the aforementioned LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, Tym will play a special New Year's Eve concert at Gliss on Tuesday, December 31st, as per his new Facebook event page covering Gliss bookings through early January. If Tym's acoustic stylings are your ideal soundtrack to send 2019 out with, you know where to go! This weekend's gigs and the New Year's Eve show are 6:00 PM affairs with no cover charges or age limits. See above for more details, and here's Tym live!



Next up, local classic/hard rock cover band Soundcheck are scheduled to return to Reggie's West for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, but with a new band member in tow, as they have officially added Cameron Oliver to the band as their new singer/guitarist, replacing Travis Sharpe. A semifinalist in this year's Soo's Got Talent with his own rising profile as a primarily country musician, you may remember seeing video of Cameron joining Soundcheck for a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" at Toystock last month, but as it turns out, that was actually his debut gig with the band, as his addition to Soundcheck's lineup was announced on their Facebook page 5 days prior. Of course, given that Soundcheck covered Guns N' Roses that same day without him, that may have been a sign that he wasn't quite ready for a full night yet. In any event, the Facebook announcement says that Cameron's addition comes as "we finish off 2019 and start a new journey in 2020, with more music variety."

Does this allude to adding songs Cameron plays solo, and/or more country tunes in general? For what it's worth, Soundcheck have not newly promoted this weekend's Reggievelt concerts since the lineup news broke, but we'll let you know if anything changes regarding them. In any event, assuming these shows are still on, expect 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck with Cameron live at Toystock!

Finally for this weekend, let's head to Sault Michigan, where local classical metal project Theatre of Night will return for the local stop of their third annual Christmas tour TOMORROW NIGHT at The Dreammakers Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino! The only announced E.U.P. stop for this year from Craig, Steve, Rachel, Scott, and Erik, you can expect another theatrical & grand evening of metallized renditions of Christmas carols tomorrow night, and if prior local stops in 2017 & 2018 are anything to go by, this should be a great way to keep the holiday spirit alive! Presented by the Sault Ste. Marie Lions Club with ticket proceeds going to help that organization, this is an all ages concert at 7:00 PM, and like last year, this is in the Dreammakers Theater's table seating arrangement, with food, drinks, and a cash bar on hand for patrons. Also like in 2018, tickets run for $15 for theatre seating, $25 for tables. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

Theatre of Night's talent and scope will ensure a great concert as usual on Saturday, especially for you TSO fans craving something similar on a local stage! It's worth noting that the band is featured in the December 2019 issue of Mackinac Journal magazine via an article by journalist Sharon Kennedy, and you can read most of it via photos shared on the band's Facebook page on December 3rd. The article is well done and very complimentary, and it does include interview remarks from Craig and Steve, who even name-drop their past work in I.S.O.M. and End of Existence for good measure. It may be a tough read given the size of the image, but check it out at the above links or by picking up a copy of the Mackinac Journal! As for a preview video for Saturday, we have four videos from their show in Holland last week to acknowledge, courtesy of the Facebook page of Great Legs Winery, that concert's host venue.

The videos include renditions of "We Three Kings", "O Come All Ye Faithful", "Silent Night" in two chunks (linked here & here.) I wouldn't think of a winery first for a concert like this, but everyone makes good use of the space, and the lighting is good, so we can see everyone in action, especially compared to their darker ambiance at theatre and church gigs. Alas, Great Legs Winery's Facebook page's privacy settings do not allow external embedding of their videos, so here's footage of Theatre of Night in the Soo last year instead. Don't miss them back at The Dreammakers Theater tomorrow!



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