Rotaryfest 2026 Concert Review (Saturday On Stages 1 & 2!!)

It's been a while for a concert review, so why not make the most of it by going to see every band at Rotaryfest on the final day? And I mean, every band! Last year, I had intended on going to see and review every single band playing on both Stages 1 & 2 at Clergue Park on Rotaryfest Saturday, but afternoon rain scuttled that plan early, so while I returned when the rain stopped and saw most of the program, things were delayed (I'm not risking my DSLR camera in rainy weather). However, this year, the weather gods were both kinder and crueler in different ways. For regular day-to-day weather, it was a nice day, as it peaked at 21° with increasingly sunny skies and no rain, which ended that morning, so conditions were very mild for hanging out downtown in mid-July for 11 hours! However, the air quality index did rise to a 10+ that morning at 11:00 and into the early afternoon, and was at "high risk" from 9:00 AM-1:00 PM, leading to some concern that the music stages would be compromised, if not cancelled, like they were on Thursday.

While some kids activities were indeed cancelled this past Saturday, the bulk of the day's programs went ahead, and the air quality did improve, as you can see from my videos getting progressively less hazy, with things getting to a moderate 4 around supper time (note that the AQI jumped to 10+ again from 10:00 PM onward, but things were almost over by then). There was one change to the Stage 2 program due to the air quality concerns that I'll get to in a bit, but otherwise, the day's music lineups went ahead as planned. Given that I was aiming to see every single band, and set times were staggered to begin on the half hour on Stage 1 and on the :15 on Stage 2, it took some math to plot out how I would juggle set times again, and I settled on capping bands at a half hour apiece unless there was no Stage 2 conflict, or if I had to adjust given Zed's 2 hour featured set on Stage 1. Generally, I was seeing Stage 1 bands start and Stage 2 bands until near their end.

And just as an aside, I wanted to praise stage directors Valerie Pluss and Dustin Goodall (let alone the bands) for keeping things moving on both stages, as most bands were either on time or started their sets within 5 minutes of the schedule (and some were early!) The longest delays compared to the schedule were 10 minutes on Stage 2 (Pillory) and 15 minutes on Stage 1 (The Sidekicks), and they were the last bands on each, so you really can't complain. Andrew Stuetz returned as the MC for most bands on Stage 1 this year, while Stage 2 had no dedicated MC.

Like last year, the opening band on Stage 1 on Rotaryfest Saturday was veteran local/Toronto classic rock band Rusty & The Soft Parade, but they didn't have to deal with rain this year, and I didn't have to bail during their set! The Soft Parade shared the same lineup as Rusty McCarthy's blues-centric "Rusty McBlues" set on Stage 2 on the Friday, just with Maja Bannerman on vocals for the back half, while the prolific Chris Johns took over for Ed Young behind the kit for both bands this year (great to see him still fighting and performing!). I missed most of the Rusty-sung half of the set, but I saw them cover the likes of Johnny Cash, Melanie, The Rolling Stones, and Hot Chocolate, plus a few scattered original songs from Rusty and/or Maja's back catalogues like "Bellevue Park". Songs referencing the Soo were intentionally chosen, and in the case of the "You Sexy Thing" cover, that title was changed to "Sault Ste. Marie".

Fans of 1960s-1970s classic rock will have gotten a kick out of Rusty and Maja and crew here, and they had a lively set that leaned well into their local pasts, and it was nice to finally see the band at Rotaryfest without rain pouring on me! Second up last week was new local classic/hard rock sextet Hush, who feature singer Rick Parissenti, guitarists Brian Oja (ex-Bigsuit/Griphook) & Tony Bernardo, bassist Robert Brown (ex-Turner Up/Havadder), drummer John DeLorenzi (ex-Man Feelings), and Mustang Heart keyboardist Vito Tassone. Aside from program hype, I didn't know anything else about this band, but their set saw them cover the likes of Blue Oyster Cult, Autograph, Van Halen, AC/DC, and Corey Hart. Based on what I heard (in this case, nearly the whole set), they would fit our coverage based on their cover selection if they're not a one-off act and if they launch an online page of some kind!

Tight sound for fans of 1980s-leaning hard and arena rock, with loads of experienced names giving their all for early Stage 1 fans, though energy levels were inconsistent, and Rick did seem somewhat too formally dressed for a rock concert set. Very promising start from Hush! Now, I say that heard almost all of their set for a reason. When I disembarked from Stage 1 to catch the open mic block kicking off Stage 2 on Saturday, I noticed a distinct lack of musicians or attendees there, just the guys from 705Live Sound Co. doing their thing. As the ShawOpen free wifi account no longer works, I had to go to the library to see what was up, and while not announced by Rotaryfest proper, the open mic block was cancelled out of an abundance of caution given the spike in the air quality index (it was high risk until 1:00 PM and the open mic was supposed to begin at 1:30 PM.) As such, I heard Hush's set finish while researching everything.

There were concerns that further bands (particularly The Reeves at 2:30 PM) would also have been cancelled, but Rotaryfest confirmed that Stage 2 would otherwise proceed along with Stage 1, and every scheduled act played on Saturday. I only knew of ex-Stereo North frontman Andrew Pucci as a confirmed open mic performer, but I do feel for him and everyone else who signed up to play here. I admittedly would have preferred snagging another deserving local band, but it would have been interesting to see how this would have done as a change from past Second Stage lineups. Hopefully Dustin (if he returns as stage manager) tries this again for 2027!

With the delayed start on Stage 2, I was next present for the first 30 minutes of classic rock veterans Mid Life Crysis' set (in their tenth year on Stage 1), where I saw them cover songs by The Tragically Hip, Grand Funk Railroad, The Pretenders, Aldo Nova, and Tina Turner. Nothing too heavy, and they really maximized their time by keeping between song breaks as short as possible, but their chemistry and diverse range of classic rock hits was clear as day even if the skies weren't yet! SMS readers may have recognized bassist/vocalist Lori Reinholtz from her six month stint as the former Double Down's "stunt double" on bass, and while not as heavy, she showed her skills well with Mid Life Crysis last Saturday! Juggling between the two stages officially began at around 2:45 PM when I went to the Second Stage to check out the (now) opening set from new local hard/blues rock quartet The Reeves.

Featuring two members each of Skinbox/The Haze and Long Shot (imagine if they decided to reuse the Haze name given the air quality!), their set leaned in sound closer to Long Shot from what I know of the two bands, with a hard edged bit still accessible rock sound. This was seen via originals like the Chevelle-esque "Future", "Waiting On The End", and "Till The End", and they also covered The Strokes' "Last Nite" (no Arctic Monkeys that I saw, that was on Stage 1 a little later). The Reeves teased that their set would include eight original songs for their forthcoming album, and they're off to a good start, with Brad Irwin (of Gnaeus fame) acquitting himself well vocally! Also, is it just me, or did a lot of people have Chili Peppers shirts last week, Adam included? Heading back to Stage 1, the next band there was Superior Heights Collegiate's student rock band Steel Rock, who I saw at Rotaryfest two years ago.

They were a Saturday band last year too, but played in the rain, hence why I missed that set. This year, Steel Rock were comprised of 13 students (four returning from last year) in varying modular forms, and I saw them cover songs by David Bowie, The Arctic Monkeys, Michael Jackson, Weezer, The Two Door Cinema Club, and Beabadoobee (yes, that is a real musician's stage name). Definitely some talented kids in the band this year (special props to guitarist Lucas Steele, especially after nailing the "Beat It" solo), and my video of their set got a pile of hits for a good reason regarding the song in question! I was surprised that they had no male singers when I was present, there were bass issues during "Buddy Holly", and some of the dance moves done during instrumental stretches didn't seem all that necessary, but it's great to see the Steelhawks showing their musical talents again to a huge audience, and with no rain!

After four prior sets on Stage 1, local country musician Brendan Hodgson dropped down to the Second Stage last week for a set full of original songs from his solo catalogue, including from his "Coming Home" album, though most songs that I saw weren't introduced by name. I am admittedly not a country music fan, but Brendan and his backing band (including Hollow Sky/ex-Uncanny Valley guitarist Adam Fahrer) mesh well together and have a good ear for harmonies! You also get the sense that Brendan's lyrics are honest and based on real experiences and feelings, which you hope to see from country musicians. The crowd numbers were really healthy for Brendan & crew too, which is great to see, both from the air quality and his own fanbase! I next headed back to Stage 1 for the opening half hour of pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue's set, though they performed shorthanded in multiple ways.

For one, singer Robert Nevitt (ex-Re:Born) missed Rotaryfest for unannounced reasons, so they played as a trio... wait, that's all? Yeah, the band is currently a quartet with only one guitarist and no bassist (Randy, Ryan, and Derek all left between 2024 and 2025), so it was just singer/guitarist Jules Cote, singer Nicole Bentley, and drummer Alvaro Scheid on Saturday. I caught covers of The Black Eyed Peas, Eddy Grant, John Mellencamp, The Weeknd, Shaboozey, Stealer's Wheel, Elle King, and The Cars crammed into the half hour I allotted, which is a lot of tunes (let alone Toni Basil distantly from Stage 2!). While members have rock cred (as seen with Dark Side Of The Soo and the former Soo Fighters), Bourbon Blue definitely stick to pop covers with only a dash of classic rock, but it has a clear audience, as proven by the dancers up front. Even with no Rob and no bassist, there's clear talent here and a fun energy!

Back on Stage 2 was this year's only returning Second Stage act, namely local folk singer/guitarist MD Dunn (did anyone else think he looked like an older Mike Haggith last week?) Mark ended his set about 10 minutes earlier than I had expected, but he played an all-original set from what I saw, including his song "A Pretty Good Town". He has always been a skilled musician and songwriter with evocative, locally tinged lyrics, and MD definitely impressed fans by the Art Gallery with his repertoire, even if the set didn't go the full length! After a brief wifi break at the library, I caught the opening half hour of classic rock cover quartet RPM on Stage 1, who were seven minutes early! Their set featured The Romantics, John Mellencamp, Duran Duran, The Outfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Cash, and Joe Walsh among cover targets, and they had the best crowd levels yet for a main stage act!

A well established veteran act who have improved as musicians and as a unit over the past decade, RPM had an appealing mix of 1960s-1980s rock covers that got a good reception! They had planned to dedicate a song to those fighting the forest fires out west, but I assume that was after I left for Stage 2. You may recognize bassist Rob Gilmar as a frequent Soundcheck guest musician in the Cameron Oliver era. Next up on the Second Stage was new local blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows, who played a batch of their own (mostly unannounced) original songs, plus covers of Radiohead's "Creep" (kind of an obvious pick, granted) and an extended jam of The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" that morphed into the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird". This ran for at least eight minutes, and by the time my 30 minute warning to go back to Stage 1 hit, it was still going!

If you liked frontman Spencer "Bukky VanZant" Pine's prior band Electric Church, you'll have been right at home with Stones & Crows, and it looked like he, Nicholas, and Anthony were having a lot of fun rocking out, which thankfully matched their talent levels, so they'll be a band to watch in late 2026! Also, if Spencer reads this, the Tomahawk 141 webstream doesn't work on the mobile site on Chrome, just desktop and on the app! Over on Stage 1, fans got to see Just J&M, a 1970s-focused classic rock duo from Abba Soo bandmates Janet Brown and Mark Allemang, whose planned Stage 1 sets with Encore and The Lock City Rollers on Thursday were cancelled due to the poor air quality. At least the two of them got a second chance! Janet & Mark didn't play Abba when I was there, but we did see covers of David Cassidy, Boffalongo, Carole King, The Captain & Tenille, Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, and Paul Simon.

I thought of my mom multiple times when Just J&M were on stage, as many of their songs were ones that she loved, especially Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro's "Stumblin' In", which they started when I was walking over to Stage 2. I wish she could have been here to see that in person! For a singer and a keyboardist doing 1970s pop rock covers, they had a good nostalgic sound that went over well with assembled fans, and while my own personal music tastes lie in rockier waters, you can't knock the results! The Mohs hardness scale rocketed upwards though on Stage 2, as the former Bear Hunters (now known as Eden Plague) were in progress there. Along with established originals like "I Fear No God", "Collapse The Sun", and "Render This Void",  the guys busted out two new original songs (one named "Colony Of Parasites"), and ended with guitarist Mitch Sirie's solo/Sir Hell staple "Squirrel Buddy". Never thought that I'd hear that one at Rotaryfest!

It was great to see Justin, Johnny, Mitch, and Nik back in full force after way too long (even if with a new name), and the new songs did, at least to me, seem to lean a little towards groove metal while still harbouring death growling and the requisite technicality. Nik's vocals even have a bit of a Randy Blythe tinge nowadays! The brutality on Stage 2 was very welcomed, if still something of a historic outlier there, but hopefully this is a good harbinger of things to come for Eden Plague! Unless mentioned before I arrived, the 2015 petition and campaign to get The Bear Hunters added to that year's Rotaryfest lineup was not addressed on Saturday. Hey, it did work, it just took 11 years! Heading back to Stage 1 (after another brief wifi break) was alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB in their third straight Rotaryfest Saturday set, all of which I was present for, but this was their first Stage 1 set with Carmen Muto on guitar.

In their allotted half hour, I saw BookcluB cover Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, David Lee Roth, Weezer, Joe Jackson, Rancid, The Cure, and The Champs, with bassist Dustin Jones singing three songs and guitarist Mikey Hawdon handling the rest. Fun mix of covers, mostly ones that you don't see other local bands tackling (well, Steel Rock had already covered "Buddy Holly" a few hours prior), and the crowd was excellent for BookcluB throughout! Maybe not as punk-centric as members' past bands would suggest, but fun and proficiently played, and kudos to saxophonist Josh Norling on this being his fourth set at this year's Rotaryfest! If Thursday's bands hadn't been cancelled, he'd have played in six bands this year! I left for Stage 2 for the final time here to check out the last two bands there, starting with new local alt-rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools.

Featuring the (former?) Sylo frontman alongside former Wild Iris bandmates Steve Myers & Courtney McDonald, and new-to-me drummer Nick Brash, The River Fools played a rocked up Colter Wall cover (if only Victoria was here to see that!), plus originals like "October", "The Soo's Last Roofer", and "Bow River". While the band's imagery comes off country inspired, the best descriptor for their music (to me) is "roots-coded alt rock". They're not as heavy as Sylo or some of Steve's old bands, but they had good energy, strong lyrics, and a nice carefree nature, and this was a good way to introduce Eli's new band and sound to a wider audience! The closing band on Stage 2 was also the only one that I saw the entire set of, namely death metal trio Pillory, who brutalized the proceedings (in a good way!) Established originals like "Abhorred Apprehension" and "The Angst Of Existence" made up the bulk of their set.

Fans also got to see a brand new song named "No Beyond" from their planned second full length album, which Pillory plan to take a break "for a little while" post-Rotaryfest to write for ("A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean Of Guilt" will be part of the new album too). Things closed with a cover of Death's "Pull The Plug" with led out from their brief rendition of the last piece of music written with the late Andres Duchesne. Frontman Robert Sartini does still need to loosen up his stage presence for bantering with the crowd, and I would love to see more guitar solos from Pillory (he nailed the "Pull The Plug" solo, after all), but their crushing and technical brand of death metal got a great reception to end this year's Second Stage action, and hopefully their break isn't too long! Also, the irony of The Headstones' "Tweeter & The Monkey Man" playing on the P.A. before Pillory's set after last year wasn't lost on me!

It was then off to Stage 1 for the rest of the night, where London-based Led Zeppelin tribute band Zed's set was in progress. They started off with "Rock & Roll" (which you could hear from Stage 2 before Pillory began), and when I was present, they played "Ramble On", "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", "Going To California", "Kashmir", "Stairway To Heaven", and "Whole Lotta Love", with "Thank You" as the encore. If you're a fan of Led Zeppelin, then you will have appreciated Zed's presentation, looking the part and more than sounding it, with frontman Shaun Sanders also being very gracious and kind in his remarks to the crowd! They implied that they have played here before, but I have no record of that. The crowd was huge and enjoyed everything offered here, and if I may be so bold, I actually like "Stairway To Heaven", and because it wasn't played on radio for so long because of perceived overplay, I enjoy it on its own merits now!

As usual for Rotaryfest, the closing band leading into the Take Your Pick draw announcement was a local group, and after Tragically Hip tribute The Luxury quietly dropped out, classic rock cover trio The Sidekicks were promoted from a Friday evening timeslot to be this year's Stage 1 nightcap. If you're not familiar, this band features singer/drummer Tracey Hilderley (count the number of women who pull off both at once in rock bands!), guitarist Steve Cardiff, and former Griphook/Double Down bassist Dan Beaupre. Media of theirs wasn't all that plentiful in the lead-up, but while I was present for their set, The Sidekicks covered Heart, The Cult, Pat Benatar, Sloan, The Scorpions, and in a possible nod to The Luxury, The Hip. You might be hearing about them on the SMS again soon, let's say! Crowd levels definitely dropped after Zed, and their set was delayed 15 minutes, but they had a tight sound and some fun cover choices!

I did find that Tracey was somewhat over-singing the early songs, but she adjusted better after the first few, and what she does on stage isn't easy to do simultaneously. Steve (who might be a cousin of mine based on the last name) showed strong skill, and Dan's talents are known from his many past bands, so The Sidekicks were a good choice to promote to the closing timeslot! Overall, Rotaryfest 2026 was a fun time this past Saturday, and while hanging out for eleven hours to see seventeen acts is quite a marathon, the favourable weather helped make it a very comfortable experience, air quality acknowledged! While the open mic cancellation leaves an asterisk, I finally fulfilled a goal of seeing every single band on both stages on a Rotaryfest Saturday, but can I make it 18 in 11 next year, assuming the same scheduling format for 2027 and no rain or smoke?

You can check out my photos of all 17 acts at this link or on our Facebook page, and as for videos, I filmed one of each, so in order, here's Rusty & The Soft Parade covering Prince & The Revolution's "Raspberry Beret", Hush covering Night Ranger's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", Mid Life Crysis covering Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams", The Reeves playing "Don't Even Bother", Steel Rock covering Fugazi's "Waiting Room"(!), Brendan Hodgson playing "Little House In The Country", Bourbon Blue covering Roxette's "The Look", MD Dunn playing "Slow Train To Somewhere", RPM covering The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar", Stones & Crows playing "Shotgun Messenger", Just J&M covering Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "Don't Leave Me This Way", Eden Plague playing "Primal Genesis", BookcluB covering Modern English's "I Melt With You", Eli Russell & The River Fools playing "Eleanor", ...

...Pillory playing "Curse Of Eternal Sickness", Zed covering Led Zeppelin's "Fool In The Rain", and finally, The Sidekicks covering Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for much more news and notes on the SMS as we round out the month of July! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest Stage 2 Concert Preview, Including Air Quality Updates For This Weekend!!

This weekend's concert previews continue today with the 19th annual Stage 2 at Rotaryfest, which is scheduled to return to the outdoor stage beside The Art Gallery of Algoma at Clergue Park tomorrow and Saturday. While there was nothing to cancel today on the Second Stage, the widely spreading forest fire smoke from Northwestern Ontario has led to severe air quality conditions in the Soo and area, with Rotaryfest cancelling all events today aside from Ribfest, the midway, and some vendors. At press time, nothing is cancelled musically at Clergue Park tomorrow, but the air quality index is not expected to drastically improve (click here for the current status). Updates from Rotaryfest are expected on their website and social media accounts at 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM (it was at noon today when we learned about today's Stage 1 cancellation), and while nothing is officially cancelled yet on Stages 1 or 2, I'd monitor things.

Even if music does go ahead tomorrow (and it's too soon to guess on Saturday), the possibility of musicians or bands dropping out due to personal concerns with the air quality is very possible. There's a lot of unknowns, as no one could have forecasted this even a week ago, but I'll let you know when I hear any clarification, good or bad! Assuming things proceed as normal, tomorrow's opening day at Stage 2 is slated to be the fifth annual Friday Night Blues program, as curated by the Sault Blues Society. As usual, this lineup does not contain hard rock or punk acts, but assuming things go ahead unchanged, the bands will include newer blues rock cover band Sunday & The Broken Hearts (featuring all members of The Range Lights from today's cancelled Stage 1 program) at 8:30 PM, veteran local musician Rusty McCarthy (again billed as "Rusty McBlues") at 7:30 PM, ...

...the debuting Jay Scali Band at 6:30 PM, blues veterans Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers at 5:30 PM, and Josh "The Preacher" McNally and his new Jackleg Band opening at 4:30 PM. Nothing too heavy, but all five acts have familiar faces from SMS coverage, so hopefully they get a chance to deliver the blues to a willing audience in habitable air tomorrow night!

As for SATURDAY's tenth year of the "Redirected" era of Stage 2, that day's originals-leaning program will again be curated by local guitarist and producer Dustin Goodall, though only one act that day is a returnee from a past Second Stage lineup. Assuming no cancellations or dropouts, your headliners this year are local death/thrash metal trio Pillory, easily one of the heaviest bands to ever play Stage 2, so faces will melt on Saturday night if things are a go! Co-headlining at 7:30 PM are new local indie/folk rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools (featuring Sylo and Wild Iris alumni), while the 6:30 PM slot belongs to local death metal veterans Eden Plague. Eleven years after the former Bear Hunters launched a petition & fan campaign to be added to Rotaryfest's 2015 lineup, they finally made good on that plan, but will the forest fire smoke thwart their belated festival debut even still?

New local blues/hard rock trio (and Electric Church successors) Stones & Crows will (hopefully) take the stage at 5:30 PM, preceded by veteran local folk singer/guitarist M.D. Dunn in his fifth Stage 2 set and first in three years. Fresh off of the Downtown Street Party cancellation, local country musician Brendan Hodgson will become the eleventh Stage 1 act to perform on the Second Stage when he performs at 3:30 PM, while new local hard rock/blues quartet The Reeves are slated to debut eight songs from their planned debut EP in their 2:30 PM set. Given the air quality, imagine if Brad & Steve retained their prior band's name (The Haze) for this set! Rather than book an eighth proper act, Stage 2 will experiment with an open mic block (a'la at the last two Swampstravaganzas) at 1:30 PM. The atmospheric conditions are a variable no one expected, but if you do want to throw your hat into the ring as a potential performer, click here.

Temperatures are expected to still hover around 19-22° for Friday Night Blues, which should end before the projected overnight thunderstorm, but rain is possible for much of tomorrow's program if it takes place. As for Saturday, the hourly forecast from 9&10 News actually points to pleasant conditions (not counting the air quality), with temperatures hovering around 18-21° with partly cloudy skies and no likely rain. Saturday is the most important day for Rotaryfest in terms of the bands on both stages, so fingers crossed that the smoke dissipates enough to let Stages 1 and 2 proceed as normal! Visit the above links for more on what to hopefully expect at the Second Stage this weekend, and here's Pillory live!

Our next post (hitting the site likely tomorrow morning) will feature the Bush/Candlebox and Ripcordz previews, perhaps including more late notice gigs? Stay tuned for that, air quality updates re: Rotaryfest, and more on the SMS in short order! Thanks everyone!

Rotaryfest Stage 1 Concert Previews, Cancellations, And Air Quality Condition Notes!!

(UPDATED AT 1:09 PM) Today's post previewing Stage 1 of Rotaryfest for 2026 went up when there were still many unanswered questions about the status of the festival given the severely poor air quality due to the forest fires in Northwestern Ontario and the smoke drifting east across much of the province. Festival organizers announced late yesterday that they would monitor conditions and issue updates about closures at 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, and in the latter update on their website, they confirmed that today's Stage 1 lineup at Clergue Park (Encore, Lime, The Lock City Rollers, and The Range Lights) has been cancelled. In fact, every Rotaryfest event today has been called off except for Ribfest, the midway (though hours may be subject to change), and certain vendors at their discretion. Musically speaking, I believe this is the first time that a complete day's worth of music at Rotaryfest has been cancelled due to weather or atmospheric conditions (they tend to tough out rain).

Similarly, the City of Sault Ste. Marie has cancelled the Downtown Street Party scheduled for tonight (concurrently with the Stage 1 timeframe at Rotaryfest), as well as all other City-ran outdoor events today, as per this update. Tomorrow's Rotaryfest itinerary is not yet determined, but the air quality index for Sault Ste. Marie remains at 10+ (very high risk), and unfortunately, the forecast has worsened, as it's now only expected to drop one notch tomorrow to a forecast maximum of 10 (high risk). At this point, I have zero idea if they will chance having bands at Clergue Park tomorrow on any stage, and if so, would there be lineup adjustments based on performers opting out of playing. Pandemic aside, large-scale outdoor concert cancellations like this are new to me, but I will absolutely let you know when/if anything is tangibly announced about the status of Stage 1 and Stage 2 for Rotaryfest tomorrow and/or Saturday.

Regarding our current post schedule, I'll leave our Stage 1 previews as is for tomorrow's and Saturday's programs, as they're still officially on until otherwise stated, and I'm still covering the Second Stage programming in our next post, hitting the site by tomorrow morning, but I'm monitoring everything as much as I can, and so should you if you were planning on going to Clergue Park this weekend. Please stay inside and stay safe, especially if you have asthma or preexisting health conditions, and if you have to go outside or want to chance going to the carnival/getting ribs, please mask up and use common sense. As always, our best wishes go out to those directly dealing with and fighting the forest fires out west!

Assuming things aren't impaired any further by the forest fire smoke (a big if), TOMORROW is the delayed kickoff for the annual Rotaryfest music program, as Sault Ontario's summer festival returns for another year of family entertainment across three two days at Clergue Park and surrounding areas! Visit the official website or read your physical program in your mailbox for full non-musical details, including what's going down at the EDM-focused Stage 3 at the Downtown Plaza. This post will focus on the cover band-centric Stage 1 beside the Centennial Library, which will be curated by stage manager Valerie Pluss once again with Andrew Stuetz returning as MC. In the 25th installment since the familiar blue/yellow stage and modern format debuted in 2001, TOMORROW'S now-opening day on Stage 1 will feature six bands, with all but two making their Rotaryfest debuts (assuming no dropouts or replacements.)

TOMORROW'S day of music on Stage 1 will be headlined by the local debut of North Bay classic rock quintet Just Press Play at 10:20 PM, featuring long-time Rotaryfest sound tech Dan Belanger, so welcome him back in style if you're out! Your Friday co-headliners at 9:00 PM are classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush (who closed last year's festival) in their return from a recent pause, while reunited classic/hard rock quartet Quite Frankly will debut at Rotaryfest in the 8:00 PM timeslot. Remember, they are late replacements for The Sidekicks, following their move to the Saturday bill after a band dropout that day. Way Backs alumni Jeffrey Wright & Meggy Lee will bring country to the big stage at 7:00 PM, preceded by the returning Jazz Cats (featuring three members of Sunday & The Broken Hearts) at 6:00 PM. Your openers at 5:00 PM are Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band Mellowship Slinky, featuring guest drummer John Mignacca (ex-As It Stands).

Between Headrush & Quite Frankly, some early heavier funk rock Chili Peppers cuts, and Dan Belanger's track record guesting with the likes of That's Chester and Obsession at past Rotaryfests, SMS readers should hear some hard rock tunes tomorrow from this stacked lineup, air quality permitting! 9&10 News is calling for 19-21° temperatures during tomorrow's band timeframe, and the mostly cloudy(!) skies have a chance of turning into rain during Just Press Play's set, so follow Rotaryfest and your preferred weather forecasts for updates on that front. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a new video of Headrush closing last year's Stage 1! Bassist John Amendola shared this to their Facebook group yesterday, and it's a 100 seconds-long highlight reel edited with Capcut, in which you'll hear fragments of the likes of Billy Squier, AC/DC, Rick Springfield, and Boston.

Alas, this video was shot (framed?) vertically, and I'd really rather see full videos of Headrush rather than short clips, but this does contain high quality footage of their biggest concert to date, and while not capping off Rotaryfest this year, they look to deliver more classic hard rock hits for fans at Clergue Park tomorrow evening! Give Headrush's new video a watch below!

Finally for the Stage 1 program this year, we head to SATURDAY, where 10 bands will (hopefully) rock out on the biggest and last day of the festival! As usual, a local band will cap things at 10:30 PM, and following the withdrawal of Tragically Hip tribute The Luxury for unannounced reasons, classic rock trio The Sidekicks were bumped from tomorrow's bill into this key timeslot, and hopefully Steve, Dan, and Tracey deliver for fans at night's end! This year's featured touring band is London-based Led Zeppelin tribute band Zed, making them the first Zeppelin tribute at Rotaryfest in 12 years (surprisingly, Mothership haven't played here). Zed's faithful take on the British hard rock legends' catalogue will be at 8:30 PM, following the third Rotaryfest set from punk/alternative cover sextet BookcluB at 7:15 PM, featuring The Jazz Cats' Josh Norling, who is scheduled for four bands this year across both stages. Kudos to him for staying busy!

Note that many of the 2:00-6:00 PM band timeslots were shuffled from the original schedule release, but no bands in this timeframe dropped out (yet?). Half of Abba tribute band Abba Soo will play on Saturday in the classic rock duo Just J&M at 6:15 PM, preceded by veteran classic rock quartet RPM at 5:15 PM. Pop rock cover veterans (and Dark Side Of The Soo sister band) Bourbon Blue return to Stage 1 at 4:15 PM, while Superior Heights Collegiate's student rock band Steel Rock will grace Rotaryfest at 3:15 PM once again. Local classic rock staples Mid Life Crysis will play their tenth Stage 1 set (tops among this year's lineup) at 2:15 PM, preceded by the debut of new local classic rock band Hush (featuring Mustang Heart's Vito Tassone, Turner Up's Robert Brown, and Bigsuit's Brian Oja) at 1:15 PM. Like last year, the Saturday bill will lead off with blues rock sextet Rusty & The Soft Parade at 12:15 PM.

Of course, they are led by local legend Rusty McCarthy, and feature the aforementioned Josh Norling once again), but will they play their Rotaryfest set in the rain again? We won't have an hourly forecast until later today, but 9&10 News is currently calling for a 50% chance of rain on Saturday with a high temperature of 21° (low of 12°). If rain is to be the issue rather than the air quality, it will be on Saturday, alas, but follow Rotaryfest's socials and your preferred weather forecast for specifics as we get closer. All three days of Stage 1 music at Clergue Park are FREE & ALL AGES, and there's certainly lots of music to enjoy, including seven debuting acts, so visit the above links for complete details, and here's Zed live!

With Stage 1 covered (as far as we can currently say), our next post will feature our Stage 2 preview for this year, and the rest of this weekend's known hard rock and punk concert previews will fall into place in that post or the next, so stay tuned for all of that! Thanks everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rotaryfest Stage 2!!)

It took a few extra days, but the complete lineup for Rotaryfest Stage 2 has been announced via their website! Sponsored once again by SooToday, this is the tenth installment of the Second Stage since the "Redirected" era kicked off in 2015, and will once again occur at the pop-up stage beside the Art Gallery of Algoma at the festival's Clergue Park homebase. As has been the case since the pandemic hiatus ended in 2022, Stage 2 will take place on two days, starting with the Friday Night Blues lineup on July 17th, curated by the Sault Blues Society. This lineup never has hard rock or punk acts, but the Facebook event page does list many familiar names in the given bands! Newer local blues rock band Sunday & The Broken Hearts will debut on Stage 2 as the 8:30 PM headliners, while veteran local blues/jazz musician Rusty McCarthy (again billed as "Rusty McBlues") will co-headline at 7:30 PM.

This will be Rusty's fourth Friday Night Blues set, and his sixth solo headlining set of any type on the Second Stage, tying Machines Dream for the most ever. The debuting Jay Scali Band (featuring Zak's All-Stars alumni) are up at 6:30 PM, preceded by the third straight Stage 2 set by by veteran blues rockers Mudfoot Mike & The Muckrakers at 5:30 PM. The day will be kicked off at 4:30 PM by Josh "The Preacher" McNally, though unlike his festival debut last year, he will be backed up by his Jackleg Band. As for the longer program on Saturday, July 18th, this takes a turn from what you may be used to sonically from any era of the Second Stage. With one exception, this year's Stage 2 bands on the Saturday don't lean towards alternative, indie, and/or folk rock. However, while only one Saturday act is a returnee from past Stage 2 lineups, that isn't necessarily strange, as 2024 only had one returning Saturday band as well.

Honestly, the big surprise to me this year is that there are two death metal bands playing on the Second Stage this year, including death metal trio Pillory as the headliners at 8:30 PM! While we have seen Robert Sartini here with All The Tired Horses, The Peach Thieves, and in The Preacher's Jackleg Band, he finally takes center stage next month on Stage 2, so prepare for face melting brutality! Co-headlining at 7:30 PM are Eli Russell & The River Fools, the new southern rock band from (former?) Sylo frontman Elijah Russell and former Wild Iris bandmates Steve Myers & Courtney McDonald. They've been making some waves at headlining gigs this year so far, so keep The River Fools in mind, and we'll let you know if Sylo's status is clarified! Eleven years after launching a petition and fan campaign to get added to the Rotaryfest lineup in 2015, the former Bear Hunters have finally secured a spot on Stage 2 next month!

The now-renamed Eden Plague will finally play at the "Redirected" Clergue Park stage at 6:30 PM,  and while Mitch & Johnny have played Stage 2 since in lighter projects, it will be huge for them, Nik, and Justin to finally brutalize Stage 2 next month! After playing the last two years with HeadFirst, drummer Anthony Boudreau will return with his new local blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows at 5:30 PM, just three weeks after their live debut. Twenty years after playing at the second annual Second Stage, veteran local folk musician M.D. Dunn will be this year's only returning Stage 2 act at 4:30 PM, in his first set here since 2023 and fifth total. Local country musician Brendan Hodgson will perform at 3:30 PM, and while this will be his Stage 2 debut, he previously performed on Stage 1 from 2021-2024, making him just the eleventh credited act to play both stages. Newer local blues/hard rock quartet The Reeves will debut at Rotary at 2:30 PM.

We'll have more on them soon, but you may recognize them as the Haze/Long Shot successors who publically debuted at Toystock last fall. Surprisingly, Stage 2 will be kicked off at 1:30 PM this year by an open mic block, and while I don't know if this is due to low artist applications or just trying something new, this will be the first Saturday lineup with only seven Stage 2 bands since 2018. This isn't entirely unprecedented, as the last two Swampstravaganzas in 2014 and 2015 also opened with open mic performers, so hopefully some talented folks step on stage to kick off the action by the waterfront! Stage 2 remains a FREE & ALL AGES event as part of another stacked weekend of the Soo's annual summer festival, so visit the above links for full current details on what to expect on Rotaryfest Stage 2 in its 19th installment, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS soon! Thanks everyone!