LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Exit 808, Generations, And Curtis McKenzie) & More Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, let's wrap up another batch of weekend concert previews today, but it's supplemented with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE), and a brief teaser clip from one of the bands in question, so here's what you should know on this Friday evening!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced this past Saturday on their Facebook group when revealing their March dates, and while we covered the other shows at the time, we held TOMORROW'S for this weekend's previews due to the already late notice. This will be Generations' first concert since rocking Jay's Piston Broke Pub three weeks ago, and their first at Sault Ontario's casino since January. If you want a night of fan-friendly and diverse classic/hard rock covers from this experienced quartet you know where to go TOMORROW! Remember, Gateway Casino doesn't host live music on Fridays, and Generations aren't playing elsewhere tonight. Expect a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge TOMORROW, so see above for more details, and here they are live!

Next up, here's some shows with advance notice, including Sault Michigan hard rock sextet Exit 808's return to The Back Bay Grill & Games at Bay Mills Resort & Casino in Brimley on Saturday, March 15th! Four months removed from their debut at Bay Mills' on-site lounge/concert venue, this show was quietly announced on their Facebook page on March 2nd when they posted a teaser video that we'll outline in a second, and this show will be their first anywhere since their I-500 pub crawl gig at The Merch early last month. Good to see Exit 808 back after a quiet month+ stretch, and hopefully things go well in Brimley next weekend! No word on if there will be a St. Patrick's Day theme at the Back Bay and/or on the band's end, but note that Bay Mills' events calendar only lists the actual holiday (Monday the 17th) as having a tie-in event. This 21+ concert has a 9:00 PM start time and no advertised cover charge. Visit the above links for more details!

As for Exit 808's teaser video, the 11 seconds-long clip features guitarist Alex Zimmerman and (seemingly now full-time member?) Blaze Beairl playing a new cover for their setlist, with Blaze playing guitar himself in the clip. Someone's holds a bass neck in frame but we don't see who is doing so. A commenter seemed to accurately guess that they were playing an Ozzy Osbourne song (possibly "I Don't Wanna Stop"), and while it's way too short to accurately judge the cover, maybe you'll see them play the full thing next week, so give it a watch for yourselves below!

Also, we'll head north to Sault Ontario, where local hard rock/grunge singer/guitarist Curtis McKenzie will return to The Dive Gastro Pub for another "Think It Over Thursday" acoustic concert on March 20th! This will be Curt's first stop at The Dive for a traditional concert since the start of February, and it was first announced via the venue's March concert cale-+-ndar on their Facebook page. It's always good to see the former Haggith/Eclipse frontman back on stage, and hopefully his hard rocking unplugged covers get another strong response from attendees and fans alike in a couple of weeks! All of the action in The Dive's "naughty corner" goes down on Thursday the 20th at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more show announcements and updates from Curtis when they roll in!

Finally, we'll wrap up this weekend's concert preview by heading to (well, under) The Distraction on East Street, where Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their second local concert appearance TOMORROW NIGHT! Unlike their local debut in May of last year, tomorrow's show will take place in The Stellar Door, the basement venue space under the barbershop proper, as has been the case for all scheduled rock concerts at The Distraction since the summer. Greg and crew made a strong presence on local fans last year with their folk punk originals and high energy live sound, and hopefully they get more of the same tomorrow!  This year, they won't be the closing band though, with new and online page-less local space rock duo The Spaceship Opening getting the honours tomorrow, and hopefully we learn more about them in due course!

Two solo acts will kick off the night, including local folk punk solo project Agnosticism (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) in their first public set of 2025, and local folk musician Tucker Lidstone, who has played at a couple of folk/acoustic-leaning events at/under The Distraction in the past year. This all ages concert has a $15 or "pay what you can" admission fee, and doors open at 7:00 PM. If you like a nice variety of alternative rock, you'll like what The Stellar Door is hosting tomorrow, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Greg Rekus & The Inside Job live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for some long overdue fallout from recent major concerts next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Dayglo Abortions, Greg Rekus & The Inside Job, And Bone Yard 225), And More!!

Here's a stacked news post on this Monday night that features a surprise kinda-sorta album release 2+ years in the making, but let's lead off with three big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the next few months!

Local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard 225 will make their Soo Blaster debut for a one-night-only event on Saturday, February 22nd! You do occasionally see covers-leaning rock bands headlining at Soo Blaster, as seen from past gigs from bands like Half Past and Fort Creek, so such a booking is usually a sign that they have big plans and upward momentum locally, and that is definitely the case for your local 225. Of course, the guys have three studio original songs now, they recently got a lengthy interview on The Borderline, and they have big plans for shows locally and afar in 2025, so hitting the big Soo Blaster stage should be a good stop as they continue their late-period rise! No word on any specific frills given the larger venue, but expect merchandise and their infamous "Bone Yard shot". This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard's big show ahead!

Next up, Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their second local concert appearance when they return to The Distraction on Saturday, March 8th! Fans may recall seeing Greg and crew at the former barbershop in May of last year, but when they return next month, this show will take place downstairs in their basement venue space The Stellar Door, which has hosted all of The Distraction's concerts since the summer (I know that the Ripcordz show downstairs was a huge hit, but the upstairs barbershop space is unique and I hope it gets used for concerts again!) Unlike last year, The Inside Job are not the advertised headliners, with new and online page-less local space rock duo The Spaceship Opening (featuring former Redundant bassist Andrew MacDonald) getting top billing. We still don't know a lot about this band, but in case nothing is posted online prior, you can learn more next month!  Local folk punk solo project Agnosticism (led by this show's promoter Mikhal Muto) will open in their first concert of the new year.

Kicking off the proceedings is Tucker Lidstone, an acoustic folk singer/songwriter who you may have seen at The Distraction opening for former(?) Sylo frontman Eli Russell and playing at last fall's Sewing In Solidarity event, but this is the first time that he's crossed our radar on a heavier/punk show. Doors open at 7:00 PM for this all ages basement event, and admission is $15 (up from $10 last year) or "pay what you can". Greg & The Inside Job should deliver a solid set of folk punk amongst this diverse array of local talent, so don't miss out on all of the action at The Stellar Door next month, and visit the above links for more details!

Also newly confirmed is the long awaited return of Victoria, British Columbia hardcore punk legends The Dayglo Abortions to Sault Ste. Marie when they rock the aforementioned Soo Blaster on Thursday, May 8th! This will be the Cretin and company's first local date since headlining at Soo Blaster in May of 2023, following two well received gigs at the former Roosevelt Hotel in the early 2010s and many in prior decades, though the Soo's half-own Spades GT have opened for The Dayglos in Southern Ontario in the interim. Should be good to have their ferocious old school punk attack on home soil once again, so don't miss out in spite of the work/school night scheduling! Two touring bands are joining The Dayglo Abortions on their cross-Canada spring tour, including Vancouver-based "west coast skacore" quintet Dirtnap and Prince Edward Island folk punk band The Devil's Punchbowl, both making their local debuts.

Hardcore punk fans will find Dirtnap to be closer spiritually to Dayglo, but there's a diverse array of punk stylings here, which will be kicked off by local hardcore punk/crossover thrash quartet Hails in a rare Soo Blaster appearance. This will be a huge feather in their cap, so don't miss their fast and intense originals in May either! Doors open at 6:30 PM for this all ages concert, and tickets will run $20 in advance (presumably in time on Soo Blaster's website and through Ha!ls members) or $25 at the door. For reference, the advance ticket price is identical to 2023, but the door charge this year is actually $5 less. Hardcore punk fans will not want to miss this huge concert in three months, so see above for more details!

Finally, here's a surprise, as inactive local hard rock quartet The Uncanny Valley have posted what would have been their debut album on YouTube! As you may recall, this young group were working on an album from at least late 2020 onward, and included their song "Stuck In Rotation" on the "Clusterfolk" compilation album in 2022, but public activity dried up after that fall aside from posting a belated music video for "The Village" in June 2023. The 40 minute album was uploaded to their YouTube channel on January 29th, in both a single video format and as 11 individual songs. The upload order of the individual songs on the channel is is not accurate to the order on the full video, so the songs in presented order are "Onto The Path/Where Do I Go?", "The Uncanny Valley", "Middleman", "Something To Believe In", "This Love Is Psychedelic", "The Oracle", "The Village", "Glowin'", "Fumblin' Through", and "Wastin' Time".

Their early original "Sweet Like Sugar" didn't make the cut, nor did "Stuck In Rotation", though the Clusterfolk compilation has the latter in full studio splendour. No idea if the band's logo was intended to be the cover art right along, for the record. This obviously isn't the ideal release method for what Adrian, Matt, Brenden, and Dylan had in mind in the early 2020s, but even 2+ years after they fell inactive, I'm glad that these songs finally saw the light of day! Nice slices of psychedelic and classic rock-tinged original material with solid melodies, and while not a proper paid album, do check it out on YouTube above and below to support what The Uncanny Valley worked on in their heyday!

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

The First Half Of This Weekend's Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews!!

Another busy concert weekend is upon us, but this weekend, it's not because of a holiday! Yes, it is the Memorial Day long weekend in Michigan, but I only know of two hard rock shows in the E.U.P. from one band. This is just a busy weekend as we near the summer season, and as such, we will have to break up our previews into two posts. Today's previews involve bands playing tonight or tomorrow in some description, with the Saturday or Sunday-only shows from Pet Retina, Tym Morrison, Generations, and Agnosticism being previewed in tomorrow's post. Now, here's what you should know to start in rough chronological order!

We'll start with the first of two shows at The Distraction on East Street in a three day span, as Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job will make their local concert debut TONIGHT! If you appreciate folk punk (particularly the full band, Rising Tide-esque type), you will like Greg and crew's original music, which benefits from a raw, more direct style and lyrics more themed around tough times and social issues, and they should get a good response from local fans in this special Thursday nighter! This show will have a wide array of styles on offer from its three scheduled acts, including Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson and local hard rock quintet HeadFirst (in their Distraction debut) as the opening acts. HeadFirst's hard rocking sound (augmented by their new studio single "Don't Care, Don't Mind") should get some positive attention, and DJ Seith's turntable mixes are well done!

Tonight's all ages festivities at the former barbershop have a 7:00 PM start time, and admission is under a "$10 or pay-what-you-can" model. While folk punk is the main attraction, there is a little something for everyone tonight, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Greg Rekus live!

Next up, let's head north to The Water Tower Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will play the last traditional concert of their early 2024 concert slate TOMORROW NIGHT! Like last year, this talented foursome will be taking the summer off from the normal weekend bar grind aside from festivals & private bookings, so if you're hoping to see Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve in a public nightclub setting after tomorrow, you'll have to wait for September 6th-7th at The Esquire Club. Tomorrow's show will be Silent 9's first at the Great Northern Road venue since January, and hopefully their hard rocking and crowd-friendly covers get another strong reception! Remember that The Water Tower Pub hosts different nightly acts, with this Saturday's band there actually being Nova Scotia blues rock duo Claverhouse in a rare show (and EP release!) here from a touring band, so keep that in mind if you want something a little different!

We will address Silent 9's public summer festival appearances on the SMS soon, but note that their website's calendar claims that they will be making their Rotaryfest Stage 1 debut in July. In Rotaryfest's case, I traditionally wait until the festival releases the full schedule (last year, it was on May 26th), but either way, keep that in mind! Tomorrow's Water Tower Pub show has an 8:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Silent 9 live!

Now let's head back downtown, where local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will take the stage at Gateway Casino for another "uncorked" concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Normally, bands only play at the Sault Ontario casino on Saturday nights, but tomorrow's rare Friday nighter appears to be due to Gateway Casino's 25th anniversary celebration, with the concert being one of multiple special events going down tomorrow, including a $2,500 cash draw, a t-shirt giveaway, free cupcakes, hourly hot seat draws all day, and dinner specials. Of course, congratulations to the casino on a successful 25 year run, and here's to 25 more! Concert-wise, this is an acoustic show as usual for Bone Yard at 30 Bay Street West, and if you'd rather see them "uncorked" tomorrow rather than next week at the aforementioned Water Tower Pub, you'll wanna head downtown for their show and all of the 25th anniversary festivities!

No, Bone Yard 225 are not scheduled for a Saturday nighter elsewhere this weekend. Tomorrow's Gateway Casino concert has a 9:00 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Bone Yard acoustic live!

Finally for today's previews, let's head across the river to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino, where Traverse City, Michigan classic/hard rock cover trio Peril will return to the E.U.P. for Memorial Day weekend concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen in our neck of the woods at the end of April in Sault Ste. Marie (which I regrettably missed covering here, apologies again), these will surprisingly be Peril's first St. Ignace dates of 2024. No official promotional image for these concerts yet, but they are definitely on, and hopefully Peril draw in a solid crowd both nights for the long weekend! If you can't make it, Jeff, Adam, and Brooks will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge at the end of June. This weekend's concerts are 21+ affairs with no cover charges and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live a few years back!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Greg Rekus & The Inside Job, Bone Yard 225, Soundcheck, And Tym Morrison!!)

Another concert weekend is upon us, but let's infuse things with LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE! This is a relatively quiet weekend as heavier shows go, but with new announcements beyond this weekend, things are filled out well, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will continue his bi-weekly arrangement at Misty's Fifties with another matinee concert on SATURDAY NIGHT, but before then, he will make his debut at the newly opened Dive Gastro Pub TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice on his show at The Dive, it was only announced this past Thursday via Tym's Facebook event page, with the venue corroborating that with their own event page yesterday. The Dive is the new restaurant at 648 Queen Street East, taking over the building last occupied by Low & Slow in March. Click here for details on what The Dive offers as a restaurant and bar, but they're dipping their toes into concert promotion right away with "Think It Over Thursdays", featuring acoustic musicians every Thursday evening. Soundcheck frontman Cameron Oliver led off last week with a country set, and Tym's rock covers are second up TONIGHT, so come check out the new digs and perhaps try the menu!

If you're curious, former Jack Spades bassist Steve Shaw plays there next Thursday. Tym's show takes place at 6:00 PM TONIGHT with a presumed 19+ age limit and no cover, while his bi-weekly return to Misty's Fifties on Second Line West is on Saturday at 4:00 PM with otherwise similar ground rules. If you can't make it to Misty's this weekend, Tym has at least three more shows coming up there through the end of next month. Visit this link & above for more on TONIGHT'S and Saturday's shows, and here's Tym live!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will reportedly return to The Esquire Club for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these bookings were only announced via the band's Facebook page earlier today. TOMORROW'S & SATURDAY'S shows are fill-in gigs for the previously advertised Mustang Heart, who have dropped out of this weekend's bookings, apparently due to guitarist Lorenzo Fabbri recovering from shoulder surgery, as per that band's Facebook page. Hopefully he gets better soon! Now, as per The Esquire Club's early 2024 concert calendar, Soundcheck are also scheduled to play there next week, but did they and Mustang Heart swap weeks or are Soundcheck now playing back-to-back weekends there? As nothing I've read mentions next weekend, I'll treat them as Soundcheck both for now.

Of course, Soundcheck (sans Cameron) are hosting jam night at Jay's tonight too, but as for TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT, their late notice Esquire Club shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charge. Kudos to Soundcheck for stepping up, so don't miss their varied and often hard rocking cover slate this weekend, and here they are live!

Also this weekend, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play previously announced concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place, but the guys have also announced their concert slate into early June via this calendar on their Facebook page! We already knew about their Water Tower Pub show on Friday, May 31st thanks to the venue's advertising but the rest are new to us, so where else are Greg, Alex, and Warren playing ahead? On Saturday, May 18th, Bone Yard will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for a one-nighter on the Victoria Day long weekend, so if you want some fully electric entertainment for the May 2-4 ahead, go to Dennis Street! From one downtown venue currently only booking bands on Saturdays to another, Bone Yard 225 have also booked gigs (likely "uncorked" ones) at Gateway Casino on May 24th and June 8th, so fans of their acoustic stylings have two likely chances to see them in that fashion!

The other new show will see Bone Yard "FAFO" at Reggie's Place once again on Saturday, June 1st, another one-nighter due to their gig at The Water Tower Pub the previous day (they are not booked on Friday otherwise for the new shows after this weekend, and I don't yet know if a different band is playing at Reggie's on the 31st). These dates are all 19+ affairs with no cover charge, and aside from the Gateway Casino gigs (9:00), all start at 9:30 PM, this weekend at Reggie's included. Visit the above links for more on Bone Yard 225's upcoming shows, and here they are live!

Finally, let's completely leap out of this weekend for one more new show announcement, this time at The Distraction on Thursday, May 23rd when Winnipeg folk punk band Greg Rekus & The Inside Job make their local debut! Musically, I'd compare Greg and crew to Dustin Jones & The Rising Ride, but rawer and with lyrics more based on the issues and hard times, so to speak. Genre fans will find a lot to like from Greg Rekus' original material, and they should attract a solid audience to the East Street venue in two weeks! A mosaic of styles will be on offer for the scheduled acts, with local openers including hard rock quintet HeadFirst (in what I believe to be their debut at The Distraction) and a turntable mix set from Shane "DJ Seith" Erickson, who is no stranger to mixed genre events like this (remember when he opened for Ha!ls here?) "Music, dancing, (and) art" are promised for attendees on this night, so keep all of that in mind.

An all ages show as usual for the former barbershop, doors open at 6:30 PM on May 23rd, and admission is $10 or "pay what you can". This should be a good time for folk punk fans, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details on this concert, and look for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!