LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Project 906), Cory Marks Concert Videos, And An Inactive Band Note!!

One more SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT has fell into my lap, so to fill out a surprise Saturday evening post, we have new videos from a big recent concert and a solo project newly moved to our inactive links, so here's what you should know on all fronts!

Sault Michigan hard/blues rock cover quintet Project 906 will return to the stage TONIGHT at The Strongs Tavern in nearby Eckerman! Apologies for the short notice, the band first announced this one-night-only gig on their Facebook page on Sunday, but it slipped past me before our last two weekend concert preview posts went live. After taking a three month break from the stage (characterized by the band as "some much needed time off"), this will be 906's first show since rocking Hulbert Happy Hour in early March, with the band last playing at The Strongs Tavern at the end of February. Of course, this belatedly kicks off their annual "#summerof906", so more shows should be announced in due course, but since we last heard from Project 906 at The Strongs, they completed renovations in the spring, so hopefully things look as good as the rock will sound TONIGHT! Billy, Joe, Dustin, Jason, and Brian will take the stage TONIGHT at 8:00 PM with a 21+ age limit and no cover charge, as usual.

If you've missed the guys in recent months, and/or are up for the hour's drive west, don't miss out on their summer season kickoff! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview of TONIGHT'S opening #summerof906 event, here's Project 906 live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario for some new videos from the Cory Marks concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre on June 11th! Last week, Cory uploaded a highlight video from the event to his Facebook page, where he highly praised the concert, which included a sold-out meet & greet session, and some fans driving 8+ hours to see it. Cory called the the Bushplane Museum's hangar "a dream concert setting for me", and if you weren't there, the hangar doors were open with the stage was set up inside, allowing for outside light to get inside and for some nice views while the North Bay country/hard rock musician rocked out. The highlight video (set to the studio version of his song "Are You With Me?") features clips of Cory at the meet-and-greet, including of him playing acoustic for VIP fans, before we see footage of the proper concert.

Good thing that we knew ahead of time where this was, as the video only has fleeting glimpses of bushplanes, which is a testament in a way to how well everyone got the hangar looking like a concert venue for more than just local bands! I would prefer hearing raw audio from the concert, but miraculously, Facebook didn't content match the studio track, so I can embed it below!

If you do want to see raw audio from the concert proper, good news, as Mike Blair's 705Live Sound Co. were on hand to take care of sound for Cory and crew, and a video of them playing "Blame It On The Double" was posted to 705Live's Facebook page! Mike doesn't do the "pan the camera up from the soundboard" thing this time, FYI. Alas, the video only runs for 46 seconds, but it does let us get more of a view of where exactly in the Bushplane Museum that the concert was set up at (and where the VIP pre-show area was). Of note, Cory actually grabs someone's cell phone from the crowd to film things mid-song, which would be neat for that fan! What Mike shot looks and sounds good, so if you like Cory's southern fried hard rock, you can relive a snippet of this high production concert for yourself below, and we'll let you know if Cory returns to the Soo for a fifth straight year in 2027!

Finally, I have a local metal act to move to our inactive band links, namely local goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore. We have heard no public updates from C.T.W. since 2024, with their final album "Bummer" being released on Bandcamp that July, and more recent updates from their owned-and-operated indie label Blood Shed Productions dried up by the spring of 2025. Active since 2012 and led by singer/guitarist Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson, C.T.W. became one of the more unique underground sights among extreme metal fans of the early-mid 2010s, releasing lots of studio material online and at concerts, including many of the final Oddfellows Hall concerts, plus various private & house party events. Updates from C.T.W. (let alone Blood Shed) really tailed off after the pandemic, even for a one-man project, which wasn't helped by their Facebook pages being taken down, if not by Tyler's own hand.

C.T.W. were really a critic-proof act, as a one-man goregrind band with such explicit imagery, pig squealing vocals, extremely short song lengths, a drum machine, and an ardent "I play what I want to play" ethos made it difficult to look at them in comparison with most contemporary bands. I still believe that all of the early-mid 2010s Blood Shed 1-2 man bands had the collective talent to make a great five-piece death metal band, but Tyler did what he wanted and kept this project going for a strong length of time, with fun crowd reactions and a solid skill set as a guitarist & producer. Hopefully we hear more from him and the label down the road! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225), Thursday Concert Previews, And New Videos!

(Updated at 9:58 PM) This weekend's concert slate is quite busy again after getting a relative reprieve last week, so let's start things a day early today! After all, two (three?) of the shows are Thursday evening affairs, and have more to say than normal given the setting of them, so here's what you should know to start, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT! We'll touch on Friday-Saturday nighters and/or the Northern Vibe Festival in preview post #2 hitting the site tomorrow.

Joining the previously confirmed Soundcheck concert at the Cruisin' The Dub car show at the newer A&W at 659 Great Northern Road tomorrow, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will indeed be headlining the concurrent motorcycle show at the old A&W at 121 Great Northern Road TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice on Bone Yard's end, public advertising confirming their involvement only showed up on Facebook earlier today, but remember that they have been busy prepping for the Dragonfly Run on Sunday (preview forthcoming). The dual sets by both bands at the respective A&W car and bike shows is a reprise of last year's Cruisin' The Dub festivities, only this year, Mother Nature isn't going to interfere, as 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies and weather of around 23°. Both car & bike show were rained out in 2023, so things should run smoothly across the board!

As expected, Cruisin' The Dub is in support of Multiple Sclerosis Canada, with lots of classic cars and motorcycles to check out across both Great Northern Road A&Ws, along with family friendly games, prize draws, and refreshments, and a hard rocking local band at both locations, so keep all of this in mind TOMORROW! A much bigger follow-up to the car-only show that Soundcheck played in June, the car and/or bike show will have no cover, they're absolutely ALL AGES, and both run from 5:00-8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S action, stay tuned for more from both bands this weekend, and here are both bands live, including one of three new videos of Bone Yard 225 live via their Facebook page! Two of them were live-streamed from their concert at the Laird Agricultural Fair on Friday, including one of them covering The Ramones' classic "I Wanna Be Sedated" with bassist Warren Reville on lead vocals.

While it is vertical, the filmer largely only focused on Warren, so the orientation isn't so bad in that regard! Solid cover but the vocals came through very quiet. The other Laird Fair video (which is horizontal) sees them covering ZZ Top's "Tush" with guitarist Alex D'Ettore on lead vocals, and it's a solid cover with good energy! Embedded here is their (also horizontal!) new video from one of their Reggie's Place gigs in July, where they covered The Tragically Hip's "Little Bones" with singer/drummer Greg Simpson handling vocals. Another strong cover filmed in high quality, if slightly to its detriment given the stage lighting at Reggie's, but check this out for yourselves below, and don't miss Bone Yard TOMORROW!

Next up, Hails frontman Brenton Ellis' acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will play a rare live set TOMORROW NIGHT when they return to the Sault Ste. Marie Museum for their third straight set at the annual Fringe North Festival! The only SMS-amenable music act playing Fringe North this year, Slumshine will see Brent break out his acoustic guitar and pink knit ski mask for the first time since last year's Fringe North when he opens up "the Comet Stage", which will be set up outside of & behind the museum tomorrow night (as such, expect the same sunny & 23° weather conditions as at Cruisin' The Dub). The official program outlines all of the details you could ask for re: this year's festival, including a complete performer lineup at the Museum and elsewhere, celebrating art and culture in all of its diverse forms. Like last year, Slumshine's set (named "A Work In Progress") will be themed around Brent's recovery from drug addiction.

Click here to read more about Slumshine's modus operandi and what to expect lyrically from their set, courtesy of Fringe North's website. While Slumshine's set opens tomorrow's program at "the Comet Stage" at 7:00 PM, each individual performer is priced separately at different tiers, with no batch price packages to cover an entire day's musicians on one stage. Brent will be a musical outlier anyway tomorrow, as he precedes sets by Toronto R&B musician Aieysha Haws at 8:00 PM, Thunder Bay rapper O'Rose at 9:00 PM, and rappers from local label Sooicide Records at 10:00 PM. If you want to see Slumshine's set tomorrow from 7:00-8:00, the minimum advertised price is $5, though $15 is the "support the artist" rate (note that the program lists both tiers as being $5 higher than the online ticket page does). It is also worth noting that Brent will be jetting off to Southern Ontario for shows with Hails this weekend!

On Friday and Saturday, they'll be opening for Toronto "hypnofolk" band Twintwa (who also played with Ha!ls at It's The Pits in Leeburn) and Hamilton electro-noise rock band Better Homes For Meaner People, across both nights, the former at Vertagogo in Hamilton and the latter at the third annual Humber River Art & Music Festival in Toronto, where the three bands will be joined by Peterborough rapper Garbageface, the Soo's own Shae Tull, and many others. Hopefully both shows are hits for Brent, the Mutos, and Keeghan this weekend, but don't miss Slumshine tomorrow at the museum first! See above for more details on Fringe North 2024, and for a preview, here's Slumshine live back in 2019!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Slumshine) & New Videos!!

Keeping this steady string of new posts going this week, we have two more LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS from the same artist to look at in the next month, along with some new videos, so let's get this post started!

Local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine will play at the annual Fringe North Festival for a third straight year when they rock "the Comet Stage" outside of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum on Thursday, August 22nd! Unfortunately, I completely missed plugging Slumshine's show at Fringe North last year, but I didn't miss this year's! As confirmed in the official program (Slumshine haven't updated their Facebook page since 2021), they will be the opening act on the Comet Stage for day #2 of the annual arts, culture, and inclusivity festival taking place at multiple downtown venues, though primarily at the Museum. Led by Hails frontman Brenton Ellis with his acoustic guitar and pink knit ski mask in tow, and presenting a show inspired by his recovery from addiction, Slumshine play at 7:00 PM next Thursday, preceding sets by Toronto R&B musician Aieysha Haws at 8:00 PM, ...

...Thunder Bay rapper O'Rose at 9:00 PM, and local rappers from Sooicide Records closing at 10:00 PM. Despite the tight scheduling, acts across Fringe North are individually priced at two levels (general admission and a much higher "support the artist" rate), with no batch pricing options for an entire day's lineup. While openly "pay what you can", the minimum advance admission price for Slumshine's set is $5 for the former and $15 for the latter, though $10 and $20 are suggested in the program. As this year's only hard rock/punk outpost, hopefully Slumshine go over well, so visit the above links for complete Fringe North details for this year! While we're on the subject, we have one more new show to take note of from Slumshine, as they will make their Soo Blaster debut and (I believe) their first non-Fringe North concert since 2020 when they open for Ottawa alternative/folk singer/guitarist Rory Taillon on Tuesday, September 3rd!

Rory hasn't played here since headlining at the former Gore Street Cafe in 2016, and while not punk-influenced like Brent's solo material is, his music does have thematic similarities via lyrics about mental health and his personal life, so the shoe fits in that way, and he is a talented musician with a distinctive voice! This stop on Rory's support tour for his new album "Now It's Quiet" has a likely 19+ age limit, 8:00 PM start time, and admission of $10 at this link or $15 at the door. Visit the above links for more on this all-acoustic Tuesday nighter next month, and don't miss Slumshine next week!

Next up, here's our first video look at reunited local death/thrash metal trio Pillory in concert! Filmed by an uncredited attendee of their return set at last month's all-local Crucifest replacement event at Robbie Adamson's old church in Leeburn, this was uploaded to drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel two weeks ago. It captures their entire 44 minutes-long set, though there is a bit of minor post-production editing to cut out some dead air. Unfortunately, Bret did not list songs by name with timecodes in the description, and multiple songs were not introduced live anyway, but Pillory are continuing along the path they were carving in the late 2010s, with frontman Robert Sartini deploying Death-inspired harsh vocals, so don't expect close similarities to their "Cringe At The Cross" EP from that front alone. Prolific local musician Blair St. John is on bass here, continuing in that role from their final 2010s gigs.

This video was shot vertically, but at least the filmer captured Pillory from that high platform that other Leeburn concertgoers have used for a unique vantage point from above, and as such, the guys are least laid out for a vertical orientation better! The lighting is very inconsistent though, with Robert basically performing in shadow from what we see.  If you like brutal thrash-inspired death metal, Pillory's return after a five year hiatus (with a few false starts in the interim) will be very welcomed, so give their return set a watch below, and don't miss them opening for The Fixer at Soo Blaster on August 25th, with more to come!

Finally for this post, here's the latest videos from local progressive metal band Convergence's YouTube channel! As the wait for their third EP "Gemini" continues, the guys posted two new sampler videos of new original songs in the past month, including the previously teased "It Ate The F&$%ing Moon" (yes, that is how they censored it), but embedded below is guitarist Brendan Christie playing an apparent new original song named "You Are Not Flesh". No one else is seen in this video, but I believe Jake Valois is also playing in the other clip (granted, no one's face is shown on camera there). "You Are Not Flesh" is not visibly tied to "Gemini" in the video proper or description, but it definitely sounds the part for fans of djent and progressive metal, and of course, Brendan and Jake are considerable talents on guitar, so it'll be interesting to hear more come out! Give Convergence's new teaser clips a watch, and stay tuned for updates!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Bookclub, And Generations), And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Another concert weekend is upon us, if not with much going on tonight for hard rock/punk fans, but we do have LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to address, some on SHORT NOTICE! Due to the amount of shows this weekend, our preview of Sunday night's Matthew Good concert will hit the site tomorrow. Now, here's what you should know for your Saturday concert plans (and beyond in one case!)

Local alternative/punk cover supergroup Bookclub will return to the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre TOMORROW as the headline musical performers for this year's Great Lakes Outdoor Show! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard above Bookclub's involvement via Facebook advertising earlier this week, complicated by Bookclub's continued lack of an online page to publically promote shows with. While an outdoors expo might not seem like a traditional event for a concert, Bookclub are no strangers to playing at community events and festivals, and hopefully their unique retro covers fins a receptive audience TOMORROW! Folk/pop singer/guitarist Matthew James (who you may have seen last year at Rotaryfest Stage 2) will open the proceedings. While this concert is taking place as part of the Great Lakes Outdoor Show, it is being treated as its own event with its own separate admission fee.

The Outdoor Show is an all ages event with $10 passes for the weekend (including the band-less Sunday program), and while doors open at 10:00 AM, the concert proper is at 5:00 PM. The concert proper is also $10 and does not require Outdoor Show tickets to attend, but $20 packages that get you entry to both are also available. It'll be interesting to see how Bookclub and Mathhew Matthew do as a post-show attraction rather than mid-show entertainment, but the talent is definitely there, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Bookclub live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced this show via their Facebook page on Tuesday, and at press time, Shooters have not confirmed the booking on social media. After an off week (Thursday jam nights at Jay's aside), Soundcheck are back for a traditional concert on SATURDAY, which will be their first show at the Dennis Street nightclub since the winter, and it may serve as the lead-out entertainment following Shooters' showing of game 2 of the Soo Greyhounds' second round playoff series against the Saginaw Spirit, assuming that Shooters keeps with their recent trend of showing the road games on the TVs there (the game is in Saginaw). Hockey or not, Soundcheck's mix of classic and hard rock hits will find a receptive audience TOMORROW!

This show has a 9:30 PM start time (possibly later if the Hounds game dictates), no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. If you can't make it, Soundcheck have a full weekend at Jay's next week, and of course, they are hosting jam night there on Thursday as usual if you want to count that. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will celebrate their one year anniversary when they rock The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT, but they will also make their first ever stop at Gateway Casino on Saturday, May 18th! The latter show was newly announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group on Tuesday, and it's good to see Valerie, the Tonys, and Pierre spreading their wings to a new (to them) venue, so don't miss them at Sault Ontario's casino over the Victoria Day long weekend! Before then, the band will rock The Water Tower Pub as previously announced tomorrow, marking one year since they succeeded Jus' Chillin, so head to the central nightclub for lots of classic and hard rock cover favourites! This is a one-nighter as is standard for The Water Tower Pub, with classic rock trio The Sidekicks playing there tonight. 

Tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show is at 8:00 PM, next month's Gateway Casino show is at 9:00 PM, both are 19+ events, and neither has an announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Generations' upcoming concerts, and for a preview, here they are live!

Finally for today's previews, you can also check out local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's continuation of his bi-weekly run at Misty's Fifties TOMORROW! His first of two April matinee gigs at the venerable Second Line West nightclub/restaurant in this current arrangement, tomorrow's show does not fall on a major holiday weekend, so expect a standard block of well produced acoustic rock hits from the former Caveman Morrison frontman tomorrow! If you can't make it, Tym returns to Misty's on April 27th, and the series is advertised to continue once every two weeks until the end of June. Tomorrow's matinee concert has a 4:00 PM start time, it's presumably a 19+ event given the locale, and there is no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live in concert last year!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Matthew Good preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

Recent Local Concert Videos, Plus A Unique Drum Solo!!

Today's post is devoted to some recent videos, mostly from cover-centric musicians, and let's begin with bands recently seen in concert, starting with two live-streamed videos from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard's Facebook page at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Friday night! One is a 30 second clip of the guys covering ZZ Top's "La Grange", but embedded below is a much longer (if not full) rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". Alas, both were filmed vertically, but the person behind the camera got good angles of Bone Yard in action, especially on "La Grange" while it lasted, and the guys sound solid overall on both! Give Bone Yard's newest concert videos a watch above & below!

Next up, here's some newer videos of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations' show at Shooters on Friday the 13th, as filmed by attendee Monique Chartrand and uploaded to the band's Facebook group the following day! One is a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" with drummer Tony Santoro on lead vocals, but the video embedded below is longer and features frontwoman Valerie Powley on vocals. I admittedly cannot identify this cover, but that's not the fault of Monique or her camera, as there's an abnormal level of audience chatter during it that really complicates trying to hear Valerie's singing in any detail. Like with Bone Yard's video above, these were filmed vertically, but more distantly from a table, so keep that in mind. Well performed all around, if not entirely ideal to viewing quality depending on what you prefer, so give these a watch above & below!

Also today, here's some new videos from local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback's Facebook page in the past week! Well, less videos and more "Reels", as all of their recent uploads are as such, making them all permanently vertical, unable to be played in background tabs, and unable to be embedded on external websites. Interestingly, these "Reels" mostly feature footage shot when they opened for The Nameless Friends at Reggie's Place earlier this month, despite the band never plugging the concert on Facebook. Despite being brand new concert footage, four of the "Reels" just feature edited clips set to audio from their 2020 self-titled debut album ("Faded", their self-titled song, "Kicking & Screaming", and "Everlasting"), along with lyrics for included song snippets laid on screen. Local bands that post exclusive video footage in "Reels" rarely post the raw/full video separately, but it'd be neat if A Dire Setback did!

The only other new "Reel" was made to promote "Kicking & Screaming" music video and their debut album, with a (pillarboxed) clip from the video and more lyrics superimposed. It is great to see A Dire Setback ramp up their online presence this month after largely being quiet on Facebook post-pandemic, and while I've never been fond of "Reels", at least they're giving fans some new media. Check them out above!

We'll close today with a video that I should have covered on here months ago just on novelty factor alone, and it features Double Down/ex-That's Chester drummer Ric Datson playing a drum solo.... inside the Sault Ste. Marie Museum?! Yes, the museum at the corner of Queen & East hosts live concerts occasionally as well as the Fringe North festival, but it's still not the first locale you think of for a drum solo. Of course, Ric is the assistant curator of the museum, so he had an in to get his gear inside! Ric set up his Crush acrylic drumkit inside an empty gallery during a changeover in temporary exhibits, and was mainly filmed for fun to see how this newer kit sounded in a big, empty room. As uploaded to his YouTube channel in June, the video starts with 38 seconds of sped-up footage of Ric setting up his drums, before jumping to him drumming for almost four minutes.

The main view is an overhead shot from behind him, while the other (seen in an inset window in the upper left) is from a straight-on view to his left. This is a neat video for fans of Ric's (let alone drum solos), and while I'm sure you'd better appreciate the acoustics of the room in person, the echo and reverb does come through in the video, and it's certainly a unique way to see a local drummer show his stuff! Give it a watch for yourselves below!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bookclub & Generations), And More!!

Before we begin today's post, just a late heads up that there will actually be one more band joining Bone Yard and Skinbox at the Dragonfly Run (nee the Ride For ARCH) at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TODAY, namely a new local rock band named Nicky & The Southpaws, featuring Soo Fighters/Bourbon Blue alum Jules Cote. This is via Jules' personal Facebook page, as organizers have only confirmed Bone Yard's involvement publically. No word on what Nicky & The Southpaws play, but look for them TODAY during all of the festivities! Now, here's two big SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS & details on a familiar radio show's cancellation!

I spoke too soon about Slumshine being the only SMS-amenable act to play at the Fringe North Festival, as online page-less indie/punk cover quartet Bookclub will actually be the opening band on TODAY's program! Apologies for the short notice, I completely missed their inclusion on the program when doing the write-up on missing Slumshine's show there on Thursday (not helped by Bookclub not having known social media pages to plug gigs with, alas). TODAY's set will be the very first performance on the third day of Fringe North, with Bookclub playing on the outdoor stage outside of the Sault Ste. Marie Museum, and you can read some biographical information on the band (like how they formed and got their name) on page 35 of the official program. As you can see, Bookclub aren't really "opening" for anyone directly on the outdoor stage, with DJ Manskirt and drag performers The Haus of Gore playing under the tent well later.

The Inner City Surfers/Room 206 alum-laden Bookclub take the stage TODAY at 2:00 PM for this all ages set, which has a "pay what you can" model ($10 is suggested, $20 if you really want to support the band), and 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy conditions with a temperature of 24°. Hopefully things go well outside of the museum for Bookclub and Fringe North at large, and keep this one in mind if you want some afternoon punk and alternative covers! Apologies again for missing this one until now, and for a preview, here's Bookclub live!

Next up, Bookclub aren't done there for the weekend, as they and classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will join forces again for a block party on Queen Street East, this time TOMORROW! Again, I apologize for the short notice, confirmation of the bands only came this week, and not entirely from organizers. This is not a Downtown Association-held street party like the one that Bookclub and Generations played last week, as it is being put on by Wood, Resin, and Lye, a store on Queen Street East that sells handmade soap and artisinal products. The block party is 1980s themed and will be held in the Heritage Block, with Queen Street closed from Pim Street to East Street. Dozens of local vendors, refreshments, games, a beer tent, and much more will be on hand for the festivities, so for complete details on the non-musical aspects of the block party, visit Wood, Resin, and Lye's Facebook page to see what's in store TOMORROW!

Organizers only confirmed Bookclub by name as playing TOMORROW, where they will be the headline act, but Generations confirmed their involvement on their Facebook group, as well as that local pop rock quartet Lime will also be playing, though be advised that Lime have not publically acknowledged their involvement in this event. Also no public word yet on who will be on guitar for Generations here (key word: public). Curiously, Wood, Resin, and Lye said that "last year’s finalists from the Soo’s Got Talent competition" will be performing TOMORROW too, but they did not offer individual names. In case you forgot, six singers made the finals of The Soo's Got Talent last year, so click here for more on them in case that is true. It would be interesting to see them back on stage like this! Worth noting that Lime frontwoman Madi Schomogyi was indeed a finalist in The Soo's Got Talent in 2018, in case some promotional wires were crossed.

The block party is FREE and ALL AGES, with festivities taking place from 11:00 AM-6:00 PM, with Bookclub on last and Generations playing at 3:00 PM. 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather with a high of 25°, so the weather will be optimal for most TOMORROW! I wish organizers were more detailed about the lineup, but this should be a fun time for the whole family, so see above for details on TOMORROW'S block party, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Finally for today, this has no direct bearing on our local radio market anymore, but the nationally syndicated radio show Nights With Alice Cooper will end its run during the first full week of September, as per radio news websites like this. The cancellation is due to syndicator United Stations "going in a different direction" (I hate that excuse) after the company was sold to new management, and Alice did not end the show on his own accord. Alice was heard locally weeknights on Classic Rock: The Bear's old Newberry, Michigan affiliate (WIHC, 97.9 FM) from the fall of 2008 until WIHC was closed in February 2010, but remained on The Bear through early 2013, when you may have picked up their Cheboygan feed locally on 97.7 WCHY. Nights With Alice Cooper returned to The Bear in February 2019, by this point airing regionally on 95.3 WWSS out of Tuscarora Township.

Nights With Alice Cooper only aired on truly local radio for just over a year, but as one of the last vestiges of The Bear's Newberry affiliate beyond station branding, the playlist, and the recent return of The Bob & Tom Show, I wanted to acknowledge it here. Alice's playlist skewed towards classic rock more than metal, but you got to hear an eclectic variety within, plus his own songs, and lots of great stories from his career, and hopefully he continues hosting a radio show in some form elsewhere! If you can't pick up 95.3 FM over the air, you can hear Nights With Alice Cooper on The Bear's free online stream. That's all for today, but stay tuned for lots more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

New Year's Eve Weekend Concert Previews!!

On this wet Thursday evening, let's look at this weekend's hard rock concert previews, all with ample advance notice, and all factoring in New Year's Eve into their plans! Here's what you should know!

We'll start at The Northern Pines Lounge at the Kewadin Casino in nearby St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will end their 2022 concert calendar with shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a busy year for both Peril and their sister band Scarkazm with numerous gigs at Kewadin, this should be a prime chance to check out Jeff, Adam, and Brooks' hard rocking old school covers, in their first E.U.P. stops since rocking the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin in August. No word on holiday frills on Saturday for New Year's Eve, but ringing in 2023 is very much a part of the advertising for that night's concert, so if you want to end the year on a heavy note, Yooper readers know where to go! Both tomorrow's and Saturday's shows have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page & the above links for more details, and here's Peril live in concert!

Next up, we'll head north to Sault Ontario with a solid range of New Year's Eve options for heavier music tastes, but let's start with the arguable biggest show of the weekend, as local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will take the stage THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre as the local openers for Toronto "brasshop" favourites My Son The Hurricane! The Stallyns have had quite a busy year at traditional nightclubs and community events alike, but this rare support slot should provide them with a huge platform to show their varied setlist and heavier cuts, so don't be late on Saturday! My Son The Hurricane (featuring former Redefined/Rising Tide drummer Danno O'Shea) are certainly no strangers to the Soo, having played here twice already in 2022, and multiple times in years past, and their eclectic mix of funk and dance rock should be a fun way to end the year!

No word on seasonal frills beyond the headliners' presence, but this is a licensed 19+ event at the Bushplane Museum, and it's the culmination of pandemic-altered plans for My Son The Hurricane to play in town on December 31st since 2020. Presented by LopLops Lounge, tickets run for $64.67 at this link, and doors open at 8:00 PM. The scope, holiday tie-in, and headliners alone will make this must-see for many, but The Wyld Stallyns will bring the heavy (if mixed with other funk covers) to kick off the night, so don't miss out! Visit the above links for more details, and here are The Stallyns live in concert earlier this year!

Also taking place THIS SATURDAY NIGHT is local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek's first ever gig at The Water Tower Pub for that venue's own New Year's Eve party! Last seen headlining their "Christmas blowout" at Soo Blaster three weeks ago, Saturday will prove to be another high profile event for Fort Creek and their hard & heavy covers (and new originals), but in very different ways. The Water Tower Pub are absolutely going all out for New Year's Eve, with their event having $60 admission, but included in that price are an appetizer buffet, midnight toast, and party favours, so expect all of those frills if you're weighing our December 31st options. New Year's Eve room packages at the Great Northern Road venue's attacked inn are also available, click here for details. Advance tickets are on sale at The Water Tower Inn's reception desk, and presumably at the door, while this show is obviously 19+, and has a likely start time of 8:00 PM.

Between this and My Son The Hurricane/The Wyld Stallyns, $60+ tickets will scare many off, but remember what you're paying for in both cases, and at least The Water Tower Pub are open as to what they're providing on Saturday, so hopefully lots of revelers come out to send 2022 off and rock out with Fort Creek, especially in their debut there! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Finally for known hard rock concerts this weekend is local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck's own New Year's Eve show, which takes place at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SATURDAY NIGHT! Thursday jams nights aside, this will be Soundcheck's first concert since playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub this past Friday, but unlike that show, Saturday's New Year's Eve party has had plenty of advance notice on both the band's and venue's fronts! Soundcheck have played often at Shooters this year to positive audiences, so they should be a fine choice to send 2022 out at the Dennis Street nightclub with their old school hard rocking covers! Expect some type of New Year's frills, as this show will have a cover charge, but only $5, so if you want a much cheaper option than the Sault Ontario shows above, here you go! There will be a 19+ age limit as usual, and the festivities have a later run time of 9:00 PM-3:00 AM.

This has been a quiet year for concerts as we come out of the pandemic control measures, but it's good to see a solid slate of hard rock action in the Twin Saults on Saturday for your New Year's Eve partying needs, so visit Soundcheck's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live at Shooters!

That's all for today, but unless there's late notice shows, I'll next see you guys on Saturday for our annual year-in-review post! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Slumshine), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a missed (if abbreviated) concert earlier this week, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck played at a car show at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road on Thursday. The band never promoted this gig on their Facebook page, and I only belatedly heard about it via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page... but the show only lasted for an hour before heavy rain washed the band out and they were unable to continue. Hopefully their gear wasn't damaged, and I do apologize for missing the show, I'd have covered it if someone said something! Now, here's a weekend concert preview & a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local acoustic punk solo project Slumshine are back and will headline day #3 of this year's Fringe North Festival with a concert at The Sault Ste. Marie Museum TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Slumshine's Facebook page has not been updated to reflect this date, but project leader Brenton Ellis' personal Facebook page, and Fringe North's own promotional materials have picked up the slack. Slumshine had been publically dormant since the release of their "Slumlord" EP in May 2021 and the launch of Brent's current band These Magnificent Tentacles that same week, and they hadn't played live at all since early 2020, so you can see how a new Slumshine gig could take fans by surprise! As you may recall, the Fringe North Festival is the annual arts & culture festival intended to showcase open, censorship-free, and limitless performances from artists of all stripes, and is hosting in-person events again this year.

While many Fringe North performances remain as videos viewable by ticket purchasers only (The Uncanny Valley participated as such last year), and there's no linked Up The Arts Festival at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion like there was pre-pandemic, The Sault Ste. Marie Museum at the corner of Queen & East is the 2022 home base for in-person events. However, recent Facebook promotion indicates that the poor weather forecast for this weekend has forced Fringe North to move previously planned outdoor events inside the Museum, but capacity is limited across the board whether they were in the museum or not. Full details on any schedule adjustments are available on the Fringe North Facebook page. The only hard rock/punk-leaning in person act this year, Slumshine will be performing in the Museum at the Durhan Gallery TOMORROW NIGHT at 10:00 PM as part of a six act program, with Slumshine as the only "band".

Also scheduled are a performance of the one-act play Danielle at 8:30 PM, a Haus of Gore drag show at 7:00 PM, musical comedy troupe The Floor Beneath Us at 5:30 PM, a Project Nishin Niizh watch party (for indigineous culture videos reflecting the impact of the pandemic) at 4:00 PM, and Tim Murphy's historical one-man-show Wasn't It Grand? at 2:30 PM. It is worth noting that Slumshine's set TOMORROW NIGHT is plugged in the official Fringe North program as "a personal recovery based musical performance piece incorporating visual art", implying that Brent's paintings will be involved along with personal song lyrics, but of course, his pink knit ski mask is a given. Performances at Fringe North are individually priced, and while the format is "pay what you can", organizers suggest $10 for most acts and $20 as a "support the artist" price. Age limits are not specified, but use your discretion given the open culture.

Space limits inside the Museum for both size and pandemic protocols mean that there will be only 35 paid attendees allowed to see most acts, Slumshine included, so head down to the Museum A.S.A.P. if you want to ensure you're in before showtime! I'm very surprised to see Slumshine back, if at a very restricted event for capacity, but hopefully Brent has a lot more up his solo sleeve after TOMORROW NIGHT, so look for his entertaining unplugged punk originals downtown! Visit the above links for more details, Slumshine are back in our active band links, and here they are live!

We'll close tonight's post with one more weekend concert preview, as local classic/hard rock solo artist Tym Morrison will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for a matinee concert THIS SUNDAY! Tym debuted at the Dennis Street nightclub last month with two consecutive Sunday matinees before ceding the timeslot to Leslie Cook over the last two weeks. Tym's back over the next two Sundays, and while I don't know if he and Leslie are trading two Sundays in rotation for the time being or not, fans of his deep covers setlist should find a lot to like in a couple of days! No weather issues to deal with either, doubly so given that it's at Shooters Downstairs Lounge. Whether this works out better for you than his Trading Post gigs or if you can't get enough, Tym's show on Sunday has a 3:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard, Fort Creek, And Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

A busy weekend lies ahead if you're a fan of classic and hard rock cover bands, so let's dive into this weekend's concert previews on this Friday morning, largely comprised of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, plus one new video! Here's what you should know!

Local southern hard rock quintet Fort Creek will return to Reggie's West for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via their Facebook page yesterday, something they did acknowledge was due to bassist Robin "Bones" Lee (who apparently designs their show posters) being busy lately. TOMORROW'S one night only gig will be Fort Creek's first since rocking the downtown Reggie's two weeks ago, but west end fans have had a surprisingly long wait, with the band last appearing at the former Rosie in March. Compared to recent gigs, this appears to be more of a stripped down affair, with no advertised opening act TOMORROW, nor any big hype towards their upcoming EP, but as seemingly usual, there will be merchandise giveaways again. You can take in Fort Creek's hard rocking covers TOMORROW at 8:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Fort Creek live!

Next up, fellow local southern hard rock band Bone Yard will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT, before hitting The Rockstar Bar for a previously advertised concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice on the Shooters date, it was only announced via its Facebook event page on Wednesday. The odd situation of them playing separate venues is likely due to The Rockstar Bar only currently booking live music on Saturdays, and clearly Bone Yard wanted to play somewhere TOMORROW too, hence the venue split and the later announcement for Shooters. Bone Yard will now have played at Shooters in three straight weekends, while Saturday's show will be their first at The Algonquin Hotel in over a month. Greg, Alex, and Warren should have lots of southern tinged classic and hard rock covers in store for fans at both venues this weekend, so don't miss out!

Both TOMORROW'S Shooters concert and Saturday's Rockstar Bar gig have 8:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges. Visit the above links and the Rockstar Bar show's Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's some a brand new live-streamed Facebook video of Bone Yard covering The Beatles' "Come Together" at Shooters this past Saturday! The vertical angle and low framerate are unfortunate, as is the lack of fans close to the stage, but the guys handle this Beatles standby very well, and the audio quality holds up, so check it out below, and look for more at Shooters Downstairs Lounge TOMORROW!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East TOMORROW for one night only, before heading down to the aforementioned Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice on both of these dates, I only learned about them earlier this week via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page (the band has since posted a Facebook event page for the Shooters gig but have yet to do so for Reggie's). Shooters only booked bands on SATURDAYS initially, so that much isn't shocking for Soundcheck, but with Bone Yard pulling a single nighter there TOMORROW, it looks like a similar situation for Soundcheck wanting to play two nights this weekend, no matter where. Fans will have just seen Soundcheck at the downtown Reggie's last weekend, while they last rocked Shooters three weeks ago.

Hopefully Terry, Cameron, Paul(?), and Glen have a great weekend despite the late notice for both TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts, and look for lots of classic and hard rock covers, plus a bit of country regardless! Both have 8:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Finally for this weekend's currently known hard rock concert previews, here's one that definitely had advance notice, as local acoustic hard rock quartet The Wyld Stallyns will be among the entertainment at Gore Street charity grocery store Grocer 4 Good's "Come As You Are Gala" at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! A special event to honour and thank staff, volunteers, and supporters of Grocer 4 Good (which provides groceries to the downtown core and helps the disabled and delayed with employment opportunities), Saturday night's festivities will include dinner and concessions from local restaurants, a silent auction table, and a cash bar, while the title of the event is apt, as attendees are encouraged to wear whatever they like (pajamas and full costumes are fair game!) Musically speaking, The Wyld Stallyns will be playing in the back half of the gala after dinner wraps up alongside a country band led by Daryl Seabrook.

As well, singer Juliana Regan will perform during dinner proper, so there will be live music earlier in the evening too! Saturday's festivities are absolutely all ages, they begin at 6:00 PM, and while the gala does have ticket prices of $40 ($300 for a party/table of 8), remember what all you're getting & supporting by attending. You can buy yours online at this link and presumably at the door. This should be a great event to support Grocer 4 Good's suitably very good work, and The Stallyns' diverse & often heavy cover attack should provide a fun diversion at the Bushlane Museum to help end the evening! See above for details, and here are The Wyld Stallyns live!

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

The Rest Of This Weekend's Local Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up this weekend's slate of concert previews with a Saturday night trifecta, thankfully all with advance notice! For our previews of tonight's Tym Morrison show, this weekend's Soundcheck concerts, and the now-concluded Goo Goo Dolls/Cheap Trick show, check out yesterday's post. Now, here's what you should know to wrap up an unusually busy weekend!

We'll start in Hulbert Township, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie hard rock trio Tarnished are advertised to return to Hulbert House Bed & Breakfast for one night only TOMORROW! I will advise that, while this show is the final advertised concert on Tarnished's summer concert schedule on Facebook, the band proper has not updated their Facebook page in over two weeks, and Hulbert House have also not promoted it publically on Facebook as of late. If we get public confirmation that this show is not taking place, we will let you know, but as it's still advertised by the band, we'll proceed as normal. While this will be Tarnished's first show since their St. Ignace Kewadin gigs two weeks ago, and their first Hulbert appearance since the AMVETS rally there last month, you may recall that they were slated to open for Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys in a cancelled outdoor show there last week.

Hopefully all's well in Tarnished's camp and at Hulbert House, as this would be a fine way to end their summer concert calendar via their hard rocking originals and covers! If past Hulbert gigs are any indication, tomorrow's show will likely be a 6:00 or 7:00 PM affair with no cover charge or age limit, but I don't know if it'd be on the outdoor stage or in the B&B proper (the weather forecast looks good for tomorrow, in any event). Of course, please follow any social distancing guidelines in place at Hulbert House too. Follow the links above for more updates, and here's Tarnished live!

Next up, let's head north to Sault Ontario, where local funk/hard rock quintet The Wyld Stallyns will headline the Entomica Insectarium's summer 2021 social fundraiser concert at The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre TOMORROW NIGHT! Subtitled "Let's 'Mis-Bee-Hive', Come Out & Jive" (and held on National Honey Bee Day), this special event will be the first Bushplane Museum concert we've covered in two years, and will serve as a fun way to support the bug lab's work in the community and local businesses in general. Attendees can expect food and drinks from established local vendors, plus kids activities, a bee costume contest so visit the official Facebook event page and Entomica's Facebook page for full details on these aspects of the show. The Wyld Stallyns will be the heaviest and final band of the night, closing things at 11:00 PM in their fourth concert of the year & with their new lineup, while veteran local entertainer Tim Murphy will precede them at 10:30 PM, performing (likely in drag) as "Ms. Beehive".

Classic rock veterans Mustang Heart will hit the stage at 9:30 PM (expect at least one heavier cut from them), while newer local country musician Jeffrey Wright will look to make an impact with a set at 8:30 PM. Dueling local jazz collectives will take the stage during the kid-friendly opening half of the fundraiser, including The Northern Jazz Ensemble at 6:45 PM, and the confusingly named Josh Norling Jazz Ensemble leading off at 5:00 PM. An unidentified DJ will also spin tune between bands. Admission is $5 for this all ages event, which should be a winner for the bug lab and attendees all around, but of course, please respect and follow any social distancing and public health guidelines at the Bushplane Museum to ensure that everyone has a safe time, especially given that this is an all ages event with children's activities. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live!

Lastly for known hard rock concerts in the Sault Ste. Marie area this weekend, local garage/hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley will make their Rockstar Bar debut with a one-night-only concert TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be this rising young band's second show of the year following their Rotaryfest set last month, as well as their second public date with new bassist Brendan Bertrand. Of course, The Uncanny Valley are also the last of the four live bands announced for The Algonquin Hotel's upstairs nightclub's return to live music in August 2021, so will more be coming soon? Time will tell, but enjoy this promising quartet's classic-inspired originals tomorrow! A 8:00 PM start time is advertised for this 19+ concert, which has no announced age limit, but again, please be mindful of any and all social distancing measures (and wear your mask!) Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Uncanny Valley live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post of some kind by Monday! Thanks everyone!