LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Night Ranger) & Recent Videos & Updates From Sault Michigan!

Kicking off our busiest week of the year is an all-Sault Michigan news post, including an inactive band note, new videos, and more, but leading off, here's a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this fall!

San Francisco hair metal/hard rock quintet Night Ranger will return to Sault Michigan for a headlining concert on Friday, October 3rd at The Dreammakers Theater at the local Kewadin Casino! Hair Scare diehards and 1980s rock fans will have last seen Night Ranger way back in September 2013, and in the 12 years since, they have released three new albums and replaced guitarist Joel Hoekstra with Keri Kelli. Of course, their classic hit singles like "Sister Christian", "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", and "Sentimental Street" remain staples of their setlist, and here's hoping they deliver another entertaining night of rock in three months! Your openers are Santa Monica glam rock duo Nelson (best known for their hits "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection"  & "After The Rain") in their apparent local debut, but their set in October will be unplugged, so keep that angle in mind in terms of how their classic material will sound this fall!

And yes, don't forget that the Nelson twins are the sons of Ricky Nelson and the grandsons of Ozzie & Harriet Nelson (quite a lineage!). Presented by Rock 101, this all ages concert has an 8:00 PM start time, and admission will start at $60 (much higher than in 2013, but there's been 12 years of inflation since). Public tickets go on sale on Friday, so click here for details on that end, including on VIP packages and meet & greets. Ticket offers will also be made on air on Rock 101 for early birds tuning in, and you can also get tickets from Friday onward at 1-800-KEWADIN or at the in-person box office. This should be another retro rock blast for you hair metal lovers, so visit the above links for more details on this huge show!

Next up, it's been way too long since I've talked about local hard rock cover band Exit 808 on here, so what have they been up to in the past few weeks? Well, before some of that, the band shared a "Reel" on on their Facebook page on June 9th from their set at Drewpalooza 2 in Republic in June of last year (their debut gig with co-vocalist Dillion Semasky). Shot by attendee Courtney Johnson, the video sees everyone (sans Amy and plus a guest backing vocalist) covering Pantera's "Walk" with strong enthusiasm and intensity! Of course, "Reels" are vertical, unembeddable, and unplayable in background tabs, so click here to give it a watch! Exit 808's next proper concert took place at the Walloon Junction Bar & Grill in Walloon Lake on June 14th, which saw the return of Blaze Beairl on bass after he missed their last few gigs dating back to the spring. However, guitarist Alex Zimmerman was on vacation (hopefully that went well!), so who filled in for him?

None other than Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins, so kudos to him for making the 2 hour drive for this gig! Former guitarist Nathan Webber also made the trip to fill in on second guitar, while members of Elmira hard rock band Driving Dawn (who played with Exit 808 at the Musicians Unite fundraiser in March) joined in as guests on a few songs here. Two videos were uploaded from the Walloon Lake concert, including this vertical clip of the guys covering the end of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" (look at Joe's guitar solo!), but embedded below is a horizontal video of Exit 808 covering Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" with Driving Dawn's Danny Grim on guest vocals alongside Dillion (Amy doesn't sing in either clip). While this is by far Rage's most overplayed single, Exit 808 and guests do a good job with this cover, and the rustic cabin motif adds an extra something!

Good stuff from this talented (if well travelled) local band, and if you were wondering why we didn't cover their Merchants Bar show in the Soo yesterday, it's because it was cancelled due to Dillion and Alex having schedule conflicts relating to their day jobs, as per Exit 808's Facebook page on Wednesday. Disappointing for fans (if productive the other way), but unless a new booking is made, their next truly local dates will be at the St. Ignace Kewadin at the start of August, so look for everyone then! Give these new Exit 808 videos a watch above & below, and stay tuned for more!

Finally for today's all-E.U.P. post, we have a band to surprisingly remove from our active band links, namely local hard rock quartet Dirty Musky. A reason for their apparent demise wasn't publically announced, but their Facebook (and only known online) page was quietly deleted at some point in recent months, which is historically a poor sign for a local band's status. Aside from that, drummer Jamie Costner recently joined The Nameless, who have been playing live more regularly as of late anyway. Publically active for just under two years, Dirty Musky united Jamie with Clownsack and 415E alumni into a talented four-piece with lots of entertaining and sometimes unexpected covers dating back to their debut(?) at the Government Bay Barge Bash in 2023. We had last heard of Dirty Musky publically at the Musicians Unite benefit at Bird's Eye Outfitters in March. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, and that we hear more from Dave, Fran, and Brett soon!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Scarkazm, Fyrbird, Exit 808, And Unfortunate Sun), Plus More Weekend Concert Previews!!

Today's conclusion of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews ended up being an all-Sault Michigan/E.U.P. post chock full of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE but also extending into early 2025. Here's what you should know!

Local hard rock band Exit 808 will make their debut at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced on the band's Facebook page on Tuesday. Indeed, this will surprisingly be their first show at the former Joe's Bar, but given their talents and wide spread since debuting, Exit 808 should attract a strong audience TOMORROW! Note that recent fill-in guitarist Bob Libick is tagged in posts about TOMORROW's show, but no bassists (neither Myke nor Blaze) are, let alone co-vocalist Amy Beach, so read into that however you like. Meanwhile, Kewadin Casino has announced shows through February 1st on their website's entertainment pages, and there are a few hard rock names to take note of, including their return to The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, January 17th & Saturday, January 18th! These will be their first stops at the Soo Kewadin since August.

TOMORROW'S Huck's show takes place at 8:00 PM, the Kewadin shows next month are at 9:00 PM, and the three dates are all 21+ with no announced cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Exit 808 live at the 2 Wheel Tavern in Wolverine two weeks ago! Uploaded to their Facebook page on Saturday, this extremely vertical video sees the band (plus Bob and Blaze, minus Amy and Alex) covering Godsmack's "Bad Religion", and it's a strong showcase of Dillion Semasky's aggressive but melodic vocals! The orientation is really unfortunate, but check this out below, and don't miss Exit 808 TOMORROW!

Next up, there are more Kewadin Casino dates in the pipeline courtesy of their entertainment pages, and first up in the Soo is Manistique hard rock duo Fyrbird, who will kick off 2025 with dates at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino on Friday, January 3rd & Saturday, January 4th! Fyrbird are one to announce months worth of bookings at a time in a post on their Facebook group, but at press time, they have yet to do so. While fans saw Jamie & Rikk rock out at the St. Ignace branch last month, these will be Fyrbird's first Soo dates since October. and it will be good to get their gritty and hard rocking cover slate back in the Eastern Upper Peninsula in a few weeks' time! These shows are 9:00 PM affairs with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details on Fyrbird's regional return early next year, and stay tuned for more from them!

Also, Traverse City metal trio Scarkazm have announced their first 2025 concert dates via Facebook event pages on their Facebook page, so after their shows at the Soo Kewadin tonight and tomorrow night, when will you be able to see them in the E.U.P. next? Their first shows in our coverage area next year will see them rock The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin on Friday, January 3rd and Saturday, January 4th, so if you wanna start the year on the right foot in Mackinac County, Scarkazm's hard rocking and crowd-friendly covers would be a good place to start! On February 7th & 8th, you can see Adam, Dave, and Jeff back at The Rapids Lounge for the first time in 2025, so fans in the Soo who can't see them this weekend or want an encore will be able to see them in almost two months! The last new shows currently confirmed for Scarkazm will see them back at The Rapids Lounge on April 4th & 5th.

All six of Scarkazm's known upcoming Kewadin dates have 21+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. It's great to see Scarkazm continue their long run of road trips to the E.U.P. in 2025, and definitely consider seeing them at these dates and beyond! At press time, I have not heard about Peril shows up here in the new year yet. Visit the six official Facebook event pages for each individual show above at this link! 

Finally for today's post, here's one more weekend concert preview for TOMORROW NIGHT, as local hard rock quartet Unfortunate Sun will rock The Merchant's Bar for one night only! Last seen at The Merch back in September, this is (presently?) the Fake Chow successors' final show of 2024, and while it has been promoted as "the biggest asskickery event" of the year, more recent promotion indicates that tomorrow's concert will also have an attached ugly Christmas sweater party, so wear your best (worst?) for the occasion! No word on a possible contest or prizes. Meanwhile, Unfortunate Sun have a new show of their own to announce, as they'll debut at Snow's Bar & Grill in nearby Cedarville for one night only on Saturday, January 18th! It's too soon for Snowsfest, so this looks like a standard concert for Unfortunate Sun, so try to welcome-ish them to a new locale next month!

Tomorrow's and next month's Unfortunate Sun dates have presumed 9:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and 21+ age limits. It's good to see Skip, Jody, Tony, and Jason staying busy over the winter, so don't miss them at The Merch tomorrow and at more venues next month, and for a preview, here they are live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Nameless), A New Local Hard Rock Band, And Tarnished Updates!!

For today's SMS post, we're heading to Sault Michigan and the E.U.P. to cover some recent updates from across the river, including big lineup news from a prominent hard rock band, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next week, and leading off, a new local band with a few familiar faces, so here's what you should know on this Tuesday night

We have a new local hard rock bands to add to our Sault Michigan band links, that being Unfortunate Sun! Described on their Facebook page as "the EUPs newest high energy rock band", and presumably playing off of the C.C.R. song with the name, they are effectively the successors to the now-defunct Fake Chow, and have already signalled more of a hard rock base in their sound than Fake Chow ever did. Lead singer Skip Parish, guitarist Jody Sandhagen, and Project 906 drummer Jason VanLuven are now joined by ex-Shift bassist Tony Rogers (yes, he was Slappy from Clownsack) in place of Jeffrey Barr. Unfortunate Sun debuted via an outdoor gig at Huck's Pub & Grill in nearby Rudyard on July 27th during the town's Summerfest weekend, and they have yet to announce further concerts of any kind. Two videos have been shared on their Facebook page from that night, where they covered Tommy Tutone's "867-5309 (Jenny)" and, as embedded below, Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train".

Also, Exit 808 singer Dillion Semasky reportedly joined them on stage to cover Seether's "Remedy", but there are no other setlist hints so far. Unfortunately, both videos are short and vertical (despite the Tommy Tutone cover being shot horizontally, so it's sideways), and we see more of attendees than the band for the Ozzy cover, but what I've seen points to a technically sound melodic hard rock cover band, and it'll be interesting to see what Unfortunate Sun have planned for the rest of the year! Check them out for yourselves above & below!

Next up, a rare multi-band local concert will hit Pickles Bar & Grill in nearby Brimley on Saturday, August 17th! This event is brought to us by promoter Brighton LeBlanc of Serious Business, who put on the multi-band concert at The Satisfied Frog last November featuring a Karstens reunion and four touring bands from around the state, but no bands in common are playing next week. The headliner here is R. Solomon, an electronica musician from Detroit, which may seem out of left field, but the show at The Satisfied Frog last year had a similar genre variance in the lineup. Two known local bands will be opening, namely hard rock quintet The Nameless and young local punk trio The Sole Aggressors (the winners of last year's fan-voted LSSU Battle of the Bands). We haven't heard much from them this year, but according to their Facebook page, they've parted ways with singer Henry Boucher, who wasn't at the battle of the bands anyway.

A reason for Henry's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully all's well with him in any event! The band also played a public concert outside of the Bayliss Public Library in the Soo on May 7th, which I profusely apologize for missing on here, but hopefully it was a hit, and the setlist for that show can be seen on their Facbeook page! The fourth act next week is "Sean & Diego", who I know nothing concrete on beyond the poster. This show has a 9:00 PM start time, 18+ age limit (not 21+), and a $10 cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of the action in Brimley next weekend, and thankfully I'm able to cover this one in a much timelier fashion!

Also today, we have some big news from local hard rock/classic metal band Tarnished, who have surprisingly parted ways with bassist Parker Talentino. In a post on their Facebook page yesterday, the band noted that "it was a difficult decision" and that "we felt it was best for the project moving forward". While they didn't go onto specifics otherwise, Alex & Josh are still on amicable terms with Parker, and they wished him well in his future plans, including his active solo project. Parker had replaced Isaac Royer on bass in Tarnished last fall, while also handling rhythm guitar when Chris Leask was guesting with them, and he last played with Tarnished at the Sault Kewadin this past weekend. While Parker is a talented multi-instrumentalist who seemed to fit well with Tarnished, I always got the sense that his folksier acoustic solo output was truer to what he likes musically. He has a bright future ahead regardless!

Regarding Tarnished's lineup vacancies, the band revealed that Rhythm & Brews/ex-Highway 63 bandmates Chris Leask & Ron Suchey will be playing bass & drums "for all of our current upcoming shows" (they have frequently guested with Tarnished at regional dates since May, including this past weekend). The band's statement is somewhat ambiguous, as it could be interpreted as Chris & Ron filling in for currently booked gigs only, but we'll let you know if Tarnished say that they have 100% joined the band or not (keep in mind that Tarnished's recent downstate gigs were as a trio, with Alex primarily drumming while singing). Also note that Rhythm & Brews are still active, last playing live in June, but they do not play live with Tarnished's frequency. At present, Tarnished are booked for road trips to Grand Marais on Thursday and in Rose City later this month, before coming home to rock The Rapids Lounge in late September.

Chris & Ron are talented local rock veterans who should bolster things for at least the next two months! Lastly, two new videos of Tarnished this past weekend were posted by Audrey Marshall (a frequent filmer of Sault Ontario concert videos) as comments on the band's Facebook page post on Friday, and are thusly unembeddable here. They include a (vertical) video of them covering Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" and a shorter (but horizontal!) video of their cover of ZZ Top's "Tush". Both feature Alex just singing, while an unidentified female bassist guested on the Neil Young cover. Solid while they last, so check them out on Facebook, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next! Thanks everyone!