Here's a long post for your Thursday, and our first of two today before we unveil our next special feature post! Today, we'll mostly devote our time to previewing the local metal and hard rock concerts taking place between tonight and Sunday, to go over what you should know for your concertgoing this weekend! I don't know how many of these (if any) I can attend, given that my cold is still hanging on, and I don't want to annoy people with persistent coughing, but time will tell! Remember that the planned all ages show featuring As It Stands and Changing Waves and headlining out of town pop rock bands has been cancelled, so that's why it's not featured below. But before we get to the previews, here's some short notice LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS!!
Motion Carried, the new hard rock trio featuring local music scene veterans Justin Langlois, Jamie Whalen, and Rick White, will be playing a short notice concert TOMORROW NIGHT at
Foggy Notions! This will be their first "standard" concert following last weekend's gig at
The Grand Theater after The Vagina Monologues, and it was only just confirmed on Facebook this morning. No other bands are scheduled for this show, which has a 10:30 PM start time, a 19+ age limit, and no announced cover charge. Motion Carried have no posted audio yet, but if I were a betting man, I'd assume their sound would be similar to a heavier version of
The Scary Uncles, but I can't say for certain. There's lots of talent to go around though, and I imagine they'll put in a fun night of music tomorrow! For more details, visit
the official Facebook event page, and I'll have more on Motion Carried as it comes in! Remember, this show is TOMORROW at Foggy's!
The other new shows I have today I literally JUST found out about. I was going to alert you guys on Facebook to this finished post, but when I flipped back to Facebook, here they were, new shows, so here's what you should know on them! Sault Michigan hard rockers
Splitshot are playing at The Bird TOMORROW NIGHT & SATURDAY NIGHT! The band literally just announced the shows on
their Facebook page at 5:24 PM, so their short notice status is exactly that. Both shows have 10:00 PM start times, 21+ age limits, and no cover charges for both of their shows this weekend. Sounds good! Remember, Splitshot is the new band featuring half of the former
Nixxon Dixxon lineup, so you know they have sufficient talent! I still haven't heard or seen anything by them yet, but I believe they'll have a set full of classic hard rock and metal covers in store, likely similar to old Nixxon Dixxon setlists. If I hear more on them, I'll let you know, but get a glimpse of Splitshot in action by heading to The Bird tomorrow or Saturday night! Good luck to them, and apologies for the short notice again!
Now to our previews for shows we knew about beforehand, and we'll first head to
The Roosevelt Hotel, where they bring you the latest metal night at The Rosie! Three more young local metal bands are back TONIGHT to devastate the crowd, including a band each from the last metal and punk nights there, and one new entry! Tonight's headliners are
The Bear Hunters, who opened the last metal night two weeks ago. Look for a hard hitting blend of melodic death metal (and maybe some "Squirrel Buddy") from this fast rising young group! Playing support tonight is
Shit Liver, fresh off last week's punk night at The Rosie! Their unique sound that mixes grimy crusty punk and death metal will be sure to turn heads as it always seems to do in concert, so be prepared for them! Opening tonight's show are local hardcore quintet
Changing Waves, in their first ever 19+ concert. Despite the cancellation of their Oddfellows Hall show, you can see them rock out tonight at The Rosie, as they continue to make a name for themselves in the local scene! Solid and very talented hardcore band, watch out for them going forward!
Like all past metal nights, this show should have a 19+ age limit, no cover charge, and a 9:30 PM start time. For more details,
click here! Sounds good, hopefully I'm feeling up to coming out for this one! Colds suck, I don't recommend catching one. Still, it's gonna rock, so make it out if you can! For a preview, here's The Bear Hunters playing, what else? "Squirrel Buddy"!
Next up, we'll head to Heyden for
Tym Morrison's latest solo acoustic concert! With his weekly concert arrangements now taking place bi-weekly at two sort of far off concert spots, you'll likely need to make a bit of a trip to check out his solo shows, but trust me, they're worth the drive! Tomorrow night, Tym returns to The Big Cheese for a night of acoustic solo covers that will be sure to impress, and should help tide fans over while we wait for
Caveman Morrison's return! So head on out to The Big Cheese on Highway 17 North tonight around 10:00 PM to enjoy some live music! I believe this is a 19+ show, and there's no announced cover charge. For more details, visit
the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a good concert, and really, what's an unplugged concert gonna hurt? It'll still rock, just go out and see! For a preview, here's Tym covering Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" last year at Foggy Notions!
Now we'll head to
The Rockstar Bar for a weekend set from a frequently seen local band!
Turner Up are back to deliver some classic hard rock to their fans tomorrow night and Saturday night! A constant presence at many local bars and concert spots, these talented local music veterans will be sure to entertain with their diverse setlist of classic hard rock covers that get heavier as the night progresses! As is standard for a Turner Up concert weekend, they'll be on at 10:30 PM on both nights, you must be 19 to enter, and there's no listed cover charge. For more details, visit
the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a good concert weekend as always, hopefully Turner Up "turn up" the dial and get the crowd going all night long! Check the above links for more details, and for a video preview, here's Turner Up covering Guns N' Roses' "Mr. Brownstone"!
On the subject of bands playing a full weekend, let's head back to The Roosevelt Hotel, where local hard rock trio
Browbeat make their long awaited return to the local stage! They'll be at The Rosie tomorrow night and Saturday night in what amount to their first concerts in four months! These will also be their debut shows with new drummer Johnny Belanger, who replaced Rick White behind the drumkit late last year, and add to a busy weekend of three concerts that Johnny's playing at The Rosie this weekend! (He drums for The Bear Hunters tonight as well.) It's been a while for them, but the videos we've seen show promise for their chemistry and overall sound! Get more details at
the official Facebook event page, but disregard the lack of a listed Saturday show, they'll be there that night too! It's great to see Browbeat back, especially with the work and effort that Dutch and company have put in to get back on stage, and they should knock it out of the park this weekend! If health permits, I hope to be at The Rosie on Friday night, but time will tell! Check the above links for more, and for a preview, here's Browbeat's current lineup playing their original song "Days Gone By"!
Now to the Saturday night concerts, and there's a pair of high profile shows taking place that night in Sault Ontario, and we'll start at Foggy Notions! That night promises a great mix of punk and metal featuring two hard hitting local bands and an out of town band with a local connection! The headliners are Toronto punk/metal quintet
Maximum RNR, who currently feature Sault Ontario native Brenton Ellis (a.k.a. Diamond Brent Panther) on vocals! I believe this is his first local concert appearance since his last local show with Detroit in December 2009, and if you miss
Detroit, I bet you you'll like Maximum RNR's sound! I'll elaborate more on Maximum RNR as a whole in TONIGHT'S Saultites In Out Of Town Bands Profile on them, so stay tuned for that! The opening bands include local horror punk metal band
Frightlight and old school hardcore outfit
Destroilet, both of which are making their first live concert appearances of the new year! Great to see them back out there, they'll impress with their punk/metal hybrid sounds as well, but believe me, all three bands have their own unique styles! Doors open at 10:00 PM, there is a $3 cover charge, and you must be 19 to attend. For more details, visit
the official Facebook event page!
This should be a great high energy concert featuring lots of local talent, and I sense some moshpits and lots of beer will be had! If I'm better by Saturday, I'll definitely be at Foggy's for this show! For a video preview, I couldn't find any decent videos of Maximum RNR live with Brent singing, but if you like short fast paced hardcore punk songs, you'll enjoy them! Check
their Reverbnation page out to hear some of their originals and see what you think! The ones without Gymbo Jak on vocals will likely be closer in line to what you should hear on Saturday!
One more Sault Ontario hard rock concert this weekend, and if you love tribute bands and classic metal from the 1980s, then take note of this show! On Saturday night at The Canadian Nightclub,
5150: Tribute To Van Halen will take the stage to lay down some Van Halen classics for the fans who come out! And before anyone asks, they do David Lee Roth AND Sammy Hagar era material, so all bases are covered! Frontman Steve Stanley isn't a dead ringer for either VH frontman, but he pulls off both very well, and that's hopefully good enough! Plus, 5150 features members of some locally familiar tribute bands like Gunz N' FN' Rosez, Destroyer, and Second Coming, so you know they have the chops! This show will have a 10:00 PM start time on Saturday night, I imagine there will be a cover charge of $5 or less, and you must be 19 to attend. For full details,
click here! If you're a Van Halen fan, no matter which era, you should definitely head out to The Canadian on Saturday night! You won't be sorry, these guys are good! I imagine the vocals could be a sticking point, but hearing a carbon copy of David or Sammy might compromise the setlist. The whole band is really good, try to check 5150 out this weekend! For a preview, here's a 5150 promotional video featuring clips of many of their live Van Halen renditions!
We'll finish today's extra long preview post across the river, where a couple more shows that I know of are taking place that should interest you heavy music lovers! One will take place in nearby Rudyard, Michigan on Saturday night, as Cheboygan hard rockers
The Darwin Project return to the area for a show at Joe's Bar on West Main Street! With no shows in Sault Michigan itself announced until April, you might want to head out to Rudyard tonight just in case. They've been growing in profile in recent months, and I heard they recently released a CD and got some radio press on
Real Rock 105.1 (which picks up locally on better radios), so they've gotta be riding high right now! This show has a 10:00 PM start time, no announced cover charge, and a 21+ age limit. For more details, check
the official Facebook event page! Their brand of radio hard rock has won them lots of fans, and rightfully so, and you'll be glad you saw them if you make it to Rudyard on Saturday! Check the above links for more details, and for a preview, here's The Darwin Project playing their song "The Dark" in Traverse City last month!
Finally, Sault Michigan metal quartet
Hammerspace return to the stage on Saturday night just one week after rocking
Zim's! This week though, they'll be at
The Merchant's Bar for a night of metal mayhem! Details on this show have been scant, but there are no additional bands, it is 21+, I'd expect a 10:00 PM start time, and there's no announced cover charge. This is their third concert since they re-emerged as a four piece following some short lived runs with a standalone frontman, and I have heard good things about them on the whole as well! They have a good grasp of their progressive metal covers, and they should deliver a good night of music on Saturday! For more details, click the above links and
The Merch's event page for this show, and visit
their Reverbnation page for some newer instrumental demos of the songs you're likely to hear on Saturday! No videos yet that I know of, but when some pop up, I'll let you guys know!
That's all for now, hopefully you guys can hit some of these shows! Health permitting, I hope to be at some this weekend, but if I can't, I'll send my best regards, and make sure you guys get out this weekend yourselves! Stay tuned TONIGHT for our newest Saultites in Out Of Town Bands Profile on Maximum RNR, and of course, our new poll and my review of "...Bad Things Come In Threes" tomorrow if possible! Thanks everyone!
Maximum RNR (Toronto, Ontario)
Band Bio: Brenton Ellis joined Maximum RNR in the fall of 2010, replacing former Dayglo Abortions frontman Gymbo Jak in the band. With Maximum RNR, he still utilizes his "Diamond Brent Panther" stage name from the Lion Ride days. The next summer, Maximum RNR enlisted Brent's longtime bandmate Curtis Faux to replace Davey Dee on bass. Maximum RNR formed in 2002 in the Toronto area, and have toured and recorded frequently ever since, including a show at Foggy Notions in Sault Ontario with their original lineup in September 2002. The band's back catalog includes a number of seven inch vinyl singles, giving an old school flair to their musical output. As a result, they only have three official non-compilation CD releases, including June 2013's "Rough Side of the Dial". The band operates without major label support with mostly self-promotion to spread the word on the band, which has given them a noted cult following! They've played hundreds of concerts in the past 9 years, including some gigs in Europe. The band's lineup remained mostly stable through 2009, with numerous lineup changes leading to their current lineup's debut in 2011. Describing their sound as "ham fisted rock n' roll", their punk/metal attack continued to draw crowds through mid-2014, including two stops in the Soo in recent years, so check them out if you can!
