LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison & Soundcheck) Plus More Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

This busy weekend concert preview slate begun early with Thursday nighters yesterday, and moves into Friday-Saturday shows in Sault Ste. Marie city limits for post #2. The plan is to preview the Northern Vibe Festival next (I did get a tentative schedule from one of the performers), with this weekend's two ARCH benefit motorcycle rally concerts and Wax Mannequin to follow where space and time allows. Stay tuned on those fronts, but here's what you should know for this weekend otherwise, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will head just outside of town to Echo Bay TOMORROW NIGHT for a second concert at The Elks Lodge there linked to slo-pitch baseball! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via the band's Facebook page yesterday, though the Echo Bay Sunday Slo-Pitch League Facebook page first confirmed their involvement last week. Soundcheck had first rocked Echo Bay in June as part of the Elks Bay Days tournament, but things clearly went well for the baseball players and fans in Echo Bay then, as their return TOMORROW's concert is for the league proper's end-of-season banquet, and will be preceded by a catered dinner with cash bar. This is a ticketed and publically attendable event, and admission will be $20 (kids 10 & under are free), which will also enter you for the door prize.

Soundcheck's set TOMORROW NIGHT at 96 Church Street is at 9:00 PM running for your standard nightclub runtime, and free on-site camping is also available. Hopefully TOMORROW's concert is another home run for Soundcheck as they rock Echo Bay one more time to end the slo-pitch baseball season there, so don't miss their fan friendly hard rocking covers there or this evening at the newer A&W for the Cruisin' The Dub car show! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, joining his regular weekly concerts TOMORROW at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post and on SATURDAY at Misty's Fifties, local acoustic classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will play a rare gig at a more standard nightclub when he returns to Reggie's Place on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Reggie's gig, it was only announced on the venue's Facebook page yesterday. Tym is way more commonly seen at atypical and more unplugged-friendly venues than he is at nightclubs known for hosting bands regularly, so keep his return to Queen Street East in mind on SATURDAY NIGHT for his own entertaining blend of classic and hard rock covers! Remember, he had played in the vicinity of Reggie's at the former Tazzi's a few times in the past year. Of course, his regular weekly shows at The Mike Case Memorial Stage tomorrow and at Misty's on Saturday prior are still going on as those series march on into (at least) next month.

The Reggie's show is a one-nighter due to or resulting in a karaoke night there tomorrow. Tym's triple header this weekend has start times of 7:00 PM tomorrow, 4:00 PM at Misty's on Saturday, and at 9:30 PM at Reggie's on SATURDAY NIGHT! The Trading Post show has no age limit, and none have a cover charge. Weather-wise, tomorrow's Mike Case Stage show is looking to have cloudy weather at 21°, but it's not expected to rain. Click here & here and visit the above links for more details, and here he is live!

Now let's head to Sault Michigan, where "weird Wisconsin hard rock" trio Sunspot will return to The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be Sunspot's fourth annual trip from Madison to Sault Ste. Marie to coincide with the annual Michigan Paranormal Convention, which returns to the Soo Kewadin this weekend from today through Saturday for what will actually be its final year (click here for more details on why the MiParacon is "bidding the mortal realm adieu"). Suffice to say, if you are at all into ghosts, aliens, cryptids, and anything else paranormal, you'll definitely want to check out all of the action at the Kewadin ballroom this weekend, and click here to see who all is coming to the Soo for this year's festivities! Of course, you don't need a MiParacon wristband to see Sunspot at The Rapids Lounge, but they're quite fitting for the weekend.

Sunspot actually have ghost investigators in their lineup, many of their songs are about mythical and fantastical concepts, and their hard rock/power pop hybrid sound (including some violin input) has definitely turned local heads since 2021, and hopefully the end of the convention doesn't mean the end of Sunspot making 7 hour trips northeast to play here! Expect 9:00 PM start times and 21+ age limits tomorrow and Saturday, and these absolutely have no cover charge, paid MiParacon admission isn't needed. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Sunspot live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! Two weeks removed from their last date at Shooters alongside bassist Pierre Anthony Vaillancourt's son Liam as a guest singer, regular frontwoman Valerie Powley will be back on Saturday, in what will be their first show at the downtown casino since they ended Rotaryfest weekend there. Hopefully Generations' skilled blend of classic and hard rock covers find another solid audience of fans and casino patrons alike on Saturday! No, they're not playing elsewhere tomorrow that I'm aware of. Saturday's concert has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details on Generations' casino return on Saturday night, and for a preview, here they are live at Rotaryfest last month!

That's all for now, but look for our preview of this year's Northern Vibe Festival next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sunspot & Fyrbird), A New Hails Video, And More!!

Keeping this run of daily posts going, we're mostly staying in Sault Michigan and the Eastern U.P. for a third straight say, but some Sault Ontario content has poked its way in, including a video and some assorted updates. We're leading off in Michigan though via some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on this Wednesday evening!

We have addressed some of the upcoming hard rock shows in the next two months at the regional Kewadin Casino lounges via promotion from the bands themselves, but we have two unaddressed weekends from hard rock bands at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie branch next month, starting with Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird's return to the Soo on Friday, August 9th and Saturday, August 10th! While we're on the subject, frontman Jamie Hider's wife Shannon confirmed more dates in the E.U.P. in a concert calendar post on their Facebook group back in March, so if you wanna see them at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin, you can do so on October 4th-5th & November 29th-30th! Yes, they'll be playing more frequently through the end of the year in Gould City and Newberry, but both are further than an hour's drive from the Soo. Fyrbird were last seen in our coverage range at The Rapids Lounge in early May.

Hopefully Jamie & Rick's gritty two-man rock attack gets another strong reception at The Rapids and Northern Pines Lounges at these three weekends, so keep them in mind if you miss seeing Fyrbird this far east! All six shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details!

The other newly confirmed hard rock shows from Kewadin's entertainment page are courtesy of Madison, Wisconsin hard rock trio Sunspot, who will rock The Rapids Lounge in the Soo on Friday, August 23rd & Saturday, August 24th! This will be Sunspot's fourth straight August trip here, always timed with the annual Michigan Paranormal Convention, which takes place annually (2020 aside) at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin's ballroom. Sunspot's brand of "weird Wisconsin rock anthems" will prove an apt soundtrack for MiParacon attendees and fans of the paranormal, especially with their creative lyrical themes and unique electric violin-infused brand of hard rock and power pop, so keep their annual E.U.P. pilgrimage in mind for next month! Again, these shows have no cover charge, 9:00 PM start times, and a 21+ age limit, and you don't need MiParacon tickets to go to The Rapids Lounge that weekend (it may be a lot busier than normal though).

If you're curious about the paranormal convention proper, click here for details on the guests, vendors, speakers, and how you can attend. If you didn't know, Bridge FM owner/morning host Tim Ellis is the co-founder of the MiParacon, and there are a lot of familiar faces coming here that you may recognize from ghost/cryptid hunting & exploration TV shows (even the saxophone player from The Lost Boys!). See above for more on Sunspot's local return for the convention next month!

Also today, let's head north to Sault Ontario for another new video from local punk/thrash quartet Hails' Facebook page yesterday! Lately, it's seemed like Ha!ls have been posting a live video every few days, which is very welcomed for fans, especially compared to some bands who lean into "Stories" or "Reels", or mainly post videos on personal accounts, so kudos to Brent and crew for letting fans see everything as originally shot! This sees the Vanity First side project playing their non-EP original "Dawn Of The Dead" at the It's The Pits festival in Leeburn last month, and while just 70 seconds long, it captures this ripper with good quality and relatively natural lighting, so check it out for yourself below!

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

• I have removed Kinross, Michigan classic/hard rock cover band Banned from our inactive band links due to the deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point in the last two years. Active from 2011-2019, Banned are best known today as the first high profile live band from future Tarnished frontman Alex Traynor, who played covers and select originals in this group alongside his dad Don on drums and a rotating array of bassists and other musicians. Given how young Alex was when Banned launched, it was impressive to see his skill level then and how it's developed, and while I'd have left Banned's page up, check out some early videos on their YouTube channel!
• In a late lineup change for this year's Rotaryfest Stage 2, Sault Ontario alt-indie rock band The Hollow Heads have replaced The Crossroad Magdalenes as the 6:30 PM band on Saturday, July 20th, as per the festival's Facebook page. A reason for The Maggies' withdrawal wasn't announced, but that band never acknowledged their 2024 reunion on their own social media. This will be The Hollow Heads' third straight year on the Second Stage, and Handsome Sandwich guitarist Brandon Ruch will be also playing with them next weekend, meaning that he will be playing in three acts that day. Hopefully Gabrielle and crew get a good response!
• The ninth annual Northern Vibe Festival in nearby Ophir on the August 24th weekend "will (likely) be the last", as per festival organizers on their Facebook page on Saturday when promoting the festivities. The post alludes to needing to "take a break and re-evaluate" if they can't make Northern Vibe better each year, and reference is made to "our core group of attendees who always show up", but I'll let you read into things further if you are so inclined. Northern Vibe has proved to be a fun event for local music fans post-pandemic thanks to the increased rock band contingent, and hopefully this year's is a smash hit, last year or not!
  

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Sunspot & Peril) Plus New Sault Michigan Videos!!

An all Sault Michigan post lies ahead on this Saturday evening, including some new videos from two prominent local acts, but leading off, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month!

New hard rock dates at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino branch for next month have been confirmed via Kewadin's entertainment page, so what should you know there? Not counting the Tarnished and Fyrbird shows next month (the bands revealed those first), the first of the brand new dates will see Traverse City classic metal trio Peril return to the Soo for gigs on Friday, August 12th & Saturday, August 13th! After playing at Kewadin branches in the E.U.P. in both May and June, it's great to see Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' hard rocking and fan friendly selection of classic covers back in the Soo next month, and hopefully there's another great turnout for Peril on both nights! As usual for their Kewadin lounge gigs, expect 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more updates on Peril's trips north of the Mack when they roll in!

The other new Rapids Lounge hard rock concerts are courtesy of Madison, Wisconsin hard rock trio Sunspot, who will return to Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, August 26th & Saturday, August 27th! As you may recall, Sunspot headed east to Michigan last year to perform during the Michigan Paranormal Convention (or MiParacon) which is held at the Sault Kewadin branch at the end of August annually (save 2020), and you can click here for full details on the convention. I'm not a massive paranormal follower, but if you are, this looks to be another huge weekend! Sunspot are actually releasing a new album next week, and it promises to have more of their requisite "weird Wisconsin rock anthems" that apply some deep and otherworldly topics to a fun power pop-laden hard rock sound with electronic and string influences. Had band to pin down, but definitely give them a listen for yourselves!

Like with Peril above, Sunspot's Kewadin shows next month are 21+ affairs with 9:00 PM start times and no cover charge (attendance at The Rapids Lounge is not conditional on buying MiParacon tickets, public attendees can come as normal). Obviously a huge weekend for alien, ghost, and Bigfoot fans in the E.U.P. ahead, and Sunspot should deliver some fitting tunes for attendees and general fans alike, so visit the above links for more details!

We'll close today with some new videos, starting with a live concert upload on blues/hard rock quartet Project 906's Facebook page on Sunday! Filmed at their Bird's Eye Outfitters show last week, this features 906 (who are just shy of 906 Facebook followers, incidentally) covering Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", though based on how Billy's singing, they're definitely more doing the Shinedown cover than the original. Not badly done at all, though the vocals can be a little forced on the verses. The venue lighting seems too fancy given that it's not dark in the store, but it's a solid quality behind and in front of the camera, so check it out below!

Finally for today, here's a couple of new solo performance videos from local classical metal band Theatre of Night's YouTube channel earlier this week! Both uploaded in black & white, they are erroneously labelled as "shorts" despite not being in the TikTok competitor format. One features guitarist Steve Giles delivering "some 80's style shred goodness" for one minute via multiple stationary camera angles, and it gives a nice pure showcase of his talents that won't come amiss to old Dust N' Bones fans! Embedded below is the longer upload, which features keyboardist Craig Harrison playing an original composition named "Live Without Your Love" that he calls "a songwriting idea in short, raw form". It's a dramatic yet surprisingly lively piano piece that fans of Theatre of Night's more orchestral side will appreciate, though it's definitely unfinished. Check out both of their new videos above & below, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile and much more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!