Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Bankshot

It's time for our first Defunct Local Band Profile of 2017! Our monthly look at one or two inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands is back for another year of randomly selected goodness from the scene's past, and we're starting the year with a bang, especially for you fans of late 1990s punk rock in the Soo! Here's what you should know on this month's chosen band!
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Bankshot

Genre: Punk

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Ron Pelletier (Ten Brick Limit), vocals
Christian Pasiak (Sleepy & The Noise), guitar
Lucas Schmiedendorf (Bin Hawdon & The Taliband), guitar
Neil Vallee, bass
Clint Wilson (Late Shift, Northwest), drums

Audio/Video: Bankshot released one CD, 1999's "Angst For The Memories", which is long since out of print, but is easy to find online via YouTube and download sites (the former has at least three separate postings of the full album, one linked below.) Given Bankshot's relatively brief lifespan and inactivity for the past 16+ years, live videos are not readily available nowadays, but given their prominence at the time, hopefully something turns up at some point!



Info/Analysis: Active from 1998-2000, Bankshot were formed by alumni of bands like Ten Brick Limit and Morning Wood (no relation), and quickly became a fixture of the regional punk scene in the late 1990s, debuting as openers for Our Lady Peace, and later opening for bands like Treble Charger, Strung Out, and Choke at well received shows. Bankshot also found wider attention performing on the CBC talk show Jonovision, and by a YTV Achievement Award nomination, though they broke up in the late 2000s due to members' out-of-town work commitments. Now hailed by many punk fans as a rare gem, "Angst For The Memories" showcases Bankshot's melodic skate punk sound with enthusiasm and suitable attitude, with Ron's singing a nice match for Christian and Luc's solid guitar riffs, and it's easy to see why Bankshot were a fan favourite band in their day! Though a teased 10 year reunion never visibly happened, hopefully we see Bankshot back down the road!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! As for next month in this series, our random selection will take us back to Sault Michigan, but as this band doesn't have enough surviving information, we are filling things out with a Sault Ontario band in a similar state. With that said, look for our profiles of Eckerman, Michigan hard rock quintet Moss (featuring Werehold Records artists) and Sault Ontario solo guitarist Neno Jovanovic (a.k.a. Metallurgy) on or around February 10th! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

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