New Videos From Metal/Hard Rock Bands, Plus An Inactive Band Note!!

Before we dive into another round of weekend concert previews, here's a new news post to check out on this Wednesday night, which includes new videos from/about Soo Blaster concerts from three different local bands, plus an addition to our inactive band links. Here's what you should know!

In their first major update since releasing their new album "Road Trippin'" on May 3rd, local hard rock quintet HeadF1rst have released the first music video from it! The video is for the album's first advance single "Slay The Dragon", and was uploaded to their YouTube channel earlier today. It features footage of HeadF1rst playing this song at Soo Blaster during the album release party, including clips featuring album producer/guest guitarist Bill Priddle, who joined them on stage to play this song at set's end. Footage was shot across both a stationary camera and by a roving filmer, with Ella Kallonen and A Dire Setback's Matthew Quinn both credited for videography, while the video makes heavy use of the 1929 Disney short cartoon Hell's Bells, which is now in the public domain. You can tell that the performance footage isn't always synced up with the song, but the video is well shot!

Note that a good portion of the video features bassist Claire Jeffrey on lead vocals with her brother Red Jettison playing guitar, despite this song having Red singing lead, which may be a preview of other songs on the album if you haven't heard it yet (our review hits the site by month's end). Another song from the album will be getting a music video on May 28th, but will it feature more footage from the release party? We'll know more next week, but give HeadF1rst's... first music video from "Road Trippin'" a watch below!

Next up, I'm behind on recent video content from local death/thrash metal trio Pillory, so let's start rectifying that with a full set video from last month' all-local metal show The Pit at Soo Blaster! This was uploaded to drummer Bret Shuttleworth's YouTube channel on April 21st (three days after the concert), and unlike in his prior full-set uploads, he did label all songs in the description with tags as to when they start. In order, Pillory played eight original songs here, none of which are carry-overs from their 2013 debut EP "Cringe At The Cross" (which predated frontman Robert Sartini taking on harsh death metal vocals). In order, the guys played a short intro track named "End Of Small Sanctuary" before diving into "Specimen Of Egotism", "Sculptor Of Cadavers", "The Angst Of Existence", "The Passing", "Abhorred Apprehension", "The Curse Of Eternal Sickness", and "A Drop Of Shame In An Ocean Of Guilt".

This set ended with a cover of Sepultura's "Territory". The video was shot with a stationary camera aimed towards the stage and the first few rows of fans on the floor, and if you're wondering why the top strip of the video is blurred out, Bret explained in the description that he did that because "the lights (above the stage) were seizure inducing". Nice and brutal performance from a solid angle, and if you like Death-inspired death metal, you'll like what Pillory are cooking up here, and there's more from them ahead! Give their full concert set in/at The Pit a watch below!

Also, here's a new video from local progressive metal band Convergence's Facebook page to hype up their upcoming concert at Soo Blaster on June 28th! The vertical promotional clip sees singer Stephen Gagnon-Ruscio and guitarist Brendan Christie pulled over by a "cop" (guitarist Jacob Valois) for "going too fast", but can Stephen make things right by giving the "officer" tickets to The Upheaval? Funny clip for what it is, though part of me was hoping to see some live footage from their debut concert (the aforementioned The Pit at Soo Blaster). Lots of pictures from that night are on their Facebook page, but so far, no videos to sample how Convergence sound with a vocalist. Check out the Upheaval commercial below!

Finally, I have officially moved local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns to our inactive links due to almost one year's inactivity. There had not been a public update on The Stallyns proper since posting on their Facebook group on May 23rd of last year, with singer/guitarist Rob Speers quietly transitioning into work as a solo musician last summer, including taking over the band's advertised set at The Northern Vibe Festival. It is worth noting that he and his wife Christina (who sang most lead vocals) separated last year, which may or may not be related. Launching as an acoustic duo from Rob and his then-Elements bandmate Jesse Cook in November 2017, the former Kariokeheads took on their Bill & Ted-inspired name in early 2018, adding Christina in time for numerous concerts at nightclubs, charity events, and festivals. The band later added drums in 2019, and post-pandemic, they became a full electric group, adding bass guitar to their live ranks.

Their rhythm section frequently rotated in the 2020s, and their last six-piece lineup only played together briefly in the spring of 2024, though Rob enlists guest musicians (some being fellow Stallyns alumni) at many of his solo gigs. While not as heavy as The Elements could get,The Wyld Stallyns were a fun act who could entertain at a multitude of live events with sets tailored to any occasion, and with The Elements not re-emerging after the pandemic, their sister band's expansion beyond unplugged shows was a good one. Everyone in their last lineup is still performing, so look for Rob, Christina, Jesse, Blair, Brandan, Josh, and their other former members on a local stage near you, and look for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Poutine Feast!!)

Live music will return to this year's fourth annual Poutine Feast this weekend, including hard rock-leaning bands TOMORROW & SUNDAY! Apologies for the short notice all around, lineup information from some bands trickled out on their own on social media in recent weeks but I was waiting for the full lineup reveal, which only arrived on social media on Tuesday (the full lineup can also be seen via the city of Sault Ste. Marie's website). This year, Poutine Feast relocates from the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site to the brand new Downtown Plaza at 526 Bay Street (behind Tim Hortons and beside Soo Market at the corner of Queen & Brock), marking our first ever concerts covered there. The plaza alone was a touchy subject for many, but it does look nice and hopefully it's getting continued and increased usage for special events like this. The Poutine Feast would definitely make use of the space!

While there will be four days of visiting food trucks serving up poutine & other edible wares alongside family activities and whatnot (see above for more on the non-musical aspects), there will be live music for the first three days, omitting Monday, possibly to avoid conflicting with the live music at the Roberta Bondar Pavilion for their Canada Day program? Tonight's limited program only includes pop rock cover quartet Lime and folk singer/guitarist Matthew James, but on the weekend proper, five acts take the stage nightly. TOMORROW NIGHT, two SMS-amenable bands close the program, namely alt-hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich (jokingly renaming themselves "Attractive Poutine" for the occasion) at 5:45 PM, preceded by guitarist Jesse Cook's funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns at 4:30 PM, in their third straight year at the Poutine Feast (and first with this lineup) after headlining night #1 last year. 

Handsome Sandwich will be fresh off of their Sudbury gig tonight during the NOMFA ceremony weekend, so they should have momentum on their side, and kudos to Jesse for pulling double duty! While ending heavier, the earlier acts include folk/country solo musician Brian Tremblay (also back from last year) at 3:15 PM, Wawa house DJ Shrugby (who dropped out of The Bear Hunters' private reunion concert in Leeburn last July) at 2:15 PM, and rising young folk duo Distich opening at 12:00 PM. Attendance is FREE (what you buy at food trucks aside) & absolutely open to all ages, and the Feast proper is open from 11:00 AM-9:00 PM nightly from Friday-Sunday (they close up shop at 6:00 PM Monday). As this is outdoors, be advised that The Weather Channel is calling for showers in the afternoon, but not for most of the day, and with temperatures from 16-20°.

If you are at all concerned about any potential rain TOMORROW that could affect the Poutine Feast and/or the live music program, check your preferred local weather source and event organizers closer to showtime for any updates on the weather & festival proper. See above for more on TOMORROW'S music program, and here's Handsome Sandwich live!

Finally, the SUNDAY program will feature alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB smack dab in the middle at 3:15 PM! No stranger to outdoor festivals and community events, this will be their first concert since last week's teddy bear picnic at Thomson Farms, which went off successfully despite threats of rain. Hopefully Mikey and crew deliver a strong set of scarcely seen covers for attendees on SUNDAY afternoon! Way Backs frontman Jeffrey Wright will headline with a country set at 6:30 PM, preceded by Handsome Sandwich's new sister band, folk/bluegrass quartet The Golden Scoundrels at 5:30 PM. Preceding BookcluB, local folk/standards duo Just The Two Of Us (seen here at Tazzi's for Oktoberfest) take the stage at 2:25 PM, while the aforementioned Jeffrey Wright will bookend Poutine Feast day #3 with a duo set alongside Meggy Lee to lead off at 12:00 PM.

Once again, the SUNDAY program is FREE & ALL AGES (not counting what is bought from food trucks) with an 11:00 AM-9:00 PM runtime for the festival proper. 9&10 News is currently forecasting a partly cloudy day with a high temperature of 16°, so a little cooler but no chance of rain at the moment. Visit the above links for much more on Poutine Feast IV in the Soo, and for a preview, here's BookcluB live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Wyld Stallyns & Soundcheck) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

(UPDATED AT 5:57 PM) One final update for today's weekend concert preview post, as an announced pair of concert cancellations was reversed, and you can read details on the still-on shows at post's end. The write-up on Tym Morrison's matinee show on Saturday will return to tomorrow's post alongside the Bone Yard 225 preview and more items, so don't worry, it will return! Now, here's what you should know to lead off most of this weekend's hard rock concert previews, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and I apologize for the frequent edits!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the shows were only announced on the venue's Facebook page on Tuesday, and at press time, the band has not confirmed the bookings publically. Fresh off of rocking Jay's this past weekend and via hosting that venue's weekly jam night tonight, TOMORROW & SATURDAY'S shows will be Soundcheck's first at Reggie's since the St. Patrick's Day weekend. Hopefully their classic and hard rock cover blend (including select country renditions) go over well as usual at Reggie's this weekend despite the late notice! TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts take place 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 Soundcheck live!

Next up, local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will play their second announced show of 2024 when they return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook page last night, and like Soundcheck, the band proper has not publically confirmed it. SATURDAY'S concert is effectively a re-booking of their planned Shooters gig on April 6th, which new drummer Brandan Glew advertised on his personal Facebook page in March, but it was never publically confirmed by the band or venue, and was quietly cancelled with no replacement band. It's great to see the new Stallyns lineup back at it, and if you missed them three weeks ago, you'll get your fill of fun rock covers! No word on why Shooters used that photo for the Stallyns though. Either they made a mistake, or Brandan, Josh, and Blair got huge makeovers!

Shooters are experimenting with hosting a matinee band on SATURDAY as well (a'la Reggie's) with blues rock veterans Smokehouse playing at 4:00 PM, but this is a case of two separate concerts on the same day, not Smokehouse "opening" for The Wyld Stallyns, whose first set begins 90 minutes after Smokehouse are projected to end their last one. The Stallyns will be on at 9:30 PM on SATURDAY with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Wyld Stallyns live in concert a couple of years ago!

Moving to shows that had advance notice, we'll next head to The Distraction, where Montreal stoner/hard rock band The Hazytones will return to Sault Ste. Marie for a concert TONIGHT! Two-time local headliners at the former New American Pub in 2016 & 2017, The Hazytones have slowly gotten heavier in the seven years since we last saw them in town, and hopefully their songs from their new album "Wild Fever" and older originals go over well with local fans in their long awaited return! Local support will include alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich in their Distraction debut, their first local date since Brandon Ruch replaced Mitch Sirie on guitar, and their first concert of any kind since their Ottawa & Cornwall shows in January. It'll be interesting to see how the new lineup does, especially with their new EP still in the works, so don't miss out on the Sandwich's set!

Rising young hard rock quartet Sylo have quietly dropped out of this show for unannounced reasons and were not replaced, as per the hand drawn alternate poster on the venue's Facebook page from this morning. Hopefully nothing too serious happened, and that we see Sylo back at it soon! This all ages concert has doors opening at 7:30 PM tonight and admission is via a special $15 fee (or "pay what you can" as usual for The Distraction). Should be a good time for hard rock fans, and with a psychedelic tinge thanks to The Hazytones, so visit the Facebook event page for more details, and here's the headliners live!

Finally for today's concert preview post, local hard rock quintet HeadFirst are indeed playing at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! The band has originally announced the cancellation of these shows via their Facebook page due to an unspecified health issue (specifically afflicting drummer Anthony Boudreau), but due to "a lot of outcry", they scrambled to find a replacement drummer for the two dates, and they have one! The band has heavily implied that the guest drummer is Celeste Bond, the model for the silhouette in their official logo on the left (they confirmed her identity in an Instagram "Reel" months ago). Celeste isn't known to me from local music, but she has multi-instrumental talent and was a multicultural project officer for last year's Fringe North Festival, so hopefully she fills in well tomorrow and Saturday! This weekend's shows mark HeadFirst's... first Jay's shows since the end of March.

Drummer aside, these are standard concerts for HeadFirst, with 9:30 PM start times, 19+ age limits, and no cover charges for their classic-leaning slate of hard rock covers and select originals. Visit the above links for more details, I apologize for the rapid edits on my part for this post, and here's HeadFirst live!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Tym Morrison and Bone Yard 225 previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225, HeadFirst, And The Wyld Stallyns) & Weekend Concert Previews!!

A relatively quiet weekend is upon us for hard rock concerts in the Twin Saults and area to kick off April 2024, so March really did go out like a lamb in that respect! Filling things out are some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (one on SHORT NOTICE) and a new video from one of today's discussed bands, so here's what you should know!

Local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will reportedly return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only THIS SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, I only heard about this gig via new drummer Brandan Glew's personal Facebook page last month. At press time, neither the band nor venue have publically advertised this concert (The Stallyns' sporadic usage of Facebook acknowledged), but if this show is not going on for whatever reason, I will let you know as soon as possible. Assuming they didn't play an unadvertised gig in the interim, this will be The Wyld Stallyns' second public gig with Brandan and new bassist Blair St. John in the fold, and their first Shooters date of the year, so hopefully their fan-friendly covers find another receptive audience, even without a Greyhounds playoff game lead-in! This is a one-nighter, as Shooters have been hosting DJ nights on Fridays so far this year.

As usual for concerts at Shooters, this has a 9:30 PM start time, 19+ age limit, and no cover charge. It's great to see The Wyld Stallyns back in full gear after their fall/winter break and rhythm section swap, and hopefully SATURDAY NIGHT's concert is a hit for band and fans alike! Visit the above links for more details, and here's The Stallyns live!

Next up, let's jump ahead in the timeline for newly announced shows taking place later this month from local hard rock quintet HeadFirst, who will rock Reggie's Place on Friday, April 19th & Saturday, April 20th before returning to Jay's Piston Broke Pub for shows one week later on April 26th & 27th! Announced earlier today via this poster and Facebook event pages for each weekend (linked here & here), these shows will continue HeadFirst's recent momentum on the weekend cover-centric nightclub circuit, following Jay's Piston (Broke Pub) shows this weekend, but the 4/20 weekend shows will be their first at Reggie's this year, after only playing there (Toystock aside) in their late 2023 debut run.  It's good to see HeadFirst keeping at it towards making their name on the local scene, and hopefully next month's shows are hits downtown and in the west end! All four dates are 19+ affairs with 9:00 PM start times and no cover. See above for more details!

Now let's head back to this weekend's previews, but still with new concerts, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will get "uncorked" again for an acoustic show at The Water Tower Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! The newly announced shows ahead come courtesy of their new concert calendar for the next few weeks, as Greg, Alex, and Warren will plug things in for traditional concerts at Reggie's Place on May 10th & 11th, which will surely form another "triple-header weekend" including their expected jam night hosting duties on Thursday, May 9th. Unusually, Bone Yard only have one normal electric concert (not counting jam nights) this month, so if you like the full shebang, keep their Mother's Day weekend gigs in mind for next month! Of course, tomorrow's previously announced Water Tower Pub show will deliver more of the unplugged/corked goods if that's what you're into.

A one-nighter as is standard for The Water Tower Pub, tomorrow's show begins at 8:00 PM, while the Reggie's shows next month are 9:30 PM affairs. None have a cover charge and all are presumably 19+. Visit the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's a brand new live-streamed video from Bone Yard 225's Facebook page of them covering The Marshall Tucker Band's "Can't You See" at Reggie's on Saturday night! Vertical camera angle aside (at least the filmer got close to everyone), this is a soundly performed cover that perfectly suits their sound, but it is a shame that the full song isn't captured., Check out Bone Yard fully corked below!

Finally, we'll head back west to The Esquire Club, where newer local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will take the stage TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Just over a month removed from their last gigs (also at The Esquire Club), fans of this talented foursome who want an encore or missed them last month will surely want to head to the Second Line West nightclub for their hard rocking but accessible slate of covers tomorrow and/or Saturday! Silent 9 will be back at the same venue next month but it remains to be seen if we'll see them elsewhere in April or not. As usual for Esquire Club concerts, expect these to be 9:30 PM events with no cover charges, and you must be 19 or older to attend. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and for a preview of this weekend's concerts, here's Silent 9 live!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT ('80s Metal Invasion) Plus Wyld Stallyns Lineup Updates!!

Today's post is largely devoted to a huge LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer that you 1980s glam metal fans are definitely not going to want to miss, and we also have some new band lineup announcements to round things out with. Here's what you should know!

A massive hair metal concert (and outdoors, at that) is coming to the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino on Saturday, July 20th for the '80s Rock Invasion! Presumably formatted identically to the Cheap Trick/Goo Goo Dolls show on the waterfront in August 2021 in terms of staging, this show will be even bigger for scheduled bands, with five name acts coming to St. Ignace for Hair Scare diehards, including the long awaited return of original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley! Last seen at the Sault Michigan Kewadin in 2009, expect the Spaceman himself to break out Kiss and solo classics like "Shock Me", "New York Groove", and "Rock Soldiers" in his first E.U.P, date in almost fifteen years! Two hair metal bands who are no strangers to this part of the world will also be making their way to St. Ignace in July, with Los Angeles' own Great White co-headlining in their local return! Now, Great White are one of those bands that split in two, L.A. Guns style, but this time, we are getting the original band led by original guitarist Mark Kendall.

While this Great White has most of their classic members from the "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" days, you may recall that Jack Russell's Great White (the splinter version featuring their classic singer and bassist) headlined outdoors at the St. Ignace Kewadin back in 2017, so discounting that, the original Great White also have not played here since rocking The Dreammakers Theatre in 2009. A little confusing, but hair metal fans will be right at home with Great White's return in July! The other returning band is Las Vegas glam metal quartet Slaughter, who last played here via an indoor headlining date at the St. Ignace Kewadin in June 2019, preceded by support gigs in both of the Twin Saults in 2008 & 2012. Expect classics like "Fly To The Angels" & "Up All Night" in their (at least) fourth regional concert! Also coming in July is "Appetite For Destruction"-era Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler in his local concert debut!

You may be familiar with Steven's exploits in recent years with bands like Adler's Appetite, but he currently tours under his own name with a solo band playing a set primarily made up of GNR classics from his time in that band. Steven's still got the chops, and he found strong musicians to bring these songs to life, so don't bypass his set either! Opening on July 20th is Minnesota hair metal band Vixen, notable as the biggest all-female group in the genre, and from hit songs like "Edge Of A Broken Heart" and "Cryin'". Only drummer Roxy Petrucci remains from their heyday, but they still deliver some talented hard rock with their current lineup, so don't be late for them kicking things off! Pre-sale for this 6:00 PM & all ages concert kicks off tomorrow, with tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday. Tickets will start at $65, and if the Cheap Trick show in 2019 is anything to go by, there will likely be two higher tiers.

That show had tickets at $50, $75, and $85 depending on location, with the two higher price points being in seated areas. You can buy yours starting on Friday at this link, at the in-person box office, or by calling 1-800-KEWADIN. Given that this Saturday's Skid Row/Buckcherry concert at the Soo Kewadin sold out (preview forthcoming), I wouldn't take my chances that Ace and crew will have good tickets for long, so get yours A.S.A.P., and visit the above links for more on what will be a huge concert for hair and glam metal fans this summer, especially if the weather cooperates!

Finally, we have big lineup updates from Sault Ontario funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns, as they have a completely new rhythm section! They have enlisted former Id Iota/Far From Fine drummer Blair St. John as their new bassist (replacing Alex White), while former Din/Re:Born drummer Brandan Glew has replaced Derek Turner behind the kit. Blair & Brandan debuted for The Stallyns at The Kiln at Searchmont this past Saturday, though both have sat in as guests with the band before. Reasons for Alex & Derek's departures were not publically announced, but the post on the band's Facebook page announcing the changes painted things in amicable terms, and that "you'll see them around, so keep showing them the love". Hopefully that's true, as Al and Derek are talented musicians who would be assets in newer bands! Blair and Brandan are strong musicians with multi-genre experience, so they'll fit in fine as well!

For what it's worth, The Wyld Stallyns' next concert has been announced on at least one band member's personal Facebook page, but I'll wait for a public announcement from the band or venue before covering it here (unless it doesn't get a public plug thusly, but I do know where & when it is for weekend preview purposes). It is great to see Christina, Rob, Jesse, and Josh re-fill out their lineup, and hopefully we'll hear more from the new-look Wyld Stallyns soon! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Wyld Stallyns & Soundcheck), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

As promised, we're looking at St. Patrick's Day weekend concert previews today, but due to SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, I'm breaking things into two posts (as I suspected may be the case given what weekend it is). That said, look for our previews of tomorrow's Bone Yard concert and Sunday's Hails concert (both of which had lots of advance notice) in our next post. Now, here's what you should know to start off the weekend!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TONIGHT (as in, RIGHT NOW) & TOMORROW NIGHT before serving as the St. Patrick's Day entertainment at Shooters Downstairs Lounge on SUNDAY NIGHT! I profusely apologize for the short notice across the board, TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows were only announced by Reggie's Facebook page yesterday and I only noticed the announcement of them this evening, while SUNDAY'S Shooters concert was only announced via the venue's Facebook poster linked below for the weekend's events. Regardless, Soundcheck did not publically announce any of this weekend's gigs, and haven't posted on their Facebook page since plugging their road trip to Wawa to play at their annual ice fishing derby two weeks ago. TONIGHT & TOMORROW's Reggie's shows are their first shows there in over a month, so if you've missed them at this downtown staple, head there NOW or TOMORROW NIGHT!

The Reggie's shows do not have any advertised St. Patrick's Day frills/themes, at least not via Facebook, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're not taking part, especially TOMORROW given that it's closer to March 17th. There will unequivocally be the luck of the Irish at Shooters this weekend though, as the poster would indicate, with the Dennis Street venue hosting live bands on consecutive nights for the first time since Halloween! A live band on SUNDAY NIGHT makes all the sense in the world given the holiday, and yes, green beer will be on tap, as will $5 lucky leprechaun drinks, and a special St. Patrick's Day menu from the kitchen. Some sort of prizes from Molson will also be offered on SUNDAY, so keep that angle in mind, and I'm sure green attire is encouraged! If you believe a comment from the band on this preview video for the weekend festivities (featuring silent footage of Soundcheck live there), they may be incorporating their jam night format on SUNDAY in some form as well.

Shooters regulars who go there for SUNDAY karaoke nights are not being left out, as karaoke is instead moving upstairs to The Queen Of Hearts Club for one night only. The venue doesn't have a cover charge, so you can move between floors as needed. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S Reggie's shows began/begin at 9:30 PM, SUNDAY'S Shooters gig is at 9:00 PM, none have a cover charge, and all are 19+. I'm sorry again for the late notice, I'd have covered everything much sooner than this had I seen Reggie's post and/or the band said something, but the classic and hard rock covers will provide a fun festive soundtrack this weekend! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's Soundcheck live at Shooters!

Next up, local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns will play their first publically announced concert of the year when they return to The Kiln at Searchmont Resort TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, the band only announced the show via their Facebook page earlier today. This will be The Wyld Stallyns' first advertised gig (unless they played something without saying, which has happened before) since playing at The Water Tower Pub in September, which the band acknowledged by saying that "Stallyns hibernate too sometimes... we've been quiet lately, but we have been busy!". TOMORROW'S show coincides with Searchmont's last night skiing session for the season, so if you want to hit the slopes past sunset, this is your last chance there until the fall! Also, the Stallyns have teased "new announcements coming soon", and personal Facebook posts have implied that they've had at least one lineup change.

We'll keep you posted when/if updates come in re: The Wyld Stallyns in 2024, but it's great to see Rob, Christina, and company back! Everything takes place TOMORROW NIGHT at 8:00 PM, there is no cover charge at The Kiln, nor is there a firm age limit. No word on St. Patrick's Day ties, for the record. Visit the above links for more details, and here's a newly discovered video of The Stallyns live at The Kiln just over a year ago! This features the band (minus saxophonist Josh Norling) covering The Spencer Davis Band's "Gimme Some Lovin'", courtesy of Searchmont's Facebook page. Fun and lively cover while the video's 87 seconds-long run time lasts, so check it out for yourself below, and don't miss them TOMORROW!

Closing tonight with a show that had advance notice before this week, as we're heading west to Misty's Fifties, where local unplugged classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison will resume his bi-weekly concert arrangement TOMORROW! This stop in Tym's current run of a Saturday matinee every two weeks (unless booked anyway like on February 24th) will indeed be St. Patrick's Day themed given the timing, and attendees are encouraged to wear green to the Second Line West bar/restaurant tomorrow, as there will be "lots of prizes"! No word on green beer or other drink-related tie-ins, but regardless of how deep Misty's goes for their shamrocks & shenanigans, Tym's acoustic rock covers should find another entertained audience as his current regular run continues! If you can't make it, he'll be back at Misty's over the Easter weekend on Saturday, March 30th. Tomorrow's matinee concert takes place at 4:00 PM with no cover and a presumed 19+ age limit. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Bone Yard and Hails previews (and more) next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & The Wyld Stallyns) And Weekend Concert Previews!!

The Christmas weekend is upon us, and true to most Christmas holiday seasons, the slate of hard rock concerts has bumped up as people come home/have time off! As such, we have to break this weekend's previews in two, with Saturday's late notice Tym Morrison show coming in our next post, perhaps with more if anything else turns up on the heavier side. Here's what you should know to start the weekend, leading off with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

 

Local funk/hard rock cover sextet The Wyld Stallyns will return to Shooters Downstairs Lounge for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the venue's Facebook event page yesterday, and the band has not publically confirmed the booking on social media at press time. TOMORROW'S booking will see The Stallyns replace Tex Riviera & The Ride as the planned entertainment at Shooters, as per the venue's December entertainment calendar, though a reason for The Ride's withdrawal was not publically announced. Worth noting that The Ride actually replaced The Wyld Stallyns at Shooters on November 10th, but I have no idea if they traded dates or if the band switches both ways are coincidental. Regardless, it's good to see The Wyld Stallyns' fan friendly and often heavy cover array back over Christmas weekend, and hopefully there's a good turnout TOMORROW!

 

A one-nighter due to Shooters' continuance of Saturday DJ nights, TOMORROW'S concert has a 19+ age limit, 9:00 PM start time, and no cover charge. See the above links for more details, and here's The Stallyns live!

 

 

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, these shows were first announced on Reggie's Facebook page on Sunday. With TOMORROW & SATURDAY being added to Soundcheck's schedule, that means that they will be playing at Reggie's three times in a ten day span, joining their previously announced New Year's Eve gig one week from Sunday. so if you've missed Soundcheck here since the summer, you have lots of seasonal options! Notably, Soundcheck have enlisted Double Down's Ric Datson as a guest drummer TOMORROW & SATURDAY, as regular drummer Glen Thomas agreed to fill in with pop rock cover band Bourbon Blue this weekend at Jay's before Soundcheck booked this weekend's gigs. Mildly confusing, but Ric is more than capable of handling Soundcheck's set!

 

For the record, Bourbon Blue have parted ways with drummer Brent Royer and are looking for a permanent replacement, so message them A.S.A.P. if you're interested in trying out! Yes, Glen will be present for their Cameron-less jam night hosting duties at Jay's tonight as well, but remember, we don't cover jam/open mic nights as "concerts" due to their in-built unpredictability. TOMORROW & SATURDAY's concerts have 9:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

 

 

We'll move to shows that had more than a few days' notice next, starting with local indie/punk quintet The Northwest's return to LopLops Lounge TOMORROW NIGHT! While the band has oddly not promoted this show on their Facebook page whatsoever, and LopLops' own promotion drops the "The" from their name in every case, personal Facebook postings from Northwest band members indicate that this show will be in honour of their 10th anniversary as a band. We haven't seen The Northwest on stage since the Go North Music Festival on St. Joseph Island in July, so it'll be good to see their upbeat heartland rock and punk originals back in city limits tomorrow! Some personal Facebook advertising for this show indicate that local punk/hard rock quartet Far From Fine are scheduled to open tomorrow's concert, but they, The Northwest, and LopLops have not publically confirmed or denied their involvement on social media that I have found.

The lack of public advertising for this show aside from LopLops' batch coverage of their December slate is very odd, but hopefully the personal approach is doing the trick and that everyone is happy with the turnout regardless! This 19+ event has an 8:00 PM start time, and admission is $10 (higher with taxes & processing fees on Eventbrite), and yes, the 10 person "party ticket" with added drinks also exists for $100. See above for more details, don't miss The Northwest (and Far From Fine?) tomorrow at LopLops, and here's The Northwest live!

 

 

Finally for today's previews, we'll head west to The Esquire Club, where local southern hard rock cover trio Bone Yard will take the stage for concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Last seen at this Second Line West staple five weeks ago, look for another solid weekend of southern-fried classic and hard rock covers from Greg, Alex, and Warren over these two nights, and as these will likely be their last fully electric shows of 2023, come on down to plug in with the full Bone Yard experience! No word on if they'll have merchandise for sale or not though. Tomorrow & Saturday's concerts take place at 9:30 PM with no cover charges and 19+ age limits. Live music fans have a lot of options locally for Christmas weekend entertainment, but Bone Yard's hard rocking ways and crowd-friendly set should bode well for fans in the west end, so visit the above links for details, and here they are live!

 

 

That's all for now, but look for our Tym Morrison preview (and more) on the site next! Thanks everyone!

Concert Cancellations, A Missed Show Apology, HeadFirst Concert Previews, And More!!

Before we begin this weekend's concert previews, just a heads up on a pair of cancelled concerts for this weekend. Firstly, local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns are not playing at Shooters Downstairs Lounge tomorrow, and have been replaced by local country cover band Tex Riviera & The Ride, as per updates to the Facebook event page (it wasn't deleted, it was just completely rebranded for a different group). A reason for The Stallyns' withdrawal was not announced, but hopefully nothing too serious happened, and that we see this talented sextet back soon! As well, the Just Leppard/Saturday Night Special concert at Soo Blaster on Saturday was also quietly cancelled, as per the Facebook event page & the deletion of its EventBrite page. As I recall, "unforeseen circumstances" were cited for the cancellation on the (now deleted) paid Facebook advertising. Shame to see, as Just Leppard went over well in prior local gigs!

Hopefully we'll get our Def Leppard and Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute fix again down the line, but alas, these cancellations wipe out most of this weekend's known hard rock concerts (November is always quiet after Halloween, but not this quiet, pandemic years aside!) Of course, we'll let you know if anything short notice or bypassed comes up.

This is a light concert weekend to be sure, so before getting too far ahead, I wanted to offer my profuse apologies for a concert that we missed covering on the SMS this past Saturday, at The Satisfied Frog in Sault Michigan, a venue that we haven't talked about in ages on here! I was told about it in e-mails by musicians affiliated with the concert, but between the busy Halloween season and personal commitments, it completely slipped through the cracks and I apologize again for that, especially as it was a rare multi-band show with touring acts in Sault Ste. Marie proper! The show featured sets from Grand Rapids/Muskegon hardcore punk band Cell Rush, Grand Rapids experimental/synth solo project Dick Texas, Escanaba indie/minimalist band The Hell Town Trio, Muskegon alt-punk band Ledhead, and a surprise reunion of online page-less local hard rock band The Karstens.

The show was promoted under the name Serious Business, with poster design credited to Lucid Pixels. Once again, I profusely apologize for not covering this show on the SMS, it's certainly not every day when touring bands (plural) play at a local concert, let alone one not affiliated with Kewadin Casino, but hopefully it was a hit and encourages more smaller touring bands to come to Sault Michigan, let alone play at The Satisfied Frog! It still surprises me that they don't really have a social media presence. If The Karstens, Serious Business, or The Satisfied Frog have more public material to announce, I hope to address it on time!

Now let's dive into known and publically advertised hard rock concerts in the Soo area this weekend.... all two of them, as new local classic/hard rock quintet HeadFirst will play their first ever public concerts TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at Reggie's Place! The new group from ex-Raincourt guitarist Raine Rancourt and ex-Them drummer Anthony Boudreau, HeadFirst will bring their retro inspired brand of rock covers to this downtown staple this weekend, and it will be very interesting to see how things go for this group of talented rising musicians! If you can't make it this weekend, HeadFirst's third announced public gig will be at Toystock on November 26th. These two concerts have 19+ age limits, no cover charges, and 9:00 PM start times. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's HeadFirst's ...first video of them in action!

That's surprisingly it for verifiable hard rock concerts currently advertised in the Twin Saults, but a familiar local band will actually be hitting the road next weekend for their first ever tour run! Local alternative hard rock quintet Handsome Sandwich will venture beyond the Algoma District for shows in Sudbury and Oshawa next week (each city is linked to the respective Facebook event page), before playing in Ottawa and Cornwall over the January 19th weekend, details forthcoming. The Sudbury show will actually have local relevance beyond the close-ish 4 hour drive to The Townehouse Tavern, as Jesse & Johnny's old Jack Spades bandmate Tiffany Stocco will open for them next Friday with her current punk band The Knuckle City Dusters. Good to see her still rocking out! The Sudbury show is a headlining gig, but the next night's concert at The Atria will be in support of Oshawa metal band Dead Silence.

To promote the upcoming tours, the band (minus the guitarists) appeared in this Facebook video on Monday, and with their song "Shiver" as background noise, the guys promoted the upcoming shows, pointing at the cities' rough locations on a map of the Great Lakes, and noted that official t-shirts & CDs will be on sale. Taylor also noted that they are looking for recommendations of the best sandwich (of course) in each city for them to try. Of course, good luck on the road next weekend, and see above for more details! I can't embed the video here due to Facebook flagging "Shiver" as copyrighted audio. That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations) & The First Half Of This Weekend's Hard Rock Concert Previews!!

Before we begin this first weekend concert preview post on another busy weekend, just a heads up for fans of 705Live Sound Co. on Facebook that local funk/hard rock cover band The Wyld Stallyns reportedly played at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre tonight opening for no less than My Son The Hurricane. From what I have gathered from M.S.T.H.'s social media accounts, this was a private event, hence why I never heard about it, let alone covered it here, but kudos to whoever put this event on to get Danno & crew home for a private booking, and hopefully they and The Stallyns had a blast! Now to the first half of this weekend's concert previews, starting with SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to the stage for concerts at Jay's Piston Broke Pub TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these shows were only announced on their Facebook group on Saturday. After skipping the Halloween weekend, the Jus' Chillin successors will be take stage at the former Reggie's West for their first shows there in almost a month. Hopefully their old school and varied mix of covers find a strong audience at Jay's TOMORROW & SATURDAY! Like with their Esquire Club shows two weeks ago, Generations' concert on SATURDAY NIGHT takes place the same day as The Soo's Got Talent (the finals, in this case), but singer Valerie Powley's judging commitments will not conflict with the concert as the finals begin at 6:30 PM and will end with time for Valerie to drive to the west end for the Generations concert once again, so don't worry!

Look for our Soo's Got Talent finals preview on the site tomorrow! As for Generations' Jay's concerts, they take place TOMORROW & SATURDAY NIGHT at 9:30 PM with 19+ age limits and no cover charges. See above for more details, and here's Generations live!

Next up, let's move to shows that had advance notice, starting with the arguable main event of this weekend, as local punk quartet The Inner City Surfers will reunite for a special concert at Soo Blaster TOMORROW NIGHT! The impetus for this, their first gig in four years, is that drummer Mikey Hawdon and his fiancee Ali Rainone are getting married, with tomorrow's well-hyped concert serving as a public stag & doe of sorts, with the public welcomed to buy tickets to come see what could be the last Surfers gig for a while (Brad living out of town being a key reason why). A reunion this big deserves a big stage like Soo Blaster, and hopefully The Surfers deliver another knockout blow of their classic punk originals tomorrow at 12:00 AM! All three opening bands will feature Mikey on guitar, including co-headlining Toronto-based AC/DC tribute band AMY/DC in their local debut. Great to see Mikey bring them to town at last, hopefully it won't be the only time!

Preceding AMY/DC's female-fronted high voltage rock n' roll, online page-less local alternative/hard rock cover quintet Bookclub (featuring the three local Surfers in mostly shuffled roles) will take the stage at 9:45 PM, and more on their LopLops show next month soon. The openers tomorrow are the one-off reunion of Mikey & AMY/DC singer Amy Zuccheto's early-mid 2010s Toronto-based Ramones/Joan Jett tribute band The Merves, in their first local gig in over eight years. Also featuring Mikey's old Fairmounts bandmates, it will be very neat to see The Merves' two-pronged cover attack back on a local stage, so be there at 9:00 PM for their show-opening set! This 19+ event has a $30 cover charge at the door unless you bought $25 advance tickets at The Rad Zone, Case's Music, Long & McQuade, Soo Blaster, or through Mikey directly (in-person or via e-transfer.)

If you've been a fan of The Inner City Surfers from their 2000s heyday onward, let alone Mikey's eclectic musical career in the Soo and the GTA, this will be a huge concert, and who knows when we'll see most of these bands on a local stage again, so don't miss out on all of the action tomorrow at Soo Blaster! Visit the above links for more details, congratulations to Mikey & Ali on their upcoming nuptials, and for a preview, here's The Inner City Surfers live at their last show to date in 2019!

We'll close this preview post by heading north to The Water Tower Pub, where newer local classic/hard rock cover quartet Silent 9 will take the stage for one night only TOMORROW NIGHT! Last seen at The Water Tower Pub two months ago, this should be a fine opportunity to hear their strongly performed and fan friendly brand of covers, so don't miss Jess, Ryan, Paul, and Steve at this central venue tomorrow! Remember that The Water Tower Pub traditionally hosts different acts on Fridays and Saturdays, with the acoustic show from Bone Yard there on Saturday night to be previewed on the SMS tomorrow. Silent 9 take the stage there tomorrow at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. For a preview, here's a brand new video from their Halloween party at The Esquire Club on Saturday night, courtesy of their Facebook page, where they covered Michael Jackson's "Thriller"!

The (mercifully horizontal) video features a well done rocked-up cover that makes good use of Jess Amadio's voice, but it is a shame that the video is only 45 seconds long. The description notes that the band was supposed to be dressed like The Addams Family, and while Jess is clearly Wednesday Addams, the rest of the band's characters are more ambiguous, if not with the theme at all. Good close angle too (if sharp), so check out Silent 9 on Saturday below, and don't miss them out of costume tomorrow!

That's all for now on this busy weekend, but we'll resume our hard rock concert previews next by looking at this weekend's Scarkazm and Bone Yard shows, plus the finals of The Soo's Got Talent! Thanks everyone!