Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Lucky 13

Alright, it's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, but with a change in band! Originally, we had randomly selected defunct classic/hard rockers Mourning Wood for this month, but it turns out that their Facebook (and only online) page was recently deleted. I wish bands wouldn't do that, but what can you do? This series requires profiled bands to have an active online page, so I have swapped Mourning Wood for the nearest alphabetical Sault Ontario band in our defunct links that we haven't profiled yet, and as it turns out, that drew another hard rocking cover band from the mid-2010s. Here's what you should know for this month's spotlight feature!
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Lucky 13

Genre: Hard/Alternative Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics.)
 
Ed Vowels (Aftersight), vocals/guitar
Robin "Bones" Lee (Thin Ice), guitar
Jeff Gray (Turner Up, Bangers & Mash), bass
Roger Sartini (The Gully Yodelers), drums
Jeremey Salatuk (The 3 Day Millionaires, Wishbone), guitar

Audio/Video: A covers-only band, Lucky 13 don't have any known original material, but a few online videos survive from their active run. A couple of Toystock performances of theirs can be found on YouTube, while two videos from shows of theirs can be found on our Facebook page as well, wth covers of bands like The Cult, Collective Soul, The Refreshments, and The Stone Temple Pilots on public offer. Here's Lucky 13 playing three songs in their public concert debut from Toystock I!



Info/Analysis: One of the surprise debuting bands from the inaugural Toystock charity concert in November 2012 (later becoming the only band to play that event's first three installments), Lucky 13 became one of the most popular sights on the local cover bar circuit in the mid-2010s, frequenting such venues as The Rockstar Bar & The Rednecks Saloon at well received solo concerts through the first half of 2016. The band parted ways with original guitarist Jeremey Salatuk that March, replacing him with Robin Lee for the ensuing months, including headlining Rednecks' relaunch party in April. Lucky 13 quietly fell inactive by year's end, though a one-off reunion occurred in October 2017 for The Rockstar Bar's Taryn Bugyra benefit concert. Lucky 13 were a solid band with good chemistry and a sound that was accessible to general audiences and fans of members' old bands, while also having a grit and edge with songs not often covered by other local acts.

Ed's melodic yet heavy vocals were a constant fit for existing and new fans, Jeff's bass work was a steady presence, Roger's drumming was always on point, and both Jeremey and Robin were effective on lead guitar during their stints in Lucky 13. Hopefully we haven't see the last of the guys live, but don't miss Jeremey with The 3 Day Millionaires!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, even with the impromptu band change! Next month in this series, our random selection was of a Sault Ontario project who I don't think will have enough material for a solo profile, so I've added a second band to fill things out. As such, we'll coincidentally be looking at a pair of inactive duos, namely Infinity Grinder (featuring Bizotic and Northern Tragedy alumni) and Orange (feauring Chris from Telephone & Address), so look for those on or around May 10th, and for more news this week! Thanks everyone!