Defunct Local Band Profile Series: No Arrow

It's time once again for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! As always, this series takes a look back at a metal/hard rock band from the Twin Saults and surrounding area who, though no longer together or functioning actively, deserve a look back at their run! This month's randomly chosen band had a mixed though entertaining tenure in the Sault Ontario scene in the late 2000s, so read on below for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, and if anything's missing or incorrect, let me know! (Updated on August 27th, 2013)
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No Arrow

Genre: Grunge/Alternative Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Performers: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Dann Pichette (SBD), vocals/guitar

Jason Bourcier (Winkstinger, Fitswitch, Faithless Sin), bass

Joe Falco (Flashback, Faithless Sin), drums

Harley Syrette (Half Past, Quite Frankly), bass
Dean Scheepmaker (The Aral Sea), bass

Brad Griffith (SBD, Sounds From The Green Room), bass 
 

Audio/Video: No Arrow have plenty of surviving online media from their mid-late 2000s run, including a bunch of videos on frontman Dann Pichette's YouTube channel, including 9 live and jam session clips, and two promo videos for their unreleased "Souls For Sale" CD! All the tracks from that album (along with some scattered archive concert videos) can be streamed via the SMS' YouTube channel, along with a pair of older videos on their MySpace page, so check around to see No Arrow in action from their heyday! Below, you can see No Arrow playing their proposed album's title track at The Elks Lodge in 2007!

Info/Analysis: Launched in 2005 under the Murder Playground moniker, No Arrow were arguably the most prominent local grunge band of the late 2000s. Their run saw them play a number of concerts at venues like The Canadian & Madison's Pub between 2006 and 2008, including memorable opening slots for bands such as The Ripcordz & Papa Fogals Chair, and a performance at a Sault Area Wrestling event in August 2007. Amidst numerous bassist changes, No Arrow slowly worked on their debut album "Souls For Sale" that was scheduled for release over various points between 2007 & 2010, but it was never released, and live concerts stopped by early 2008, though Dann & bassist Brad Griffith played & recorded similar material as SBD from 2009-2011. After months of inactivity, the band's Murder Playground-era lineup reunited on short notice to open for RedD Monkey at the former Foggy Notions in February 2011, but they effectively broke up shortly afterwards, with members working on newer music projects at present.

To me, No Arrow were one of the most underappreciated local bands of recent memory, and it felt like they came a generation late from when they'd have had the biggest local impact, as grunge seems to fall in a void of uncertainty between metal & punk. Dann's aggressive singing fit well with their heavy alternative sound, Joe's drumming was always on point, and they had a great track record for skilled bass players! Some songs could be a bit out there, and their covers were sometimes hit & miss, but No Arrow's original repertoire, on-stage energy, and consistent talents spoke for themselves, and I wish they had a lot more local success than they did!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! So, what band's getting profiled next month? For the first time since September, we'll be looking at two, as the first band I randomly chose doesn't have enough information to fill a full post. That said, we'll be looking at defunct Sault Michigan metal project Analog Deficiency (featuring future Hoist The Sails members) and late mid-2000s Sault Ontario band Devastation of the Heavens (featuring 3 Bear Hunters bandmates), so watch out for those on or around March 10th, and stay tuned for more news and notes as the week rolls along! Thanks everyone!