LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Wax Mannequin & Tym Morrison) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

It's time to dive into another round of weekend concert previews, and while things aren't as hectic as the last two weeks, there are still enough shows to get to where we'll have to break things in twain, so shows that are only on Saturday and/or Sunday (Generations, 5 Dollar Bribe, Bone Yard 225, and the Barge Bash) will be in tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know on both sides of the border for bands playing shows tonight and tomorrow in some fashion, including a pair of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will play his third solo acoustic concert in as many days TOMORROW NIGHT at Ije's Place in nearby Desbarats! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via his Facebook event page on Monday. You may recall seeing late notice word that Tym would be making the 45 minute drive southeast to Desbarats (hometown of Central Algoma Secondary School) four weeks ago for his debut gig there, which I unfortunately missed at the time, so thankfully I heard about this one! Fresh off of shows at The Trading Post and the Up & Down Lounge, Tym should have lots of entertaining hard and classic rock covers in store for fans TOMORROW, and clearly his July 3rd show went well for him to get called back again before July is up! Ije's Place is located off of Highway 17 at 4 Lake Huron Drive, and is roughly between St. Joseph Island and Bruce Mines near the edge of our coverage area.

This indoor concert goes down TOMORROW from 6:00-8:00 PM, this is likely all ages given that Ije's is a cafe & bakery, and there is no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a live-streamed video of Tym there earlier this month! The 2 minute clip sees Tym covering much of The Black Crowes' "She Talks To Angels" and doing a solid job of it, but alas, the filmer didn't zoom in at all, so full screen is your friend here. As this was live-streamed on Ije's Facebook page, it will vanish early next week unless re-uploaded or converted, so watch it below (while you can?) 

Next up, Hamilton "weird folk art punk" solo project Wax Mannequin will return to the Soo TOMORROW NIGHT for a concert at... Unnecessary Noise? Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was first announced via its Facebook event page this past Friday. As to my understanding, Unnecessary Noise is the private location that has been used for recent Underground Events SSM concerts like the Danger Box one and Soopfest, but the space now has an official name, and it's being used for public event promotion going forward, even if the address isn't at a public locale ("ask a punk"). This isn't entirely new for Wax Mannequin, as Chris Adeney's last show here in August 2024 was also not at a standard venue, instead a residence's backyard. Hopefully Unnecessary Noise proves a fitting spot for Wax Mannequin's return, and their noise definitely isn't unnecessary, with punk and metal tinges across their wide ranging setlist and discography!

Fellow Hamilton alt-folk/punk solo project The Kettle Black will make their apparent local debut tomorrow while on tour with Wax Mannequin, while comedy rock band The Floor Between Us (featuring Stones & Crows bassist Nicholas Gingras) will return as openers after doing the honours two years ago. Like in 2024, this is an all ages concert at 8:00 PM, but unlike that Piecing It Together Shows-promoted event, admission is "pay-what-you-can" with $15 recommended (down from $20 in advance/$25 at the door last time). This should be a fun concert for fans of eclectic original music with punk and hard rock influences across the board, so see above for more details, and here's Wax Mannequin live!

We'll head to the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan to round out this post, starting with local classic/hard rock cover quarter Tarnished, who will make their way an hour south to St. Ignace TOMORROW NIGHT when they rock American Legion Park as part of St. Ignace's Music By The Bay summer concert series! Once again, St. Ignace is impressively hosting a different live music act daily until Labour Day, with tomorrow's show being the first of two that Tarnished are playing under the canopied stage at 200 North State Street this year, the other being the penultimate show for 2026 on September 5th. Hopefully tomorrow's concert is a smash hit for Alex, Josh, Chris, and Ron, though note that the band has not corroborated the booking on their Facebook page at press time. Tomorrow's concert takes place at 7:00 PM with no cover charge or age limit, and lawn chairs are suggested given the park setting.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a 40% chance of rain during showtime tomorrow, with temperatures of 72-73° (22-23° Celsius). Yes, artists get to play under a roof, but attendees aren't so lucky, so if you are at all concerned about the forecast and/or the potential for the show being cancelled or abbreviated by the rain, keep tabs with Tarnished for updates. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tarnished live!

Finally, let's head north to Sault Ste. Marie, where Petoskey classic/hard rock cover quartet The Blitz are scheduled to make their local debuts at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! While not mentioned in new social media posts in the past month & a half, The Blitz are the first of three non-local hard rock cover bands debuting at Kewadin lounges over the next month. Videos from after their 2022 reunion point to a well varied but often heavy range of covers played with talent and professinalism, and I do hope that things go well so they can blitz a local stage again in the coming months! As usual for Kewadin lounges, this weekend's shows both have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 21+ age limits. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's The Blitz in a recent jam session!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's previews or this month's CD review next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Quite Frankly, Generations, And Viscera) And More Recent Updates!!

As my Rotaryfest review will be quite long, here's a news post to fill some time while that gets written, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS and some other shorter updates, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations have announced their August concert calendar via their Facebook group this past Wednesday! After opting to take July off (with a Jus' Chillin reunion gig and Pierre playing with Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers at Rotaryfest Stage 2 in the interim), Generations will return to action on Saturday, August 1st at Gateway Casino, in their first concert there in almost two months, with said gig falling on the Civic Holiday long weekend for many. Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony will pack their bags for The Water Tower Pub (the site of their most recent concert) on Saturday, August 8th for another one-nighter, and they'll end the month at Reggie's Place on Friday, August 28th & Saturday, August 29th. Surprisingly, these will be their first Reggie's stops in over a year (and thusly their first there with Joe Miller on guitar), so if you're a fan of this downtown staple, keep this full weekend in mind for your concert planning!

The classic and hard rock covers will be flowing at all four of these 19+ gigs, none of which have an announced cover charge, and while the first two are 8:00 PM shows, the Reggie's weekend starts at 9:30 PM. Good to see Generations back at it, so visit the above links for more details!

Next up, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Quite Frankly will make their debut appearance at Outspoken Brewing on Friday, August 14th! Fresh off of their Rotaryfest debut on Friday (fallout forthcoming), this rare double header weekend for Linsaey, Frank, Harley, and Joe will see them kick things off at the 350 Queen Street East microbrewery and nightclub, which only infrequently hosts concerts. Street parties aside, we last caught wind of a hard rock or punk concert there when Dos Amigos played there in May of last year. It's an intimate spot that is arguably better suited to acoustic artists, but hopefully there's a strong turnout for Quite Frankly downtown next month! If you can't make that date, they will return to the aforementioned Gateway Casino the following night. The Outspoken show on the 14th is at 9:00 PM (only for two hours at that) with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover. Visit the above links for more on Quite Frankly's upcoming dates!

Also newly announced is a new fall date from Sault Michigan hardcore punk trio Viscera, who will return to the basement of Pizza Hut on Saturday, September 26th! Unlike recent shows at the 225 Ashmun Street restaurant space, this show is a presentation of Viscera's new in-house promotion agency Soo Tang Records, and like their Three One Three show next month, they are the advertised headliners. The concert will see Marquette "ghostcore" band Particle Thrower open in their local debut, returning the favour after Viscera open for them in Marquette on August 1st. Their sound and imagery lean heavily into the original Ghostbusters movie, at least so far, so that will be a fun pull beyond their hard hitting brand of metalcore in two months' time! At least one more band is to be announced. This concert has an 18+ age limit and a 7:00 PM start time, but admission fees have not been announced yet.

The increase in eclectic original concerts in the E.U.P. in the past year has been very welcomed, and Viscera are making solid waves with their brutal genre mix, so visit Viscera's Instagram page for more details on this intriguing concert, and to get details on how to get their debut EP on CD!

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

 

• In a minor spring cleaning note, these are songs recently seen in Facebook "Story" videos posted by band or venue that I was able to see, but alas, not feature here due to their self-destructing nature after one or two views: Bone Yard 225 covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" at their last "uncorked" gig at Beck's Bar, Silent 9 covering DNCE's "Cake By The Ocean" and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" at The Esquire Club in May, and TNT (Travis Sharpe n' Terry Eaton) covering Dishwalla's "Counting Blue Cars" and Kim Mitchell's "Patio Lanterns" at Beck's last month. I strongly dislike "Stories", but these are setlist hints!
• If you're wondering who The Korner Monsters (the mystery band at this weekend's ARCH Run) are, they are actually a reunion of a local rock band from the 1990s featuring prolific local drummer and Rising Tide alum Chris Johns on guitar. Kudos to him for confirming some details about this band, but will anything extra public come out about them? Stay tuned for our preview of the ARCH Run later this week for more on the festivities in any event!
• New local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will be parting ways with guitarist Liam Dinsmore following this weekend's ARCH Run and Blaster Powerhouse concerts, as per their Facebook page earlier today. A reason for Liam's impending exit wasn't announced, but things are 100% amicable, and it comes off to me like he's moving out of town, but don't take that as gospel. Liam had joined this new band alongside Raine & Anthony when HeadFirst disbanded earlier this year, and while not the loudest or most front-facing member of either band, he is a talented musician that will be an asset at whatever comes next! See him off in style this weekend!

 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Rotaryfest review and more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck) & Other Indoor Weekend Concert Previews!!

With Rotaryfest's remaining music schedule still very much up in the air (no pun intended), it may be worth noting that there are other concerts locally over the next two days, and indoor ones at that, so if you want to see some live music on what's supposed to be a busy weekend, you have alternatives! The focus around here is always on metal, hard rock, and punk concerts, but I thought that it's appropriate to mention other known concerts in Sault Ontario tomorrow and Saturday before we dive in to regular previews. Country cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride are playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub tonight & tomorrow night, DJ Dark Mark will be spinning tunes at Beck's Bar tonight only, Juliana Regan & Convergence guitarist Jacob Valois will play a joint acoustic gig on Saturday at The Whisky Barrel, and a reunion of classic rock veterans Pegasus is slated for tonight at The Water Tower Pub. Consider these as possible alternatives if you're in the market!

Now to heavier concerts, and we'll start those previews with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover band Soundcheck will reportedly rock Reggie's Place TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, we only learned of the gigs via confirmation by Separate Wayz singer Nicole Thibodeau in a comment on this post from the Sault Live Music Gig Announcements Facebook page. At press time, neither Soundcheck (nor their sister band Separate Wayz) have publically corroborated these bookings on social media, with Soundcheck not updating their Facebook page since May, and Reggie's hasn't confirmed them publically online either. Based on shares of this photo, these appear to strictly be Soundcheck gigs and not "epic crossovers", as Nicole reportedly isn't singing on a local stage again until the fall, but kudos to her for at least mentioning these bookings!

Note that recent live photos and videos of Separate Wayz appear to show a synth player in the back of the stage, but I have not seen a firm public confirmation of his identity on social media, let alone if he has joined one/both bands full time. Regardless, singer/guitarist Travis Sharpe should be back TONIGHT and TOMORROW after missing the Separate Wayz-branded concerts at Jay's last week (which weren't promoted as "epic crossovers" anyway). TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Reggie's concerts are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover. While Soundcheck haven't played Rotaryfest in two years, you can still rock out with them this weekend, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, here's quite the nightcap TOMORROW NIGHT regardless of if Rotaryfest proceeds with music or not, as Montreal hardcore punk legends The Ripcordz will return to the Soo that night as headliners at Beck's Bar! While technically their first local stop since they rocked The Distraction in August 2024, it's not for a lack of trying, as their planned return there last year was cancelled during the openers' sets due to police stopping the show after reported fire code violations (The Distraction has been closed ever since). Paul Gott and crew love touring here, and local fans give them great receptions time and time again, so kudos to Beck's for bringing The Ripcordz back for what should be a ferocious night of punk, especially indoors and within the fire code! Nanaimo, British Columbia pop punk quartet Danger Box (as seen at The Distraction in May 2025 and at a private event here last month) will help set the tone as openers tomorrow night, while the local openers are crossover thrash trio Hails in their first local gig of the year.

Unless you saw them in Toronto last week, this will be your first chance to see Ha!ls with With Gunfire guitarist Anthony Orazietti in place of the Muto cousins, and what a way for him to debut in city limits! This concert has a $10 cover charge (first come first serve, this is expected to draw well, Rotaryfest or not), a 19+ age limit, and a 9:00 PM start time. If Stage 1 takes place as scheduled, Hails (who played Stage 2 last year) will take the stage during Zed's featured set at Clergue Park, with The Sidekicks still to come there. Hardcore punk fans won't want to miss out on all of the action in the west end tomorrow night, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's The Ripcordz live!

Finally for known hard rock concerts this weekend, we'll head to Michigan, where London, England post-grunge/hard rock quartet Bush (a.k.a. BushX for Canadians of a certain vintage) will make their local debut TOMORROW NIGHT with an outdoor concert at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino! Long-time rock radio staples thanks to hit songs like "Everything Zen", "The Chemicals Between Us", and "Mouth", Bush were among the most prominent rock bands of the 1990s, and while I was admittedly never their biggest fan, this show should be a good time for fans, especially if air conditions improve! As of this writing, Kewadin Casino have not said anything about possible air quality provisions on social media, but the air quality index is high an hour south of here too, so follow Kewadin's website and so forth if you are at all concerned. Planned openers Candlebox (of "Far Behind" fame) can relate, as this has hit them here before when they last planned to play in the E.U.P..

The Seattle grunge/alternative veterans were supposed to headline at the Soo Kewadin in April 2020 before the first pandemic lockdown scuttled that gig, so hopefully something similar doesn't recur! Presented by Northern Michigan's Rock 105 & 95.5 and Classic Rock: The Bear, this show is nearly sold out, with limited tickets still available in the right section for $106 USD and the general admission lawn area for $96 at this link, in person, or at 1-800-KEWADIN. The show starts at 7:00 PM, it is definitely all ages, and 9&10 News is calling for clear skies with temperatures around 67-72° (low 20s Celsius), smoke risk aside. If all goes well, this should be a huge concert for 1990s rock fans, so see above for more details, and here's Bush live!

That's all for now, but between air quality reports, the possibility of further adjustments to Rotaryfest (let alone Bush), and other news and notes, we're not sitting idle despite this weekend's concert previews seemingly being done, so stay tuned for more on the SMS shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Separate Wayz, Stones At The Alter, And Greg Simpson), Plus The Cory Marks Concert Preview!!

Let's dive into what is an interesting weekend for hard rock fans in terms of live music! Due to the amount of shows, we'll hold our previews of of the previously announced Bone Yard 225 and Epic Rush concerts this weekend for our next post. Here's what you should know, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend!

Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson will bring his "Ranting Rockstar" acoustic solo concert back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday. While there may have been an assumption that Greg's solo debut at The Dive was a stopgap measure for him to keep playing while Bone Yard were still on their spring break, the band proper is back, so perhaps we will see Greg back sans Alex & Warren for more "uncorked" gigs beyond TONIGHT! Regardless, if you like your local 225 (or the former Bearded Lounge), you'll be right at home with Greg's unplugged southern and hard rock covers, though if you want the full band back, they'll be at Beck's tomorrow (preview forthcoming). TONIGHT's show will definitely be in "The Naughty Corner", as Greg's show last month was.

Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge at the former Low & Slow TONIGHT, so visit the above links for more details on Greg's third solo show of 2026, and here he is live at The Dive!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will hit up Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the band's Facebook page on Monday (note that the venue has not corroborated this booking on their own Facebook page at press time). While fans last saw their sister band Soundcheck two weeks ago at Jay's and a month ago at Reggie's, these will be the first Separate Wayz-branded concerts with Nicole present since April, when they played a standalone gig at Jay's and an "epic crossover" weekend at The Esquire Club with Soundcheck. Surprisingly, I can't find record of Separate Wayz playing at Reggie's since their debut last year, so if you're an existing fan or are curious to see how Soundcheck sound with a female singer, keep TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows in mind! No word on when we'll see Soundcheck back on stage, but we'll let you know.

As usual for weekend cover action at Reggie's, TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's concerts are at 9:30 PM with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. See the above links for more details on Separate Wayz' Reggie's debuts, and for a preview, here they are live!

Also newly announced for this weekend is the headlining debut of new local hard rock quartet Stones At The Alter, who will play a special outdoor concert on SATURDAY NIGHT outside of the aforementioned Dive Gastro Pub! Apologies again for the short notice, this show was only announced by the venue's Facebook page on Sunday, though note that the band's Facebook group has not seen any updates in over a month. The Doo & The Boyos side project will set up shop outside of the former Low & Slow on SATURDAY to take advantage of that day's Sault Ste. Marie Festival of Beer, the annual LopLops Lounge-promoted event that returns to The Downtown Plaza, which is just down the road. Note that I don't know if Beerfest will have their own music lineup at the Plaza (they did last year), but we'll let you know if something comes out late. Hopefully S@TA can fit their full setup on The Dive's patio!

Note that Curtis McKenzie had advertised playing at The Dive on Saturday himself (in an announcement that slipped us by last month), but he blamed a "double booking accident (by) the venue" for the mixup. We'll let you know when he'll be back there soon! This rare plugged-in "Patio Play" gig will be an 8:00 PM nightcap at The Dive with a 19+ age limit and no cover. 9&10 News is calling for a high of 20° on Saturday with a low of 9°, and while we're too soon to see an hourly forecast, be advised that the chance of rain on Saturday in general is about 50/50 at present. Visit the above links for more details, and we'll let you know when Stones At The Alter videos surface!

Finally for this preview post, it's TONIGHT'S main event, as North Bay country/hard rock musician Cory Marks will return to The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre for a headlining concert! While promotion calls this the "first concert ever" at the Bushplane Museum (Cory himself says as much in this promotional video), that isn't true, as multiple locals-only shows have happened there, not to mention Cory's acoustic concert last year for Hope Air Day. However, for a high scale, high production concert, this is uncharted territory for the 50 Pim Street venue, and tickets are selling well for Cory's genre hybrid sound, which we last saw in a full band, electric splendour at The Machine Shop in 2023 & 2024. He has had charting singles on US rock radio, and some very high profile guest spots, so if you like hard rock and/or country, there will be something for you! In a late confirmation, former Northwest bandmates Greg Callaghan & Mike Yakasovich will open tonight in an acoustic set.

While their acoustic exploits largely haven't crossed our radar, Greg does cover some punk in his solo dates, so hopefully the set things off on the right foot! This concert takes place in the hangar proper tonight at 7:30 PM (running until 10:00), it is all ages, and limited general admission tickets cost $40 at the door. Online sales have ended, and VIP passes (which get fans an early acoustic set from Cory at 6:30 PM among other perks) have completely sold out. Food trucks will be on site tonight too, as they are every Thursday this summer. Click here and visit the above links for more on what should be a big night for the Bushplane Museum and fans of Cory's, and here he is live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard 225 and Epic Rush previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Wheelhouse) A New Local Band, And More!!

Today's post turned into more of a weekend concert preview motif than I imagined, thanks to LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), clarification on a kinda-sorta new band, and a missed concert from last night, so here's what you should know as the Canadian long weekend continues!

We have a new-ish band to add to our band links, and as hinted at at the top of Thursday's post, that band is classic/hard rock cover trio Wheelhouse! Now, those familiar with the weekend cover band circuit may recognize Wheelhouse from playing sporadic regional dates since 2023 (their earliest publically documented gig was at Reggie's that June), and they either were successors to or a renaming of the 2022 band Buzzsaw Jaw, but they only launched their own Facebook page this month. Wheelhouse are notable for reuniting guitarist Michael Davies and bassist/ex-Foggy Notions co-owner Jon Ferguson in a new band, following their successful 1996-2017 run with Stiffler's Mom, and they are newly joined by Golden Scoundrels/Eden Plague drummer Johnny Belanger on lead vocals and drums! I don't know who drummed for Wheelhouse previously (let us know if you can confirm), but Cliff Alloy at least drummed for Buzzsaw Jaw.

On their Facebook page, Wheelhouse claim to cover "hits from the 80's, 90's, and today's music" (people realize that "today" in that context covers a 26 year span, right?), and while there are band logos in their Facebook photos, I refuse to take AI-generated artwork at face value for setlist hints. What I can tell you is that Beck's Bar (where they played last night) did film at least two videos, though sadly, they were only uploaded to Facebook as "Story" videos, which means that if they show up in the "Stories" strip on your news feed, they will vanish forever after one or two viewings. I do not like "Stories", but alas, there's only so much I can do about them. If you weren't at Beck's last night, you'll have to take my word for it that the videos showed them covering AC/DC's "TNT" and Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself". If you remember pre-pandemic Handsome Sandwich from 2017-2020, it is good to see Johnny on lead vocals while drumming again!

In one of today's LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, Wheelhouse will return to Beck's on Saturday, July 4th, That show will again be at 9:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit, so if you miss Stiffler's Mom or Handsome Sandwich 1.0, their return may just be in your "wheelhouse"! There is one actual permanently uploaded video on the band's Facebook page that I can embed here (it's horizontal, too!), and it features 75 seconds of John, Mike, and Jon covering (no joke) The Village People's "YMCA". The dark lighting and side-stage angle don't help the view, but it's a lively rocked-up cover with a solid and animated crowd, so give Wheelhouse's first fully public video a watch below!

Next up, here's that SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place TONIGHT after previously playing there last night. My profuse apologies for both the short notice on TONIGHT's show and missing yesterday's outright, I only heard about the gigs this morning via the venue's Facebook page, and the band has not announced the bookings on their own Facebook page. Alas, this isn't the first time that Soundcheck and related bands have forgone social media promotion for one reason or another. TONIGHT's (and yesterday's) shows mark Soundcheck's first since at the Queen Street staple since early April, and unlike their Esquire Club shows two weeks ago, this is not an "epic crossover" weekend with their sister band Separate Wayz, at least not according to current promotional materials.

As was also the case last night, TONIGHT'S show is at 9:30 PM with no cover & a 19+ age limit, and if you believe the AI promotional image, "good music (and) good times" are to be had. Despite the lack of press from Soundcheck proper, it will be good to see Travis, Terry, Jim, and Johnny rocking out with their hard rocking blend of covers again downtown, so apologies again for missing last night's show, and I hope TONIGHT'S goes over just as well, if not better! See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Lastly, let's talk about prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison, whose run of frequent Saturday matinee concerts at Misty's Fifties continues TODAY (as in, RIGHT NOW), and I do apologize for not being timely enough to cover it before it started. I'm out of town this weekend and was on the road for much of yesterday. Today's Victoria Day long weekend concert marks Tym's penultimate advertised gig from his batch Facebook event page for shows at the Second Line West nightclub, with a return scheduled in two weeks on Saturday, May 30th, but we await likely show announcements there in the short term. There is still time for Saultites to head down to Misty's to check out Tym's smooth and talented mix of rock covers today, and you know his solo shows give a production quality beyond the usual trappings of the acoustic singer/songwriter, so you'll get your money's worth (free admission acknowledged!)

This is a 19+ event that started at 4:00 PM and runs until 8:00 PM. Stay tuned for more from Tym in due course, here he is live, and apologies again for not previewing this show until after it began! He'll be back in two weeks!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (B.A. Johnston, Bone Yard 225, Generations, And Soundcheck!!)

Plans to put up this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post today have been slightly delayed due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, so here's what you should know on that front today as well as some other newly announced shows taking place later this spring!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for Easter long weekend concerts TONIGHT (yes, they're open for Good Friday) and TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only announced these shows via their Facebook page at 12:47 PM today, and Reggie's never corroborated them on Facebook. These will be the second and third shows from Soundcheck in a six day span, following their also-announced-that-day concert on Monday at Beck's Bar as an unofficial Goo Goo Dolls replacement event, and yes, they did indeed have Separate Wayz frontwoman/bandmate Nicole Thibodeau on hand that night for an "epic crossover". Kudos to all five members of the two sister bands for jumping on board that short notice gig, and hopefully there was a decent turnout despite the work night scheduling! TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows appear to be Soundcheck only.

Two weeks removed from Travis, Terry, Jim, and Johnny's last shows at Reggie's, TONIGHT & TOMORROW's concerts will see the classic and hard rock cover attack take the stage at 9:30 PM with no announced cover charges and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, we have a couple of new show announcements for later this month of the cover-leaning persuasion at The Water Tower Pub, who posted their April concert calendar on their Facebook page earlier today! We already knew about Quite Frankly's show there on April 11th thanks to that band's own advertising, but SMS readers may want to circle the following weekend on their calendars, starting with the return of southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 on Friday, April 17th! Last seen at Smitty's for St. Patrick's Day, this will be Greg, Alex, and Warren's first show at the Great Northern Road nightclub since late January. Your local 225 have been oddly quiet since mid-February, only playing the one "uncorked" concert in the interim (the April 17th show will also be acoustic, as usual there), and only having plugs for that event and a couple of frontman Greg Simpson's new "Ranting Rockstar" social media posts since, where he offers his own pearls of wisdom about life and music.

No word on when we'll see the full electric Bone Yard show again (last seen on Valentine's Day at Beck's), but hopefully their Water Tower Pub show is a sign of more gigs to come, and that their album is still in progress! As usual for this venue, expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover on the 17th. See above for more details!

As usual, The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly acts, and the Saturday, April 18th booking belongs to local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations! Now, I will preface this by noting that the band has not yet corroborated this booking on their Facebook group, and haven't even posted there since March 9th, despite playing at The Kiln in the interim. Assuming all is well in their camp, this will be Generations' first show at this venue since late February, and hopefully fans get another entertaining classic and hard rock mix from this union of Jus' Chillin and Obsession alumni! Like with Bone Yard 225 the previous day, expect this to be a 19+ event with no cover charge and a start time of 8:00 PM. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more from Generations when announced!

We'll close with a newly announced concert from a familiar touring artist, but not at a venue you may expect, as Hamilton outsider folk/acoustic punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to the Soo on Saturday, May 23rd at... The Esquire Club? It is very strange to see a touring act, let alone a show expected to have at least one opener, at this Second Line West mainstay, but B.A. is infamous for never playing at the same venue twice in his Sault Ste. Marie stops (seven by my count, at least sixteen by his). B.A. last played at Venue on Queen Street East in May of last year, and if you're unfamiliar with his shows, expect his proudly Canadian, self-deprecating, Hawkins Cheezies-loving, and deeply humorous live set to turn heads once again, and my description of his shows will never do them justice. Click here to sample B.A.'s show last year via SooToday's coverage, where he even played on top of a car at one point!

The support act (if not acts) is to be announced, but note that Silent 9 have been scheduled for May 22nd and 23rd at The Esquire Club since last year. We'll keep their May 22nd show in our calendar for now, but we'll let you know if the May 23rd gig's status is clarified. Despite the proximity to May 24th, this show does not fall on the Victoria Day long weekend. It is a 9:00 PM concert with a 19+ age limit, and while his Venue show last year had an admission fee, this year's B.A. show will have no cover. This should be a fun time next month, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and go check out his videos on YouTube to get a better sampling of his live experience! That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's almost-completed "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Soundcheck) & This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

This is a quieter weekend for hard rock-leaning concerts, so let's lead off this preview post with a couple of notes for events this weekend that glanced our radar. If you follow veteran country cover band Tex Riviera & The Ride, you may be aware that they're in the midst of their "Dale Corcoran Appreciation Tour" in memory of the recently passed local musician, who played with Tex in the 1990s country rock band The Hillbilly Heartbreakers. Songs played with Dale and stories about Dale have been shared and will continue to be, but tomorrow & Saturday's Ride concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub will feature a one-off (two-off?) reunion of The Hillbilly Heartbreakers, with guitarist Tim Laplante, drummer Jeff Pennett, and saxophonist Risk Wysynski joining in. Tex did note that The Heartbreakers "were the first who managed to get away with playing Motorhead & (Merle) Haggard in the same night", so who knows what you'll hear from The Ride and gang this weekend!

The other SMS-adjacent event this weekend will be the first ever "big three" emo night at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on Saturday night! The big three being My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco. Of course, this era of emo and pop punk are very intertwined, and while this isn't a concert, the TVs will be playing music videos by emo bands (especially ones from the 2000s), and Tattoo Tearz will be offering flash tattoos. No word on if you'll hear songs from local emo/post-hardcore bands of the era like The Crossed, Fuller, or A Fall From Innocence in the rotation, but see above for more on this event if you're curious!

Now to our known hard rock concert previews, and we'll start with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will rock Reggie's Place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced via the venue's Facebook page on Sunday, though note that the band has not corroborated these bookings on social media at press time. Last seen at The Esquire Club three weeks ago (unless that reported Tap Room show last week actually took place despite a lack of public promotion), TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts will be Soundcheck's first at Reggie's since their revival and since Travis and Johnny joined the band's new lineup. If you missed Travis' original run with Soundcheck and/or just wanna rock out with this talented veteran group, head downtown!

All of the action goes down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more on Soundcheck's first Reggie's stops of 2026, and here they are live!

Next up, let's head to Sault Michigan, where Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm will end their schedule for the first quarter of 2026 by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! After a busy start of the year that saw them and sister band Peril play three combined weekends at the Soo and St. Ignace Kewadin branches, tomorrow & Saturday's shows mark Scarkazm's first in the E.U.P. since they last rocked The Rapids Lounge at the end of January. Scarkazm always deliver a fun mix of hard hitting crowd favourites and select originals, and hopefully Adam, Dave, and Jeff keep their momentum rolling in their latest local stops this weekend! If you can't make it, the guys will be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin in just over a month. Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Scarkazm live!

Finally for known/advertised hard rock-leaning shows in the area this weekend, we will head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will set up shop on SATURDAY NIGHT at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort! Note however that Searchmont have yet to corroborate this booking on social media (they often don't). Temperatures are expected to warm up this weekend, but regardless, the music should be cooking inside the ski resort from this experienced veteran quartet! Generations had previously had a Saturday nighter at The Kiln on February 21st called off due to "a booking error", so this will be their first show at Searchmont since late January. If you're up for the drive or are hitting the slopes already, don't miss Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony's latest classic rock blast on Saturday! This is a 19+ show at 8:00 PM with no cover. See above for more details, and here's Generations live! 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Separate Wayz), The Tym Morrison Concert Preview, And More!!

Weekend concert previews are upon us, but given how much I wrote about today's first band (new to our links, if not the live music scene), I have opted to move our preview of Saturday night's HeadF1rst concert at Beck's to a separate news post tomorrow. Here's what you should know to start the weekend off right, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

It's time to finally and belatedly roll local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz into our full coverage! The delay was because I couldn't 100% verify if their sound and cover selection crossed our genre radar (the band posted zero live videos online in 2025), but a recent lineup change and how it links to their sister band The Guilty Party led me to make the move. It was announced last week that Separate Wayz drummer Steven Flint (formerly of The Suicide Kings and Soundcheck) had decided to leave the band, possibly temporarily, due to scheduling concerns that make it difficult to guarantee his availability for bookings. There is a chance that he will be back when he "makes his final call", though the band didn't specify what his external commitments revolve around. As such, Guilty Party drummer Brent Royer was announced "as the drummer of Separate Wayz".

With Brent taking on the drum position in this band, it means that Separate Wayz and The Guilty Party have identical lineups, aside from Separate Wayz' lead singer Nicole Thibodeau (Brent is the main singer with The Guilty Party). Nicole was discovered by then-Soundcheck bandmates Terry Eaton and Jim Michaud as a favourite guest singer during their Thursday jam nights, and was recruited to front their new band after Soundcheck disbanded on New Year's Day last year. Presumably named for the Journey song with a swapped letter, Separate Wayz debuted at The Water Tower Pub in February, and they later performed at Jay's Piston Broke Pub and The Esquire Club, at Toystock in November, on the road in Wawa and Chapleau, and at a private event or two. In those LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, their first shows of the year (and with Brent) go down TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Esquire Club!

Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced by the band late last week. While they credited this as "our debut at Esquire" on their Facebook page last week, the original lineup did play there back in April (source here). Given how the guys are used to playing with Brent in The Guilty Party (let alone Nicole guesting with that band at Reggie's last week), there shouldn't be any rust or growing pains as they return to the west end TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! With Steven stepping back, this may lead to an increase in bookings for Separate Wayz if his availability was the main reason why they weren't playing live often, but regardless, the synergy is noted. TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows are 9:30 PM affairs with no cover charge and 19+ age limits. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's the first ever public social media video of Separate Wayz! Well, technically, it's from a Guilty Party gig.!

Posted on the event page for this weekend, it features Nicole, Terry, Jim, and Brent covering Heart's "Barracuda" at Reggie's during one of The Guilty Party's shows there this past weekend. While sadly shot vertically (at least pan and zoom to hide the floor a bit!) and the very turquoise/magenta lighting doesn't suit the band, they sound good here, and if you haven't heard Nicole live yet, she was a really good voice that works well on this Heart classic! Give things a watch below, and don't miss Brent's official debuts with Separate Wayz TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT!

Finally for this preview post, let's stay in the west end, as veteran local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will bring his acoustic solo project back to Misty's Fifties for another matinee concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! This will be the second public concert of 2026 from the former Caveman Morrison frontman and Hollow guitarist, following his Misty's show this past Saturday, and while he's taking next Saturday off from the Second Line West nightclub, he will be back there in two weeks. Whether you're game to see Tym right away or not, you have lots of chances ahead this year to enjoy his old school blend of classic and hard rock covers in an intimate setting! As usual for his ample stops at Misty's Fifties, Saturday's gig is a 4:00 PM matinee with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this & upcoming Misty's shows, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our HeadF1rst preview and more next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225 & Generations) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

For our first post of 2026, we're diving into another round of weekend concert previews, as there's a range of hard rock cover bands rocking out on both sides of the border, so let's lead things off with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, with some new videos tucked in!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will make their first ever appearance (to my knowledge) at The Kiln at Searchmont Resort on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced by drummer Tony Santoro on their Facebook group on Christmas Eve, which slipped me by initially among the holiday rush. Regardless, Searchmont have not corroborated the band's announcement on their own social media. Two weeks removed from their last 2025 date at The Water Tower Pub, this will be Generations' third concert with new guitarist Joe Miller, and if you're up for a trip to our local ski resort, hitting the slopes or not, you should get your fill of classic and hard rock covers on SATURDAY! This indoor concert takes place at 8:00 PM in The Kiln with no announced cover charge or age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Generations live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will kick off their 2026 with shows at Beck's Bar on SATURDAY & SUNDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday. Bone Yard proper haven't confirmed these bookings on their own Facebook page, but their website's concert calendar does list them along with other January dates that we will cover in an upcoming post along with extra band updates. Three weeks ago, "the dirty three" rocked Beck's for their most recent double header there, and like usual for their bookings at the former Vibe Lounge, SATURDAY'S show will be a normal electric concert, while SUNDAY's is a 3:00 PM "uncorked" matinee. Regardless, both are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. Regarding the SATURDAY matinee timeslot at Beck's, that goes to local country musician and former Soundcheck singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver.

Remember, Cameron is not "opening" for Bone Yard 225. He and the band have separate four hour timeslots spaced two hours apart. It's good to see Bone Yard starting the new year on a high note, and hopefully SATURDAY & SUNDAY's shows have strong turnouts! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of your local 225 covering Van Morriosn's "Brown Eyed Girl" at their "uncorked" Beck's gig last month, courtesy of their Facebook page! While sadly shot vertically, it's a fine melodic rendition of this classic rock staple, accentuated with some holiday decor, so give it a watch!

Now to shows that did have advance notice, starting with new local classic/hard rock cover trio The Guilty Party, who will lead off their 2026 slate TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! After a fast start to their run as a live band, these will see Brent, Terry, and Jim rock out as the first hard rock-leaning band to rock Reggie's since owner/namesake Reggie Daigle resumed management of the bar last fall after Randy Lapossie's five year tenure came to an end. It is a good sign that Reggie isn't immediately reverting to a country-only band rotation like in ye olden times, and hopefully The Guilty Party deliver a solid pair of shows downtown this weekend! The Facebook event page is teasing a "special surprise" for tomorrow's show, heavily implied to be a female guest singer in other postings, and while this isn't a 100% guarantee, note that members' other band Separate Wayz are fronted by Nicole Thibodeau (more on her and that band soon).

As usual for concerts at Reggie's, tomorrow's and Saturday's Guilty Party concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this weekend's shows, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of The Guilty Party covering Bryan Adams' "Run To You" live at the former Reggie's West (Jay's Piston Broke Pub) in November! Sadly also shot vertically (and almost never capturing bassist Jim Michaud in frame), this Terry Eaton-sung rendition is soundly and professionally handled, though I'd have at least zoomed in a bit and moved the camera around moreso. Check this one out below as well, and don't miss the guys at Reggie's!

We'll head to Sault Michigan to round out this weekend's previews (as far as I'm currently aware), as Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will kick off their year by rocking The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Jeff Hudson's two active rock bands will actually both be coming north of the Mackinac Bridge for Soo Kewadin gigs this month (Scarkazm will be here in four weeks), but the longer running Peril are up first for Yooper fans. Should be a solid pair of hard rocking cover concerts in store to lead off 2026, so don't miss out on this talented trio's launch for another year tomorrow and Saturday! If you miss out, they'll be back at the St. Ignace Kewadin over the Valentine's Day weekend for the pond hockey tournament, but they won't be back in the Soo until at least the second quarter of the year. Expect 9:00 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a while back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for an overdue news post on the SMS tomorrow! Thanks everyone!