The WestFest II & Rock N' Roll Ave Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's part #2 of this weekend's hard rock concert previews! Due to how long the WestFest preview ran, I'm bumping our Generations and Bone Yard 225 previews to our next post alongside Curtis McKenzie, so this post only has two write-ups for weekend shows, though one eats up 3/4ths of the post. We'll start in Sault Michigan today, as this involves a show tomorrow where the other Canadian ones don't, so here's what else you should know on this Thursday evening!

While fans in St. Ignace can check out the EUP debuts of Nolium this weekend at their Kewadin Casino branch, fans an hour north will instead bear witness to the first regional appearances of Mount Pleasant classic/hard rock cover band Rock N' Roll Ave TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino! A spin-off/side project from the metalcore band Black Out, this weekend's shows aren't just Rock N' Roll Ave(nue)'s first in the Soo, but their first anywhere since relaunching earlier this year. Rehearsal videos and pre-comeback live videos point to a good hard rocking cover range, though be careful, as their Facebook page also hosts Black Out videos, and they're just a tad more extreme! This weekend's shows are 9:00 PM affairs tomorrow and Saturday night with 21+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here's a recent Rock N' Roll Ave jam video!

Now let's head to Sault Ontario with the second annual WestFest, which returns to Anna Marinelli Park in Jamestown on SATURDAY! This "block party meets music festival" is part of the West Village Revitilization Project's ongoing efforts to improve and rehabilitate the Jamestown and Steelton areas of downtown Sault Ste. Marie, and there will be food and craft vendors, family activities, and more at this outdoor event, so be sure to visit the West Village Renewed Facebook page for full non-musical details! Musically speaking, we are down from seven acts last year and five in initial marketing to just four tomorrow, with the only hard rock-leaning band being new local alternative hard rock band Riverside Stasis in their fifth public concert and first since the departure of guitarist Liam Dinsmore. Frontwoman Tea Emlaw headlined last year's WestFest in her prior band Handsome Sandwich's final Sault Ste. Marie concert set, but this band is opening WestFest II at 5:00 PM.

Riverside Stasis were strongly hinted as being signed up for the talent show/battle of the bands to find the opening act, only for that to be cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances", so they were acclaimed as the openers on Saturday. Hopefully things go well for Tea and the guys tomorrow! The rest of Saturday's lineup includes local/Collingwood folk supergroup The Ontarians (featuring the Soo's own Frank Deresti and Chris Johns) as headliners, alongside folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels (the only returning band from last year's WestFest) and Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori's daughter Ava Nori in the first public concert appearance by her as a lead performer that I can recall. Marketing up to last month also had BookcluB/ex-Hails guitarist Carmen Muto playing a rare solo set (a video of him shredding an electric guitar was even shared to the West Village Renewed Facebook page).

Unfortunately, it appears that Carmen has dropped out of WestFest and has not been replaced, and any promotion directly referencing him/his set was taken down. I have not heard a reason why Carmen isn't playing on Saturday, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, and don't miss him with BookcluB at the next Downtown Street Party in two weeks! Other set times haven't been announced, but WestFest II takes place from 4:00-11:00 PM on Saturday, it is absolutely all ages, and admission at 169 James Street will be via donation (last year was free). Weather-wise, 9&10 News is calling for a high of 20° on Saturday and a low of 13° with sunny skies and no likely rain, but this is two days out, so keep tabs on your preferred forecast just in case. Despite the smaller lineup, WestFest sounds like a good time and with agreeable weather, so visit the above links for full details, and here's Riverside Stasis live!

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

A New Band In Our Sault Michigan Links, Plus New Videos!!

I hope everyone had a good Civic Holiday, especially if you had the day off! Alas, not everyone in Sault Ontario did. For our sixth post already this month, we have the latest on a new addition to our Sault Michigan band links and a new teaser video for an upcoming festival, so here's what you should know!

Over a week removed from their debut at this year's Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands, let's roll new Sault Ste. Marie/Dafter hard rock band The 8th Fire into our coverage! Successors to the former Molly & The Other Guys, The 8th Fire is the new live band project from 14 year old singer/bassist and Interlochen Arts Academy student Molly Escherich. She is joined here by Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins (who also provides backing vocals and occasional lead vocals) and former Exit 808 drummer Jackie Moon, who was one of The Other Guys when Molly led them to victory at 2024's Lake Superior State University Battle of the Bands (more on year #4 of that annual event soon). Presumably taking their name from the Anishinaabe's Seventh Fire Prophecy, The 8th Fire logged just one practice before the battle of the bands in Brimley last month, and yet still won second place, which ain't too bad!

Quietly launching their Facebook page in May, I'm not sure how much we'll see The 8th Fire in terms of regular bookings, as the fall semester at Interlochen begins after Labour Day, and Molly's own summer calendar from her solo Facebook page doesn't list any further 8th Fire gigs. The Facebook page must mean that we'll see them again, but will something new be announced short term? Could they compete at the next LSSU Battle? We'll let you know if we hear anything, but if you're curious to see more of Molly, Joe, and Jackie, their full Superior Whitefish Battle set was filmed in full for her YouTube channel! You can also watch Molly's acoustic performance from the pre-battle "Music In The Park" matinee block at this link, and that may make the SMS yet pending if she covered anything heavy. If you missed my review of the battle, Molly started the set with a solo acoustic original about a perfect boat day with her dad.

Afterwards, The 8th Fire proper covered Redbone's "Come & Get Your Love", The Doobie Brothers' "Listen To The Music", Green Day's "When I Come Around", Hole's "Malibu", Seven Mary Three's "Cumbersome" (with Joe on vocals), Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive", Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", and Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley". I won't repeat my original thoughts from my live review, especially this soon after, but it was a solid set despite the lack of rehearsal and Joe's broken guitar string, and I will note that The 8th Fire did seem to get heavier as things went along! Molly's channel also uploaded the "Mr. Crowley" and "Billie Jean" covers as separate videos, though the "Billie Jean" one was cropped into normal widescreen orientation, which I heartily welcome, especially as the full video was shot vertically (look at all that tent!).

Good stuff overall, and here's hoping we see more of The 8th Fire before too long, but give their full Brimley set a watch below, and stay tuned for more from Molly and the Whitefish Festival Battle!

We'll close today with another video from a female-fronted local band, but this time in Sault Ontario, as local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis posted this video on their Facebook page on July 22nd to promote their set at the second annual WestFest at Anna Marinelli Park this Saturday! Featuring the band's current four-piece lineup (Liam Dinsmore hadn't left yet when this was shot, but they knew he was leaving shortly and wouldn't be at WestFest), the guys take turns promoting the festival and their set at 5:00 PM, ending with a new(?) audio clip of them jamming, though the audio quality isn't high, and did this video have to be vertical too? Still a good teaser, so give it a watch below, and our WestFest preview is coming later this week!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for mid-week concert previews on the SMS next! Thanks everyone!

The 2 Stoned Crows In The River Concert Preview, New Videos, And More!!

Before I kick off this post, I wanted to apologize for two missed concerts for coverage on the SMS in this busy month. The most recent is an apparent gig by local punk/alternative cover sextet BookcluB at Peace Restaurant at 250 Queen Street East this past Friday, a show implied to be on their outdoor patio based on the Facebook "Stories" promoting it (the only way the band even acknowledged it on social media; Peace never said a thing). The possibility exists that this was a private event, but if it was public, I do apologize, but I can't cover something that no one announces in a permanently sharable way! The other show was a bonus Mike Case Memorial Stage concert for Tym Morrison, who played outside of The Trading Post on Friday, July 10th, as per this Facebook event page separate from his every-Wednesday summer concert arrangement there.

Alas, this would be easy to miss given that the only distinguishing characteristic of the event page compared to his batch one for the Wednesday shows is the date, especially as a Friday show is far more amenable for concert-goers, but the event page went up with less than 3 hours to go before showtime, so it was extremely late notice anyway. Was he a last minute fill-in for someone else? Still, I do apologize, but Tym will be back there on Wednesday! Now, here's one more weekend concert preview to cap off this beyond stacked run on the SMS and some new videos from both sides of the border as we start playing catch-up!

In the last show of this final full concert weekend of July 2026, an all-local concert named "2 Stoned Crows In The River" goes down TONIGHT at Blaster Powerhouse! Promoted by Underground Events SSM, this show is so named because of two bands each with "Stone" and "River" in their names, with a "Crows" reference for good measure. In presented band order on the Facebook event page, tonight's bands (all relatively newer ones to the local scene) include indie/southern rock quartet Eli Russell & The River Fools, alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis (in their final gig with outgoing rhythm guitarist Liam Dinsmore), "diamond rock" quartet/Doo & The Boyos spinoff Stones At The Alter, and blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows. Not a bad lineup of rising local talent, and in many cases, familiar faces in new projects! Of course, props to Anthony Boudreau (a.k.a. Tony Stone) for drumming with both Stones & Crows and Riverside Stasis tonight too.

This is an all ages show as usual for the former Soo Blaster, it has a projected 7:00-10:00 PM runtime (just as well on a work/school night), and admission is a flat $15 at the door with no advance tickets. Whether you saw The River Fools and Stones & Crows at Rotaryfest Stage 2 last week or not, there's a lot to like from this mix of bands tonight, and while Eli's new band isn't as hard rock leaning as their fellow performers, don't bypass their talented original sound either! Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, best of luck to Liam in his swan song with Riverside Stasis, and here they are live!

We'll close today with new videos, and we'll start with the first public video (that I am aware of) from yesterday's ARCH Run outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub, specifically of local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe's closing set! This was uploaded to drummer Chase Chapman's mom Jodi's Facebook page before being shared publically to the band's Facebook page, and sees them covering Marcy Playground's "Sex & Candy". I don't think this song suits Jayce's vocal range, especially with how low the original's are, but it's well covered overall! Bands again played on a flatbed trailer, and a tent was put up there as well, but I believe they mostly dodged rain despite cloudy overcast skies all day. Alas, while the video was shot in horizontal landscape mode, it was uploaded into vertical letterboxed dimensions, making it tiny, and I'll never understand how that keeps happening. Check out the new 5 Dollar Bribe video below, and stay tuned for more from them soon!

Finally, here's a new video from Sault Michigan punk/hard rock duo About:Blank's Facebook page from two weeks ago! Remember, Jon appears to have been just a guest bassist in their video from last month. This video sees Parker and Kade playing a new original song named "Pollution", which notably starts off with a 30 second clip where Parker expresses his frustration with pollution and they agree to write (and immediately perform) a song on the idea. A surf punk-inspired number that has a "Crocodile Rock"-ish vocal melody at points, it's a fun song, but this clearly isn't an ideal setup in terms of capturing the audio, as the guitar is extremely muffled. Not badly performed all the same, so give it a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this week, plus this month's YouTube Channel Profile and CD review before the month is up! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Greg Simpson & Dos Amigos) And The ARCH Run Concert Preview!!

Today's post got somewhat rushed and altered thanks to not one, but two SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for TONIGHT, so those lead off today along with our preview of a returning charity concert on Saturday, so here's what you should know as our weekend concert previews roll on!

Local acoustic punk cover duo Dos Amigos will make their apparent debut at Thomson Farms Cider & Winery for an outdoor patio concert TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was first announced via this AI generated poster on the winery's Facebook page last night, and it appears to have been relatively late notice in conception, as it's not on the band's summer concert calendar from Instagram on July 3rd. The 4057 Third Line West winery has been hosting occasional live unplugged musicians for Thursday evening concerts this summer, and it makes sense that Dos Amigos would step in for at least one of them, as singer/guitarists Mikey Hawdon and Dustin Jones played at Thomson Farms' teddy bear picnic in June 2024 and 2025 with BookcluB (such an event did not happen last month). Despite the late notice, hopefully there's a decent turnout TONIGHT for Dos Amigos' acoustic punk covers!

Thomson Farms are also hyping up having appetizers on sale, as well as seven different kinds of cider, so keep that in mind if that's your thing! This concert takes place TONIGHT from 6:00-9:00 PM with a presumed 19+ age limit given the winery aspect, and no announced cover charge. As this is on the patio, 9&10 News is calling or partly cloudy to clear skies TONIGHT with 22-23° temperatures. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Dos Amigos live (albeit indoors!)

Next up, Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson will bring his "Ranting Rockstar" solo show back to The Dive Gastro Pub for a "Think It Over Thursday" concert TONIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, Greg only announced the show via his personal Facebook page yesterday (he doesn't have a public page for his solo concerts that I am aware of), and while The Dive did finally confirm the booking on their Facebook page this afternoon, that's more than many of their concert bookings have gotten in recent months. TONIGHT's concert will be indoors in "The Naughty Corner", and if you're familiar with Bone Yard's "uncorked" gigs (let alone The Bearded Lounge), expect more of the same, just with Greg alone, though note that Soundcheck's Travis Sharpe has guested with him at the former Low & Slow before, and is a credited guest for Greg's set at the Maddy's Mighty Mutts family fun day in two weeks. Be there TONIGHT to see if he shows up again!

In case you're curious, Bone Yard 225 are playing at a stag & doe on Saturday night, which is listed on their website's calendar, but with rare exceptions, I don't cover stags & does as "concerts" here (even if ticketed) due to their hyper-personal nature. They'll next play proper public concerts next weekend at Beck's Bar, but TONIGHT'S "Ranting Rockstar" show is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more details! The only public videos of Greg's solo dates that I can find are via The Dive, which now content matches their videos' audio as being their own, so embedding videos from their Facebook page now doesn't work.

Finally for weekend concert preview post #2 is an event that thankfully had lots of advance notice, namely the third annual ARCH Run takes place on SATURDAY outside of Jay's Piston Broke Pub! After last year's ARCH Run bizarrely never had a public schedule release, we now know exactly which bands will be rocking out to support the Algoma Regional Community Hospice as bikers make their annual rally through Sault Ste. Marie. Of course, if you want to pledge donations to ARCH or ride in the rally proper, or get details on the draw for a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, click here. Numerous vendors will also be on site on this closed section of Korah Road for all of today's action! And just to clear up any confusion, this is the only ARCH motorcycle rally/concert this year, as the Dragonfly Run (which the ARCH Run splintered off from in 2024) ended last month, and click here for more on that decision from their organizers. 

Musically speaking, there will be a nightcap inside Jay's once again, this time by country rock cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters at 9:30 PM, but outdoors, your headliners are young local hard rock quartet 5 Dollar Bribe, another high profile set or them as they continue building their local name and reputation! Country cover veterans (and 2024 ARCH Run performers) Tex Riviera & The Ride will take the stage at 7:00 PM, preceded by newer classic rock cover quartet Doo & The Boyos at 6:00 PM (if there will be a Stones At The Alter sidequest then, it's not in the advertising). New local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis will play their third public concert set (and penultimate gig with rhythm guitarist Liam Dinsmore) at 5:00 PM, while 1960s-themed classic rock band Whiskey Hippy are on at 4:00 PM. Prolific local drummer Chris Johns will hop on guitar for a reunion of his early 1990s local band The Korner Monsters at 3:00 PM.

If you're friends of his on Facebook, head there to see archival video of this band, and it will be interesting to hear how they go over on Saturday, or if this leads to more concerts! Chris will joined by singer/guitarist Rusty Barrel, bassist Dave Konkin, and drummer Jim Edwards, and they will be playing 1980s-1990s alt rock covers. Your openers are local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his Big Finish Band in his first proper advertised local date of 2026, and of course, most of his band will be playing at night's end with Elly & The Drifters, so they have a big day ahead! While donations and pledges are encouraged, attending the ARCH Run and the indoor nightcap is free, and the outdoor festivities are all ages. In terms of the weather, 9&10 News is currently calling for overcast to mostly cloudy skies with a high of 23°, and as of the current forecast, the rain expected on Saturday morning should be done prior to Mike's opening set. 

Supporting ARCH and the work they do for those dealing with cancer is always a wonderful reason to come out for events like this and help out, and kudos to everyone for donating their time! While it is unfortunate that the Dragonfly Run isn't back this year, I am very glad that there is still an outdoor concert festival and motorcycle rally to raise money for ARCH, and hopefully there's a great turnout on Saturday, especially with the comfortable temperatures hopefully continuing! Visit the above links for more on ARCH Run III, and here's 5 Dollar Bribe live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned next for our Go North Music Festival and Sandman previews, and the Superior Whitefish Festival Battle of the Bands and Sunday's all-local Blaster concert are also in queue! Thanks everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Dos Amigos, Stones & Crows, And Riverside Stasis), Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews, I wanted to apologize for missing Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg Simpson's solo gig at The Dive Gastro Pub this past Thursday for coverage on here. Alas, the venue never confirmed the show publically on their Facebook page, and while "the ranting rockstar" did plug it on short notice on his personal Facebook page, he doesn't have a public social media page to promote solo gigs with. Hopefully the concert was a hit, and we'll let you know when we hear more from him and/or Bone Yard! Now, let's dive into most of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, with the Wheelhouse and T.N.T. shows coming in our next news post!

New local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis will be among TOMORROW'S music lineup at the Poutine Feast at the Downtown Plaza! Apologies for the short notice, frontwoman Tea Emlaw first announced that they'd be playing via her solo Facebook page on Sunday, and You Belong SSM has yet to reveal the full schedule for TOMORROW (they only revealed today's all solo acoustic lineup this morning). Fresh off of their debut set at Blaster Powerhouse this past weekend, this will be your second chance to see this new band live and your first at an outdoor event. Day #3 is expected to have live music from 4:15 PM onward, and Riverside Stasis are expected to hit the stage at around 6:00 PM, and the only other confirmed act that I'm aware of is country musician Jeffrey Wright at 7:15 PM. Apologies for erroneously plugging TOMORROW's program as the Kids Day when this post initially went live, that is actually the Saturday, July 4th theme.

This is FREE & ALL AGES as usual, and 9&10 News is calling for 22-28° temperatures TOMORROW with clouds receding into the afternoon (please be prepared for the hot & humid conditions). Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video from Riverside Stasis' Facebook page of them covering Kings Of Leon's "Sex On Fire" at the former Soo Blaster on Saturday! Filmed by Drifters frontwoman Elly McWatters from the front row, she got some really nice close-up visuals of the band, harmed only by being just 90 seconds long and vertical (though she does focus on everyone individually). Not my favourite song in the world (at least it's not "Dance Monkey"), but it's well performed, so check it out below!

Next up, local acoustic punk duo Dos Amigos will return to The Whisky Barrel for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the venue only announced this show on their Facebook page on Monday, and the band only publically acknowledged the booking in an Instagram "Story", as far as I can tell. Fresh off of their own Poutine Feast gig on Canada Day, it's good to see Mikey & Dustin bringing their unplugged cover project to the stage a little more frequently this summer, and hopefully there's a good turnout at the Gore Street pub TOMORROW for their fan favourite punk covers! Yes, I am aware of their sister band Bookclub's gig next week during the downtown Summer Concert Series, stay tuned for a preview of that in a news post by Monday. TOMORROW'S Whisky Barrel show (their first there in almost three months) is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and here's Dos Amigos live!

Also this weekend, new local blues/hard rock trio Stones & Crows will play their second public concert TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Apologies again for the short notice, the venue only announced this show on their Facebook page on Monday as part of their usual weekly entertainment schedule reveal there (though be advised that Stones & Crows haven't posted on their Facebook page in any way in over two weeks). Originally, Beck's was supposed to have DJ Dark Mark spinning tunes TOMORROW, but a "communication breakdown" led them to look elsewhere for Friday entertainment, and they opted to bring back Stones & Crows just one week after Spencer, Nicholas, and Anthony (er, Bukky, Nikki, and Tony) made their live debut at the same locale. Hopefully things go well for their Beck's encore, and seeing as Anthony is drumming with Riverside Stasis TOMORROW at Poutine Feast as well, he's definitely got a long night ahead!

Like last week, TOMORROW'S Stones & Crows show is at 9:00 PM with no cover and a 19+ age limit. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's our first public video of the Electric Church successors live, as per Beck's Facebook page! The video sees the guys covering Eric Clapton's "Cocaine", and while something sounds a little out of tune, the guys have a good sound going so far, as you'd hope with this lineup! Alas, the video is vertical, only 44 seconds long, and has the band's name slapped on top in post-production, so while you can see them without those restrictions TOMORROW NIGHT at Beck's, give their first video a watch below! 

Finally for today, here's a show that did get advance notice, as former Project 421/Eclipse frontman Curtis McKenzie will return to the aforementioned Dive Gastro Pub for one night only on SATURDAY! Originally announced back in May on his Facebook page, this will be Curt's first gig at the former Low & Slow since a "Think It Over Thursday" date in April, with an interim gig there on June 13th being called off after The Dive double booked Curtis with another artist. While The Dive has not corroborated this booking on their Facebook page either (I have no idea why they've been so inconsistent for advertising live musicians lately), hopefully Curt has a strong turnout downtown for his alternative and hard rock covers! Saturday concerts this summer at The Dive are "Patio Play" gigs where possible, and 9&10 News is calling for mostly cloudy skies that night with temperatures in the 20° range, and rain is unlikely.

The show is at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge, and while the heat wave is still ongoing, it looks to be more comfortable than some nights have been on Saturday, so consider stopping by The Dive if you want some live unplugged rock! See the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Curtis live a few years back!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Wheelhouse and T.N.T. previews (and more?) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Lazys & WestFest II!)

Happy Canada Day to our Canadian readers! Just a quick note that the full music schedule for TODAY'S opening day of Poutine Feast was finally revealed on the You Belong SSM Facebook page yesterday, confirming that Vito Tassone (credited as "VT Music") and Josh "The Preacher" McNally will also be performing, as will unspecified indigenous performers. The official timeslots weren't given, but they're in descending performance order with Eli Russell & The River Fools up first at 12:00 PM, and BookcluB & Dos Amigos both confirmed on Instagram that they'd be at 8:15 and 4:15 PM respectively. If you're going to the plaza, have fun and stay hyrdrated! Now, here's two big LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to look for in the coming months!

The full lineup for the second annual WestFest at Anna Marinelli Park on Saturday, August 8th was gradually revealed on the West Village Renewed Facebook page last month, and with this video 100% confirming the five final acts (down from seven last year), who all is heading to Jamestown next month? Surprisingly, only one band from 2025 is returning this year, and unlike last year's focus on Rotaryfest alumni (all but one act being from recent Stage 2 lineups), the four newcomers here have never played Rotaryfest in the forms you'll be seeing at WestFest II. Headlining this year are local/Collingwood folk rock quartet The Ontarians (featuring the Soo's own Frank Deresti and Chris Johns), while folk/country quartet The Golden Scoundrels will co-headline as the only return act from last year. Two familiar faces will play solo sets prior, including the solo debut of BookcluB/ex-Hails guitarist Carmen Muto!

I have no idea what Carmen's solo set will entail in terms of genres, possible bandmates, if he'll be singing too, etc., but he's an exceedingly talented guitarist for his age, so hopefully he makes a big impression! Also performing at WestFest next month is Ava Nori, the daughter of Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori, who you may recall guesting with her dad's band at their last local concert at The Machine Shop in March 2024. Ava's arguably better known for her poetry (she was interviewed about it on The Borderline, even), but come out to Anna Marinelli Park to see how she does as a solo musician! Opening on August 8th are new local alt-hard rock quintet Riverside Stasis, one year after singer Tea Emlaw headlined WestFest 1 with Handsome Sandwich in that band's final Sault Ste. Marie concert set. I have no clue if Riverside Stasis were always planned to play next month, or if they had signed up for the cancelled battle of the bands to find the opening act.

Given their pedigree (including 3/5ths of HeadFirst), hopefully they were picked on their own merits, but regardless, Sault Ontario has been snakebit for battles of the bands since the pandemic! Like last year, WestFest is a centerpiece event for The West Village Revitalization Project in their efforts to revive and bring attention to the Jamestown and Steelton areas in the west end of the downtown core, and community initiatives and causes therein. Termed as a "block party meets music festival", this outdoor event at 169 James Street will also feature local vendors and family activities, and if the same as 2025, a beer garden, so click here for full non-musical details and any to come. This year's WestFest is blocked to start and end later than last year's, with an advertised runtime of 4:00-11:00 PM, with Riverside Stasis kicking off the live music at 5:00 PM. While last year's was free, WestFest II will have admission by donation, so pay what you can to support the cause.

While Riverside Stasis are the only assuredly hard rock-leaning act next month (again, I don't know what to expect from Carmen solo), there should be a little for everyone to enjoy musically at WestFest II, and I do hope that the weather cooperates, both in terms of possible rain and the temperature/humidity next month. Kudos to West Village Renewed for keeping their revitalization going, and visit the above links for more details!

Finally, Australian hard rock quintet The Lazys will make their local concert debut on Friday, October 9th at Blaster Powerhouse! Announced late last month via this poster that bafflingly doesn't give the date (The Lazys' website and the Facebook comment replies confirmed it), this is a band that will be familiar to listeners of 104.3 The Fox, as The Lazys have far more Canadian rock radio success than American thanks to hit singles like "Too Tough To Die" & "Hot Under The Collar". While not as AC/DC-coded as their fellow Aussies in Airbourne, there's still a retro flair to their catchy brand of hard rock, and no less than Ian D'Sa from Billy Talent has co-wrote music with them, so it'll be neat finally see The Lazys in the Soo! Opening on October 9th (also in their local debut) are Winnipeg "nu grunge punk n' roll" quartet The Bloodshots, an all-Indigenous group whose described genre is pretty accurate, as they cover a lot of ground in their original music, so there's a lot to like within, and do check them out in advance!

A local opening band is to be announced for this all ages concert, which is expected to start at 8:15 PM. Advance tickets are on sale for $40 at this link and presumably at the former Soo Blaster, and the price will jump to $50 at the door. This should be a fun concert for modern hard rock fans with an old school flair, and there's three months to prepare for it, so visit the above links for more details, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews and this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

Saturday Hard Rock/Punk Concert Previews, Plus New Live Videos!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for not being able to get About:Blank's late notice Art In The Park acoustic matinee set at Moloney's Alley today into a regular post, but alas, they only announced their involvement on their Facebook page this morning, and they were not on the AI poster promoting the music lineup there. I'd have happily covered it here had it had been announced even yesterday, but I did get the word out on our Facebook page, at least. From here, we leave Sault Michigan to cap off this weekend's hard rock concert previews in Sault Ontario, including new videos from two of the bands in question, so here's what you should know!

We'll pick things back up at Beck's Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, and while Stones & Crows are debuting there tonight, Saturday belongs to Bone Yard 225, as the southern hard rock trio are playing a standard 9:00 PM nightcap concert and doubling up by going "uncorked" in the 3:00-7:00 PM matinee timeslot as well! The extended eight hour concert (with two hour gap) is so they can be the musical entertainment at the Biker Rights Organization's annual Shoot & Scoot motorcycle rally, which starts at the newer A&W on Great Northern Road and ends at Beck's (relocating from The Moose Lodge this year). Also at Beck's, attendees can expect a barbecue and concert action from "the dirty three", but visit the above links for what to expect at the rally, which does involve some field target shooting en route! Bone Yard have long been supporters of motorcycle riding and the B.R.O., and hopefully there's a good crowd for acoustic show #1 and plugged-in show #2!

Greg, Alex, and Warren's marathon day will have no cover charge for general attendees, and this is a 19+ event. Just two weeks removed from their last Beck's stop (which was their first electric gig in three months), hopefully things go smoothly for their southern fried hard rock originals and covers tomorrow, and that they use the 7:00-9:00 break wisely before recorking! Visit the above links for more details on your local 225's double concert and/or the Shoot & Scoot, and for a preview, here's a brand new live-streamed video of them live at the Queen Street Cruise last week! This comes from the outdoor waterfront portion of their Saturday gig during the car show (placed again near Montana's), and it features the guys covering Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music". It's a lively cover played in nice weather conditions, but the video is vertical, and it comes in midway through the first chorus.

Unfortunately, the band representative shot this video as a live-stream for their Facebook page, not a standard video, so as per Facebook's current guidelines, it will vanish from Facebook around July 20th unless they convert it to a regular video or re-upload it.  Give it a watch (while you can?) below, and click here for Greg's own highlight/behind the scenes video from the Cruise proper! No music there, but all of the band make appearances.

Next up, an intriguing package of newer and not-as-frequently seen local bands will join forces at Blaster Powerhouse TOMORROW NIGHT thanks to Underground Events SSM! Ska punk quartet A.S.D.P. (led by promoter Mikhal Muto) will play a rare headlining set tomorrow at the former Soo Blaster, while local metal trio The BAG will return to the site of their album release party in their first show since then tomorrow as the co-headliners, returning the favour after A.S.D.P. opened for them in April. Local alt-punk trio A Dire Setback will end a 15 month stage hiatus when they take the stage tomorrow themselves, and it's great to see them back after way too long! Opening tomorrow is the live debut of Riverside Stasis, the new band from Handsome Sandwich, Raincourt, HeadFirst, Jack Spades, and Stones & Crows alumni. The talent is certainly there, but how will things go for their first live concert set?

Admission is $15 via advance tickets from the performers or at The Rad Zone, but the price will jump to $20 at the door. This is an all ages event that will begin tomorrow night at 8:00 PM. Definitely a solid lineup of newer and established local talent that hard rock and punk fans won't want to bypass, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and in lieu of a publically embeddable video of A.S.D.P. (remember, their social media presence is slight), here's The BAG live at the same venue!

Finally for known hard rock concerts this weekend, we'll head north to The Water Tower Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at Minelli's 75th anniversary festival this past weekend, this will effectively be a rescheduling of their cancelled April 18th show at The Water Tower Pub due to an unspecified family emergency. Exactly 10 weeks later, they're back, and hopefully there's lots of fun classic and hard rock favourites from Valerie, Joe, Pierre, and Tony once again! I do not know who is playing at this venue tonight, but tomorrow's show will be at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. For a preview, we have some brand new videos of Generations live outside of The Marconi Hall for the Minelli's festival! Shared to the band's Facebook group in a batch post, the videos were shot by drummer Tony Santoro's wife Dawn.

She filmed them covering John Mellencamp's "Authority Song", Brandi Carlile's "The Story", Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", Bryan Adams' "Summer Of '69", and as embedded below, Nazareth's "Turn On Your Reciever". All have Valerie Powley on lead vocals except "Authority Song", which had Tony singing. While the videos are sadly all vertical (you don't have to accentuate the pavement like that when people aren't even standing there), the performances are sound, and this looks like a well staged event fitting a 75th anniversary! Visit the above links to see all of Dawn's videos, and turn on your receiver so you can check out the cover below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! 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!