A New Addition To Our Band Links, A Mid-Week Concert Preview, And Much More!!

In terms of our backlog clearout, yesterday's posts somewhat set us back, as one was a scheduled feature post and the other only knocked one topic off of the list. However, today's post will clear six items from our list, so here's what you should know via some recent shorter updates, a concert preview for tomorrow evening, and leading off, a belated addition to our band links and full coverage, so here's what you should know!

After their well received closing set on Rotaryfest Saturday last month, it's high time that we finally roll classic/hard rock cover trio The Sidekicks into our full coverage! The band has generally been cagey when it comes to sharing media and setlist hints from their shows, which is what has kept them out of our links for this long, but what they played at Clergue Park last month definitely points to The Sidekicks fitting based on bands that we already actively cover. Active since at least February 2020 when they played at the United We Jam! fundraiser right before the pandemic began, their Facebook page was only launched in August 2021, and they have had a steady lineup since then, featuring singer/drummer Tracey Hilderley (formerly of bands like Tripod The Dog, Boogie Fever, and Domina) alongside guitarist Steve Cardiff and bassist Dan Beaupre (of 100 Gran, Griphook, and Double Down fame).

Pandemic restrictions are partly to blame for their relative lack of shows from before 2023, and while they're not the most regularly seen cover band going, they're probably best recognized from their appearances at The Water Tower Pub in the past three years, along with scattered gigs at venues like Jay's Piston Broke Pub, The Dive Gastro Pub, and Beck's Pub (sorry, Beck's Bar). Tracey, Steve, and Dan have also been seen at Rotaryfest Stage 1 in 2023, that year's Bushplane Days, and a 2024 Summer Concert Series gig at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion. As noted above, The Sidekicks don't post videos of themselves on social media, perhaps with the thought process of "if you want to see/hear us, come to our gigs!", but from what I caught of them on Stage 1 at Rotaryfest last month, they covered the likes of Heart, The Cult, Pat Benatar, Sloan, The Scorpions, The Tragically Hip, and Judas Priest, among others.

The Sidekicks will be a unique band alone from having a frontwoman who sings and drums simultaneously, and while I did find that Tracey's vocals could be overly theatrical on more upbeat rockers, she adjusts well when songs call for it, and they do have some interesting cover selections that other bands don't tackle. Steve and Dan are solid musicians to match, and Steve is (to me) an underrated lead guitarist that I'm surprised isn't talked about as much. There is a new Sidekicks video to share from Rotaryfest shot by an external page that we'll address when we cover the remaining Rotaryfest videos, but click here to see our video of them covering "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" from last month! 

Next up, here's our latest mid-week concert preview concerning the prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison, whose weekly arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post continues TOMORROW! With five more shows to go for the former Caveman Morrison frontman for this seasonal run, tomorrow's date should provide fans with more unplugged rock favourites, so keep things in mind if you're in the area or are up for a drive north! If you'd rather see Tym on a better day for concerts or somewhere else, we will preview his next Desbarats show on Friday in this weekend's previews, plus his new late notice matinee confirmation for Sunday. These shows are 6:30-8:00 PM affairs with no cover charge or age limit, and as this is an outdoor event, 9&10 News is calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the 20-22° range. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

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

 

• On June 2nd, Kewadin Casinos' Facebook page announced a new series of upgrades at their five locations to begin that summer, including "bar and restaurant/deli renovations". However, in the linked press release, the only way that this may affect SMS coverage is that the Sault Michigan branch is getting a new sports bar that begins construction next summer. Is this replacing The Rapids Lounge or is this something that will exist alongside it? Time will tell, but see above for more on all levels of upgrades at Kewadin Casinos in the coming months!
• The local openers have been announced for Australian hard rock band The Lazys' headlining concert at Blaster Powerhouse in Sault Ontario on October 9th, and surprisingly, it will be folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels! They revealed their involvement last week via the poster for their Full Chisel Tour this fall, though note that the former Soo Blaster has yet to visibly corroborate this in the full concert promotion. While 3/4ths of The Scoundrels have experience in hard rock/metal bands, they are still an interesting genre contrast, so hopefully they help pull a sizeable crowd in two months' time! Tickets are on sale at this link!
• In two more examples of local classic/hard rock cover bands using Facebook "Stories" to share self-destructing vertical videos that I can't link to or feature here, Quite Frankly did so from their April concert at The Water Tower Pub (where they covered Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son"), and Silent 9 just did so over the weekend for a very blurry video of them covering Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" at a recent private event, with Jess singing on stage alongside an attendee. I will never understand why some bands and venues choose to share videos as "Stories" that can only be seen once or twice before vanishing into the ether, but alas, you may have missed those ones as of late!

 

 That's all for now, but stay tuned for another new SMS post later today! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison), Wednesday Concert Previews, And A New Video!!

(Updated at 6:08 PM) With there being a pair of mid-week concerts of note TOMORROW (one being a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT), let's focus our latest post around them, plus some more upcoming new concerts and a new live video, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday morning!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW, and while we're on the subject, let's roll the rest of his August dates there into our calendar! Apologies for the short notice on TOMORROW's concert, I really should have got the ball rolling on his August dates last week, as I wanted to go month-by-month with them given the amount. August 2026 has four Wednesdays, so fans of the former Caveman Morrison and Nostalgic Band frontman can see Tym go unplugged at The Trading Post TOMORROW and then on August 12th, 19th, and 26th, with his weekly summer concert arrangement at this outdoor stage scheduled to run through mid-September. Hopefully weather holds out throughout, and Tym's skilled covers should get a solid reception TOMORROW and beyond! All four shows have adjusted 7:00-9:00 PM start times.

These are all ages concerts with no cover charge, and 9&10 News is calling for 20-21° temperatures and partly cloudy skies during Tym's scheduled two hour block TOMORROW. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live! 

Finally, let's head to The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, where local dog rescue charity Maddy's Mighty Mutts will host their first ever Family Fun Day! To promote Maddy's work and give back to the community, attendees tomorrow can expect a barbecue, craft and food vendors, kids activity, a beer tent, dogs up for adoption, and more, so visit the official Facebook event page for full non-musical details! A stacked lineup of local musicians are supporting Maddy's Mighty Mutts tomorrow, including anywhere from nine to eleven acts, though unfortunately, I have not seen a verified performance schedule. Based on the advertised 8 hour timeframe, I'd be expecting some half-hour long sets, especially from the solo acts. The listed band order puts the bands first, and in order, they include young local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 (with new single in tow!), Josh & Todd from local folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels...

...as their duo spinoff Half Scoundies, classic/hard rock cover duo TNT (Terry Eaton n' Travis Sharpe from Soundcheck unplugged), and country rock cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride (not "Tex & The Relix") The solo performers include Bone Yard frontman Greg "The Ranting Rockstar" Simpson (featuring a guest appearance by Travis from TNT), Dive Gastro Pub regular Arin Karki (a.k.a. Arin Jung), Dodge This/ex-Phatstick singer/guitarist Jason Taillefer, newer local country musician Jazmine "Jazz Marie" Ladouceur, former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie, country cover veteran Leslie Cook, and in a late addition via this AI generated poster from this morning, the aforementioned Tym Morrison. That's quite a solid lineup of familiar faces, many not regularly seen on multi-band bills like this, so keep all of this in mind! However, be advised that the new AI poster omits three acts (Tex & The Ride, Arin Karki, and Leslie Cook), even though Tex's Facebook page confirmed an hour prior that they were playing tomorrow.

Have any of the three dropped out (theoretically, someone must have for Tym to join this bill), or did Maddy's and/or the AI program forget a few names? We'll let you know if anything concrete is said! Also newly confirmed is that unspecified "friends" will guest with TNT during their set. Alas, the Wednesday scheduling is far from ideal, especially for an event starting before people working 9:00-5:00 are off the clock, but hopefully there's a decent turnout given the quality lineup & other activities. I have not seen any firm postings indicating a cover charge, but bring cash just in case to support Maddy's work and the vendors on site! This is absolutely an all ages event (dogs are welcome too!), and it is slated to run from 2:00-10:00 PM. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy skies tomorrow with temperatures ranging from 18-22°, and while the Roberta Boundary Bondar Pavilion tent is acknowledged, the show should avoid tonight's rain.

Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's the first original song from listed headliners(?) 5 Dollar Bribe! This video was uploaded to their Facebook page from their headlining date at Blaster Powerhouse on Saturday, and features Jayce, Tyler, Randy, and Chase playing their own original "Cold". A 1990s tinged hard rock song with grunge influences and some surprising screams from Jayce, this is a promising start that seemed to go over well this past weekend! I'd definitely be interested to hear more original music from 5 Dollar Bribe, but will they play this tomorrow under the tent? Be there to find out, and check out the "Cold" video from Saturday night for yourselves below!

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

Bone Yard 225 Updates & A Tym Morrison Concert Preview!!

For our first post of what will be a busy work week at the SMS, here's a pre-Rotaryfest mid-week preview and the latest updates from a prominent veteran band both here and abroad!

We'll start with a mid-week concert preview before the Rotaryfest crush begins, as prolific local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison will return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post for his third weekly concert there of his current summer arrangement TOMORROW EVENING! While not a Rotaryfest performer on record (odd that he's never played to my knowledge), this could be an appetizer for fans of rock covers to see some live music outdoors before the action begins downtown, and hopefully Tym has a solid block of rock favourites in store for fans way up Great Northern Road! Like the last two weeks, tomorrow's show is expected to run from 6:30-8:30 PM with no age limits or cover charges. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for cloudy skies and temperatures hovering around 21°, so similar to last week, but with no likelihood of rain. Visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, let's take a look at the latest updates from local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225, so what's new from their camp? When we last saw them on a local stage, they performed not one, but two concerts in one day (one "uncorked", one fully electric) at Beck's Bar for the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot on Saturday, June 27th, and a live-streamed video from the former set made its way to their Facebook page, though note that it was not playing for me on a desktop browser (it worked fine on a cell phone though). The video sees the guys covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" (with an amusing "Drift Away" interlude late), and the video notably does not feature bassist Warren Reville. No idea if he was absent for all/part of the acoustic block or just sat out this song, but with him not there, this video is effectively a Bearded Lounge reunion. It's a solid unplu... sorry, uncorked rendition while it lasts, and familiar for long-time fans!

Despite being shot vertically, Greg & Alex are steadily captured in frame, which is nice! Due to Facebook's current regulations for live-streamed videos, the "Can't You See" cover will vanish from Bone Yard's Facebook page in around two weeks unless re-uploaded or converted, so click here to watch it while you can! More of singer/drummer Greg Simpson's "ranting rockstar" videos from his personal Facebook page were shared in the following days, including this one the next day where he reflected on the "huge success" of their double booking the previous day, including a full house for the nightcap. July will see your local 225 exclusively play private or out of town events, starting with a Canada Day gig in Chapleau (3½ hours north of here) on July 1st, as teased in this "ranting rockstar" video, and this one where Greg shows off their hotel rooms for the night. They called it "a fantastic show for a fantastic crowd", so it's good to see that the trip went well!

"The Dirty Three" played their next gig 50 minutes southeast of here in Johnson Township (outside of Desbarats) on Saturday, July 4th, which was a private event at the Caribou Log Cabin Resorts there, hence why we didn't cover it on the SMS. Greg even apologized for the lack of media in this video, saying that "certain private parties should stay private", but things went well! For a second straight year, Bone Yard packed their things to play in Greg's hometown of Kirkland Lake (7½ hours northeast of here!) this past Saturday, once again headlining the Stéphane Léveillé Memorial Poker Run motorcycle rally, a.k.a. the Leave No One Behind Ride for Veterans. Before heading home, Greg did another radio interview with CJKL 101.5 there (as per this "Ranting Rockstar" video), but as best as I can tell, the band has not posted that for on-demand streaming like they did last year. There is a video from the Kirkland Lake concert to check out though, so what's to see?

Sadly live-streamed (so you likely have until around August 11th to watch it), this comes from the Facebook page of the Royal Canadian Legion there, which is where the show took place this year and last. This sees Greg, Alex, and Warren covering The 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?", which remains a mystifying cover choice for me, regardless of which rock band does it (I know it has been funny and a crowd pleaser, but the joke got old for me years and years ago). Well performed in spite of that, let alone the vertical camera angle, so give it a look below while you can! Bone Yard 225's next public show (aside from a private stag & doe set in two weeks) will be at Beck's on August 1st, and they are not playing Rotaryfest again this year.

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Generations, And Tym Morrison!!)

A very busy Canada Day long weekend is in store for the SMS, and I am projecting needing three posts to address everything taking place for hard rock fans in the Twin Saults as a result! This post will lead off with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (some on SHORT NOTICE) and a Friday nighter, while I am planning to look at previously announced Friday-Saturday nighters and this year's Poutine Feast in post #2, and Sault Michigan/E.U.P. shows will be part of a news post on Friday to round things out. Now, here's what you should know to start things in Sault Ontario!

Joining his fifth straight week of double solo dates TOMORROW NIGHT at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post and on SATURDAY at Misty's Fifties, local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this gig was only announced via edits to his batch Facebook event page for gigs at the former Low & Slow in recent weeks. Note that his previously announced concert there on Thursday, July 4th was removed, so Occam's Razor would suggest that his booking there was bumped up a week early. Regardless, TONIGHT's show is Tym's second at The Dive as a Thursday headliner, and he will be back for a third "Think It Over Thursday" on August 1st, as per the Facebook event page linked above, so prepare for some fan favourite hard and classic rock covers TONIGHT & then from this talented local music veteran!

Of course, Tym will then rock The Mike Case Stage tomorrow evening, but be advised that as of this writing, The Weather Channel is calling for showers when Tym's set to be playing, so follow your preferred local weather forecast closer to for updates, as Tym has cancelled outdoor dates due to weather before (the current projected temperature is 17-18°). Sunday's matinee at Misty's will be indoors for you west end fans as well, of course, so if you want to take things earlier, you know where to be! While we're on the subject, let's add Tym's July slate of shows to our calendar so they are in the system without being on short notice, so look for Tym Morrison at The Trading Post on Friday, July 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th, while his Misty's Fifties shows next month will be on Saturday the 13th, 20th, and 27th! Tym had previously confirmed that he would not be playing there on July 6th, but has not publically said why that I have found.

TONIGHT'S and August's Dive shows are at 6:00 PM and 19+, tomorrow's and next month's Trading Post gigs are at 7:00 PM (weather permitting), and Saturday's and next month's dates at Misty's are at 4:00 PM and presumed to be 19+. Visit the above links for much more on Tym's weekend slate (and beyond), including his Trading Post and Misty's event pages linked here and here, and for a preview, here he is live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will kick off their brave new world sans Thursday jam night hosting duties by rocking The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this one-nighter was first announced via the band's Facebook page on June 19th, and we didn't have enough time to fit it into a post before it got to be in our short notice range (under a week out). Regardless, the venue hasn't advertised their live music schedule on social media since the end of May. It's been a few months since Terry, Cameron, Jim, and Glen have rocked the Great Northern Road venue, and hopefully their classic and hard rock cover slate goes over well with fans and regulars alike TOMORROW! No word on who's playing there on Saturday night. Expect an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover TOMORROW NIGHT. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live a few years back!

Finally, fellow local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, these shows were only announced via the band's Facebook group on Saturday. Last seen publically at The Water Tower Pub two weeks ago and at Jay's back in March, TOMORROW & SATURDAY's shows should prove to be a good way to enjoy Generations' old school cover slate in advance of their Rotaryfest return next month! It is worth noting that the band (minus singer Valerie Powley) will be the first of the rotating fill-in bands for the Thursday jam nights at Jay's after the aforementioned Soundcheck withdrew from full-time hosting duties last week, and while we don't cover jam nights as full "concerts" for our purposes, keep the Tonys and Pierre in mind if you want to jam with them on stage at the former Rosie tonight!

TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's concerts have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charge, and the same would apply for jam night tonight. Generations seem to have the run of things this weekend at Jay's, so fans of their skilled covers won't wanna miss out! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Generations live!

That's all for weekend concert preview post #1, and we'll look at the Poutine Feast, Bone Yard 225, and Cory Murchison concerts later today! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Tym Morrison) Plus The Bone Yard 225 Concert Previews!!

As we end the month of May and enter June 2024, this weekend's hard rock concert previews straddle the transition from month to month. It's not a busy weekend compared to recent weeks, but due to a heap of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (two on SHORT NOTICE) concerning an artist playing this weekend, I have to break up this weekend's previews into two posts. As such, HeadFirst and Rhythm & Brews, plus any further late notice confirmations, will come up in our next post hitting the site either tonight or tomorrow morning, so stay tuned! Now, here's what you should know to start off this weekend (and beyond!)

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison has announced a pile of upcoming concerts for the summer season, starting with returns to  The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT and Misty's Fifties on SATURDAY! Apologies for the short notice on both of this weekend's shows, they were only announced on Monday via their respective official Facebook event pages linked here and here. As has become a tradition post-pandemic, Tym will bring his acoustic rock show back to The Mike Case Stage this summer now that it's open for the summer, but this year, the arrangement will see him play there every Friday at 7:00 PM through the end of September! No breaks or unbooked Fridays this year, so keep Tym's shows at 1332 Great Northern Road in mind before this stage closes for the year in four months! Of course, these shows are outdoors, and thusly, weather permitting.

As for Misty's Fifties, Tym had been booked to play there every second Saturday in recent months, with the last shows of that run scheduled to be on June 8th and 22nd, but clearly his shows at the Second Line West venue have went well, so his run there has been ramped up! Along with a short notice return THIS SATURDAY in what was originally an off day, he will also be playing at Misty's on June 15th, and will similarly return there (almost) weekly through at least the end of September! The only exception on the Misty's side of things is Saturday, July 6th, and while I believe I know why he's not playing that day, we await public confirmation. In terms of holidays, Tym will be pulling double duty on the Canada Day, Civic Holiday, and Labour Day long weekends via these shows. Lastly in terms of Tym's summer concert calendar, he will also return to The Dive Gastro Pub (née Low & Slow) for one night only on Thursday, July 4th!

That show is part of The Dive's new "Think It Over Thursday" series of rotating solo acoustic musicians, which Tym previously played in on May 9th, so keep his Queen Street East return in mind on the Fourth of July! No new Facebook event page was made for that show, it was just added to the May 9th one. For the sake of not overloading our concert calendar, I'll do what I did with Tym's past weekly arrangements and list these shows month by month. As such, only this weekend's and June's shows (plus his Dive show in July) are being listed for now, and I won't roll his weekly July-September gigs into the calendar until late the previous month. TOMORROW'S Mike Case Stage show (and beyond) are 7:00 PM events with no age limits or cover charges, SATURDAY'S Misty's concert (and the rest) are 4:00 PM matinees with no cover and 19+ age limits, and his Dive Gastro Pub show on July 4th is a 6:00 PM matinee.

Like three weeks ago, that should also be 19+ with no cover. Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for 21° temperatures and mostly cloudy weather TOMORROW, so it should be a good night to check out Tym's classic and hard rock cover selection at The Trading Post! If you want cooler indoor temperatures this weekend, head to Misty's on SATURDAY, but in any event, visit the above links for more on Tym's packed summer concert calendar, and for a preview, here he is live! 

Next up, let's look at one more local band playing this weekend before we cover the rest in post #2, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage TOMORROW NIGHT at The Water Tower Pub before heading downtown to Reggie's Place on SATURDAY NIGHT! This split weekend is due to The Water Tower Pub (where Bone Yard traditionally plays acoustic, or "uncorked") hosting different nightly bands, but I have not seen a social media reference to what band is playing there on Saturday. As such, Bone Yard 225 will plug their instruments in for a one-nighter at Reggie's on Saturday, so if you'd prefer to see them at this venue or in their electric splendour, you know where to go! For reference, HeadFirst (who have a one-nighter of their own at Shooters on Saturday) will fill in the Friday gap at Reggie's, and those previews will be in our next post.

You can take in Bone Yard 225's southern fried hard and classic rock covers (and select originals) tomorrow at The Water Tower Pub at 8:00 PM, while the Reggie's show on Saturday is at a normal 9:00 PM start time. Both shows are 19+ affairs with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Bone Yard live!

That's all for now, but look for our HeadFirst and Rhythm & Brews concert previews (and more?) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Nostalgic Band & Tym Morrison), Plus New Guitar Cover Videos!!

Here's another new post for your Friday morning reading, and it includes LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), and some new Van Halen-related guitar covers, so let's get things rolling!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his summer series at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post for at least one more week TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Tym only launched a Facebook event page for it early this morning. Like in his past seasonal runs at this venue, Tym only announced dates in advance up to August, with anything in September either announced on late notice or not at all, so TONIGHT's show being confirmed the day of is not shocking. The Mike Case Memorial Stage is definitely seasonal with a closing date in September, so this very well could be it for The Nostalgic Band's frontman there in 2023, but if he does happen to continue things there for another week, we'll let you know if at all possible. You can enjoy Tym's classic and hard rock cover selection TONIGHT at 7:00 PM with no age limits or cover charges.

Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for sunny/clear conditions at 13-14°, and while Tym has called off outdoor shows for being "too cold" due to warmer temperatures than this, the late announcement for what could be his 2023 finale bodes well for it going on, and note that sunset occurs midway through TONIGHT's concert, so the visuals will be increasingly unique! Visit the above links for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, Tym's current classic metal cover trio The Nostalgic Band have announced a swath of upcoming concerts via three Facebook event pages covering multiple upcoming dates at three different local nightclubs through the end of the year! Tym, Dutch, and Chet will first return to Reggie's Place next weekend (Friday, September 15th & Saturday, September 16th) before returning there for another weekend on October 20th & 21st, so keep these in mind if you're up for seeing The Nostalgic Band at this Queen Street staple! The week prior, the guys will rock Shooters Downstairs Lounge for the first time (I believe) on Friday, October 13th, with a return booking on Friday, December 22nd (no word on possible seasonal ties for that one). These are both one-nighters, possibly confirming the extension of Shooters' Saturday DJ experiment, but we will keep you posted.

Finally, The Nostalgic Band will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for full weekends on November 3rd-4th and December 8th-9th, so if you'd prefer a west end date or two (or four), keep these gigs in mind! All of these shows are 19+ affairs with no cover charge, and all have 9:30 PM start times except at Shooters (9:00 PM). Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here, here, and here for more details!

We'll close today with some new videos, including a rare sight: local hard rock solo musician Mike McCleary performing on camera! Before that however, Mike has kept fans updated as to his recent quiet activity on his Facebook page over the summer. In July, he noted that he suffered a spinal injury and a separate "pretty significant health scare" that left him unable to play guitar for a few months, but he was able to play again at the time. For future plans, Mike hinted that he may make more instrumental music following how his "Fallout From Midnight Tides" EP turned out, while he is also open to collaborating with other artists. He was honest in noting that he has anxiety about performing live, hence why he isn't in a band and rarely performs concerts, but he is working to improve that. Last month, Mike reiterated that there's no timeline on his next material, and explained some of his issues with past songs of his.

He feels that many of his old songs were rushed and he was unhappy with the final product, which may explain why the vast majority of his back catalog was de-listed from streaming services. It sounds like he wants to take his time to make really good music by his standards, so hopefully things progress naturally! As for the video, it features him covering Van Halen's "Panama", and while he doesn't show much expression while playing, he lampshaded why in the description. Solidly done cover that shows off Mike's guitar abilities, and it's good to see that he's back playing guitar again, so give it a look below!

Finally for today, here's one more Eddie Van Halen guitar cover for you, this time his solo from Michael Jackson's "Beat It", courtesy of Silent 9 guitarist Ryan Robb! This was shared from his personal Facebook page to the band's Facebook page on Saturday, and if (like me) you were unfamiliar with Ryan from prior local bands, this will help show how he got the gig with Silent 9, as the solo is very well done! His shirt (which says "Good things are coming") could be a good omen for their headlining debut at The Water Tower Pub tomorrow night, but give his "Beat It" solo cover a look below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for much more on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

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

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews, just a reminder that Sunday's Tantric-headlined concert with Tarnished, Heavy Lies The Crown, and others is in Gould City (90 minutes west of Sault Michigan) and thusly out of our coverage range. It'll be a huge show by non-Kewadin standards in the E.U.P., so keep it mind if you live out west or are up for a road trip! Now, let's start off our Labour Day weekend concert previews in Sault Ontario (Ripcordz aside, check back by tomorrow morning) with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Nostalgic Band frontman Tym Morrison's weekly summer series at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post will indeed continue for at least one more week when he returns there TOMORROW EVENING! Apologies for the short notice, we only heard about TOMORROW'S booking via SooToday's events calendar, as the Facebook event page for his summer 2023 run there did not list anything past August. This is par for the course when it comes to Tym's past Mike Case Stage runs, where he'd only advertise shows in actual summer months, yet still play there for a week or two into September despite not being on his Facebook promotions. Perhaps September bookings are late additions? Assuming that last week's show wasn't called off for rain (he never announced as much on Facebook), TOMORROW'S Trading Post gig will be his eighth of this series, perhaps the final if none more get added.

As best as I can tell, The Nostalgic Band are not playing anywhere this weekend. TOMORROW'S solo acoustic concert has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover charge, while 9&10 News is calling for partly cloudy weather of  21-22°. We'll let you know if Tym's back at The Trading Post next week or not, but visit the above links for more on TOMORROW'S show there, and here's Tym playing some classic and hard rock covers live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for traditional concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced via drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page yesterday, and neither the band nor venue's Facebook pages have publically acknowledged them at press time. Regardless, Soundcheck are virtually running the place this week, as their usual jam night hosting duties take place tonight as usual (remember, we don't count jam nights as fully fledged "concerts" due to their unpredictability), while singer/guitarist Cameron Oliver was the Wing Wednesday headliner at Jay's yesterday via an acoustic country set. Despite the late notice, hopefully Soundcheck's fully fledged concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY help ring September in nicely!

As usual, these shows (Soundcheck's first non-jam night gigs there in almost a month) have 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT's shows at the former Reggie's West, and here's Soundcheck live!

Now let's tackle a couple of shows that did have advance notice, starting with a road trip to St. Ignace, Michigan, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril are advertised to play at American Legion Memorial Park as part of the town's Music By The Bay summer concert series TONIGHT! While advertised on Peril's concert calendar for this & last month as seen here, and listed on the concert series schedule linked here, take this concert with a grain of salt, as Peril haven't promoted it anew on their Facebook page despite plugging shows prior and since with new pictures and whatnot. Assuming that tonight's show is still on, it marks a very rare E.U.P. gig for Jeff and crew at a non-Kewadin venue, let alone an outdoor one on a Thursday, so if you want to check out their old school range of heavy covers, keep tonight's show in mind! 9&10 News is calling for sunny temperatures at 64-65°.

If things are still on for Peril tonight, then expect a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover charge, much like Tym Morrison in Sault Ontario tomorrow. If Peril aren't playing tonight, you can next see them in the E.U.P. at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino in two weeks. See above for more details, and here's Peril live!

Finally for today's previews, let's head back to Sault Ontario, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to The Water Tower Pub for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! This will be Generations' first date since the block party on Queen Street East earlier this month, and will be their second gig with new guitarist Tony Kajnar, third if you could his guest appearance with them in July (also at The Water Tower Pub). With a couple of weeks to rehearse and get ready, hopefully Generations keep the classic and hard rock good times going as they head to this popular central venue tomorrow! Remember, The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts separate acts on Fridays and Saturdays, though I have not heard at press time who is playing there on Saturday. Tomorrow's show has an 8:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and here's Generations live at the block party earlier this month!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for the Ripcordz preview and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (B.A. Johnston) & The First Of This Weekend's Concert Previews

Before we begin today's post, just a heads up that the expanded Cruisin' The Dub car show was planned for today at both A&Ws on Great Northern Road, with Soundcheck playing the car show at the new one as normal, while Bone Yard (more on them in a bit) would headline a motorcycle show concurrently at the old one. This would have been a Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada fundraiser, as is often the case for A&W car shows locally. While the advertising online for this one was minimal, it doesn't matter now, as Cruisin' The Dub was cancelled on Tuesday due to today's weather forecast, as per Soundcheck drummer Glen Thomas' personal Facebook page. Unlike past A&W car shows, this was going to be held between 5:00-8:00 PM today, and while they would have dodged this morning's rain, they wouldn't have made it until 8:00 PM before the rain came back (and with wind to boot.)

This is hardly the first time that an outdoor local concert was cancelled due to a gloomy weather forecast, but given that this is an annual event for a great cause, hopefully A&W reschedules in some form! Alas, August 17th each year is A&W's Burgers To Beat MS Day, hence the timing for this event. We'll let you know if it gets a do-over, but now let's dive into shows this weekend, sans Sault Michigan & area, plus the late notice (as bands go) street party on Sunday. Let's start with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT that some of you will be eagerly anticipating!

Hamilton outsider folk/punk musician B.A. Johnston will return to Sault Ste. Marie for his fourth headlining concert appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT at Outspoken Brewing! Apologies for the short notice, this show was announced when B.A. confirmed his fall tour slate on August 8th, but I was waiting for information from the local promoters that have surprisingly never came (it must have been booked in house). Personal Facebook postings confirm that the show is on, so if you've missed B.A.'s amusing and eclectic brand of one-man punk rock, audience participation, and oddly relatable music, be at the 350 Queen Street East brewery on SATURDAY! This will be B.A. Johnston's first local date since rocking the temporary Legion Bar at The Marconi Club just under a year ago, with all four of his Soo gigs being at different venues.

Despite the minimal local advertising, fans who saw B.A. locally in 2015, 2019, and last year will know why you can't miss his live show, so be there on SATURDAY to see what he has in store! This is a 19+ concert with no advertised openers, and note that his Legion Bar show last year had an 8:30 PM start time and $12 admission. Visit the above links for more details, and here's B.A. Johnston live (though you'll want to see him for yourself)!

Next up, local classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will continue his weekly run of acoustic solo gigs at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TOMORROW NIGHT! As it turns out, last week's show there was indeed cancelled due to (you guessed it) rain, as per Tym's personal Facebook page. This is why I've included weather forecasts for outdoor concerts in our weekly concert previews in the past few years, just to warn everyone in the event that weather affects the proceedings, and Tym did confirm that it was off after our preview post went live. Apologies for missing that! As such, tomorrow's show will be his sixth in his weekly arrangement at The Trading Post this summer, with at least one more to go, but note that in his prior weekly runs here, Tym did continue playing into early September. We'll let you know when/if any September dates there are announced!

Note also that Tym is not playing with The Nostalgic Band this weekend, after playing dates with his classic metal trio for four straight weekends, necessitating Tym playing two different shows on Fridays lately, but not tomorrow. This concert has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover charge, while 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather of around 17°, so it'll be a little cooler and much drier than last week. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live at The Mike Case Stage!

We'll wrap up this preview post with local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard, who may not have been able to rock the old A&W today as planned, but they still have a busy weekend at Jay's Piston Broke Pub! As has been the case for their weekends at the former Reggie's West this summer, they'll be subbing in as the jam night hosts rather than Soundcheck tonight, and while we don't count jam nights as fully fledged "concerts" for our purposes, it is good to see that Greg, Alex, and Warren can still play somewhere despite the car show cancellation! In terms of traditional concerts, they will be rocking out at Jay's TOMORROW NIGHT, but the big event will actually be on SATURDAY, when Bone Yard serve as the headline musical entertainment for the Dragonfly Run, which is the relaunched Ride For ARCH motorcycle rally for the Algoma Residential Community Hospice. For full details on the bike rally proper, click here!

Along with music inside Jay's, there will be a street party outside of the Korah Road nightclub, local vendors, and family entertainment, and in a late confirmation, Bone Yard will have an opening band, namely new local rock band Skinbox (featuring Pixo Control/Vol. alum Steve Edwards). We still don't know anything on Skinbox's sound or membership beyond Steve, but this will be their first public concert set, so come out on Saturday to check them out! Their set begins at 7:00 PM, Bone Yard are on at 9:00 PM all weekend, these are 19+ concerts, and there's no cover charges beyond any ARCH donations. Great cause, solid hard rocking music, what's not to love? See above for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Bone Yard live at Shooters Downstairs Lounge this past Friday! This was live-streamed to their Facebook page.

The video sees Bone Yard covering Roger Miller's "Me & Bobby McGee", which is (was?) a staple of their acoustic side project The Bearded Lounge's set, and to that end, frontman Greg Simpson plays guitar rather than drums here. It's a fine cover of this oft-covered song by local classic rock-leaning groups, but alas, the filmer shot this vertically, not that I can be too shocked, as their last horizontal video posted on Facebook was shot in August 2022. Give Bone Yard's new video a watch below, and don't miss Bone Yard at Jay's this weekend!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

More Weekend Concert Previews, Plus New Live Concert Videos!!

Better to get the rest of this weekend's concert previews on the site early given that all involve a show tonight, so those make up the majority of today's post, alongside some new live concert videos from earlier this month! For previews of this weekend's Cory Marks/Silent 9, Generations, and Nostalgic Band concerts, visit yesterday's post below this one. Here's what (else) you should know for the weekend!

We'll resume our previews with Nostalgic Band frontman Tym Morrison's acoustic concert at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TONIGHT! One week removed from a similarly busy weekend for both the band and by himself, tonight's previously announced unplugged matinee will be his third gig at the outdoor stage at 1332 Great Northern Road in this year's weekly summer series there, with this show again preceding a Nostalgic Band show elsewhere, this time a short notice stop at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TONIGHT (as previewed in last night's post). Hopefully fans of Tym's well produced acoustic show and vast setlist get a strong performance tonight before he heads to the west end to keep on rocking! This evening's acoustic matinee has a 7:00 PM start time, no age limit, and no cover, and 9&10 News is calling for sunny weather in the 18° range. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, let's cross the border to Sault Michigan, where local classic metal/hard rock quartet Tarnished will rock The Merchants Bar for one night only TONIGHT! Fresh off of their Cedarville gig this past week, this will be Tarnished's first stop at The Merch (at 108 Spruce Street West) since rocking that same venue for their St. Patrick's Day bash in March. It's always nice to see Tarnished take to the stage in the Soo, and hopefully tonight's show has all the heavy originals and covers you need! If you can't make this one, they'll be back in town at The Rapids Lounge in two weeks. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 21+ age limit, and no cover charge for tonight, and for a preview, here's some videos from their concert at Snow's Bar & Grill last week, courtesy of the venue's Facebook page! Like they did for Project 906 on Saturday, an uncredited staffer had the (sadly vertical) camera rolling for three live-streams, so what can you see then?

The videos include covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" (with frontman Alex Traynor just singing and not playing guitar), Ratt's "Round & Round" (if obscured by fans on the floor), and as embedded below, Quiet Riot's "Cum On Feel The Noize". The guys sound good on these covers, which are strongly played with clear enthusiasm, and while I wouldn't have filmed these vertically, at least the band is in frame consistently (the "Round & Round" video acknowledged, but you do want fans engaged!) Give Tarnished's new videos a look above and below, and don't miss them at The Merch tonight!

Barring any further late notice show announcements, our hard rock concert previews end this week back in Sault Ontario, as local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The band has not confirmed these shows on their Facebook page at press time, but the venue did via their own Facebook event pages (linked here & here) well in advance, thankfully! This will be Soundcheck's first public date since returning to Goulais River's Community Days two weeks ago (they did not play at Rotaryfest), and their first at Shooters since a one-nighter last month. Interesting how Soundcheck aren't playing all that far away from tonight's Cory Marks show at The Machine Shop, featuring the debuting Silent 9 (featuring ex-bassist Paul Belair, and current bassist Jim Michaud's old Obsession bandmates Jess Amadio & Steve Porco) as the local openers.

Assuming that all goes well for Silent 9, the commonality between the two bands will become less of a novelty as time goes on, but the membership of both bands is absolutely noted! As for Soundcheck at Shooters, expect a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:00 PM start time. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

We'll close today with another band that surprisingly did not play at Rotaryfest last week, namely local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard! They are on the road for Sudbury gigs this weekend, and don't have a currently announced local concert booked for another three weeks, but we do have some newer concert videos of theirs to check out, courtesy of their Poutine Feast gig at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site on Canada Day. An uncredited representative of the band live-streamed four videos from this outdoor gig to their Facebook page, where Greg, Alex, and Warren were filmed covering Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing", The Beatles' "Come Together", Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show's "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'", and as embedded below, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man". Alas, all four of these were shot vertically, but at least the filmer used zoom often, and the guys sound pretty good on all four covers!

The videos do give a good look at the Poutine Feast stage setup for 2023, and while not overly specific to the festival/Canada Day, it looks more than capable for the bands, and they had a good vantage point of the Old Stone House based on Greg's picture from the stage! Give Bone Yard's Poutine Feast videos a watch above and below!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more Rotaryfest fallout on the site next! Thanks everyone!