LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Re:Born), Plus More Assorted News & Notes!!

Let's tackle some more overdue news and notes in tonight's post, mostly reflecting a lot of updates from a prominent heavier local band, but we have some assorted notes to round things out. Here's what you should know!

In an extended Facebook page posting on Tuesday, local power rock quartet Re:Born announced a number of upcoming concerts in conjunction with some big band news, so what can be said therein? Firstly, their next concert will take place on Saturday, June 29th (one week from today) when they headline at The Rockstar Bar, but there's an ulterior motive here. The somewhat short notice gig will serve as a send-off for guitarist Blair Burch's son Cory, who is moving out of province next month, ending his lengthy tenure as a roadie, filmer, doorman, and overall supporter of Re:Born, Project 421, and their respective concerts. Cory's not a musician (that I'm aware of), but he's a good guy and very encouraging and helpful at concerts, even if his dad's not playing, and this is a nice way to throw one more big bash before he heads west, so hopefully there's a good turnout next week! Re:Born will not be the only band on the 29th, as at least two mystery local bands will be hitting the stage as well, now that they've been shaken from the tree.

No public word on their identities as of yet (we'll let you know if something is said), but the Facebook event page does strongly hint that jamming and a looser, more casual atmosphere will be present, especially as they're calling this "a party that happens to have a stage." Given the occasion, this concert has no cover, but a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit remain in effect. Hopefully this bash can help give Cory the best possible send-off, so visit the above links for more on this show in particular!

Next up, here's another new Rockstar Bar show for Re:Born this summer, as they'll be back at this venue on Saturday, July 20th in honour of drummer Brandan Glew's birthday! This looks to be more of a traditional concert than next week's party, but hopefully there's a great turnout again to help give Brandan a great night for the occasion! This show notably takes place on the last night of Rotaryfest, so if you find that day's music lineup at Clergue Park to be lacking for hard rock and punk acts, this show may help remedy that. In fact, two bands that played Stage 2 last year (alt-punk trio A Dire Setback & funk/hard rock quartet The Elements) will play support on the 20th, so cast your gaze to The Algonquin Hotel to see them next month instead! Notably, this is A Dire Setback's first announced concert set of 2019, following the completion of their CD recording sessions, and it's great to see them back at last, though for full disclosure, A.D.S. themselves have not confirmed this date publically at press time.

A $5 cover charge is in effect for this concert, presumably also having a 10:00 PM start time and 19+ age limit, though it doesn't have a Facebook event page (yet?) This should be another fun concert as we get deeper into the summer season, so visit the above links for full details on this event!

One more show was announced in the above post (an apparent set as part of the Loud & Proud concert at The Bushplane Museum on July 21st during this year's Pridefest), but given that organizers have not publically announced details at press time, I will defer a write-up here until more comes out beyond Re:Born's involvement. The other breaking news from Re:Born's Facebook page earlier this week is that they have officially parted ways with guitarist Frank McGillivray. Back in November, the band announced that Frank would be taking a hiatus from the band until April due to work commitments out of town, but he ended up more or less moving there permanently, hence the belated confirmation of his departure. After being a member of Project 421 throughout their run, Frank & Blair launched Re:Born last year, with Frank playing at their first three concerts, though aside from early jam videos with new singer Elly McWatters, he never played a public show with the current lineup before he headed north.

If there are plans to replace Frank in Re:Born, they weren't stated on Facebook, but remember that they've been playing as a four-piece all year without the need for a fill-in guitarist. It's a shame to see Frank leave, as he is a kind person and a very strong musician, and he was always good to discuss politics and philosophy outside of a band setting. Of course, we wish him the best, and hopefully we'll see him on stage again down the line!

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

• After two years in the old Grooves Music building at 540 Ashmun Street, Sault Michigan music store Crooked Music is packing it's bags... for 539 Ashmun Street, taking up residence in a spot beside Austin Oak Tobacco & Cigar starting in August. Whether the move across the road is due to increased space, better rent, or another factor isn't clear, but the "Abbey Road" parody image on their Facebook page is clever! Hopefully this move is the best move for all parties, and luckily, customers won't have to go far for the new Crooked Music locale in a couple of months!
• Remember how Kewadin Casino was going to have a battle of the bands in Sault Ste. Marie last week to find an opener for the Great White concert in Manistique on July 27th, with entry open to any U.P. bands local to their five casinos? Well, the battle was cancelled outright on June 12th, citing a "lack of participation" as the reason. No word on how they'll pick an opener now, but Manistique is outside of our coverage range anyway. Very disappointing, but maybe a battle this ambitious was too complicated for it's own good?
• Sault Ontario acoustic hard rock duo Tattoos & Scars are looking for a second guitar player to join the group, who they describe as "a southern rock/rock band." We haven't heard a whole lot from Tattoos & Scars (or Halfway Loaded) as of late, but maybe finding a new guitarist to join Justin & Shane will help speed things along? There is some interest, but if you'd like more information, message Tattoos & Scars above or via their Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!

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

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck, Project 906, And The Wyld Stallyns), And More Concert Previews!!

As promised, we have our Scarkazm previews in today's post, but before we get too ahead of ourselves, we have a few LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS to tackle, and one is on SHORT NOTICE, so here's what you should know this morning!

Sault Michigan classic/hard rock cover quartet Project 906 will return to Bird's Eye Outfitters for their third show of the year TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via the band's Facebook page yesterday, but fans shouldn't be too surprised about this gig. TONIGHT is the first of five open days that Project 906 announced a booking search for earlier this month, and while we await confirmation on if the other four dates (next Friday included) will get 906 shows somewhere, it's great to see one knocked off! We haven't seen Project 906 rock the Ashmun Street outdoors store/venue since their New Year's Eve party, so if you've missed their hard rocking cover selection on a Sault Ste. Marie stage, don't miss all of the action TONIGHT! An early-ish 7:00 PM start time is in effect, I'd assume this is still 21+, and there's no cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Project 906 live last year!



Next up, let's head back to Sault Ontario for a couple of new dates later this summer, as a few familiar faces will rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion in August as part of the city's annual Summer Concert Series! An annual tradition under the tent downtown, the Summer Concert Series does not usually lend itself well to hard rock bands (RPM arguably came the closest in recent years), but a couple of SMS-covered bands will hit the stage there in a couple of months, starting with acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns on Thursday, August 1st! Their first announced show outside of The Whiskey Barrel since the spring, The Pavilion is not uncharted ground for the Elements side project, as you may have seen Christina, Rob, and Jesse there last summer during the Art In The Park/Fringe North Festival events. Their diverse and often heavy covers should attract a good crowd at the beginning of August, so don't miss out on The Wyld Stallyns then!

As is standard for the Summer Concert Series (Encore next month excepted), this is an ALL AGES and FREE 7:00 PM event, and visit the City of Sault Ste. Marie Facebook page for more details. Among a talented lineup of familiar local performers like L!me, The Algo Rhythms, the reunited Wishbone, and many more, hard rock fans can look forward to a rare outdoor set by classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck under the big tent on Tuesday, August 27th as well! That's not a typo, all events in this series are either on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Another gig not previously advertised on Soundcheck's 2019 concert calendar, this comes just days after a scheduled weekend at The Esquire Club. With their old school and often heavy covers, this should be a fine platform for Terry, Travis, Paul(?), and Glen to entertain the locals, so keep this show in mind if you can come down on a Tuesday!

Like with The Wyld Stallyns on the 1st, Soundcheck's Summer Concert Series show is at 7:00 PM with no age limit or admission fee. Looks like a fun summer of live music is ahead downtown, and with a slightly heavier kick in August to boot, so see above for full details!

We'll close today's post with the last publically announced hard rock concerts for this weekend in the Soo area, as Traverse City, Michigan metal trio Scarkazm will return to The Northern Pines Lounge at the St. Ignace Kewadin Casino for shows TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! These gigs come about a month after Scarkazm last rocked Sault Ste. Marie, but these will be Adam, Dave, and Jeff's first collective shows at The Northern Pines Lounge since the St. Patrick's Day weekend. With Scarkazm's hard rocking brand of covers and possible originals, fans know they're in for a good time in this latest trip north of the Mackinac Bridge, so don't miss out on these shows if you're in the St. Ignace area this weekend! As usual for Scarkazm's Kewadin Casino bookings, tonight & tomorrow's concerts are 9:00 PM affairs with no announced cover charges and 21+ age limits. Visit the official Facebook event pages linked here & here for more details, and here's Scarkazm live!



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

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

Another busy weekend of hard rock and punk concerts is upon us, so here's what you should know to start! To spread things out and not overload this post, our preview of this weekend's Scarkazm shows in St. Ignace, Michigan will be in our next post, but don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you should know on the Canadian side of the border, starting with a handful of SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's Place on Queen Street East for a second straight weekend with shows TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, these concerts were only announced via their Facebook event page yesterday, but at least we had enough notice to plug them all on here beforehand, unlike last week! With the popular downtown nightclub back up and running, it's not a surprise to see Soundcheck back with rare non-country concerts there, but with two full weekends in as many weeks (even with Thursday nighters), are they making up for 2 years of lost time? Notably, the event page reveals that ex-Phatstick frontman Jason Taillefer will be filling in for a vacationing Paul Belair TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY, with his presence noted for at least a few weeks. Fans may recall seeing Jason back on a local stage this year with scattered solo gigs as it was.

It's great to see Jason playing live again now that he's back home, and hopefully his bass work is on level! Note that Soundcheck's Reggie's West gigs earlier this month were with guest bassist Cory Valentine, a Sault native who recently played in the Southern Ontario cover band Southern Belle, and hopefully his appearances were well received! Thanks to drummer Glen Thomas for the information. As for TONIGHT, TOMORROW, and SATURDAY at the downtown Reggie's, expect 10:00 PM start times, no cover charges, and 19+ age limits. See above for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!



Next up, local acoustic hard rock trio The Wyld Stallyns will return to The Whiskey Barrel on Gore Street for another headlining concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Again, apologies for the short notice, this show was only announced via it's Facebook event page on Tuesday. For the past couple of months, The Stallyns have exclusively played at The Whiskey Barrel, so if you enjoy Jesse and the Speers' varied and often heavy cover selection, you'll have to head to the former Konoba Tapas location, and TOMORROW will provide more of the same live entertainment from this fan favourite unplugged group! As usual for Wyld Stallyns shows at this venue, a 9:00 PM start time is advertised for TOMORROW NIGHT, there's no announced cover charge, and I'd expect a 19+ age limit given the timing. See above for more details, and here's The Wyld Stallyns live at The Whiskey Barrel earlier this year!



Moving to previously announced concerts, let's next head to Queen Elizabeth Park outside of the John Rhodes Center, as Tidal Records will host their seventh annual local Go Skateboarding Day festivities TOMORROW! Yes, the independent label are once again championing this yearly day honouring extreme sports, and skaters of all ages are encouraged to come down to the local skatepark for a day full of demonstrations, contests, vendors, a "low budget barbeque" and family friendly camaraderie! Visit Tidal's Facebook page for complete details on the non-musical activities. For a fifth straight year, local musicians will take the stage for the Go Skate Day festivities, and as usual, the performer roster is largely comprised of event newcomers, with only online page-less punk quartet The Cover-Up (featuring promoter Dustin Jones) returning from last, or any, year. The advertised headliners are funk/hard rock quartet The Elements, so hopefully they warm up well with this set before Rob & Jesse head down to The Whiskey Barrel for the Wyld Stallyns show!

Remaining performers will include Distillers tribute band Coral Fang and surf rock instrumental rockers The Dynowaves, so don't bypass their sets either! This FREE & ALL AGES event has a 4:00 PM start time, and luckily, they are calling for a nice summer day tomorrow, so hopefully things go off without a hitch. With four entertaining bands atop the half pipe once again this year, hopefully this is the biggest and best Go Skate Day yet, so see above for more details, and here's The Cover-Up live earlier this year!

We'll close today's Sault Ontario weekend concert previews with the ongoing weekly concert slate from prolific local hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, who is only scheduled for two shows at press time this weekend, both at Gliss Restaurant as standard TOMORROW & SATURDAY! After last week's surprise Sunday matinee at La Terraza Franzisi in Richards Landing, this is looking like a return to Tym's usual scheduling of two dinner-time shows at the Spring Street restaurant this weekend, but if he surprises us with another St. Joseph Island trip this weekend, we'll let you know. Of course, Tym's prolific and proficient setlist should provide ample entertainment for Gliss regulars and fans alike, so don't miss either show there over these two nights! As usual, expect these concerts to have 6:00 PM start times, no announced cover charges, and no age limits, but mind the locale. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live a few years back!



That's all for now, but stay tuned for our Scarkazm previews and more on the site next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Rotaryfest Stage 2) & Last Month's Poll Results!!

Here's another news post for your Tuesday evening, and it's divided between two topics: The results of our last "favourite _____ of 2018" poll, and a big LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next month! Here's what you should know!

The lineup for this year's 14th annual Rotaryfest Stage 2 is now out, so what should you know for this year? Taking place at the outdoor stage at Clergue Park beside the Art Gallery of Algoma for a fifth straight year, the scheduling for this year's Second Stage reverts to a one day format on Saturday, July 20th after being held across three days last year as part of the Rotary Club anniversary celebrations. Presented by SooToday once again, Stage 2 will welcome eight acts next month, with only three returning from past installments, so if you want some new blood, this may do it! Headlining at 8:00 PM are local indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. in their third official Stage 2 set (fourth if you count 2013), making them just the fourth local band to headline the Second Stage twice. After missing last year's on hiatus, it'll be great to see the Keep it Cool Kids back on familiar ground next month! This year's only heavier or punk act is indie/punk quintet Northwest in the co-headlining 7:00 PM slot.

Previously seen on Stage 2 in 2017, Northwest should be up to their usual original tricks in their festival return with this increasingly rare live set, so don't miss them then! Ottawa folk musician Jack Pine will become just the second out of town act to play the Second Stage in the "Redirected" era at 6:00 PM, though he's not new to the area, as Northern Vibe Festival-goers will attest from last summer. Hopefully he delivers an entertaining performance next month! Local jazz trio The Peach Thieves (featuring Pillory, Id Iota, and Ashes To Dust alumni) will make their Rotaryfest debut at 5:00 PM, while folk/pop solo artist Hannah Lindsay will shockingly be the only act from 2018's Stage 2 lineups to return this year. Her set at 4:00 PM will notably be alongside backing musicians Shane Storozuk (Vol.) and Beau Whitfeld (Electric Church), so keep their presence in mind also! New local indie/alt-rock band Man Feelings (featuring Bizotic's B.J. Swire) will make their own festival debut at 3:00 PM.

The remaining acts, both new to Rotaryfest, include young alt-pop musician Jillian Katzenback at 2:00 PM (who will apparently release her new EP that day), and hip hop duo Planet Rock in the opening 1:00 PM timeslot. As usual, the Stage 2 action is FREE & ALL AGES on July 20th, so visit the official Facebook event pages linked here for more information. While not as heavy as some past years, there's a nicely stacked roster of talented indie and alternative artists to take in next month, so visit the above links for much more on this year's Second Stage action!

We'll close today's post with the final results of last month's poll on the SMS, as we posed this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal, hard rock, or punk concert of 2018? Alas we only got 6 votes last month, which is probably my cue to wrap up polls for a bit (next month's on shows in the first half of 2019 excepted), but we do have a clear result and winner, so here's the final tally from the past 30 or so days!

Oh!No II at Robbie's Church in Leeburn on September 8th (3 votes, 50%)
Rivers of Nihil & Alterbeast at The Rockstar Bar on July 6th (1 vote, 16⅔%)
I Mother Earth at The Machine Shop on April 18th (1 vote, 16⅔%)
Big Wreck at The Machine Shop on February 13th (1 vote, 16⅔%)
The Din & A Dire Setback at LopLops Lounge on July 21st (0 votes)
The Gabba Heys at LopLops Lounge on September 22nd (0 votes)
Other (0 votes)

What do you guys think? Well, despite finishing second in our second-half-of-2018 poll last month, the second annual Oh!No concert festival in Leeburn rallied past the Rivers of Nihil show to win the top honours over the past month, and after that huge event with an even bigger third year on the horizon, it's very encouraging to see a strong response from festival supporters! I just wish more of them voted. Rivers of Nihil's drop was most surprising of the single vote getters, especially moreso than I Mother Earth (the winners of the first-half poll), who only registered 2 votes in that poll to begin with. Part of me wondered if Big Wreck fans would rack up the votes for that concert in memorial to the late Brian Doherty, but that did not occur. Of the two shows with no votes, I'm most surprised by The Gabba Heys, who finished in third in the second-half poll before plummeting here, but alas, it's all in who votes. Congratulations to Oh!No II on the ultimate victory, and we'll see you back here next month with our first half of 2019 poll for your favourite concerts!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for another new news post on the site tomorrow, with weekend concert previews on Thursday! Thanks everyone!

Anvil Concert Video Showcase, Part 2!!

As promised, here's the second half of our video coverage of last week's Anvil-headlined concert at Soo Blaster, this time focusing on Christopher Paci's footage from the concert, with videos uploaded to his excellent YouTube channel shortly thereafter! Compared to Re:Born's six posted videos from this night, Chris uploaded fourteen videos, so there's a lot more to take in here, but give both sources a look for different and very valid looks at the old school metal action on offer! Starting with the headlining Toronto metal legends, Chris filmed five videos from their set, including their songs "Metal on Metal", "Bitch In The Box", "Badass Rock N' Roll", and one video featuring their opening songs "March of the Crabs" & "666". Embedded below is their song "Mothra", complete with extended instrumental jam in the middle of the performance. Compared to Re:Born's videos, these are closer to the "Soo Lounge" stage, and allow for some nice angles of frontman Steve "Lips" Kudlow playing to the crowd.

The audio quality comes through well enough on these videos, if harbouring some muffled moments, but fans of Anvil's classic attack should be right at home here. Give these videos a look above & below!



Next up, Chris also filmed five videos of Edmonton classic metal quintet Striker's co-headlining set, including their songs "Fight For Your Life", "Former Glory", "Head First", "Heart of Lies", and as embedded below, both "Out For Blood" & "Full Speed or No Speed". Chris is a little further back here, but Striker's impressive and proficient original onslaught is captured nicely on these videos, and fans of their throwback sound will definitely appreciate the ample Striker footage above and below!



Chris also filmed three videos of local punk/metal quintet Jack Spades' set, capturing them playing "Rise" and their cover of The Ripcordz' "X", but embedded below is their original "To The Left". I won't fault Chris for the more distant camera angle here as fans weren't really on the floor yet, and I can relate to not wanting to be "that guy" in everyone's road. I just wish the camera wasn't so jittery! That said, Jack Spades are on form despite cramped conditions, so give Chris' videos of them a look above also!



Finally, Chris filmed a single solitary video of opening power rock quintet Re:Born (minus Frank) covering Kissin' Dynamite's "Sex Is War" last week. Filmed at a similar angle to Jack Spades, the cover is well done, if with somewhat inaudible vocals, and luckily there's no heckling this time around! Check out Chris' Re:Born clip below, and see more from the show above!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck & Tym Morrison), Plus New Videos!!

A new standard news post wasn't planned for today, especially with some big one-topic posts in the works, but with some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS popping up, my hand was forced this way. As such, we have a couple of new videos to round things out, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will play at the newly re-opened Reggie's Place on Queen Street East TONIGHT, after previously playing there this afternoon, yesterday and even on Thursday! Profuse apologies for the short notice and for missing most of their bookings there this weekend, they were only acknowledged on their Facebook page last night, after the Thursday nighter took place. As you'll recall from Soundcheck (and Mourning Wood) bookings at the original Reggie's, public advertising of shows there was either on limited notice or non-existent, so in that respect, not much has changed! Drummer Glen Thomas was able to fill in more of the details on his personal Facebook page, noting that today's afternoon matinee was a shorter gig to coincide with the Queen Street Cruise, so hopefully that attracted a good crowd! The Thursday nighter may seem atypical for Soundcheck, but recall that Mourning Wood once played for over a week straight at Reggie's, so this isn't anything new for them.

TONIGHT'S (and yesterday's, and Thursday's) shows are likely 10:00 PM engagements with no announced cover charges and 19+ age limits, while adjust things as expected for this afternoon's gig. Hopefully Terry, Travis, Paul, and Glen have a great gig of hard rocking classics TONIGHT after a 2 year wait for Reggie's return after the fire! Here's Soundcheck live, and again, I severely apologize for missing most of their shows this weekend, we'd have plugged them on Thursday had they given them more notice!

Next up, here's one more surprise matinee gig for local acoustic hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison this weekend, as he'll return to La Terrazza Franzisi in Richards Landing TOMORROW! Again, apologies for the short notice, this concert was only announced via it's Facebook event page yesterday. Fans and regular readers will recall Tym playing frequent weekend gigs at this St. Joseph Island restaurant last August and September, including a few Sunday matinees in the process, so TOMORROW'S show isn't completely out of left field. This wharf-front restaurant proved to be a popular venue for Tym's unplugged covers last year, and while I don't yet know if this is the first of many for him this season, keep TOMORROW'S La Terrazza Franzisi concert in mind if you're on St. Joseph Island or up for an hour's drive east for some supper-time entertainment!

An early 5:00 PM start time is in effect for this show, which has no announced age limits or cover charge, but remember that this is a sit-down restaurant, not a traditional concert venue. Hopefully Tym delivers another fun show of classic hits at La Terraza Franzisi TOMORROW, even with the late notice, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!



We'll move on to some new videos today, including a new video of defunct local 1960s-centric classic rock quartet The Peace Vibe covering Deep Purple's "Hush" at a car show outside of the new A&W at 659 Great Northern Road last year! A specific date wasn't given, but The Peace Vibe played a couple in August and September. Posted to drummer Glen Thomas' YouTube channel on May 30th, this was filmed on a vertical cell phone camera, but the angle is too distant and top-centric to add up to a decent visual clarity. The cover's solid enough for fans of the Rod Evans era, so give it a look below, and don't miss Glen with Soundcheck TONIGHT at Reggie's!



Finally, here's a somewhat belated write-up on another commercial for an upcoming Loffredo & Associates concert at Soo Blaster, namely the Monster Truck-headlined concert there on June 28th (one week from Friday!) A commercial plugging the Hamilton rockers' shows in Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay, along with a contest to win tickets by liking and sharing the video, this is set to clips from the music videos for "Denim Danger", "Sweet Mountain River", and "Don't Tell Me How To Live". Strong way to help promote both shows, so give it a look below, and click here for more details!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Rotaryfest Stage 1)

The lineup for this year's Stage 1 lineups at Rotaryfest was quietly posted to their website earlier this week, so what should you know about this year's musical entertainment on the main Clergue Park stage? Taking place over the third weekend of July, this year's lineup is largely a reversion in sound and personnel to the regular covers-centric format on the main stage, with a Woodstock theme clearly touted on Rotaryfest's website to go along with the 50th anniversary of that iconic festival. Might there be an implication for bands to cover a few songs from Woodstock artists this year? That said, the Rewind anniversary theme last year was clearly well received, as there will be select original-centric acts on Stage 1 this year (four by my estimation), which is long overdue to see on the big stage! Only five of this year's bands have played the festival four+ times since 2006, so if you ever complained about the same bands year after year, you may want to pay attention.

After years with a jazz or 1950s-1960s centric lineup, the Thursday, July 18th schedule this year will be more varied than usual, and for the first time I can ever recall, it will feature a hard rock band, namely local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck as the 10:00 PM headliners! This will be their second Rotaryfest set after playing Stage 1 in 2017, and they should end night #1 with a bang next month, so don't miss their return then! Classic/pop rock cover band Encore will co-headline at 9:00 PM, while a one-off Beatles tribute band named Beatles '69 will play at 8:00 PM. Not a Woodstock band, but they are definitely an extremely important part of 1960s rock music, and there's a lot of talented artists involved here! A new local classic rock band named SideFX will make their apparent live debut at 7:00 PM, but many of you've seen them before, as their lineup comprises of 3/4ths of defunct 1960s classic rockers The Peace Vibe alongside Griphook/ex-Gsis Murphy drummer Tony Fabiano.

Note that SideFX have no relation to defunct local hard rock band The Side FX beyond the name. The Thursday lineup will be opened by folk/country veterans The Algo Rhythms at 6:00 PM, who like Encore, are returning to Stage 1 after playing in 2017 and missing last year. Strong lineup of familiar faces, and with a rare bit of Thursday heaviness, so keep this bill in mind! As usual, this is FREE and ALL AGES. See above for more details!

Friday, July 19th's lineup will be headlined at 10:00 PM by country cover quartet Bone Yard in their sixth Stage 1 set of the 2010s, and first since closing the Saturday lineup in 2017. Indie rock solo artist Jesse Merineau and his band will join the small group of acts to perform on both Rotaryfest stages when they play at 9:00 PM, following headlining appearances on Stage 2 in the past two years. Another Stage 2 import will hit the stage at 8:00 PM, namely the surprise reunion of local hard rock veterans Sailor's Tongue, who we last saw on the former Queen Street stage in 2012 & 2013. We're treating this as a one-off reunion (Kyle does still live in the Ottawa area, after all), but it's great to see Sailor's Tongue back with their entertaining and catchy originals next month! Jam rock fan favourites Odd Man Out will return from last year's Rewind lineup with a set at 7:00 PM, just one week removed from their own CD release party.

Reunited hard rock cover quartet Griphook will return to Rotaryfest after a two year absence as the 6:00 PM openers, marking their fifth Stage 1 appearance since 2013, and just their second live set of the year. It's great to see Griphook back at last! Finally, classic rock veterans Mid Life Crysis will return to Stage 1 for the first time since 2016 as the 5:00 PM openers, marking their seventh Stage 1 set on record. Like on Thursday, this is a FREE & ALL AGES lineup, and with a selection of talented original acts to boot, this should be even more attractive to many fans! See above for more details!

And of course, Saturday, July 20th has bands all day, including the return of an out of town tribute band as the featured act at 8:30 PM, namely Toronto-based Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute Green River Revival, a fitting choice for the Woodstock theme & for southern rock fans! Note that this is not the C.C.R. tribute that played at The Canadian a couple of weeks back (that was The Cajun Country Rock Band.) For a fifth straight year, the nominal headliners are not the closing band on Saturday, as local Celtic punk quintet Dustin Jones & The Rising Tide will play Stage 1 for a second straight year at 10:30 PM. Great to see The Tide back in a prime slot, and hopefully the weather is more cooperative! Sailor's Tongue frontman Kyle McKey will play again at 7:30 PM on Saturday with his Pembroke-based blues rock cover band The Emtees in their local concert debut, while a massive one-off local supergroup called The Woodstock Show will play an extended tribute set to Woodstock artists at 6:00 PM.

I'm not an aficionado of this era of music, but if you love Woodstock, you're in great hands with this ten person collective next month! Kyle McKey will play once more at 5:00 PM in the pop/country rock cover band KT & Kyle with his girlfriend and long-time bandmate KT Antler, who you may recall from their old band KT, Kyle, and The Pocket on Stage 1 from 2012-2014.  Veteran local country musician Mark Tarantini will return with a solo tribute set at 4:00 PM, and after tackling Garth Brooks in 2017, Mark will pay tribute to John Denver alongside a talented backing band including That's Chester alumni. After years as Thursday mainstays, The Northern Jazz Ensemble will surprisingly play at 3:00 PM on Saturday, marking their second straight Stage 1 set after an eight year absence. Young alt-pop rock cover quartet (and Sky's The Limit IV headliners) Lime will make their festival debut at 2:00 PM, while classic rock veterans Obsession will kick off the day at 1:00 PM after missing last year with their 10th Stage 1 set since 2008.

Shockingly, Mustang Heart are not playing Stage 1 this year, ending their lengthy iron man streak dating back at least 15 years, and no bands this year have played three years straight, so is this a new era of sorts? Again, Saturday's lineup is FREE & ALL AGES, and for more details, visit the above links. This should be another exciting music slate at Rotaryfest this year, and with heavy bands each night, more original bands than typical, and some level of Woodstock tributes to take in, there should be lots of entertainment to go around for most tastes! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!