LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Curtis McKenzie) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

Time got away from me yesterday, so between that and arguably the last mega-busy concert weekend of the summer, we'll push this month's YouTube Channel Profile up slightly to dive into what will be at least four posts with weekend concert previews as we wrap up August 2026! Today's previews look at shows from bands in Sault Ontario playing shows tomorrow in some form or fashion, but we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will reportedly return to The Dive Gastro Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Curt only announced this show via his Facebook page on Monday, and as increasingly usual, The Dive has not corroborated this gig on their Facebook page at press time. Last seen at Beck's earlier this month, fans were last able to see Curtis at the former Low & Slow in early July, and hopefully there's a decent crowd at The Dive TONIGHT for his unplugged hard rock and grunge covers once again despite the few days' notice! While not firmly stated, this should be a "Patio Play" gig based on the recent Thursday gigs that The Dive did actually promote, so weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for clear skies with 13-15° temperatures TONIGHT. The show begins at 9:30 PM with no cover, so see above for more details, and here's Curtis live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will reportedly rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub for a second straight week TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, I only learned of these bookings via personal Facebook postings on Wednesday, and Jay's has not newly confirmed the shows (this AI-generated poster was made by the venue for prior bookings). The band has dropped out of their planned Friday-only Water Tower Pub concert for unannounced reasons, with his weekend's apparent return to Jay's being Soundcheck's second pair of concerts since announcing the retirement of bassist Jim Michaud, but they nor their sister band Separate Wayz have confirmed if Jim has been replaced yet or not. You can find out for yourself who (if anyone) is on bass at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! These shows are not "epic crossovers" with Separate Wayz, but Nicole will be back with Terry, Johnny, and *insert bassist here* (and Travis?) next month.

For what it's worth, I believe I have identified former Korner Monsters guitarist Rusty Barrel as the synth player seen in some prior live photos. Rusty guested with former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver on cajon at many of his final local gigs before moving to the USA, and he also played cajon for TNT (Travis & Terry's acoustic side project) during their Nicole-bolstered set at Maddy's Mighty Mutts' Family Fun Day earlier this month. As best as I can tell, he is a guest performer regardless of band name (he didn't make the Chapleau trip), but it's good to fill in that blank! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Now to shows that did have advance notice, and we'll start with local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos, who will kick off a busy end-of-summer weekend with shows at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery TODAY and at The Whisky Barrel TOMORROW NIGHT! Doubling these up here because they're both standard concerts, just at two very different locales, with Mikey & Dustin first heading north to the Third Line West cider mill, farm, and winery for another evening of acoustic punk covers outdoors this evening, though the end of summer doesn't necessarily mean the end of shows there for 2026, as Thomson Farms will remain open through the end of October. The BookcluB side project will then head downtown tomorrow night for a concert at The Whisky Barrel on Gore Street, marking their first stop at this Irish pub since early last month, so if this is better located or timed, keep this show in mind for tomorrow!

Our preview of Saturday's Prince Fest will be in our third weekend concert preview post, as Northern Vibe will be next given that its Friday lineup begins sooner than the cover bands that night in city limits. This evening's Thomson Farms show is at 6:00 PM (9&10 News has light clouds and temperatures of 16-19° during the three hour showtime on the patio), while tomorrow's Whisky Barrel concert is at 8:00 PM indoors. The former is all ages, the latter is not, and neither has an announced cover charge. See above for more details on stages #1-2 of their busy weekend, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Finally for weekend concert preview post #1, we'll head to Reggie's Place, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will take the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! For as experienced and frequently seen as Generations are, these will surprisingly be their first Reggie's concerts since July of last year, and thusly their first stops at this Queen Street East staple with new guitarist Joe Miller (who hasn't played at Reggie's in way longer than that). Hopefully there's a solid turnout tomorrow and Saturday for their old school rock favourites, and the band has teased maybe debuting some new songs in their sets this weekend! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Generations live at The Water Tower Pub last month! This was shared to their Facebook group via Joe's personal Facebook page.

The 2+ minute video sees Generations covering most of The Headpins' "Don't It Make Ya Feel", which is some welcomed hard rockin' Cancon that Valerie sings with gusto, and while the song isn't fully captured via this stationary camera, at least it's horizontal. There is a couple blocking our view of Pierre and Tony, but they're enjoying their evening at a provided table, so I blame the camera placement. Still a solid cover, so give it a watch below, and see more from Generations at Reggie's this weekend!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our extended Northern Vibe Festival preview next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Dos Amigos), A Concert Cancellation, And Related Updates!!

Before we get into this weekend's concert previews, just a heads up that tonight's Angelmaker-headlined concert at Blaster Powerhouse has been cancelled. Local promoters Heavy North Entertainment finally confirmed on Tuesday that it wasn't taking place, though Angelmaker quietly dropped the show from their tour routing at some point between July 15th and 31st, and H.N.E. hadn't promoted it on social media since July 8th. As well, tickets never went on sale for the local date, and the search for local opening bands had no public follow-through. A reason for the cancellation wasn't announced, but note that Heavy North Entertainment haven't hosted a concert since late last year, though company head Tyler St. Amour has played occasional solo concerts in recent months. It is worth noting that North Carolina deathcore band Larcenia Roe were tapped to replace Disfiguring The Goddess on tour, which was quietly confirmed in the local advertising. 

The cancellation is very unfortunate, especially as local promotion was hyping this as "the ultimate metal concert", but the lack of postings about the show for over a month was a tell that something was up, and even with no tickets to refund, Heavy North should have announced the cancellation well sooner than they did. Hopefully nothing too serious happened with Tyler or the bands, and that Angelmaker, Ingested, and Larcenia Roe try again here down the road, as deathcore fans were interested in coming out!

This post otherwise dives into the first half of this weekend's concert previews, and we'll look at this weekend's Stones & Crows, Peril, Tarnished, and Viscera shows in our next preview post due to this being a busier stretch. Today's all involve LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, mostly SHORT NOTICE ones, and we'll start at Northern Superior Brewing Co., where local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will play at their on-site Tap Room TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed this show via their Instagram-only schedule poster last week, and Northern Superior have not corroborated this booking on their own social media at press time. No major frills or tie-ins that I am aware of TOMORROW, but fresh off of their Canopy gig with BookcluB at the Downtown Street Party tonight, hopefully Mikey & Dustin deliver some solid unplugged punk favourites in the Tap Room!

Note that I am well aware that Northern Superior are teasing the return of Wolf Fest at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Saturday, September 12th, complete with a promotional video featuring Trish Rainone in character as Jan from Jan's Not Movin!, but we await an official announcement of the lineup and other events in three weeks. TOMORROW'S Dos Amigos concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and if you can't make it, they have three shows in three days next week. See above for more details, and here's Dustin & Mikey live at The Tap Room!

Finally, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, and they'll also return to The Water Tower Pub on Friday, August 28th! Again, apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts, they were first announced via this AI-generated events calendar for this week on Jay's Facebook page (Soundcheck have not posted on their own Facebook page since early May). While ostensibly a normal weekend now that the guys are back from their Chapleau road trip, this weekend's shows come fresh off of the news that they are parting ways with bassist Jim Michaud (a.k.a. "Jimmy Sweetz"). The news was revealed on their sister band Separate Wayz' Facebook page on Tuesday, where their singer Nicole Thibodeau confirmed that Jim is amicably retiring from both groups, and "band line up announcements for both bands (are) coming soon". 

Best known for his near two-decade run as Obsession's bassist, Jim replaced Paul Belair in Soundcheck at the beginning of 2023, and he had been a constant presence in Terry Eaton's plugged in cover rock bands ever since, including Separate Wayz and the short-lived Guilty Party. What's unclear is who is playing bass at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY... is Jim hanging on short term? Will they debut the new bassist this weekend? Will there be a temporary fill-in, or even no bassist? Regardless, hopefully Jim enjoys time away from the live grind, and if he is definitely retiring from bands, he will be missed! For the record, next week's Water Tower Pub show was announced via that venue's August concert calendar, and it is a one-nighter as usual there (Bone Yard 225 go "uncorked" there next Saturday). These are all branded as Soundcheck-only gigs and not "epic crossovers", but of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that Nicole won't pop in.

Terry, Travis, Johnny, and ?????'s Jay's Piston Broke Pub shows are at 9:30 PM, next Friday's Water Tower Pub concert is at 8:00 PM, and all are 19+ with no cover (though I somehow doubt that Soundcheck all wear fedoras and look alike nowadays, based on Jay's AI poster). Visit the above links for more on all three new Soundcheck dates (TOMORROW & SATURDAY included), best of luck to Jim in the future, and here's Soundcheck live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews either tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Dopethrone/Tribunal Concert Video Showcase!!

We haven't had a post 100% devoted to Sault Ontario since Wednesday, and it feels like longer given how many posts we've already has this month, so let's continue clearing out the backlog with a post dedicated to videos from a recent concert! In this case, this is one of the three recent SMS-leaning concerts attended by prolific YouTube user Christopher Paci that got backed up in recent weeks, as he was at Jay's Piston Broke Pub for the Dopethrone-headlined concert there on May 25th. While he only filmed seven videos at this Memorial Day concert, all four bands were filmed at least once, with the headlining Montreal "slutch metal" trio getting three videos on the evening. During their first local set in seven years, Chris filmed Dopethrone playing "Snort Dagger" and "Scum Fuck Blues" (featuring Tribunal guitarist Jessica Yang and Shit Liver frontman/promoter Josh Penno on guest vocals).

Embedded below is by far the longest of the three Dopethrone videos, which sees them playing their song "Dry Hitter". If you like your doom (er, "slutch") metal as slow and punishing as possible, you'll be glad to know that Dopethrone haven't lost a step in that regard since their 2019 date at The New A, and they hit all of the extreme notes while keeping things sludgy and low. Solid crowd too, so give Chris' Dopethrone videos a look!

Co-headlining in May was Vancouver gothic/doom metal quintet Tribunal in their local concert debut, and Chris filmed them playing their lengthy songs "A Wound Unhealing" and, as embedded below, "Incardine". Very distinct and eerie yet well layered and orchestral sound from Tribunal, who definitely looked like they left their mark on fans at the former Roosevelt Hotel in May, so give Chris' videos from their set a look above and below as well!

For the two local opening bands, Chris shot a video each, and one was of the one-off reunion of local grindcore trio Shit Liver in their first concert appearance since the Dopethrone show here in 2019. This was just a 15 minute bonus set and not a full reunion (Josh is busy leading The Golden Scoundrels nowadays), so Chris' video constitutes almost a third of this set. Two songs are played here, namely "Evacuation" from their 2018 album "Hitting The Fan" before an abbreviated cover of fellow local doom staples AlgomA's "Fell Down A Well", which Shit Liver covered on 2017's "Trading Faces" split. AlgomA's last show was also at the 2019 Dopethrone gig, so this was a cool nod to Boyd, Kevin, and Jamie in absentia! It is odd to see Josh playing these songs with short hair, but it must have been cathartic for him, Mike, and Matt to revisit their blistering 2010s chaos one more time, and fans definitely ate it up, so give this video a watch for yourselves below!

Finally, the opening band here was a band that Shit Liver know very well in and out of this Korah Road nightclub, as relaunched and renamed local death metal quartet Eden Plague (the former Bear Hunters) played their first show under the new name on this night! Chris filmed them playing most of "Bloodthirst", though unfortunately, he didn't film the minute-long instrumental intro. While not one of the new Eden Plague originals, there is something fitting about seeing Nik, Mitch, Justin, and Johnny on The Rosie's stage, with that infamous pole, playing an early Bear Hunters staple once again all these years later, so give this brutal performance a watch below!

There's more to look at from Chris' channel as of late, but how soon will we have more of his recent hard rock/metal concert videos? Hopefully we'll know more soon, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (5 Dollar Bribe) & The Rest Of This Weekend's Concert Previews!!

Here's the likely final post for this busy stretch of weekend concert previews! Just as a late note, The Sault Star's Brian Kelly published this article about tomorrow's WestFest II at Anna Marinelli Park, which notes extra details on vendors, the official setlist times for the four acts, and remarks from co-promoter Ronan Provenzano about the hopes and expectations for this festival. Good read, especially if you're invested in the Jamestown and Steelton development, so give it a read above! Now, here's what you should know for this weekend's other hard rock-leaning concerts, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Fresh off of their set at Maddy's Mighty Mutts' Family Fun Day on Wednesday (more on that event soon), young local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for one night only TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via this AI generated weekly schedule image on Jay's Facebook page on Saturday, with the band only confirming it themselves on Wednesday. Last seen at Jay's (well, outside of it) during last month's ARCH Run, this talented and quickly rising quartet should have another fun night of covers in store TONIGHT, so keep this one in mind if you need some late notice hard rock! This is a one-nighter due to or resulting in tomorrow's concert from classic rock quartet Doo & The Boyos (no word on if their sister band Stones At The Alter will take over a set again or not). While all of 5 Dollar Bribe are under 19, this show will otherwise be 19+.

TONIGHT'S festivities are at 9:30 PM with no cover charge as usual for the former Reggie's West. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's another new video of 5 Dollar Bribe's headlining gig at Blaster Powerhouse this past weekend! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Tuesday, this otherwise plugged-in cover of Silverchair's "No Association" features guitarist Tyler Greely on acoustic guitar after he broke a string on his electric guitar (as noted with a caption at the start). Still a well done cover for 1990s grunge fans, if not the whole song, and I am impressed that they don't default to "Tomorrow" for Silverchair cover choices, so give it a watch below, and don't miss them at Jay's TONIGHT!

Next up, let's head to the eighth annual Algoma Tree Services community meet & greet and barbecue, which goes down TOMORROW at 1424 Havilland Shores Drive in Goulais River once again! In this summer staple where Algoma Tree Services gives back to and celebrates with locals for their support over the past year, they're bringing the same lineup as they have had since 2024 tomorrow. Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are headlining at 7:00 PM (fresh off of the Maddy's Mighty Mutts Family Fun Day themselves), while classic rock quintet Angry Joe & The Growlers will again kick off the festivities at 1:30 PM in an event that they have played at for years before Bone Yard got in on it (Soundcheck were the headliners prior to 2024). Both bands have four hour nightclub-esque blocks tomorrow, so The Growlers aren't really "opening", but if you like one/both bands, you'll get your fill!

Proceeds of the barbecue go to the Kiwanis Club's childrens operations, and there will be a bonfire on site as well. The meet & greet/concert proper is FREE & ALL AGES, and as this is outdoors, temperatures will run for 16-21° with mostly cloudy skies clearing up as Angry Joe & them are rocking out, and things should be clear for your local 225's entire set. Kudos to both bands for supporting Algoma Tree Services once again, and hopefully there's a decent turnout once again for the food, music, information, and more! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

Also this weekend, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only on SATURDAY NIGHT! One week removed from their return to the stage at Gateway Casino after a month+ break, fans will have last seen Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony at this Great Northern Road venue on June 27th. If you're up for a night of classic and hard rock cover favourites from this experienced foursome, you can do far worse than come out on Saturday, though be advised that they aren't scheduled for more concerts until they return to Reggie's in three weeks. As usual for The Water Tower Pub, they don't book the same band on consecutive nights, and tonight's performer there is North Channel Sound singer/guitarist Greg Cull as a solo act. Saturday's Generations concert is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live earlier this year!

Finally for this weekend's previews, another performer at the Maddy's Mighty Mutts Family Fun Day is hitting the stage for another concert this weekend, as former Haggith/Eclipse singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to Beck's Bar as their matinee performer on SUNDAY! I erroneously thought this was a short notice gig briefly, forgetting that Curt actually announced this show on his Facebook page back in May, as well as his Sunday matinee there in October. This will be your first chance to see Curtis at the former Vibe Lounge this year, having last played at Beck's in November 2025, and hopefully his grunge and hard rock covers find another willing audience on Sunday during Beck's weekly euchre tournament! As usual for matinee gigs here, this is a 3:00 PM concert on Sunday with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Curt live!

That's all for now, but with our weekend concert previews likely done for the week, look for the clear-out of our backlog to resume in earnest over the weekend! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tarnished & Separate Wayz) And Most Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

It's the (relative) calm before the storm that is Rotaryfest weekend next week, as this weekend's slate of hard rock concert previews is much quieter by comparison! Still too many shows for one post, so Saturday's previously announced Quite Frankly concert will be in tomorrow's post. Here's what you should know to kick off this weekend, including LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE, and an apology for a missed concert last week!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz (and/or their sister band Soundcheck) will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Separate Wayz first announced these shows via their Facebook page yesterday. Now, Jay's Facebook page has an AI generated poster crediting the shows to Soundcheck, a contradictory plug that I have surprisingly never seen since Soundcheck relaunched with a 75% identical lineup. I'm inclined to believe Separate Wayz' own promotion, but at the same time, could Soundcheck singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe be on hand too for another "epic crossover" weekend, or even just a smaller guest spot? Be at Jay's TOMORROW and/or SATURDAY NIGHT to find out! If truly Separate Wayz-led gigs, these will be their first since rocking Reggie's last month, and their first standalone bookings at Jay's this year.

Hopefully there's a solid crowd TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Both shows are at 9:30 PM with no cover and 19+ age limits, and if this is of note, Jay's now serves Slush Puppies! Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's just the second public video from Separate Wayz' Facebook page (at least it's not a "Story"!). This 13 seconds-long clip appears to come from their Reggie's show on June 13th, and features Travis on guitar despite those gigs not being advertised as "epic crossover" dates. He, Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Johnny were filmed here covering Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket", and what we hear sounds good, but look for much longer full performances from Separate Wayz (and Soundcheck?) this weekend!

Next up, let's head across the border to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Sault Ste. Marie classic/hard rock cover quartet Tarnished will return to Kingston Kitchen on SATURDAY NIGHT, with two more Saturday nighters booked there on August 15th and September 19th! Again, apologies for the short notice on SATURDAY's concert, it was only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Monday. As you may recall, Tarnished debuted at the 250 South State Street Jamaican restaurant last year during the Richard Crane Memorial Truck Show weekend in St. Ignace, and while unsaid in Kingston Kitchen's promotion, that appears to be the raison d'etre for the September 2026 booking. THIS SATURDAY'S and next month's shows appear to be just standard concerts, and clearly Tarnished's Kingston Kitchen debut went well last year for them to come back thrice this year! Remember, there's more going on in St. Ignace than just the casino, as Tarnished have proved umpteen times lately.

In two more new confirmations, Tarnished will end the summer with shows at The Back Bay Grill & Games Lakeside Lounge at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th, so if you want some hard rock action a little closer to the Soo at our other regional casino, keep these shows in mind! They were announced via this batch Facebook event page for all Lakeside Lounge concerts for the next two months. All five dates (THIS SATURDAY at Kingston Kitchen included) are at 8:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details across the board, and for a preview, here's Tarnished live!

Now back to Sault Ontario briefly for a show that had lots of advance notice, as local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third show in the past week TONIGHT at The Dive Gastro Pub! Fresh off of his second Mike Case Memorial Stage show of the year yesterday (I believe the rain held off too), this is the third and last show (so far) for Tym at The Dive, as per his batch Facebook event page for shows there. While The Dive has hosted Thursday acts on their outdoor patio on occasion (including Old Roads last week), their AI generated poster confirms that tonight's "Think It Over Thursday" concert will be indoors in "The Naughty Corner". While we're on the subject, I wanted to apologize for missing a show of Tym's last week, as he debuted at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats this past Friday, in a solo concert that he never publically corroborated on social media, just on his personal account.

While Desbarats (40 minutes southeast of the Soo) only typically comes up on the SMS when referencing CASS, it is good to see a venue there hosting live music on occasion, though I do wish Tym would have said something about that gig, as I'd have happily plugged it had I known about it. Apologies again regardless! Tonight's Dive show (despite Tym's event page listing it as a matinee) takes place at 9:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

We'll close this post by looking at more touring rock band action in Michigan's Eastern Upper Peninsula, but unlike the three bands debuting at Kewadin Casinos in the coming weeks, the band playing TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin is quite familiar, namely Traverse City classic metal trio Peril! While not newly promoted on the band's Facebook page, this weekend's shows are confirmed on their summer calendar seen here, and mark their first EUP shows since rocking the St. Ignace branch two weeks ago. Jeff and crew (whether in Peril or their sister band Scarkazm) are not advertised to return to either Kewadin branch, so unless you go see them at the Music In The Park series in St. Ignace, these are your last chances to rock out with either band north of the Mackinac Bridge this summer, so hopefully they have lots of fun covers in store!

As usual for Peril's shows at Kewadin lounges, tomorrow and Saturday night's concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Jeff, Howard, and Brooks' concerts in the Soo this weekend, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Quite Frankly preview and more on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (ARCH Run & Quite Frankly!!)

This news post had some big changes while it was being written, thanks to a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month for a wonderful cause, but first, here's another new show and a related update from a talented foursome who suddenly have a high profile July ahead!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will return to Beck's Bar for one night only on Saturday, July 11th! The band announced the show on their Facebook page on Sunday as a secondary note in a post thanking everyone for seeing them at The Water Tower Pub the previous night, and it's always good to get advance word of shows at Beck's on a band's end! This will be a 9:30 PM event with a 19+ age limit and no cover as usual. While we're on the subject, Quite Frankly made a big announcement yesterday, as they will make their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut on Friday, July 17th at 8:00 PM! There has been lineup shuffling to create this opening, as local Tragically Hip tribute band The Luxury have quietly dropped out of the closing 10:30 PM set on Saturday the 18th (I have not heard a public reason as to why). Festival organizers opted to move classic rock trio The Sidekicks into that timeslot instead.

As The Sidekicks were originally the 8:00 PM Friday band, that timeslot became available, so kudos to Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe for stepping in to play the Soo's summer festival! Quite Frankly will be the third-to-last band that night, only behind headlining North Bay classic rockers Just Press Play and local veterans Headrush. Click here for the updated Rotaryfest Stage 1 schedule, hopefully all is well with The Luxury, and visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's plans over the next month!

Next up, the full band lineup for the third annual ARCH Run at Jay's Piston Broke Pub has been announced! The annual Algoma Regional Community Hospice fundraiser motorcycle rally will take place on Saturday, July 25th, and along with the rally proper that starts and ends at the former Roosevelt Hotel, there will be a draw for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. If you want to take part as a rider and/or pledge for a great cause, click here. After not plugging a band schedule last year despite reportedly hosting live music all day and night (Bourbon Blue played inside Jay's as the nightcap), Jay's have mercifully publicized a schedule for 2026, albeit via an AI-generated poster on their Facebook page. Country rock cover quintet Elly McWatters & The Drifters will serve as the indoor closing band this year at 9:30 PM, but the rest of the bands will be playing outside on Korah Road, so who all can you expect for the ARCH Run on July 25th?

The closing outdoor band at 8:00 PM will be young hard rock cover quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, in what may be their highest profile gig yet, so keep this one in mind! They'll be preceded by country rock cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride (who played the ARCH Run in 2024) at 7:00 PM, with newer classic rock quartet Doo & The Boyos taking the stage at 6:00 PM. No sign of Stones At The Alter in the advertising here, for the record. New local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis will play another outdoor summertime gig at 5:00 PM (we'll have more on WestFest II when the full lineup goes live), preceded by acoustic 1960s classic rock duo Whiskey Hippy at 4:00 PM. A mystery band named The Korner Monsters are scheduled for 3:00 PM, and while I have zero idea who they are, note that 2024 had a mystery band too (The Hoovers, who ended up being most of Soundcheck with a singer from their old open mic nights).

Could The Korner Monsters be similar? We'll let you know when/if we hear anything! Lastly, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith (or, if you believe the AI bot, Mike Haggath) will kick off the music schedule at 2:00 PM, presumably with The Big Finish Band in tow. Most are playing with The Drifters that night anyway! Nicely varied lineup of music with a lot of hard rock to go around, and kudos to everyone for donating their time to support ARCH! Attending the concert will be free, but donations and pledges would be absolutely welcomed if you are able. The outdoor portion will be all ages, but you'll have to be 19+ to see Elly & The Drifters inside. If you're wondering, this will be the only ARCH benefit rally/concert this year, as the Dragonfly Run (the former Ride For ARCH that was held at Jay's in 2023 before things split in two between venue & organizers) has ended after a decade-long run, as per this statement last month.

Co-organizer Marcy Catherine D'Ettore said that "we have a lot on our plate right now", and that "I don't feel (that) I can give (the Run) the amount of time, effort, and care that it deserves this year, and something this meaningful should never be done halfway". While not mentioned directly, Marcy and her husband (Bone Yard 225 guitarist Alex D'Ettore) lost their daughter Ally in the spring, which must have played a factor into where priorities lie. Marcy & Alex did a lot for ARCH and the community with this ride, and at least they're ending things on a high note in terms of what they did accomplish! Visit the above links for more on the ARCH Run, and look or more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Silent 9, Soundcheck, And Generations) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

Before we begin our latest round of weekend concert previews, just a heads up that the planned Dr. Feelgood concert at The Sault Community Theatre Centre has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of its ticket page from the S.C.T.C. website. I have not seen any public statement on a reason for the cancellation, but $61 adult tickets can't have encouraged sales, White Pines theater or not. Contact Miles Management or the local box office if you still haven't gotten a refund for purchased tickets. Dr. Feelgood deliver the goods for Motley Crue and hair metal fans, and hopefully they try here again!

This preview post will go into most of the weekend's hard rock shows, but due to the amount, I'll hold the Go Skateboarding Day and Quite Frankly concerts for our next post. Most of today's are SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and we'll start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only announced on the venue's Facebook page yesterday, creatively by sharing the AI-generated poster for their shows there last month, which didn't have date-specific details. Fresh off of their sister band Separate Wayz' shows at Reggie's last week, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S concerts are not advertised to be "epic crossover" shows either, but as we saw last week, you never quite know when Nicole will turn up at a Soundcheck-only gig, and vice versa for Travis with Separate Wayz!

In the realm of Facebook "Story" videos, you may have seen one from their last show at Beck's Bar from that venue featuring Soundcheck covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" with Travis on vocals, but alas, "Story" videos disappear forever after being seen once or twice. Will they perform it again TOMORROW or SATURDAY? Find out at the former Reggie's West! These are 9:30 PM concerts with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover veterans Generations will play an hour-long set as part of Minelli's 75th anniversary Italian Celebration on SATURDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed their involvement via their Facebook group on Tuesday, and the schedule was only released yesterday. To celebrate 75 years of Minelli's as an Italian restaurant in the Soo (currently based out of The Marconi Multicultural Events Centre at 450 Albert Street West), this one day festival on SATURDAY will celebrate Minelli's and give back to the community, including vendors, games, raffles, kids activities, food and drinks, and of course, live music. Not counting the DJ playing that night, there is a four band matinee program on SATURDAY, with Generations co-headlining at 3:00 PM. Local country musician Matt Tarantini will be last up at 4:30 PM, with the Elettra Marconi Society Choir performing at 2:00 PM, and classic rock mainstays RPM kicking things off with a 2 hour block at 12:00 PM, so there's a lot for many tastes!

To be held in The Marconi Hall's parking lot from noon until 10:00 PM, this is a free & all ages event, but food and drink tickets will be on site if you're so inclined. 75 years is quite a milestone, so kudos to Julie and the rest of the family and staff for sticking with Minelli's for all these years, and hopefully Generations and the other musical performers set the right notes on SATURDAY! As the concert is outdoors, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather on SATURDAY with a high of 20° and a low of 7°, and rain is unlikely. Visit the official Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Also this weekend, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will head west to Runway Park to serve as musical entertainment at Throttle Fest on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, we knew that they were scheduled to play at Runway Park via their website's concert calendar, but firm confirmation about the event proper only crossed my radar this week. Surprisingly their only public show in city limits this summer (they're not playing at Rotaryfest), Silent 9 will help close out Throttle Fest, a drag racing & mud bog festival taking place at the 573 Airport Road dirt racing venue that is most famous in a concert context for hosting the Bell Border Jam festival in 2008. Along with racing to take part in and watch, there will be a food truck and beer tent on site, tattoos, on-site camping, and more, so click here for fuller details on what to expect! Silent 9 are scheduled to perform from 7:00-11:00 PM on SATURDAY NIGHT.

General admission is $40 unless you're racing in Throttle Fest events proper (kids 10 and under are free), and gates open for the day's swath of events at 7:30 AM on SATURDAY. Like with the Minelli's festival, the weather forecast currently looks good here as well. Silent 9 should get fans moving with some fun hard rock and general covers to cap off a busy program, so visit the above links for more on Throttle Fest, and here they are live!

Finally for this preview post, we'll close with one more special summer festival (albeit one whose band details weren't on short notice), as local southern rock trio Bone Yard 225 will return as the house band for the annual Queen Street Cruise TOMORROW & SATURDAY! "The Dirty Three" have long served as musical entertainment for this classic car throwback event, with the home base returning to The Roberta Bondar Pavilion all weekend long. As usual, tomorrow's program is headlined by the cruise proper, with your local 225 playing under the tent from 6:30 PM onward, while they will set up shop outside on the boardwalk proper by Montana's from 12:30 PM onward during the show n' shine car show, preceding the awards ceremony to close the weekend. Outside of their concert action, click here for the full weekend itinerary, including appearances by Cristy Lee from All Girls Garage, the Touch-A-Truck, and much more.

Admission is free for general attendees (see above if you intend on registering for the car show or cruise), this is absolutely an all ages event, and while the Saturday forecast is already noted above, tomorrow's forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures of 13-16° when Greg, Alex, and Warren are slated to be performing, tent acknowledged. If you love classic cars, be you the owner of one or not, don't miss the Cruise this weekend, and if you've missed Bone Yard's full electric show in recent months, they'll be in full force downtown! See above for more details, and here's Bone Yard 22live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Quite Frankly and Go Skate Day previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Soundcheck!!)

A pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS fell into my lap this morning, so here's a rushed post to get those accounted for, along with a bunch of upcoming concerts from a familiar returning presence!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced these shows via the AI poster on their Facebook page overnight, and the band has not corroborated any bookings on their own Facebook page since their Esquire Club shows four weeks ago. Fans were last able to "get wobbly" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar this past Friday, at a show where Beck's filmed them covering Billy Squier's "Everybody Wants You" (with Travis singing) for a Facebook "Story" video, hence why I can't link to/embed it here. Jay's fans last saw Soundcheck late last month, and it should be another welcoming audience for their hard driving slate of covers! The marketing on Jay's end only credits Soundcheck, so this does not appear to be an "epic crossover" weekend with Separate Wayz.

Along with the requisite "good times, cold drinks, (and) great people!", these are 9:30 PM concerts with a 19+ age limit and no cover charges, and as usual at the Korah Road nightclub, the kitchen will be open late. Visit the above links for more on Terry, Travis, Jim, and Johnny's late notice return to Jay's TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT, and here they are live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 are back from their recent break, and they have announced a huge slate of concerts for the summer! "The Dirty Three" had been publically idle since their acoustic St. Patrick's Day show at Smitty's, and hadn't played a plugged-in show since February, due in part to personal concerns (R.I.P. Ally), but their website's calendar has loads of new dates in store for June-August, so when can you see the guys next? Bone Yard will return to action next week on Friday, June 5th at The Water Tower Pub, and they will bookend their summer slate at the same venue on Saturday, August 29th! As usual for this central venue, these are "uncorked" (re: acoustic) shows, and both are 19+ events at 8:00 PM with no cover. In their first proper plugged-in electric concert together in four months, Greg, Alex, and Warren will rock Beck's Bar for one night only on Friday, June 12th!

They'll also make their way to the Goulais Avenue nightclub for Saturday nighters on June 27th and August 1st, and "uncorked" matinees play into both of the weekends with Bone Yard shows on Saturdays, but in different ways. On the 27th, they'll actually play the acoustic matinee timeslot before the full band show that same night, with the marathon double-booking coinciding with the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot event, as Beck's hosts the barbecue at the end of the motorcycle rally. Click here for more details on the Shoot & Scoot proper, but it is neat that this rally finally crosses our radar! The August 1st show (which falls on the Civic Holiday long weekend) will be complimented by an "uncorked" Sunday matinee on August 2nd, so that'll be good timing for your local 225! The two acoustic shows are at 3:00 PM, the nightcaps are at 9:00 PM, and expect 19+ age limits and no cover.

On Friday, June 19th & Saturday, June 20th, Bone Yard 225 will return as the annual house band for the Queen Street Cruise! The band's own schedule lists the venue as The Roberta Bondar Pavilion (homebase for the cruise once again), but the official schedule says that they will be playing "on the boardwalk" both days. As best as I can recall from past coverage, the Friday evening show at 6:30 PM is indeed under the tent during the cruise proper, but they set up shop on the proper boardwalk near Montana's for a 12:30 PM outdoor matinee concert on the Saturday during the car show. If we hear clarification, we'll let you know, but click here for full details on how to participate in the cruise! Admission is free for general attendees, and it is an all ages event. July 2026 appears to be devoted to out-of-town and private events, including gigs in Chapleau and Kirkland Lake and a stag & doe, but we'll let you know if the listed Bruce Mines date on July 4th ends up being a public event.

The last new public and local date for Bone Yard (so far) will see them return to Algoma Tree Services' annual charity barbecue & community meet and greet on Saturday, August 8th! This will be the third straight year that your local 225 have headlined this event (no word on if Angry Joe & The Growlers are opening again), and will presumably see them rock out at the Goulais River-based business' outdoor festivities at 7:00 PM (no announced cover, all ages). Time will tell if we hear of Bone Yard at other local venues or festivals this summer, but it's great to see Greg, Alex, and Warren back in the saddle, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (5 Dollar Bribe & Stones At The Alter), A New Local Band, And Concert Previews!!

The Victoria Day (or "May 2-4") long weekend is upon us, and as always, it's busy in Sault Ontario for concerts, but not as much as you'd think on the hard rock side. One show that I did want to acknowledge is that cover rock trio Wheelhouse (featuring Stiffler's Mom alumni Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson) have reunited, and now feature Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger in their lineup, and they're playing at Beck's Bar tomorrow night. I don't know what exactly Wheelhouse play beyond the date range of their setlists (and I'm not using band logos from their AI-generated images as proof), but we'll let you know if they hew close to Stiffler's Mom in sound and cover choices! Now to this weekend's full previews!

We'll start with a brand new addition to our band links, namely hard rock cover quartet Stones At The Alter! Yes, the last word in the band's name is spelled like that, not the more accurate "Altar". Publically launched in February, this is a side project from members of the also new classic rock/country cover band Doo & The Boyos ("Doo" being singer/guitarist Douglas White and "the boy-ohs" being everyone else). The two bands share a near identical lineup, but Stones At The Alter play a heavier set, with their Facebook group noting that they cover "punk, heavy, (and) diamond rock". So far, S@TA have only taken the stage as a supplementary band at Boyos concerts, starting with that band's debut at Beck's Bar in February, so if you've been out to see Doo & crew live, you've kinda sorta got two bands for the price of one! Douglas aside, who all is in both bands?

The Boyos consist of guitarists Jason McCoy (who is the lead singer for Stones At The Alter) and Sydney Hollebone, bassist Ben Eder, and drummer Sean White, while S@TA have enlisted With Gunfire/A.S.D.P. bassist William Wardlaw as their new lead guitarist, and he will debut in that role on SATURDAY NIGHT at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! Apologies for the short notice, I only learned about this band's existence this week. As best as I can tell, William is replacing Sydney in Stones At The Alter, as Sydney wasn't credited by name in recent posts focused on that band. At Doo & The Boyos' first two shows, including a Beck's return in March, Stones At The Alter (who were unnamed for gig #1) played the third and final set, and from what I have gathered, Douglas isn't in the heavier sister group. Also, according to their Facebook group, S@TA will headline at Beck's Bar all on their own on Saturday, November 21st!

We'll know more soon, I'm sure, but it is interesting to see two new sister bands launching basically simultaneously, especially with their lineups comprised mostly of unknown commodities as far as SMS coverage goes! SATURDAY's Boyos/S@TA joint concert at Jay's is at 9:30 PM, November's Beck's show is at 9:00 PM, and both are 19+ with no cover charge. See above for more details! As far as I'm aware, there's no public videos of Stones At The Alter proper yet. Their sole video on their Facebook group appears to be part of a Boyos song and only focuses on Sydney, though note that Doo & The Boyos do perform some of Douglas' own original music.

Next up, who is playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW NIGHT? None other than fellow new hard rock band 5 Dollar Bribe, who will also be making their debut there over the long weekend! Like with Stones At The Alter, 5 Dollar Bribe cut their teeth at Beck's, and they have been making waves with their talent levels and unique setlist choices, and the guys were actually spotlighted in this Soo Spaces (SooToday's social media platform) article by Andrew Stuetz on May 5th. It goes into detail about the members' upbringing and path towards becoming musicians (I didn't know at least one band member lives in Bruce Mines), and while there's no massive scoops, they did tease that they are "getting ready for some summer shows". Good write-up, give it a look above! While 5.D.B. and S@TA are taking over Jay's this weekend, 5 Dollar Bribe will return to Beck's later this month!

In today's other LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, they'll play a special Wednesday night concert at the former Vibe Lounge on May 27th! Why it's mid-week, I have no clue, but this is a band on the rise, so don't miss Jayce, Randy, Tyler, and Chase in just under two weeks' time! Like with Stones At The Alter, expect a 9:30 PM start time tomorrow at Jay's and 9:00 PM at Beck's on the 27th, and both shows should be 19+ (5 Dollar Bribe members' own ages acknowledged) with no cover. Visit the Beck's show's Facebook event page and the above links for more details, and for a preview of tomorrow's concert, here they are live at Beck's last month!

Finally for this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, we'll head across to Sault Michigan, and while it's not a long weekend there, a big show descends upon (well, in the basement of) Pizza Hut at 225 Ashmun Street featuring newer local hardcore punk trio Viscera on SATURDAY NIGHT! Playing their second show at the restaurant in a two week span (and their second with new bassist Chris Lovins), this will have more of a genre spread than the prior show there, as Viscera will be opening for two non-heavy touring acts in their apparent local debuts. One is local/Detroit electronica project Priority Waste (give them a listen on Soundcloud) and the other is Scanners, a drone/shoegaze band from Grand Rapids, so while metal/punk content will be lacking for the headliners, there sure is a unique mix of sounds here that you rarely even see on the Canadian side of the border! This is promoted by Serious Business, who have put on most of the eclectic multi-band E.U.P. shows of the mid-2020s (here's their Instagram page).

This 18+ concert goes down on Saturday night at 7:00 PM, and admission will be $15 at the door. This should be an intriguing concert with the sounds you'll get to experience at Pizza Hut, and with Viscera planning a couple of out of town dates ahead (details forthcoming), who knows when you'll get to see them in the Soo next? Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Viscera live in January!

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