LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) & Labour Day Weekend Concert Previews!!

Despite this being the Labour Day long weekend, it's quiet for hard rock/punk concerts in the Twin Saults and EUP, so barring a surprise show announcement, our weekend previews fit in only one post! Note that Double Jack are playing at the soon-to-close Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino this weekend, and I don't mean the former Exit 808, as the Bay City-area classic rock cover band of the same name (who the local band changed their name over) are playing there this weekend. Confusing, but good to see the original Double Jack making their way north! 

We'll start our previews in Sault Ontario with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will take the stage at Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows first came to my attention via personal Facebook postings, and neither the band nor venue have publically advertised the gigs on social media. This weekend's shows will be Soundcheck's first there with their new bassist, as Sidekicks/ex-Double Down bassist Dan Beaupre has joined the group, replacing the now-retired Jim Michaud. I have not seen a 100% confirmation that Dan has also joined their sister band Separate Wayz (whose lineup is 75% identical), but it seems quite likely given how often they play "epic crossover" dates. Of course, this also reunites Dan with his old Hollow bandmate Terry Eaton, so fans of that 1990s group should like that!

Dan was present at their last two weekends at Jay's Piston Broke Pub too. Note that AI-generated artwork on personal accounts is referring to the band as "Soundcheck 7.3", but if they have tacked a Bone Yard 225-esque number onto their name, there hasn't been a public confirmation yet. Dan is a solid and experienced rock bassist who should fit Soundcheck (and Separate Wayz?) like a glove, so welcome him to the fold TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT if you haven't yet! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, let's head to The Art Hub At Spring (technically at 504 Queen Street East) TOMORROW NIGHT, where local hard rock quartet The Reeves and space/hard rock duo The Spaceship Opening will join forces to open for Saskatoon indie rock quartet Autopilot! In something that completely slipped me by when this show was announced, this is actually a sequel to a concert from last fall, as Autopilot and The Spaceship Opening played at Piecing It Together Shows' pop-up venue on Wellington Street West in November, which I didn't cover here because I couldn't verify The Spaceship Opening's genre at the time (that may have been the final hard rock-included concert from the former Dryer Fire). 10 months later, they're rolling it back at a different downtown locale, but this time with The Reeves as a second opener, in what they referred to on their Facebook page as "our 2nd show" (did their debut at Toystock this past November go badly or did it just get forgotten?)

Regardless, their new originals should pair well with Andrew & Ralph's minimalist hard rock before Autopilot's distinct indie/alternative sound hits the stage! Promoted by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis as part of his slate of events and art exhibits at The Art Hub this month, this stop on Autopilot's Name That Tour! 2026 is an ALL AGES concert at 6:00 PM tomorrow, and admission is $15 or "pay what you can", which is down from last fall's $20 door charge (though it did have $15 advance tickets). Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Reeves live!

Now to Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula for the back half of our long weekend previews, and we'll start an hour south in St. Ignace, where Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will take the stage TOMORROW EVENING for the penultimate night of the town's Music By The Bay concert series at American Legion Park! This annual seasonal run of outdoor concerts daily from June-September wraps up with Nancy Kelel there on Sunday, but Tarnished are back once more before the fall truly begins, having last played at the park at the end of July. Presumably the full band with Chris and Ron in tow after they missed the band's acoustic Bay Mills Casino show last week, you can enjoy Tarnished's old school-leaning rocking covers tomorrow from 7:00-8:30 pm, and this is absolutely an all ages concert with no cover charge. If you can't make it, the guys will be at The Driftwood Sports Bar there in two weeks!

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for 68-70° temperatures (20-21° Celsius) tomorrow evening with sunny skies, which sounds like a perfectly cromulent way to end the season if you like outdoor concerts. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally(?) for this weekend's previews, we'll head to The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel, where local hard rock cover trio Nate's Chow will play their third post-renaming show TOMORROW NIGHT! Fans may recall seeing Jody, Brett, and Jason debut the former Unfortunate Sun's new name and Skip-less lineup at The Islander Bar last month, with a late notice gig downstate in Alanson in the interim. That show went well, complete with a bachelorette party concurrent with the concert, and now Nate's Chow are back home in the UP, so expect a fun night of hard rocking covers tomorrow! Unless The Islander Bar has had heavy renovations, I wouldn't believe how it's depicted in the AI-generated poster. "Nates Chow" (someone forgot the apostrophe in the prompt) are on tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's our first live video of Nate's Chow in concert!

Filmed by an uncredited attendee at last month's Hessel concert and posted to their Facebook page, this sees the band covering The Barenaked Ladies' "The Old Apartment" with Jody on lead vocals, and it's always neat seeing a Sault Michigan area band covering Canadian content! The audio is somewhat muffled, and the video is only 30 seconds long, but the performance isn't bad at all, and Jody's singing suits the original track, so give it a watch below, and don't miss the guys back at The Islander tomorrow night! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) & Eastern Upper Peninsula Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's another busy weekend for hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults and EUP, and its largely because of the EUP why we have to break our previews into three posts! The plan is to look at this weekend's Rock N' Roll Ave, Bone Yard 225, and Generations concert (plus WestFest II) in our next post, with Sunday's short notice Curtis McKenzie matinee as part of our next general news post once we get back in the swing of clearing out our backlog. For now, here's what you should know, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT in Sault Ontario and another new northern date!

Just one day removed from his late notice addition to the Maddy's Mighty Mutts Family Fun Day (more on that hopefully soon), local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will play at The Up & Down Lounge at 24 Second Line West for a second straight Thursday TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only announced this show via his Facebook event page on Tuesday, and at press time, The Up & Down Lounge has not corroborated that he is playing there again TONIGHT. They did start with two straight Jason Taillefer solo acoustic concerts there, so if Tym is playing two straight too, is that the scheduling pattern here, or is Tym legitimately a short notice booking? Regardless, it's good to see Tym staying busy as the summer marches on, and hopefully there's a decent crowd in the west end TONIGHT for his unplugged classic and hard rock covers! Remember, acts play indoors at the Up & Down despite the patio being open.

In one more new booking, Tym will make the 45 minute drive southeast to Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats on Friday, August 14th, as per this Facebook event page! This will be Tym's third show at Ije's, following two shows at the Central Algoma cafe & bakery last month, most recently this past week. though be advised that Ije's Facebook page hasn't plugged that Tym will be back there yet either. Both TONIGHT'S Up & Down Lounge show and next week's trip to Desbarats are 6:00 PM concerts with no announced cover charge, and while the Up & Down gig is likely 19+, Ije's should be all ages as it's not a nightclub. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, let's head across the border to Michigan for some hard rock concerts in the EUP, and we'll start in St. Ignace, where local classic/hard rock trio Peril will return for a special outdoor concert TONIGHT as part of the town's Music By The Bay summer concert series at American Legion Park! Aside from one or two annual gigs in this series, Peril (and Scarkazm) exclusively play at Kewadin Casino when they make trips north of the Mackinac Bridge, so if you want to see Jeff, Howard, and Brooks outside, earlier in the day, or just somewhere other than a Kewadin branch, keep tonight's show in mind! If you can't make it, Peril will be back on Friday the 21st, though be advised that they have not corroborated either booking on their Facebook page in recent weeks. TONIGHT'S concert runs from 7:00-8:30 PM, and it is absolutely free & all ages. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies and temperatures of 72-74° (22-23° Celsius) tonight.

Looks like good conditions are in store for TONIGHT in St. Ignace, so if you'll be in the area or up for the hour's drive from the Soo, consider swinging by for Peril's next local concert! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a few years back!

Now let's take the half hour drive northeast along Saint Martin Bay to Hessel, where rebranded local hard rock cover band Nate's Chow will play their first show under this name TOMORROW NIGHT at The Islander Bar, but that's not all from them! As you may recall, the band formerly known as Unfortunate Sun rebranded as Nate's Chow (taking their name in part from their predecessors Fake Chow) after frontman Skip Parish left the band in March. Their Facebook description now lists them as a trio with Jody, Brett, and Jason sharing vocals, and while the band's AI-generated imagery does include photos featuring a band of four animals, including their beaver mascot (Nate?) on vocals, drummer Jason VanLuven confirmed on the venue's Facebook page that this will be "our new 3 piece singing debut". We will get into their other three new dates (all in September) in an upcoming post so we can keep our weekend concert previews on a reasonable schedule.

This one-night-only concert takes place tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge. It will be interesting to hear how Nate's Chow sound, especially if they lean more to the generally heavier covers that Unfortunate Sun played compared to Fake Chow, though with Skip absent (and back in his country/southern rock cover duo Blood, Sweat, and Beers), things could be wide open, especially as the rest of the band aren't established frontmen. That, or "Nate" the beaver is singing, if you believe AI! See above for more details, and here's the former Unfortunate Sun live!

We'll close this post back in St. Ignace, where Ontonogan hard rock quartet Nolium will make their EUP debuts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at their Kewadin Casino branch! The heaviest and most originals-focused of the three new-to-the-EUP touring bands debuting under the Kewadin umbrella this summer (our Rock N' Roll Ave preview is in our next post!), fans of modern grunge, alternative, and hard rock will take to their cover range, and fresh off of a show in Wisconsin for them, why not zip east across the peninsula? Nolium are a solid band with good enthusiasm and some eclectic song choices that bands in the EUP don't often play, so keep their shows in mind for this weekend! As usual for Kewadin lounges, these are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here's a full-set video of Nolium live!

That's all for now, but our weekend concert previews will continue with Rock N' Roll Ave and Sault Ontario concerts next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Fyrbird & Nate's Chow) Plus More Recent News & Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missing a concert on Saturday on here that ended up being called off anyway. New local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe were supposed to play a free hour-long set outside of Long & McQuade that day at 3:00 PM for the McDonald Avenue chain music store's customer appreciation day (beginning at noon), but the store's Facebook page confirmed that it was postponed due to the unpredictable weather, and it did indeed rain heavily at points on Saturday afternoon. Hopefully Long & McQuade do indeed reschedule this event for fans and customers alike! Now, here's some recent assorted updates, and kicking things off, two LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P.!

The Sault Michigan hard rock cover band once known as Unfortunate Sun will end their recent break by headlining at The Islander Bar in Hessel on Friday, August 7th! This show comes five months after frontman Skip Parish stepped away from the band, and after teasing a name change to simply "Unfortunate" in April as part of their effective relaunch, they have settled on Nate's Chow, combining the names of Unfortunate Sun and their predecessors Fake Chow. "Nate" is the AI-generated beaver in their recent promotional images, implying that he will be their mascot going forward (for better or worse, Unfortunate Sun embraced AI art for their concert posters and schedules, and unlike the name, that hasn't changed). Unless "Nate" is representing a mystery lead singer to be announced, their Facebook page lists the band as a trio, with Jody, Brett, and Jason all credited on vocals.

How will the new look Nate's Chow fare at The Islander Bar in two months, especially as they haven't played there since December? Time will tell, but hopefully this is a successful return/relaunch! This 21+ concert will take place at 8:00 PM with no announced cover charge, and while it takes place the night of the Les Cheneaux Islands Car Show On The Bay, that will be based out of nearby Cedarville. Visit the above links for more details!

Next up, let's take the half hour drive southwest from Hessel to St. Ignace, where Manistique hard rock cover duo Fyrbird will return for a special Thursday night concert at The Driftwood Sports Bar on September 17th! Like with the previously-covered Tarnished show on Friday, September 18th (that Saturday will have DJs), Fyrbird are returning to Mackinac County for that weekend's Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show. The Driftwood are happy to book bands on St. Ignace vehicle show weekends this year, with Fyrbird already playing during/after Bronco The Mac and also during next week's car show, so clearly this tie-in is working! Like their other Driftwood shows this year, Jamie & Rikk will rock out at 9:00 PM that night with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, so visit the above links for more on Fyrbird's St. Ignace shows ahead! While we're on the subject, three videos from Fyrbird's Bronco The Mac weekend show were posted on The Driftwood's Facebook page!

Alas, the videos are all vertical, around 12 seconds long apiece, and filmed distantly from the stage, with attendees at the bar more prominent than Fyrbird themselves. They're just background noise in this clip, while this video appears to show them covering Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", but they're not focused on compared to bar patrons. The best of the three (featuring their cover of AC/DC's "Highway To Hell") at least zones in on dancing fans near the stage, and you do get Jamie singing on it. What we hear sounds good and tight for their duo setup, but if only these videos were longer, closer, and horizontal! Give them a watch above and below!

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

 

• I have moved Sault Ontario death metal quintet Bardos (née Bardo) to our inactive band links. The Them spinoff (led by Heavy North Entertainmnent promoter Tyler St. Amour) have not posted on their Facebook page for reasons other than plugging H.N.E. events since October 2024, a few weeks after their sole gig opening for Selias at the former Soo Blaster. They had a promising lineup, and hopefully we hear more from Tyler, Danielle, the Christophers, and Travis in due course! As their public activity largely predated their name change, they'll be listed in our inactive links as Bardo, but I'll re-add the S if they come back with that name.
• Local hard rock cover band Half Past have parted ways with drummer Johnny Amendola, as per their Facebook page on May 21st. Since their most recent gig at Beck's Bar on New Year's Eve, Johnny has joined both Soundcheck and Separate Wayz, and even if things are 100% amicable with Half Past, that obviously eats into his availability. Half Past are looking for a new drummer that is able to rehearse once a week and perform "a handful of times per year", and has means of transportation. If you're interested in trying out behind the kit, message Half Past above, but kudos to Johnny for helping Jordan, Al, and Art in their return as a live act since 2023!
• Also newly moved to our inactive band links are Half Past's acoustic side project The Isolation Sessions, who last updated their Facebook page to thank everyone for seeing them at the Helping Hearts For Helping Hands fundraiser at the Grand Gardens Downtown in March of last year, which was both their public concert debut and the reason for their public revival after a three+ year hiatus. This pandemic-birthed unplugged act always had promise given their Half Past ties, and hopefully we see Jordan and Al back at it soon! 
• After four years of only opening for private and specialty bookings, The Rockstar Bar has properly re-opened, as per recent social media marketing! Their Facebook page notes that the patio is open for the summer, and that they are currently running with a live DJ on Saturday nights. No word on when/if they'll resume hosting bands on any semblance of a regular schedule, but it is great to see the upstairs nightclub at The Algonquin Hotel back in action after such a long & mostly dormant period!
• Regarding the aforementioned Soundcheck and Separate Wayz, Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe appears to have guested with their sister band during Separate Wayz' Reggie's Place concert on Friday, as per a new photo from their Facebook page featuring all five combined band members on stage there (Travis was on guitar with Nicole singing). Assuming that this isn't an old Soundcheck concert photo from an "epic crossover" gig, it is neat that Travis was available for at least one song with Nicole and their mutual bandmates! This weekend's shows were always advertised on social media as being Separate Wayz gigs only.
• If you're wondering why we didn't cover the WestFest talent show at Beck's Bar last week to determine the day's opening band, it's because the event was cancelled "due to unforeseen circumstances", as per the West Village Renewed Facebook page. Alas, whether for ticket sales or band sign-ups, "unforeseen circumstances" usually means "we didn't foresee that turnout would be this low". As such, organizers confirmed that "we are choosing our opener", which would have happened if there wasn't a talent show anyway. The lineup is being gradually announced on social media, and we'll let you know when the entire bill for WestFest II is unveiled!

 

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

The First Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Let's look at another range of weekend concert previews on this Thursday morning, but with a lot to talk about, I'm holding our previews of this weekend's Tym Morrison and Bone Yard 225 shows at Beck's Bar for our next post due to the amount. Before I begin, I wanted to offer a couple of clarifications for this weekend's schedule. Regarding the now-defunct Exit 808's scheduled St. Ignace Kewadin Casino gigs on Friday and Saturday, Kewadin's entertainment page still lists "Double Jack" (their original name) as playing there this weekend. As best as I can tell, ex-band members haven't retained the booking in a new project (at least not in a publically acknowledged state), but if I hear something about a band there this weekend, I'll let you guys know! Meanwhile, Sault Ontario's Double Down (more on them in a bit) mentioned in their Facebook post on Monday that classic/hard rockers Headrush are playing this weekend at The Full Throttle Saloon?

The question mark is on their end, not mine, implying that they weren't 100% sure about if the shows were taking place. I don't know if Double Down heard about a tentative booking or not, but at press time, neither Headrush nor the former Primavera Hall have said anything publically about matching bookings this weekend. This is not to definitively say that Double Down are wrong, but we'll let you know if firm public announcements come out either way! Now, let's dive into verifiable hard rock concerts!

We'll start with Double Down themselves, as the local classic/hard rock cover quartet will rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These will be Double Down's final concerts of 2025, their first shows anywhere in three weeks, and their first at the former Roosevelt Hotel in almost a month. Should be a good way to rock out with this talented veteran quartet, who have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock covers in their vast setlist, so don't miss out in the west end! Regarding their bassist slot, recent promotional images include bassist Dan Beaupre (who has missed all of their fall gigs while recovering from an undisclosed ailment), but the band has not 100% said in writing if he will be playing this weekend or not. Granted, they never revealed who their guest bassist was at The Water Tower Pub last month either (it wasn't Lori). We'll let you know if something is said either way!

This weekend's shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on these shows, and for a preview, here's Double Down live!

Next up, we'll head to Sault Michigan, where Iron Mountain classic/hard rock cover quintet Oz will make their long awaited return to the E.U.P. TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! Like with Double Down, these are Oz's last shows anywhere in 2025, but they will be back in the Soo in two months if you can't make it this weekend. As it turns out, Oz had been on a bit of a break prior to this road trip, but they were working on new material over the fall, and fans will get the first chance to see what classic cuts are now in their setlist this weekend. Oz are a very talented band with lots of heavier covers from 1970s and 1980s rock legends, so don't miss out on this weekend's shows if you're in the region! Tomorrow and Saturday's shows are at 9:00 PM as usual for The Rapids Lounge, with no cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Oz live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll make the hour's trip south to Hessel, where local hard rock cover quartet Unfortunate Sun will take the stage for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Islander Bar! As of this writing, we're just over two weeks removed from Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason's most recent Islander Bar show (said venue's "Drinksgiving" bash), but this is the second straight weekend where the guys have played a normal weekend gig in the E.U.P., following last weekend's Soo Kewadin stops. While not acknowledged in Unfortunate Sun's own promotion, Saturday's concert doubles as The Islander Bar's ugly sweater party, so if you have a particularly ugly Christmas sweater, this is the day to break it out, especially as a prize awaits the ugliest sweater of all! There will also be holiday cocktail specials if that's your thing. Of course, Unfortunate Sun promise "music that will melt your faces off like that poor bastard in Indiana Jones", so no pressure at all there!

As usual for concerts at The Islander Bar, Saturday's festivities are at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, and if you believe Unfortunate Sun's AI poster for the show, you may get a Facebook friend request if you bring them cake! Visit the above links for more on this concert, and for a preview, here's Unfortunate Sun live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Beck's Bar previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Tarnished), The Unfortunate Sun Concert Preview, And More Recent Updates!!

Here's a new news post to check out on this wet Tuesday night, which is half devoted to Sault Ontario and half to Sault Michigan. We'll start south of the border as our Yooper readers gear up for Thanksgiving, so here's a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT and a related mid-week preview, before we finish things up north!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will rock The Merchants Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this gig on their Facebook page earlier today, and as usual, The Merch don't advertise bands playing there on their own Facebook page. For Canadian reference, the Wednesday night booking is because Thursday is the American Thanksgiving, so most people will have the day off, and thusly can stay out late and go to the bar without impairing work or school (hence why some call tomorrow "Drinksgiving"). Tarnished have taken most of the past month off, so if you've missed Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron's brand of hard rocking covers on a local stage, consider a mid-week jaunt to The Merch for their Thanksgiving pregame action TOMORROW! This is a 21+ event at 9:00 PM with no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live last year!

Next up, hard rock fans in the E.U.P. have one more opportunity to partake in a "Drinksgiving" concert TOMORROW NIGHT, but in this case, it had advance notice, as local hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun will set up shop tomorrow at The Islander Bar in Hessel! This is a reprise of their Thanksgiving Eve concert last year (also the last time that the Fake Chow successors played at The Islander Bar), with the venue calling it a Drinksgiving Party again, but the band are calling this year's event a "pre-stuffed party". Of course, you can get stuffed early if you want, but we know how Thanksgiving tends to go! Unfortunate Sun's lively and fan-friendly mix of hard rocking covers should draw another solid audience, so come rock out before you settle in for the parade, the Lions game, turkey, and more on Thursday! All of the action begins at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Unfortunate Sun live! 

Also, I have sadly moved Sault Ontario/Toronto punk supergroup project Mikey & His Uke to our inactive band links. Guitarist/ukelelist Mikey Hawdon hasn't posted any updates relating to him and his uke since posting the finale of his 30th anniversary series of covers of Green Day's "Dookie" (the album's closing songs "F.O.D." & "All By Myself") one year ago today, though commitments to his family and local bands BookcluB & Dos Amigos shouldn't be overlooked. Originally launched during the spring 2020 pandemic lockdown as a series of loose solo ukelele "quarantunes" for social media, Mikey's covers quickly caught steam and eventually attracted guest musicians of an increasing scale, and these soon took on their final form as remotely filmed full band covers, with Mikey starting each on ukelele before dropping the pretense and rocking out on guitar. Mikey moved back to Sault Ste. Marie in June 2022, and based the project locally from that point.

There were no inklings last fall that the "Dookie" series was Mikey & His Uke's grand farewell, but if it was, he sure went out with a bang! Truly transcending his home base, the YouTube channel has over 42,000 subscribers, with 10 songs getting 200,000+ views, including the cover of The Ramones' "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" exceeding 930,000. These were always fun covers with cool names to recognize and discover from afar, so definitely check out Mikey & His Uke's litany of all-star covers above, and hopefully he picks up his uke again in the future!

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

 

• In a programming note for 104.3 The Fox, 2:00-6:00 PM weekday & 12-6:00 PM Saturday DJ Dan Koo has not been on air since (at the earliest) August 15th, with Rogers Radio regional content director and 101.9 The Fox (North Bay) DJ Mitch Belanger replacing him ever since. Assuming that Dan has left The Fox/Rogers, a reason for his departure was not announced (unless it was only on air), but hopefully this isn't a sign of consolidating operations from afar, as Dan was the only fully local on-air personality dating back to final years of Country 104.3. Note that Dan is still credited in his timeslot in the schedule on The Fox's website, albeit without a picture.
• If you follow the Up & Down Lounge on Facebook, you may have seen this vertical video from the 24 Second Line West bar & golf simulator lounge on Sunday, which features a very brief clip of classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 playing there. We didn't miss a concert of theirs (the Up & Down Lounge rarely hosts public concerts), as this was definitely a private holiday party, and the video seems mostly intended to promote that you can book private events there. Silent 9's clip is muted out in favour of a seasonal Drake/Wham mashup anyway. It looks like a lot of fun was had!
• Convergence frontman Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio finished in second place in last month's sixth annual The Soo's Got Talent! We didn't cover this year's due to it being all-karaoke (let alone that there was no house band for the finalists like the last few years), but congratulations to Stephen, who has a really strong voice that goes beyond his recent metal work! This year's winner was David Ikechukwu (a.k.a. Bobbie Lex), making him just the second male champion of T.S.G.T., while perennial finalist Demoy MacSamuels finished in third place, and Shae Levi (the only female finalist this year) finished in fourth. Congratulations to all six finalists!

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Unfortunate Sun) And More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's hard rock concert previews, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS in the E.U.P. for later this year!

Building off of their previously advertised return to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino yesterday and tonight, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun announced their end-of-2025 concert calendar on their Facebook page on August 12th! And again, I apologize for missing the Shytee Creek Lucky Bridge Walk in Trout Lake last month. Unless they announce something else in the interim, the Fake Chow successors' next show after tonight will see them rock The Merchants Bar in the Soo on Friday, October 31st, in what will surely be The Merch's Halloween party! They'll be taking over said duties from Exit 808, who had the Halloween honours last year, and if things are similar, expect a costume contest with prizes. Regardless, this will surprisingly be their only Merch show this year, so keep everything in mind! On Saturday, November 22nd, the guys will set up shop at Huck's Pub & Grill in Rudyard.

Last seen at the former Joe's Bar in July, hopefully this show goes well as they venture back outside of the Soo proper! They'll also hit the road slightly out of town for a special Wednesday nighter on November 26th (on the eve of the American Thanksgiving) at The Islander Bar in Hessel, in what will presumably be a sequel to last year's "Drinksgiving Bash" there, taking advantage of that Wednesday not being a work/school night. If you'd rather see Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason on a more traditional concert night, they will end the year with a return to The Islander Bar on Saturday, December 13th, so keep that in mind for the winter! Lastly for the new show announcements, Unfortunate Sun will set up shop for a full weekend at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, December 5th & Saturday, December 6th, in their first shows there since their Kewadin debuts in May as a late replacement band.

Nice to see lots of new shows ahead from Unfortunate Sun after a relatively quiet summer, so keep all of these in mind! All shows are 21+ events with no announced cover charge, and all have 9:00 PM start times except at Huck's on November 22nd (8:00 PM). Visit the above links for more on the hard rock action ahead at all of these E.U.P. venues!

Next up, let's resume this weekend's hard rock/punk concert previews by heading north of the border, starting with Sault Ontario alternative/punk cover supergroup BookcluB's gig opening for Toronto-based Bob Seger tribute band Forever Seger: The Silver Bullet Experience TONIGHT at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion! Not the cleanest genre fit, but BookcluB have ample classic rock covers (often very atypical ones from their local cover brethren), so there will be a lot to enjoy under the big tent as they set the tone for the Bob Seger experience to come! This will also be BookcluB's first gig since guitarist Brandon Ruch moved out of town, but they have not publically announced if they have replaced him or not, something we may know the answer to tonight. And just to clarify, this is not the same Seger tribute coming to The Machine Shop in March of next year (that particular band is Like A Rock: The Bob Seger Revival).

I'm not at liberty to compare and contrast the sound and stage presence of the two, but Bob Seger fans will absolutely enjoy what Forever Seger bring to the table tonight, so don't miss out if you're a fan! The old time rock n' roll kicks off at 7:00 PM, it is definitely all ages, and tickets run for $44 at this link, at GFL Memorial Gardens, or at the gate. 9&10 News is calling for weather in the 15-16° range with partly cloudy skies, and tent acknowledged, the show is slated to end before the rainy overnight forecast. Visit the above links for more details, and here's BookcluB live!

Finally, we have at least one more Cruisin' The Dub car/bike show to take in TOMORROW at the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road, but this is the big annual one! As recently usual for the A&W car/bike shows, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will be your scheduled musical entertainment, and there will be raffles, refreshments, and family entertainment along with the vehicles on display alongside the live rock & roll covers and originals! All proceeds will be going to the Algoma Regional Community Hospice, an eternally wonderful cause, so consider donating to ARCH if you come out tomorrow! That may be a big "if", as 9&10 News is currently calling for a 60% chance of rain and some thunderstorms during the projected timeframe of 2:00-5:00 PM, and rain has severely abbreviated A&W car shows before (ask Soundcheck for proof). The rain looks pretty steady tomorrow, so definitely keep tabs with Bone Yard and A&W for updates on how the weather forecast may affect things.

Assuming the show goes on in spite of Mother Nature, attendance is free for the public of all ages unless showing a car or motorcycle, though donations to ARCH will absolutely be on the table. I hope the weather doesn't throw a wrench into tomorrow's plans, especially given the charitable nature, so visit the above links for more on the car show and here's your local 225 live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Sugar Island Music Festival) & New E.U.P. Concert Videos!!

Plans for today's SMS post got very upended by a big SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that has tripped me up multiple times in the past, so that and some new concert videos are on the docket in this all-Michigan post. Here's what you should know on this Saturday morning!

Reports of this weekend's quiet hard rock concert lineup were slightly premature, as Sault Michigan hard rock quartet The Nameless will rock the annual Sugar Island Music Festival TODAY! I profusely apologize for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement on their Facebook page yesterday, but the lineup was quietly confirmed for some time on the festival's website. As you may recall, the Sugar Island Festival gathers numerous local musicians (mostly not regulars on the E.U.P. bar scene in these projects) to perform on the outdoor stage on the island just east of the Soo, but there is always at least one token rock band who fans will be familiar with, and The Nameless have been that band since 2023. While we're at it, I profusely apologize for not covering their set at last year's Sugar Island Fest, as per the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine backup of their website.

For full details on this year's lineup (including bands yesterday and tomorrow), click here, but note that performers on Sugar Island tend to lean more towards bluegrass and country from my understanding. After playing last year at 6:00 PM on the Friday, fans can see Joshua, the Mikes, and Jamie (fresh off of their third place run at the Superior Whitefish Festival battle of the bands) TODAY at 5:00 PM. Your top three acts again this year are 3½ Men at 9:00 PM, 3-Zip at 8:00 PM, and Aberdeen at 7:00 PM, while festival regulars 2 Cents take the stage at 6:00 PM after not playing on the Saturday last year. Gentleman George Snider also returns at 4:00 PM, while afternoon newcomers include The Blue Lines at 3:00 PM, The Russells at 2:00 PM, and Rich Klenle at 1:00 PM. February Sky will return as the opening band at 12:00 PM, and an open mic block will kick off TODAY'S program as usual at 11:00 AM.

Music aside, expect a beanbag tournament, childrens' activities, and camping on site, so be sure to check the above links for more on the family friendly entertainment, as well as instructions on how to get to the stage on Sugar Island (and remember that you have to take the ferry to get there from Sault Ste. Marie). This all ages festival has admission of $20 via buttons purchased at the Hilltop Bar and Westshore Convenience Store on the island proper, or at the gate (there are no single day passes). 9&10 News is calling for partly-mostly cloudy skies TODAY with weather ranging from 77-84° (25-29° Celsius) with a 20% chance of rain for the final two acts, so mind the current heat wave if you're coming out. Despite the relative lack of social media advertising (The Nameless never even plugged their 2024 set on Facebook), it's great to see a stacked lineup of local talent back for another year of music on Sugar Island!

Even with the genre focus away from live rock music, there's a lot of talent to take in TODAY and tomorrow, as there was yesterday, so don't bypass the Sugar Island Festival for a pleasant (if hot) outdoor diversion this weekend! Visit the above links for more details, apologies again for the short notice and missing last year's festival on the SMS, and for a preview, here's a new video of The Nameless live at The Islander Bar in Hessel last month! In this one, you can hear them covering the end of Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" but the visual focus is on dancing attendees, with the band not even in frame. The audio is muffled, and Josh's vocals don't always match the song in intensity, but fun was had, so give it a watch below!

We'll take the ferry back to Sault Ste. Marie to end this post, and like yesterday, we'll do so with local hard rock/punk trio About:Blank via a long awaited public video of their opening set at the Musicians Unite benefit concert at Bird's Eye Outfitters in March! The guys only uploaded a clip of them at the Mary Jo Jenkins fundraiser event to their Facebook page on June 5th (over two months later) and it features Parker, Nathan, and Kade playing an original song named "Unheard". Like with their jam session video shared here yesterday, this horizontal video was uploaded in letterboxed vertical dimensions, making it needlessly tiny again, and like on "Why", we're only seeing the end of the song here, but there is promise to be had! The audio is muffled somewhat, but "Unheard" sounds solid with a little more of a punk edge to it, and Parker's intense screams suit the ending of it well! Check out About:Blank's new video below, and stay tuned for more from them!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (WestFest & The Nameless), Plus The Virvum Concert Preview!!

We're not quite done with this weekend's concert previews, as a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT came to my attention earlier today, and there was a long-since-known-about Sunday nighter yet to be addressed! To fill things out, we have extended details on a debuting local concert festival later this month, so here's what you should know!

Local hard rock quartet The Nameless will rock The Islander Bar in Hessel for the first time TONIGHT! I profusely apologize for the short notice, the band first announced this show via their Facebook page this past Saturday, and it slipped me by until this morning when there was time to slot it into our regular previews. Regardless, The Islander Bar has not publically confirmed TONIGHT's show on their own Facebook page, instead focusing on food & drink specials in recent weeks. It is somewhat hard to believe that The Nameless haven't played in Hessel before, but hopefully their hard rocking cover slate draws a good crowd TONIGHT despite the late notice! This concert takes place at 8:00 PM, has no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit as usual for E.U.P. bar gigs. Visit the above links for more on The Nameless' Hessel debut TONIGHT, and for a preview, here they are live earlier this year!

Next up, let's talk about WestFest, a newly announced Sault Ontario community festival on Saturday, July 26th, so what should you know about this? The name does imply the location of the event, as it will take place at Anna Marinelli Park at 169 James Street, off of Albert Street West near the Soup Kitchen. In terms of downtown Sault Ste. Marie, you can't get much further west without hitting Algoma Steel! WestFest is being described as "block party meets music festival", with aims of being a safe, inclusive, and family friendly event, according to the hosts, the West Village Revitalization Project, and you can read more about their plans to give new life to the Steelton and Jamestown areas of the city at this link. The implication is that WestFest will be an outdoor event, but I'm unsure how it will be staged (Anna Marinelli Park is literally a park, after all), so stay tuned for updates on that end.

Six acts will hit the WestFest stage, and the headliners are SMS-amenable, namely local alternative hard rock band Handsome Sandwich in just their second public concert of 2025! Good to see them back playing live a little more regularly, and they'll cap things well at 8:00 PM on the 26th! The band bios on the WestFest website do not mention rhythm guitarist Brandon Ruch, seemingly confirming that he has left the band for unannounced reasons (he wasn't present when they opened for HeadF1rst in May, though nothing was said publically about his status at the time). However, things are amicable, as he is co-headlining at 6:00 PM alongside drummer Johnny Belanger in their bluegrass/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels! Pop rock quartet Jupiter Marvelous performs at 4:45 PM, preceded by folk singer/guitarist Matthew James at 3:45 PM & indie rock quartet Lucy's Diner (who recently changed their name from The Hollow Heads) at 2:45 PM.

Former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver will continue his summer farewell run before his teased move out of town when he kicks off WestFest at 1:45 PM. Various local vendors and businesses will be on hand in three weeks as well, so click here to see who will be at the park for this debuting festival. As best as I can gather, WestFest has no admission fee, and it is absolutely all ages, but it is a licensed event with an on-site beer garden. This all sounds like a good time for local music fans and families alike, almost like a Rotaryfest encore (all six acts will have played Stage 2 at least once since 2023), so visit the above links for more details on the first annual WestFest!

We'll close this post with one more weekend concert preview, as two death metal bands from Switzerland (yes, really) will make their local debuts TOMORROW NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! This one-off return to the glory days of Rosie metal nights will be headlined by Zurich progressive death metal band Virvum and Geneva blackened death metal quintet Stortregn, who will bring their own crushing brutality to local audiences! Virvum's more technical and punishing originals will compliment Stortregn's more black metal-influenced sound well, so definitely don't miss either band if you can swing coming out on a work night! Local support will be provided by thrash metal trio The BAG in their first public date since opening for Sentiment Dissolve in May, and they should set the tone off well with their heavy originals and covers! I am unsure if this show is being put on by The BAG, Jay's, or a separate promoter.

This stop on Virvum & Stortregn's Canada Takeover tour begins at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit, and tickets run for $15.99 at this link and presumably at the door, though I don't know if the price will jump there. Kudos to Jay's for occasionally booking true metal concerts after they largely vanished in the Reggie's West era, and despite being on a Sunday night, hopefully there's lots of headbanging and moshing tomorrow! After all, Virvum and Stortregn are from Switzerland, show them some love! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Virvum live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Ricky Mullen & Project 906), Plus New Live Concert Videos!!

After a couple of off days for a personal matter, we're back with the SMS on this Wednesday morning, including new videos from recent concerts and some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the coming months, so here's what you should know as we get back into the swing of things!

Sault Michigan blues/hard rock band Project 906 will return to The Islander Bar in nearby Hessel for one night only on Saturday, May 3rd! They announced this concert via their Facebook page on Sunday when thanking everyone for their successful Back Bay Grill & Games show in Brimley this past weekend, and it will be their first show in Hessel since playing there in August. Good to see the guys staying busy again with the weather generally getting nicer, and hopefully we hear of more mid-2025 dates from 906 to come! As you can see in the promotional image shared by the venue's Facebook page, hand drummer Brian Duford is pictured with the guys (front and center, no less), which seems to more or less confirm that he has officially joined Project 906, making them a quintet. Brian had guested with 906 since at least mid-2023 but his presence became more and more common, as seen in live media.

Having two percussionists may seem like overkill for some, but Brian's presence in Project 906 concerts gives them a unique aspect that you don't see from other local cover-leaning rock bands, and his drumming can add an extra flavour to their shows! Next month's Hessel concerts is a 21+ affair with no announced cover charge, and an early 7:00 PM start time is listed (past Project 906 shows there started at 9:00 PM but last month's Shipheads On Shore concert was indeed at 7:00). See above for more details!

Next up, folk punk fans will want to circle Independence Day on their calendars, as Mikhal Muto is hosting a Sault Ontario folk punk show at The Stellar Door under The Distraction on Friday, July 4th! Yes, this is in the basement again, they haven't visibly hosted shows in the former barbershop space since last summer. Your headline acts on the Fourth of July are Cambridge solo artist Ricky Mullen and Guelph solo project The Washout, with Ricky's catalog having more of an in-your-face punk attitude that would suit a full band, but The Washout's more reserved material has its audience, and Derek is a solid songwriter with good honest lyrics! Local folk musicians Shae Tull and Tye Lawless Co. will kick off the evening with their own distinct brand of original acoustic music, so don't be late for their sets! Despite his own affinity for folk punk, Mikhal's solo project Agnosticism is not scheduled for this concert.

As usual for Stellar Door/Distraction concerts, this is ALL AGES with a "pay what you can" admission model, though $10 is suggested. Doors open at 6:30 PM for this show, which should pique the interest of folk and punk fans, so keep all of the action in mind in three months, and visit the official Facebook event page for more details!

We'll spend the rest of this post by looking at new videos from local classic/hard rock cover quartet Double Down's Facebook page, starting with one of their shows at Jay's Piston Broke Pub over the April 4th-5th weekend! Two videos from the same night's gig (it's unclear which one) were uploaded on the 6th, and they include covers of Collective Soul's "Heavy" with guitarist Joel Syrette on lead vocals and, as embedded below, The Cult's "Fire Woman" with his cousin Beej on vocals. Both videos are short (33 and 43 seconds apiece), but the renditions are strong from what we hear, and the horizontal videos capture a unique overhead angle, so check both out above & below!

Finally, as part of Double Down's recent focus on promoting and getting the word out for concerts from other local cover rock bands, an unidentified band member was in attendance for veteran classic rock cover band Mid Life Crysis' show at The Esquire Club on Friday, where they were filmed covering most of Queen's "I Want To Break Free". Featuring recent Double Down guest bassist Lori Reinholtz, M.L.C. don't generally lean heavier, but this is a well done rendition with quality vocal melodies that Queen fans should enjoy! Alas, this is a horizontally shot video that was uploaded in vertical dimensions with pillarboxing, so apologies for how tiny it is, that's out of my hands. Check out this Mid Life Crysis cover below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news/notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!