LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (TNT) & More Thanksgiving Long Weekend Concert Previews!!

As promised, here's the rest of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, including a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, so here's what else you should know in the area from tonight onward!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock cover duo TNT will return to the stage on SUNDAY NIGHT at Beck's Bar! Apologies for the short notice, Beck's only announced the matinee show in their weekly concert calendar announcement on their Facebook page on Monday, and TNT still don't have a dedicated social media page to promote their own shows with (granted, their sister band Soundcheck rarely updates theirs much anymore either). This is Travis & Terry's first announced acoustic concert since their set at Maddy's Mighty Mutts' Family Fun Day in August, though I did want to acknowledge here that the guys did play a run of eight Saturday matinee concerts at Misty's Fifties from May-July, which I belatedly discovered on the Second Line West nightclub's Facebook page via a bunch of mostly AI generated promotional images. This notably made them the last hard rock-leaning act to play there before Becky Sawyer of Beck's Bar bought Misty's.

I do profusely apologize for missing those shows for coverage here, but alas, they were mostly on late notice on the venue's end, and TNT don't have their own page to plug upcoming shows with. Hopefully they were all a hit, and could Terry n' Trav(is) play there more once Misty's reopens? At least we know about SUNDAY'S Beck's show, which takes place at 3:00 PM during their weekly euchre tournament, and it is 19+ with no cover once again. Visit the above links for more details, hopefully some public videos turn up soon, and stay tuned for more from TNT and Soundcheck (7.3?)

Next up, let's jump over to Sault Michigan briefly, where Traverse City classic metal trio Peril will play their final gigs at The Rapids Lounge at the local Kewadin Casino branch TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Peril are alive and well, but frontman Jeff Hudson confirmed on their Facebook page that they won't be back at the Soo Kewadin "for the foreseeable future" due to "the upcoming construction changes". It's well established by now that The Rapids Lounge is closing soon for heavy renovations in advance of a new sports bar opening on site or nearby in 2027, and based on updates to Kewadin's entertainment page for upcoming lounge schedules, it does appear that the NuCorp-headlined concerts over Halloween weekend will be the final ones at The Rapids Lounge as we know it. As such, Peril are the last hard rock-leaning band to play there, and they have played there loads over the years, so come on out for all the action this weekend!

These will also be Peril's last EUP gigs for 2026, but their sister band Scarkazm will be back at The Northern Pines Lounge in St. Ignace before the year is out though, and we'll have more on that in an upcoming post. Tonight & tomorrow's concerts are at 9:00 PM with 21+ age limits and no cover charges, and if you're curious, cover band Detour and Detroit blues rock musician Chris Canas will play the next two weekends before NuCorp send out The Rapids Lounge at months end. See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Peril live in St. Ignace!

Also this weekend, Sault Ontario classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will return to The Esquire Club TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! This double shot in the west end will mark the long awaited return to the weekend nightclub circuit for Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve, after their annual summer spell of just festivals and private gigs extended through September (their last gig of any kind was opening for Fefe Dobson). As such, it's been a long and silent six months for Silent 9 at The Esquire Club, but hopefully their fan friendly classic and hard rock covers get a solid reception this weekend as they return to the regular bar grind! Tonight and tomorrow's shows are at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new video of Silent 9 live at Wolf Fest II at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion last month! This was uploaded to the band's Facebook page on September 15th, a few days after Wolf Fest took place.

As usual for their own social media video uploads, this is (sadly) short and vertical, with the 39 second clip seeing the guys covering AC/DC's "Shoot To Thrill". Despite the above issues and some recurrent light reflections, Silent 9 do a solid and upbeat job with this song, one of my favourite AC/DC singles, so give it a watch below, and look for much more this weekend!

Finally for our Thanksgiving long weekend previews, we head to The Sault Community Theatre Center at White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School, where Oshawa-based Bon Jovi tribute band Bon Jovi Forever will rock the Soo once again TOMORROW NIGHT! Bon Jovi Forever just played at the former Kiwanis Theatre last fall, while they also headlined at The Rockstar Bar a decade ago, so clearly they've done something right to make returns here in the mid-2020s. Covering both the 1980s and early 1990s hair metal days and their more general rock sound of more recent times, BJF deliver the goods for fans of the New Jersey legends, and if you know how Jon Bon Jovi sounds live nowadays, Baz will take you back to what you're used to! All of the east end action goes down tomorrow night at 8:00 PM, and tickets are still on sale at this link, at the door, or at the community box office at Station Mall. The first six rows in the center section are completely sold out, as are the front rows on the left and right, but there's plenty of seats left!

Adult tickets cost $61.02, seniors 65+ and students 13-21 years old cost $49.72, kids under 9-13 cost $16.95, and kids 8 and under are free, and use the promo code group6+ for a discounted group rate if you are buying for 6 or more people. Visit the above links for more on what should be a fun night for Hair Scare fans, and here's Bon Jovi Forever live at the SCTC last year!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS over the long weekend! Thanks everyone! 

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (T.N.T. & Tarnished), The Wheelhouse Concert Preview, And More!!

Before we get into today's post, just two updates regarding this weekend's concert previews. First, while I'm not covering the shows here because the band never really crossed our genre radar, classic rock cover band Jus' Chillin are reuniting to play at Reggie's Place this weekend, as per members' personal Facebook postings. Jus' Chillin folded in the spring of 2023 so they could form Generations alongside ex-Obsession singer Valerie Powley, so this would imply that Valerie is unavailable this weekend, hence Pierre and Tony bringing the old band back for a couple of nights. Hopefully the shows go well! As for TONIGHT'S Poutine Feast lineup at the Downtown Plaza, the previously advertised Riverside Stasis and Jeffrey Wright were joined by classic rock cover veterans Encore and Riverside Stasis bassist Rob Speers, who has played live often as an acoustic solo singer/guitarist since The Wyld Stallyns disbanded in mid-2024.

Our source for the full lineup is You Belong SSM's Facebook page, and it remains to be seen if their will be an advertised live music program during Kids Day tomorrow (Canada/Morocco World Cup game acknowledged), but Sunday's final day seems unlikely given that there will be a marathon of Disney/Pixar movies on the big screen. Whether you're going for poutine, live music, or both, have fun downtown this weekend, and stay cool and hydrated! Now, here's the rest of this weekend's known hard rock concert previews, including SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock quartet Tarnished will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for Fourth Of July weekend concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows have been advertised on Kewadin's entertainment page in recent weeks, and while I've got to get better at covering shows listed there, the band only acknowledged the shows on their Facebook page earlier today. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows are kinda sorta makeup dates for Tarnished in terms of St. Ignace at large, as they dropped out of their planned outdoor car show gig this past Saturday for unannounced reasons. It's good to see the full band back in action a week later, and if you're one to dodge summer heat & humidity, you won't mind TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows being indoors! You may want to duck out to see fireworks TOMORROW though.

Note that Tarnished will make the 2 hour drive west to Manistique on Sunday to play at the grand opening of The Hive Commons there, and while this AI-generated poster only directly reflects on the tour date, note that the Manistique show will be 1980s themed and will feature a set mostly (if not entirely) themed around 1980s rock covers, so will that focus bleed into the St. Ignace shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW? The local dates are 21+ affairs with no cover and 9:00 PM start times. Stay tuned for more from Tarnished next week, and here they are live!

Next up, newer Sault Ontario acoustic classic/hard rock duo T.N.T. (Travis Sharpe & Terry Eaton) will return to Beck's Bar for a matinee concert on SUNDAY! Again, apologies for the short notice, the show was only announced via the venue's weekly Monday entertainment schedule drop on their Facebook page, and I don't believe Trav(is) or Terry have launched a social media or band page yet to reflect their duo outings. Fans last saw the Soundcheck side project at Beck's in late May, and while I don't see this always promoted as taking place during SUNDAY matinees there, Beck's hosts weekly euchre tournaments on that day of the week, so if you play euchre, you'll get some live hard and classic rock covers with your card gaming! Terry & Travis will rock the stage on SUNDAY at 3:00 PM (karaoke is the nightcap there as usual), with a 19+ age limit and no cover. Visit the above links for more details, and we will let you know if any public videos of T.N.T. surface online!

Lastly for known hard rock concert previews this weekend, here's a show that had lots of advance notice, as revived local classic/hard rock cover trio Wheelhouse will play their second show since coming back TOMORROW NIGHT at the aforementioned Beck's Bar! The group from former Stiffler's Mom bandmates Michael Davies & Jon Ferguson (now plus Eden Plague/Golden Scoundrels drummer Johnny Belanger) made their relaunch at Beck's on May 15th, and they quickly announced plans to play a Fourth of July gig at the former Vibe Lounge. As revealed on Johnny's personal Facebook page at the time, this poster for the concert was lovingly drawn with pencil crayons rather than using generative AI, which I appreciate! The band's own prior usage of AI to make their initial Facebook photos though, I'll let you assess that at your leisure. Videos and "Stories" of Wheelhouse so far point to a fun live band with heavy covers, so don't miss out!

The matinee performer tomorrow is former Thin Ice frontman Nathan Albidone with a solo country set, though remember, he has a full 4 hour block from 3:00-7:00 PM and isn't "opening" for Wheelhouse, who take the stage tomorrow night at 9:00 PM. This is also a 19+ event and it has no cover charge. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details on Wheelhouse's second show of the year, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Separate Wayz, And TNT), Plus Recent Concert Clarifications!!

Before we dive into this weekend's hard rock concert previews, we have two related notes to clear up. First, I want to profusely apologize for missing local alt-punk cover band BookcluB's concert at Searchmont Resort this past Saturday, as they were one of the bands booked to play at the C.S.R.A. Snowcross Championships festivities last week. Alas, I only found out that they were playing via a Facebook "Story" (one of the temporary vertical videos in that strip on your news feed) from BookcluB that I didn't see until a half hour to go before the concert was scheduled to end. Neither BookcluB nor Searchmont confirmed in a permanent public post that they were playing on Saturday whatsoever (I also have not seen a public confirmation of who played the Sunday matinee show during Snowcross weekend). For such a busy and well hyped weekend, why wasn't the promotion better for the bands playing at The Kiln? 

Apologies again for missing that show, I'd have happily plugged it had someone promoted it publically with even one day's notice, but hopefully BookcluB had a strong turnout! The other note relates to the band who played at Searchmont this past Friday (local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations), who announced on their Facebook page that their previously announced Water Tower Pub show on Saturday has been cancelled due to an unspecified family emergency. In lieu of that, bassist Pierre Anthony and drummer Tony Santoro will instead be playing that night with members of country cover veterans Tex Riviera & The Ride, so keep that in mind for the weekend, and I hope all's well with Valerie or Joe!

Today's previews will be broken up into two posts due to a bunch of linked SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS coming to my attention, so our previews of Tym Morrison's Saturday matinee and The BAG's album release party will be in tomorrow's post. Otherwise, let's start at Jay's Piston Broke Pub, where local classic/hard rock cover quartet Separate Wayz will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page on Monday, though the AI program that Jay's uses for concert advertising didn't nail what this weekend's bands look like. When did "Elly" and comedian Ron White join Separate Wayz? This will be Nicole and the guys' first concert since their short notice "epic crossover" with Soundcheck at Beck's Bar on Monday, March 30th. For standalone, Travis-free gigs, Separate Wayz last took the stage at The Water Tower Pub early last month.

Regardless of sister band collaborations, this will be Separate Wayz' first stop at Jay's in over six months, so expect lots of fun rocking tunes from this talented foursome TOMORROW! A rare one-nighter at the former Roosevelt Hotel (country cover band Elly McWatters & The Drifters are playing there on Saturday), TOMORROW'S concert is a 9:30 PM affair with no announced cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's Separate Wayz live!

Next up, this will be a very busy weekend for Separate Wayz guitarist Terry Eaton, as he'll be doubling up on SATURDAY at Beck's Bar, starting with a matinee concert with his Soundcheck bandmate Travis Sharpe in their new acoustic side project TNT! Again, apologies for the short notice, we only learned about this show via this venue's own advertising on Monday, and I still am not aware of Terry n' Trav(is) launching an online page to promote this project or their shows. They do have an AI-generated logo to match Terry's current electric bands now, so there is that! Last seen a month ago at The Full Throttle Saloon, TNT are occasionally seen at local nightclubs, typically in acoustic-amenable matinee timeslots, and often in conjunction with shows from one/both of Terry's bands. This will be a solid appetizer for what's to come later that night at Beck's, so keep this one in mind!

As usual for Beck's Bar's (typically) unplugged Saturday afternoon acts, Soundcheck's acoustic splinter group will be playing from 3:00-7:00 PM with no cover charge, and while a 19+ age limit would make sense given that it is Beck's Bar, note that they did host the underage 5 Dollar Bribe as matinee performers earlier this month. Visit the above links for more on what might be TNT's Beck's debut, and we'll let you know when/if public videos of Travis & Terry unplugged surface for preview purposes!

Lastly for this preview post, we'll stay at Beck's Bar, where the aforementioned Soundcheck will complete the Terry triple header with a concert on SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies again for the short notice, I learned about this show in the exact same way as I learned about TNT's. Last seen at Reggie's two weeks ago, this gig will allow Terry & Travis to rock out in full force with Jim & Johnny returning from TOMORROW'S Separate Wayz gig at Jay's to make up the rhythm section once again. If you like classic and hard rock covers, you have a lot of options for how you want to experience it in the west end this weekend! I am not sure whether the Soundcheck or Separate Wayz concerts are respectively due to or the result of the other band booking a one-nighter, but if you're curious, Beck's are hosting a rare live band tomorrow (new blues rock cover band Sunday & The Broken Hearts) rather than bringing in a DJ.

And as I frequently note, TNT aren't technically "opening" for Soundcheck on SATURDAY, as the two bands have 4 hour timeslots each spaced 2 hours apart, but the common lineups are absolutely acknowledged. Soundcheck are on at 9:00 PM on SATURDAY NIGHT with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. Visit the above links for more on all of Terry's short notice gigs this weekend, and here's Soundcheck live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison and The BAG previews next! Thanks everyone!