LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (517, Banned, And Mourning Wood) And This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for missed concerts last weekend, profusely so given it's circumstances. Last weekend, Marquette hard rock cover quartet Nudge played at The Satsfied Frog in Sault Michigan for what turned out to be the final time, as the band is reportedly dissolving next month due to frontman Danzo McCracken's impending departure for personal reasons & new musical ambitions. The shows slipped us by during last week's concert previews, which I heavily apologize for, but I do wish everyone in Nudge the best in the future! Danzo's always been great regarding our coverage of Nudge's trips east, and hopefully we see the guys back in new projects!

Now, today's post is largely focused on this Civic Holiday weekend's concert previews, which are fairly quiet barring possible late notice announcements, but we also have some new LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for next month to touch on. We'll start with two SHORT NOTICE shows, as Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover veterans Mourning Wood will return to The Rednecks Saloon TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via the official Facebook event page yesterday. Following their Reggie's Place gigs last week (which were as a trio, no word on whether Steven or Paul were absent), Mourning Wood will be playing extremely short handed this weekend, with only frontman Terry Eaton on hand for unannounced reasons. Lucky 13 guitarist Robin Lee will return to fill in on bass, while original drummer T.J. Case will rejoin his old band in place of Glen Thomas this weekend, so keep that angle in mind!

Mourning Wood have played many gigs as a trio or with guest artists lately, and while their regular quartet lineup is still advertised online, we would definitely let you know if anything is announced to the contrary! Nicknamed "The Phil A. Show" in reference to the fill-in performers, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S Rednecks shows are 19+ shows with no announced cover charges and 10:00 PM start times, so check the above links for more details, and here's a sampling of Mourning Wood's varied and often heavy set!

Next up, here's a new show for next month that (I believe) is the local debut of Manistique hard rock trio 517, who are advertised as rocking The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Friday, August 5th & Saturday, August 6th! If you're not familiar with 517, they have been active since at least 2011, feature Manistique musicians Bob Mercier on guitar, John Zentner on bass, and his son Jonny on drums (the three split vocal duties), and they play heavy-leaning classic and modern rock, as per members' Fandalsm pages (and no, their name doesn't reference their area code, they're 906 too.) 517 don't have an online page that I can find, but John's personal Facebook page features three live videos of renditions of Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top, and Chuck Berry songs. 517 sound good from what I can hear, and add some grit to their covers ("Sharp Dressed Man" even has some an off-colour lyric change), and it should be interesting to see how 517 do out east!

Announced via Kewadin's entertainment page (along with multiple gigs at the Manistique Kewadin), these join a series of new August-December hard rock shows in St. Ignace from other hard rock bands that we'll touch on in an upcoming post. 517's Northern Pines Lounge shows are 9:00 PM events with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits, so see above for more!

To close things, here's this weekend's previously announced hard rock concert previews, and we'll start in Sault Ontario, where local hard rock solo singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to Gliss Steak & Seafood for his usual solo headlining shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY! Entering the fourth week of his return to triple bookings at The Quality Inn's house restaurant, Tym's strong and prolific covers and favourites should get a solid reception when he rocks Gliss for this weekend's slate of matinees there! As is standard for this long term run, he'll be on at 6:00 PM tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday, and while none of these shows have an announced cover charge or age limit, remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and here's Tym live!



Finally, let's head back to Michigan and The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Highway 63 are scheduled to return for headlining dates TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though not newly advertised on the band's Facebook page yet, the band confirmed them earlier this year in a mass schedule post, and Highway 63's fan favourite covers should find another solid audience when they return to The Northern Pines Lounge this weekend! With alumni of Monkey's Uncle, Power Slug, Hoist the Sails, and The Mama's Boys in their lineup, how could they not? Like the 517 shows next week, this weekend's Highway 63 gigs are both 21+ affairs with no announced cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Highway 63 live earlier this year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more St. Ignace concert announcements and more soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge & The 3 Day Millionaires) And The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

With the last concert weekend of the month approaching, let's tackle most of our hard rock concert previews today! For reference, we will touch on Saturday night's Motherfuckers-headlined Oddfellows Hall concert in our next news post (with a note regarding a lineup change, and yes, any more late notice announcements), and remember that Saturday's Gnaeus/K.I.C.K. show at The Rockstar Bar was indefinitely postponed due to "unforeseen circumstances." Now, let's kick off this preview post with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Marquette, Michigan hard rock cover quartet Nudge will return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for headlining concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the shows via their official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Coming unusually soon after their most recent local gigs (just four weeks ago at The Frog), Danzo and company should be on form with their entertaining modern hard rock renditions, so don't miss out on their latest local gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY! For reference, the event page doesn't list the Wednedsday & Thursday Danzo's acoustic sets that usually precede the full Nudge shows, no word on if they've been permanently dropped or not. There's no announced cover charge for this weekend, you must be 21 or older to attend, and 10:00 PM start times are advertised. For more details, visit the above links, and here's Nudge live in Negaunee!



Also new this weekend, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet The 3 Day Millionaires will return to the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Rednecks Saloon! Again, apologies for the short notice, they too only announced the shows via their official Facebook event page on Tuesday. Fresh off of their Park Grille debut two weeks ago, this will be this newer local cover band's second weekend at the former Nicolet Tavern, following a successful debut there last month. This union of Havadder, Turner Up, Lucky 13, and Boxcar Junction alumni have been entertaining fans reliably in the past few months, and hopefully they deliver strong sets this weekend at Rednecks! There's no announced cover charges either for their shows, each will start at 10:30 PM, and you must be 19 or older to enter. For more details, visit the above links, and here's The 3 Day Millionaires live earlier this year!

Moving to previously announced concerts, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue with his weekly concert arrangement at Gliss Steak & Seafood with two more acoustic matinee concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With more acoustic gigs likely to be confirmed for May in his ongoing Gliss run soon, don't worry about the lack of later Tym shows in our concert listings, but definitely consider a trip down to The Quality Inn's house restaurant this weekend to take in his skilled and prolific range of covers, with a good selection of hard rock favourites sure to be among his sets! As usual for Tym's Gliss dates, these have 6:00 PM start times, no announced age limits, and no cover charges, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Finally for today's preview post, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will return to the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Marking their first announced concerts since their St. Ignace stops in February, it's great to see this increasingly sporadically seen band on stage again, and with Nixxon Dixxon, Splitshot, and Highest of Fives alumni in their ranks, you know that their Van Halen-inspired hard rock selections will find a solid audience this weekend! For reference, 415E are not currently advertised for any upcoming concerts in our area after this weekend, though Kewadin's entertainment page does advertised them as playing in Manistique in June. As usual for their Kewadin gigs, there's no announced cover charges, these are 21+ events, and these shows will start at around 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the above links, and here's 415E live!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more previews and this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge), More Weekend Concert Previews, And The Din's Latest Updates!!

Happy April Fools Day, everyone! I give my 100% pledge that there's no pranks or fake stories ahead (partly to be kind, partly as I have no good ideas for a prank), so prepare for the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for Sault Michigan, a new concert video, and some updates from a rising young Sault Ontario band! Here's what you should know!

Marquette, Michigan cover hard rock favourites Nudge will make their way to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for the first time this year TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about this show last night, though Nudge had advertised it on the official Facebook event page for longer than a week. After a nearly 6 month break from playing in the E.U.P., fans should welcome Danzo McCracken and company back with open arms this weekend, and with their entertaining blend of hard rock covers in full force, don't miss out TONIGHT and/or TOMORROW! Yes, these shows did again follow Danzo's requisite acousticWendesday-Thursday nighters as well, hopefully those were hits! 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits are in effect for this weekend, so see above for more details, and for a preview, here's Nudge live!



Moving to previously announced concerts, let's stay in Sault Michigan with the next gigs from newer local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, who will make their Soo debut (and 2nd-3rd live concert appearances) when they rock Dondee Lanes TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! With the Ten Kings successors' St. Patrick's Day launch in Brimley now under their belts, this talented new band will head to the Dondee for their first full weekend engagement, and they should have a fun weekend of hard and blues rock covers in store for fans! Early start times of 8:00 PM are in effect for this weekend's shows, you must be 21 or older to attend, and there's no announced cover charges. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page, and for a preview, here's a new video from Project 906's debut concert! Uploaded to the band's Facebook page on March 21st, this is a short video of the end of their cover of Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", with leprechaun hats in tow.

You don't get a fantastic look at Project 421 here, with only the "Hey! Hey Hey!" chants featured for vocals, but Joe Jenkins does end things with a solid lick, and the filming quality is decent! Hopefully more comes out from Project 906 soon, don't miss them at The Dondee this weekend, and here's the end of their Van Halen cover!

Finally for known local hard rock concert previews this weekend, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his Gliss Steak & Seafood arrangement with solo acoustic shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW! As Tym's run at the downtown restaurant marches on, look for some fun classics in an unplugged format once again, and if you know Tym's prolific nature, these should again deliver the goods over the next two evenings! Of course, remember that the Caveman Morrison band will end a 2+ year hiatus TOMORROW during the Rednecks Saloon relaunch party, so keep that show in mind as well if you've missed Tym's full live band in the mid-2010s! Of course, their return (presuming it continue past tomorrow night) shouldn't affect his Gliss dates, as those are matinees. Tym's Gliss shows this weekend are 6:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges or age limits, but remember, this is a sit-down restaurant. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live at the former Bossy's!



We'll close today's post with the latest from local alternative/hard rock trio The Din, who will join Caveman Morrison and five other acts at the aforementioned Rednecks relaunch concert TOMORROW! Since their runner-up performance in last week's VM Radio Battle of the Bands, this rising local band have announced via their Facebook page that they're in studio and "making more and more progress" on their debut album, though it's not yet clear if recording sessions have firmly begun for it. This seemingly confirms that their old jam-era free postings like "Dinner With the President" (which they termed as "albums") are not considered as such anymore. Presumably, the band's planned CD release of their acoustic Fishbowl Festival set at The Gore Street Cafe is separate, as The Din also teased that on Facebook last week, to be put out under the name "The Din Does Laundry".

The full set includes 15 songs, including 4 covers and some unfamiliar songs like "Spin Cycle" & "Leamington, Ontario". No word on how this live disc will be released, but stay tuned for updates on it! The Din have also launched an Instagram page to check out, with more content to follow there, but we'll end things with The Din's newest Facebook video, posted on Monday to promote tomorrow's Rednecks set. It features Mike, Tammy, and Brendan discussing the show, their lack of an on-stage banner for it, and how Tammy bought an old tube television for that purpose, which they fruitlessly try to use like a smart TV. Cute promotion, so give it a look below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge, Banned, And Lucky 13) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

News has been slow as of late, with only three posts (one a monthly feature) since our last weekend concert preview post, but things will pick up soon! Today, we have lots of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and previews of one more set of shows that we already heard about, so let's kick things off with a notable band's return to our area, and a linked apology (and yes, we will touch on Peril's shows this weekend in our next post, so don't worry!)

Marquette, Michigan hard rock cover quartet Nudge will rock The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and as it turns out, this is their second straight weekend there! I profusely apologize for missing last weekend's shows at The Frog, they completely slipped us by during last week's previews, as well as for the late notice on these shows, which we only heard about a couple of days ago. After a ten month absence from our area, Nudge returned to The Frog for the first time this year last week, and like with this weekend's shows, they were preceded by acoustic gigs by frontman Danzo McCracken on the Wednesday and Thursday, so if you're up for mellower covers, be at The Frog TONIGHT as well! Last week's shows were also just their second weekend in the Soo with current drummer Bob Crawford. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows have 10:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

I again sincerely apologize for missing last weekend's Nudge shows on here, but hopefully the guys had a blast in their long awaited return to the E.U.P., as it's been way too long! No word on why they didn't play here for 10 or so months, but if you missed last weekend's hard rocking covers, here's your encore opportunity, and here's Nudge covering Motley Crue!



Next up, Kinross hard/classic rock trio Banned will rock Dondee Lanes in Sault Michigan TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the shows on their Facebook page on Monday, and they weren't included (or booked?) when they last announced late-2015 shows there in August. The new Dondee bookings also join one more new local show on Saturday, November 14th, which will uniquely take place in their hometown at The Kinross Township Hall at 4916 West Curtis Avenue, specifically at their Orioles' Club inside the hall. I don't recall Banned ever playing at this venue, but a show in their stomping grounds should be a nice change of pace! TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S Dondee shows will mark Banned's first announced gigs there since November of last year, so if you've missed Banned at this popular bowling alley/concert venue, don't miss out!

Also, a New Year's Eve gig in Drummond Island was newly announced on Monday as well, but that is outside of our coverage range (no word yet though on a Halloween weekend gig, which Banned usualy have on their schedule.) Both new regional shows have early 8:00 PM start times, no announced cover charge, and while the Dondee shows are 21+, I can't confirm a potential age limit for the Kinross gig. Check the above links for more details, and don't miss Alex, Don, and Wayne's entertaining covers in the Soo THIS WEEKEND, in Kinross next month, or at other previously announced fall gigs! Here they are live last year!



Moving north to Sault Ontario, here's one more late announcement, as local alternative/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13 will return to The Rockstar Bar THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Once again, I apologize for the short notice, the show was only announced via the official Facebook event page on Tuesday. A one-nighter due to The Algonquin Hotel's Rockstar Republic dance nights on Fridays, this will be Lucky 13's first Rockstar Bar stop in three months, and come fresh off of their first ever solo headlining gigs at The Canadian last week. With alumni of Aftersight, Turner Up, Wishbone, and The Gully Yodelers in their lineup, you know that Lucky 13 will deliver a fun night of hard hitting covers on Saturday, so keep this one in mind for SATURDAY NIGHT! And remember, don't come Friday if you're hoping to see Lucky 13, but if you like club nights, bring white clothing for the blacklight party!

Lucky 13's show on Saturday has a 19+ age limit, 10:30 PM start time, and no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Lucky 13 covering a few songs live!



Finally for today, here's some previously announced concerts, as longtime Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his long running weekly arrangements at The Harp Bar & Grill and Gliss Steak & Seafood this weekend, including acoustic hard rock cover matinees at Gliss TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, which he'll follow as usual with his regular nighttime shows at The Harp (formerly Madison's Pub) TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a slightly abbreviated previous weekend schedule due to The Harp's UFC PPV broadcast, Tym's back on his usual five-shows-a-weekend schedule, so if you want to check out his unplugged renditions of hard rock classics, be sure to check out Tym either downtown at Gliss or central at The Harp over the coming days! The Gliss shows are 6:00 PM matinees with no announced cover or age limits (though remember, this is a restaurant), while the Harp shows are 10:00 PM gigs with no announced cover and 19+ age limits.

For more details on these shows, visit the official event page at the links here & here, and don't miss Tym Morrison's prolific range of covers at these two venues this weekend! Here's Tym live with the late Luke LeBlanc!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for the Peril previews and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Mourning Wood) & Sault Michigan Weekend Concert Previews!!

In our first of two posts on this Friday, we have the rest of the weekend's known hard rock concert previews, including Sault Michigan-area shows going down tonight and tomorrow, and leading off, SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TONIGHT & TOMOROW, so here's what you need to know!

Sault Ontario classic/hard rock trio Mourning Wood will return to The Rednecks Saloon TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band just announced the gigs yesterday via their Facebook event page. Fresh off of their well recieved New American gigs last week, these will be Mourning Wood's first shows at the former Nicolet Tavern since Halloween, and will also be their last before their planned New Year's Eve show at the same venue (which we can now confirm will have a Mardi Gras theme and a $10 cover charge, source here.) If you're up for Mourning Wood's mix of classic and hard rock covers, be at The Rednecks Saloon TONIGHT and/or TOMORROW NIGHT, and also remember that Terry Eaton & Steven Flint from this band are also putting on the battle of the bands at The Rednecks Saloon on February 20th, so see above for more details!

As for this weekend, admission is likely free, there is a 19+ age limit, and a 10:00 PM start time both nights. For more details, visit the above links! It sounds like the guys have a good stretch of shows coming up, and hopefully they rock Rednecks well this weekend, so keep it in mind if you're on the Ontario side of the border, and here are the guys at Rock For Dimes!



Moving to previously announced concerts (all in the Sault Michigan area), we'll first stop at The Satisfied Frog, where Marquette hard rock veterans Nudge. will return for another weekend of hard hitting covers TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! To be their last advertised Sault Ste. Marie dates of the year, these shows follow frontman Danzo McCracken's usual solo acoustic gigs at The Frog over the last two nights, but surprisingly, Nudge have had another drummer switch, with Bob "Crawl" Crawford taking over for the departed Jeremy Weiger starting with this weekend's shows. Nudge. have now had six drummers since 2011, which is almost unbelievable, but Bob has a past with Nudge. as their former sound & light technician, so hopefully he can last for the long term and fill his predecessors' shoes well! You can take in Nudge's entertaining cover attack at 10:00 PM tonight & tomorrow, these shows have 21+ age limits, and there's no cover charges.

For more details, visit the Facebook event page, don't miss Nudge.'s last local gigs of the year, and here's the guys live in Skanee a few years back!



We'll now head to the regional Kewadin Casino branches, starting with The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace, where Charlevoix metal trio Peril will return for their last Eastern Upper Peninsula dates of 2014! Last seen there (or anywhere in the Sault area) in October, fans should expect Jeff, Adam, and Brooks to be ready for an intense weekend of hard hitting covers TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT in St. Ignace, so don't miss this veteran trio one last time before the new year! There is no announced cover charge for either show this week, you must be 21 to attend, and 9:00 PM start times are in effect. For more details, visit the above links! Peril have long proven themselves to be favourites in our area with their aggressive and crowd pleasing concerts, so don't miss Peril one last time in 2014, as who knows when they'll be back? For a preview, here's Peril live in 2012!

Finally for this weekend's previews, Kinross hard/classic rock trio Banned are scheduled to return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Though quite possibly not their last shows of the year (as Banned usually play a New Year's Eve gig), these are are their last advertised shows of 2014 so far, and will also be their first Rapids Lounge stops since August. It should be noted however that Banned have not posted on their Facebook page since December 1st, when the guys shared photos from their shows last month in Engadine, which appear to show ex-bassist Jim Pentland back with the band (Wayne Lawrence moved to guitar in the photos), but it has not yet been officialy confirmed if Jim's back permanently or if he was just making a guest appearance. You can find out at The Rapids Lounge tomorrow and/or Saturday at 9:00 PM, and there's a 21+ age limit and no announced cover charges. Check the above links for more details, and here's Banned live this summer!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for big news on the other new early 2015 battle of the bands in Sault Ontario later today! Thanks everyone!

Banned Concert Previews, A New Promotion Company, And Much More!!

Before we begin this post, we have a note on a postponed concert, as the Tiffany Maj benefit concert at Coch's Corner featuring Northwest & Late Shift has been postponed a week from tomorrow to next Saturday. Promoter/Northwest guitarist Greg Callaghan explained on the Facebook event page that the date change was to avoid possible complications with tomorrow's Santa Claus Parade, which goes down Queen Street. Makes sense, especially with the earlier 8:00 PM start time, so keep the new date next Saturday in mind! Now, today's post features the remaining known hard rock concert previews for this weekend, news on a local promoter's reemergence, and much more, so here's what you need to know!

Kinross, Michigan hard/classic rock trio Banned are scheduled to return to the Dondee Lanes in Sault Michigan for the first time this year TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be the guys' first date in Sault Ste. Marie proper in three months, and will mark a rare Dondee stop for Alex, Wayne, and Don, so if you want to take in some entertaining and varied covers & originals, you know where to be this weekend! Of course, they'll be back in the Soo next month at The Rapids Lounge, but what if you can't be at those gigs? Admission this weekend is likely free, you must be 21 to attend each night, and like usual for the Dondee, these shows have an early start time of 8:00 PM. For more details, check the above links! Hopefully this weekend's shows go well, so don't miss Banned this weekend, and here they are covering the Imagine Dragons!



Next up, North Shore frontman and former local hardcore singer Jeremy Hannah is finally re-entering the promotion area of the local scene via his new company Pure Sonic Audio! Years after the closure of Big Voiced Records, Jeremy has ambitious plans to provide event coordination, professional DJ services, and light & sound rentals for concerts and events in the area, which he partially outlined in a new Facebook group he launched to help musicians post info about their development and to help them get local bookings. Jeremy says that he has "new strategies" to ensure that bands can make some money for their skills and play to crowds, but he needs help, so invite your friends to join the group linked above! A Pure Sonic Audio website is online too, but as of yet, it's mostly a placeholder page with blank links and generic write-ups. Jeremy has shared some of these plans with me in personal conversations in the past, and I'm curious to see where this goes, so follow and like the links above for more info, and Pure Sonic Audio's now in our "Other Local Metal Links"!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or station name:

• Saskatchewan stoner/doom metal band Chronobot (who memorably opened for Skynet in the Soo in March) are a new confirmation for the lineup of the planned Das Bunkerfest II concert event at a Garden River location to be confirmed over the last weekend of August 2015, as per promoter Boyd Rendell on the Facebook event page yesterday. Solid addition, we'll have to see how everything shapes up next year, so see above for more info!
• So, who exactly are Infamous, the mystery act playing at Sault Band-O-Rama TODAY? According to a recent e-mail from co-promoter Steven Flint, their lineup features Lizzie Pearson on vocals, Social Suicide alum Anthony Boudreau on guitar, and Damon King on drums, with no obtained bassist yet. They appear to be one and the same as "The Damon King Band" that dropped out of Rock For Dimes last week, though they lack info (or an online page) otherwise. At least we know something on Infamous now, and thanks to Steven for the info!
• Last week, local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades revealed on their Facebook page that they already have six songs in mind for their next EP, including the previously unveiled "Fear Corps", "Frederick", "Crossroads", "Motorwolf", and two new songs named "The Lot" and "Negative Headspace". It's not known when recording sessions would commence, but things sound promising, so stay tuned!
• Marquette/Ishpeming, Michigan hard rock cover quartet Nudge have a sampler clip of songs played at The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan during at least one of their local shows on their Reverbnation page! It features segments of the band covering Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls on Parade", Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls", Sponge's "Plowed", and The Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (To Party)", and all sound good (the Rage vocals are suprisingly effective), so give the clips a listen above!
• Urawk (the live band karaoke series led by members of Beaumont Avenue and Mourning Wood) will make their Rockstar Bar debut this coming Thursday, so if you want to enjoy the entertainment or sing on-stage with a real band, keep Urawk's first show since moving to The Algonquin in mind for next week! The debut there was postponed from yesterday due to the weather.
• New local internet radio network VM Radio have launched a sixth station for the next couple of months, that being VM Holidays, whose rotation obviously revolves around Christmas and seasonal songs. We mention this on here in particular because the station does have a handful of heavier Christmas songs on rotation, including Trans-Siberian Orchestra material, so if you want some seasonal music, give VM Holidays a listen!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile TOMORROW, and remember not to miss Sault Band-O-Rama TODAY at The Primavera Hall! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge & 415E) And This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

For the first time since Saturday, we're covering news and previews in a post on the SMS, partly due to a recent news slowdown, but we do have a full news post coming this weekend! Today's post is devoted to previews of this weekend's hard rock concert previews in the area, mostly in Sault Michigan, though we have some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for THIS WEEKEND and next too! Also, if you saw a recent Rockstar Bar Facebook group posting referencing a Stiffler's Mom gig this Saturday, that appears to have been premature or incorrect, as it's since been removed from said post. If anything changes again, we'll let you know, but let's begin our previews, and check out our review of AlgomA's new CD in the post below this one!

Ishpeming/Marquette hard rock cover favourites Nudge have announced two more local concert weekends for 2014, as they'll be back at The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, before returning there on Friday, December 12th & Saturday, December 13th! Apologies for the short notice for this weekend's shows, the band just confirmed them via this weekend's Facebook event page. The gigs this weekend are either new additions or are replacing shows at a further location (they weren't listed when we covered Nudge's Soo dates last month), but December's are absolutely new, and will almost certainly mark their last local dates of 2014. Tomorrow's show will also mark Nudge's first local appearance with new drummer Jeremy Weiger, who replaced the again-departed Eric Schlumpf last month, though some fans may see him accompany frontman Danzo McCracken at his solo acoustic set at The Frog tonight as well. Nudge seem to rotate drummers as frequently as Spinal Tap, but hopefully Jeremy sticks!

Both this weekend's and December's concerts have 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 10:00 PM start times, so check the above links for more details, don't miss Nudge back at The Satisfied Frog TOMORROW & SATURDAY, and here's Nudge covering Godsmack a few years ago!



Also in new concerts, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will make their Dondee Lanes debut NEXT WEEKEND (October 24th & 25th), which follow their previously announced gigs at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Next weekend's shows (possibly their first ever at a non-Kewadin venue) were announced on their Facebook page two weeks ago. It'll be cool to see the guys at a different venue for a change, so if you like the Dondee, don't miss next weekend's shows! Before then however, 415E will make their first concert appearances in 2½ months this weekend when they debut their new quartet lineup, with Mitch Goetz and Tony Hubbard replacing Jack Slater & Devin Anderson respectively on bass and drums, ending a long stretch where founding members Dave Menard & Chris Hubbard played shows as a duo. Great to see a full lineup again, and fans of Dave, Chris, and Tony's old band Splitshot will be glad to see them back together again!

Both this weekend's Rapids Lounge gigs and next weekend's at the Dondee have 21+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and likely 9:00 PM start times. For more details, visit the above links, don't miss a chance to see the new look 415E lineup in action this month (including TOMORROW & SATURDAY), and here's 415E live last year!



Moving to shows that were 100% previously announced, Cheboygan hard rock trio Driven will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for headlining gigs there TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen in the U.P. at a private gig in August (and publically in June), this will sadly be Driven's last concert weekend at any location with singer/bassist Tony Rhome, who's retiring from the band in order to settle down, spend more time with family, and pursue new interests, as per a heartfelt message that he posted on the band's Facebook page two weeks ago. Driven fans are bound to be disappointed by this news, but our best wishes go out to Tony, and hopefully fans send him off with a bang this weekend! For what it's worth, Driven have not announced if they will continue without him yet, but they haven't visibly announced later gigs for this year either. This weekend's shows have 9:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charges, so don't miss Driven's last local gigs with Tony THIS WEEKEND, and here's the guys covering Metallica!



Lastly, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will kick off his 46th straight week of concerts at The Harp Bar & Grill on Pine Street with solo acoustic gigs TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Unlike the last few weekends in his ongoing arrangement with the former Madison's Pub, Tym is outwardly promoting the Saturday half of this weekend's sets there via the Facebook event page, so keep both tomorrow's hosted jam night and Saturday's pure solo acoustic show in mind! As usual, you can take in Tym's entertaining covers either night at around 10:00 PM, there's no announced cover charges, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, check the above links! It's good to see Tym's successful run at The Harp moving steadily along, so don't miss it on the Ontario side, and here he is covering Journey!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend, plus our next poll on Saturday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge, The Danger Cats, And Exiled), More Concert Previews, And More!!

Thanks to some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, our second post with weekend concert previews to start the month is much higher in that regard than we had anticipated! The new shows & one previously announced gig (plus an additional new show later in the month) lead off this post, but we also have some late updates for a Sault Ontario all ages concert tomorrow night, so read on below for what you need to know!

Ishpeming/Marquette hard rock cover quartet Nudge will return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for headlining concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we just heard about these shows last night, though they had been advertised on Reverbnation before recently. These will be Nudge's first appearances in our neck of the woods since rocking the Frog in May, and unless a December return is planned, will be their last Soo stops of 2014, so if you've missed Danzo and company, keep their hard rocking good times in mind for tonight & tomorrow! Note that this weekend's shows will also bookend a mini-golf tournament at 2:00 PM tomorrow between the band and Satisfied Frog staff at Lockside Mini Golf at 447 West Portage Avenue (across from the locks), which you can attend if you want to cheer on the band and/or Frog crew! For the actual concerts, admission is likely free, you must be 21 to enter, and 9:00 PM start times are likely. For more details, visit the above links, and for a preview, here's Nudge covering Alice In Chains!



Also in new concert discoveries for this weekend, Sault Ontario all-female hard rock quartet The Danger Cats will headline at The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the girls only announced this show yesterday. Hyped as a "the back to school show", this will be their first headlining concert appearance since their weekend at The Esquire Club in July, and with their set opening for The Red Rails still fresh in the memory, their originals and covers should go over well with the Rockstar Bar faithful tomorrow! For reference, this is a one-night-only gig due to the previously announced Summer Thunder show at this venue tonight. A $5 cover charge is likely for tomorrow's Danger Cats concert, you must be 19 to attend, and a 10:00 PM start time is in place. For more details, click here! Late notice or not, The Danger Cats should put on a solid show tomorrow, so keep it in mind for an entertaining night of local hard rock, and for a preview, here are the girls at The Rockstar Bar last month!



Lastly for our known hard rock concert previews this weekend is a previously announced show from new Rudyard, Michigan band Exiled, who also have a new concert to announce for later this month too! They'll first rock Kincheloe TONIGHT as the live entertainment at The Bunker at The Oaks at Kincheloe golf course (at 50 Woodside Drive), which is part of a night golf event to raise money for the autism charity Corner Pieces. Great cause, and a unique setting for a concert (band name typos aside!) Admission to the golf event itself is $30 a person, but I'm unsure if Exiled's set will be independent of that fee or will only be available as part of it. There's no announced age limits, and a 9:00 PM start time is announced. This show precedes a new announcement for Exiled, as they'll be (among?) the entertainment at the "Wild In Da Wilderness" party for the local branch of the Jokers Motorcycle Club of Michigan on Saturday, September 20th, which is publically attendable! Located at 7100 M-129 (close to the 7 Mile Road turnoff), this 21+ event will have live music, food, prize raffles, bike games, and free camping from 1:00 PM on that day, so visit the official Facebook event page for full details!

Both of these shows will also be Exiled's first as a quintet, with the band adding guitarist Joe Jenkins (Full Throttle) and bassist Myke Young (Division of Sanity) to their lineup in recent weeks, and with frontman Donny Newell visibly moving to just vocals rather than playing guitar too. Nice to see a fuller lineup, and with Joe & Myke's bands recently not doing too much, it's nice to see them staying busy with a new project! These are unconventional shows for Exiled, but both are for good causes and connections, so keep each in mind, and don't miss Exiled's night golf set TONIGHT in Kincheloe!

Finally for today, here's some late updates concerning TOMORROW'S IDNS-headlined all ages show at The Oddfellows Hall! In terms of the lineup, it appears that local doom/punk trio The Revolution have quietly been removed from the new band schedule on the Facebook event page, though a reason for the former Brutaly Fatal's exit has not been announced by the band or promoters. Hopefully things are alright in their camp, and we'll keep you guys posted when we hear more from The Revolution! Concerning acts that are playing, local grunge/punk solo project Telephone & Address confirmed on their Facebook page tonight that they will indeed release their new CD "Need Not Apply" tomorrow night! Chris projected $15 sale costs for the album, which has 15 songs likewise, and the cover of one copy is pictured. Nice to see, and the timing makes perfect sense, so keep an eye out for the new Telephone & Address album tomorrow! Remember, tomorrow's concert is ALL AGES, admission is $10, everything starts at 5:00 PM, and I hope to be there too, so don't miss out on one of the first big metal shows of the fall!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, and more in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge), A New Local Metal Project, And Much More!!

I wasn't expecting to have a second news post today, but due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS that just came to my attention, we'll rush another one, but check out more new concerts, videos, and other updates in the post below this one! Now, we have the aforementioned late notice gigs, a Sault Michigan metal band's recent updates, and more assorted news and notes, but first, here's a new local metal project we recently came across!

We have a new local metal project to add to our Sault Ontario band links, that being a new solo metal project named StrykerGC! Led by a veteran local singer/guitarist named Troy Isaac Kulka (who also uses the "Wyatt Erp" alias here and there), he had previously been in a British Columbia rock band named Angel Dust, but has been producing his own solo music since November, launching under the StrykerGC name last month (including Facebook & Reverbnation pages.) While relatively new, StrykerGC are looking to release his recent solo recordings as an album named "Life's A Bitch" on iTunes, and songs towards that goal are now streaming on Reverbnation, so how do they sound? Troy's solo music has elements similar to those of veteran local hard rock artists like Tym Morrison and SweetKenny, harbouring a classic metal sound with blues influences, and a good vocal range, and it will be interesting to see how far StrikerGC goes!

Note as well that Troy is looking to form a full band for this project, so if you're interested to get more details, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post yesterday! One YouTube copy of StrykerGC's song "Black As Night" also exists on Troy's YouTube channel, so give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from this new local band discovery as we hear it!



Next up, we have SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TONIGHT AND TOMORROW NIGHT, as Marquette, Michigan hard rock quartet Nudge will be rocking The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan for two nights this weekend! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via their Facebook event page on Tuesday, and they slipped our radar until now (thanks to frontman Danzo McCracken for the heads-up!) Last seen at The Frog in February, this weekend's shows are their third & fourth Sault Ste. Marie dates since drummer Eric Schlumpf returned to their lineup, and they do indeed follow Danzo's traditional Wednesday & Thursday acoustic gigs at The Frog, so hopefully they went well! Nudge's entertaining modern hard rock covers always find a receptive audience, and you can rock out with them once again TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM, with 21+ age limits and no announced cover charges in effect. For more details, check the above links, don't miss Nudge's E.U.P. returns tonight or tomorrow, and here's Nudge covering Static-X in Munising!



Staying across the river, local classical metal band Theatre of Night recently overhauled their official website, and there's some interesting new stuff there, so what should you know? Along with an expended slate of online pages (including ones on Twitter, Soundcloud, and Pinterest), they now have an updated blog with recent news, including the revelation of a new original song named "The Killing" that will feature guest vocals from Italian singer Ida Elena DeRazza, and that their first album "Christmas Night" is almost sold out of it's original instrumental CD pressings. Their website doesn't have any brand new material yet that we haven't already heard, but it does include a tab for future tour dates, which has to be encouraging for long time fans! Studio work has been slow for Theatre of Night in the last year, but their talent and originality speaks for itself, and hopefully we hear much more from the Giles brothers, Craig, and Gaby soon, so keep an eye out!

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 series name:

• These Sins of Time frontwoman Alexa LeClair is again looking for musicians for her current hard rock project (still unclear whether it's T.S.O.T. or something else), now focusing on a guitarist or bassist. At last word, Sault Michigan's Ethan Twardy was on drums, though it's unclear whether they're looking for an additional guitarist or if Dalton Boissineau left. The aim is to tour and make CDs, but if you're interested, message Alexa via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from May 4th!
• Local thrash metal band Pillory have quietly parted ways with guitarist Josh Amendola, as per his move to their former members list on their Facebook page. A public reason was not announced there, but note that Pillory have not made a Facebook post since March. Josh had replaced the late Andres Duchesne in the band last year, but only played with them at a few early 2014 gigs. Hopefully all's amicable, and best of luck to Josh in the future!
• The most recent installment of Local2's bi-weekly music profile video series Tuned with Donna Hopper was posted on May 3rd, and while you can watch it at this link, note that it doesn't focus too much on metal or hard rock bands, instead mainly covering White Pines Collegiate student band The Pine Tones. It does feature a plug of the Alice Cooper show in Sault Michigan next month though!

That's definitely all for today, but we'll see you guys at The Rockstar Bar TONIGHT for the Jack Spades EP release show! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge & Griphook) And The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

We have another busy concert weekend on the horizon, so I've been forced to break this weekend's hard rock/metal show previews up into two posts. We'll tackle late notice announcements, tomorrow's Heavy Thursday, and one Friday nighter below, and we'll get to the rest of the Friday-Saturday shows tomorrow, so if it's not addressed here and it's heavy, it's coming! Let's start our first of the weekend previews with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!

Marquette hard rock favourites Nudge will make their first local concert appearances of 2014 TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan! Apologies for the short notice, I only just heard about these shows on Tuesday. Last seen there over 4 months ago, it's awesome to see the guys back in the Eastern U.P. for another weekend of hard hitting covers, so definitely keep these shows in mind for this weekend! Note as well that this weekend's shows will feature returning drummer Eric Schlumpf (who replaced Scott Kusmirek earlier this year), while frontman Danzo McCracken's Thursday solo acoustic set returns TONIGHT to The Frog as well, which should be fun if you're up for a softer night of music! Nudge's return shows this weekend have 10:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no announced cover charge, so click here for more details, don't miss Nudge's first 2014 local stops THIS WEEKEND, and for a preview, here's the guys covering Ugly Kid Joe in Gwinn!



Also in new concert announcements, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock quartet Griphook will return to The Roosevelt Hotel for two shows TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT as well! Apologies for the short notice, these gigs were only just announced on Tuesday. To be Griphook's second concert weekend with new singer/guitarist Joel Syrette (ex-100 Gran) following his addition to the band in December, it's nice to see this talented veteran band back at it after an almost 2 month break, and hopefully there's a solid crowd both nights at The Rosie this weekend for their diverse and often heavy covers! Admission should be free this weekend, you must be 19 to attend, and there is a 10:30 PM start time in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a good time this weekend, so if you've missed Griphook in recent weeks, be at The Rosie tomorrow or Saturday! For a preview, here's the band last year covering AC/DC!



Moving to previously announced concerts, the third installment of the new Heavy Thursday series at The Roosevelt Hotel goes down TONIGHT, and after a week off to focus on promoter J.D. Pearce's Late & Loud reunion show on Friday, things are back in full force with a punk-themed night of action that will see local guitarist/drummer Rick White play in all three bands in his first show at The Rosie since August! Metal fans will get their fix with the return of metal/punk cover quartet T-Rex Manning in their first live date of 2014 (and first with Rick on drums since May), and their fun and explosive sound should be welcomed back to the stage tonight, so don't miss them! The other bands include resurgent local punk trio Redundant (4 time veterans of the original Rosie metal night series) in their first Rosie stop since last summer, while Rick's new old school punk quartet Fist Fighting Stephen Hawking will make just their second live appearance tonight, and with a lineup also including punk veterans Jeff De Rose, Clint Wilson, and Ryan McLaughlin, there should be a lot of good things to come from them!

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this 19+ concert, and everything starts at 10:00 PM TONIGHT, so for more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a fun night of live music for you punk fans, and with a dash of metal to boot, so don't miss the third Heavy Thursday TONIGHT, kudos to Rick for this triple threat event, and for a preview, here's T-Rex Manning (as "The Fiend Brigade") covering The Misfits last year!

Finally for today's previews, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will continue his weekly concert arrangement at The Harp Pub & Grill for a lucky thirteenth installment TOMORROW NIGHT! Now back in his usual Friday night placement for a second straight week, this currently sits as Tym's last scheduled night of his current acoustic show/jam night run at the former Madison's Pub, but he tends to announce shows on his website's calendar a month at a time, so I would expect announcements of his 14th-17th dates in March for this arrangement in the near future. Whether you're a fan of Tym's prolific covers or a prospective jam night performer, everything should start at 10:00 PM tomorrow, you must be 19 to attend, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit the above links! This should be another entertaining night of talented and proficient covers from this noted hard rock favourite, so keep it in mind for your Friday night plans, and here's Tym covering Metallica live at Bossy's!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's CD review either today or tomorrow, and the rest of this weekend's metal/hard rock concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's now time to preview the weekend's slate of regional metal/hard rock concerts, and before anyone asks, our preview of Sunday night's Haggith show at The New A will likely be in our next news post, as I don't want to make this post too long. For now, here's what you should know for concerts tomorrow & Saturday night on both sides of the border, including a few notable out of town bands, and some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

After 7 months away from the region, Marquette hard rock quartet Nudge will finally return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on their Facebook page on Monday, and I held them until now to avoid a redundant double post in a few days time. Last seen locally in April, these shows will be business as usual despite the wait, with the full Nudge show rocking The Frog all weekend, as preceded by the return of frontman Danzo McCracken's acoustic solo sets there yesterday and tonight, so keep that in mind for a softer and more intimate experience! Nudge's entertaining modern hard rock show is great to have back in the Soo this weekend, and it has definitely been too long, so keep it in mind for your weekend plans! There's no announced admission price, a 9:00 PM start time is likely, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for more details, hopefully we're not waiting another 7 months for the next Nudge shows, and for a preview, here's Nudge covering Drowning Pool's "Bodies" in Skanee!



We'll shift to Sault Ontario for the Friday-only hard rock shows this weekend next, starting with Saskatoon/Vancouver hard rock quartet One Bad Son, who will hit The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT as openers for Toronto rock supergroup Crash Karma, who are making their second local appearance! As you may remember, Crash Karma (featuring Our Lady Peace, Tea Party, I Mother Earth, and Zygote alumni) played the Soo three years ago at The Canadian Nightclub, and given their experience, talent, and past successes in older bands, you know they'll impress once again! However, like their 2010 show with Desperate Union, Crash Karma have a heavier opening band this time, as One Bad Son have a solid southern rock-tinged sound that brings some fun aggression and excitement to the stage, so don't show up late to miss them! Tickets are $12 in advance at The Rockstar Bar/Algonquin Hotel or at The Rad Zone, while they'll be $16 at the door. This event is 19+, and doors will open at 9:00 PM. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

It's great to have Crash Karma back, as you know they'll be familiar and very talented, but if you want something a little heavier, be at The Rockstar Bar early for One Bad Son tomorrow night, and hopefully this show's a huge hit! For a preview, here's a full One Bad Son set from March of this year!

Also TOMORROW NIGHT, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will apparently continue his successful run of regular dates at The Roadhouse Bar & Grill on Trunk Road with yet another solo acoustic gig! I will note that while Tym confirmed this show with me in a Facebook conversation earlier this month, a Facebook event page or public acknowledgement from him on the show has yet to be made, so there is a possibility it's not happening. If I hear that Tym's not playing at The Roadhouse this week, I'll try and update this post! If he is, prepare for an entertaining evening of hard rock and metal covers in an unplugged setting, and you know Tym has the talent and experience to keep things interesting, so keep it in mind for tomorrow! Admission should be free, you must be 19 to attend, and there will be a start time of around 10:00 PM if the show is indeed on. Head to The Roadhouse tomorrow night if all is still official for some acoustic hard rock covers, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Extreme's "More Than Words" with special guest Luke LeBlanc a few years back!



Finally for the known local hard rock concerts this weekend, Charlevoix, Michigan classic metal trio Peril will make their long awaited return to the Eastern Upper Peninsula TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT when they rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Last seen in the region in June (and in St. Ignace in February), this skilled veteran band will be making their last announced E.U.P. stops of 2013 this weekend, barring any December announcements. With frontman Jeff Hudson's more recently active bands Audio Circus and Scarkazm not regulars for area concerts, it's always nice to have Peril's cover attack back, so if you're not seeing Nudge at The Frog, you have options! There's no announced cover charge at The Northern Pines Lounge this weekend, you must be 21 to attend, and a 9:00 PM-ish start time is likely. For more details, check the above links! Peril should rock as usual this weekend, so don't miss out, and for a preview, here's a new video find of Peril covering Theory of a Deadman, Poison, Deep Purple, and Linkin Park in Vanderbilt last year!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for last month's poll results & this month's new poll on the SMS TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Nudge), Plus Previews Of This Weekend's Concerts & Woods Of Ypres At The Juno Awards!!

As our extremely busy stretch at the SMS continues, we have just our second non-preview/recap/feature post on the site since Monday, and it's got two functions. The latter half is to preview a major local band's Juno Award nomination this weekend, but first, we have previews of this weekend's known metal/hard rock shows, all in the Sault Michigan area, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you need to know!!

Marquette/Ishpeming hard rock quartet Nudge will apparently return to The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! I apologize for the short notice, but these were only just announced on Tuesday on Nudge's Facebook page (though oddly not through Facebook event pages), and these just couldn't fit into our posts since then due to how busy things have been on the site this week. The shows definitely are on Friday and Saturday, and they followed members' Danzo McCracken & Scott Kusmirek's usual acoustic gigs at The Frog on Wednesday and Thursday, which were their first acoustic dates here since last year, as their Soo dates last month didn't feature them. Look out for a packed weekend of metal and hard rock renditions from these local favourites tonight & tomorrow, and like usual, there's a 21+ age limit, no announced cover charge, and a 10:00 PM start time. For more details, check the above links! These should both be good shows, so don't miss Nudge at The Frog TONIGHT OR TOMORROW, and for a preview, here's Nudge covering Shinedown's "The Sound of Madness" in Negaunee last year!

Also in known heavier concerts this weekend, Kinross classic/hard rock quintet Banned will continue their highly frequent recent concert pace with a return to Todd's Tavern in nearby Moran, Michigan TOMORROW NIGHT! Easily one of Banned's favourite concert venues since debuting there last year, hopefully there's a sizeable crowd for the Traynors and company's return to Moran (an hour south of the Soo, 30 minutes northwest of St. Ignace), so don't miss their varied blend of covers and originals tomorrow (and if you can't make it, they'll be back there next weekend!) Admission should be free for tomorrow's 21+ concert, and I'd expect them to be on again at the earlier 8:00 PM start time. For more details, visit Banned's Facebook page! This should be a solid "job" as usual for Banned, so head on down to Moran to check them out tomorrow night, and for a preview, here's the guys (and girl) covering The Black Keys' "Lonely Boy" at the Sault Kewadin Casino last month!

Finally, we have a special sort of preview, as TOMORROW, we find out if defunct local blackened doom metal band Woods of Ypres will win a Juno Award for Best Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year! As covered in The Sault Star & SooToday, Woods of Ypres officially received a posthumous nomination in the Junos' (essentially Canada's Grammys) second-year metal category on February 19th, which is obviously for their fifth & final studio album "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light" (which came out too late into 2012 for consideration at last year's ceremony.) The Cancer Bats, Castle, The Devin Townsend Project, and Ex Deo are the other bands up this year, which should make for stiff competition like last year, when KEN Mode beat the likes of Anvil & Fuck The Facts for the inagural metal Juno Award. The ceremony itself (hosted by Michael Buble) will be held in Regina, Saskatchewan this Sunday live on CTV, but it's very unlikely that the metal award winner will be awarded live then (which isn't just a metal snub, as less than 10 of the 40+ awards will be given out on the televised ceremony.)

I'd expect the metal awards to be a part of the untelevised private gala dinner that's being held TOMORROW NIGHT at The Credit Union Eventplex in Regina, where the vast majority of awards will be given out, so we won't be able to see the presentation (unless there's a webcast I'm unaware of), but as soon as I hear anything or reports concerning the metal award, I'll let you guys know! Local news articles on the nomination confirmed that late frontman David Gold's family will be in attendance at tomorrow's gala, along with the band's final guitarist Joel Violette (the only surviving band member who played on "Woods V"), so there'll be some local, family, and band representation when and if Woods of Ypres win the Juno. This is obviously a huge weekend for local music, let alone metal, as it's not every day that a band or artist from here gets a Juno nomination! I believe this would be a perfect cap to David Gold's career and legacy in Canadian metal, and it's just a shame he's only getting recognition of this scale over a year after he died. As soon as I hear anything relating to the Best Metal/Hard Music Juno being announced, I'll let you guys know, and best of luck to Joel and the Gold family tomorrow! David would be proud!

That's likely all for today, but stay tuned TOMORROW for a huge post full of big new metal/punk show announcements, and our profile of last year's Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands on it's one year anniversary! Thanks everyone!