It's about time we roll in some more defunct & inactive punk bands to our local band links, so here's our third of this ongoing process to formally add older local punk talent to the site! Today, we're sourcing from punk bands with primary surviving pages on CBC Music and Sonicbids, and while information can be spotty for some, there's clear talent and memorable names throughout, so here's what you need to know! Like before, bands are presented in alphabetical order:
We'll start this punk band feature with defunct local ska punk band
The 12 Gauge Ready, who fans are sure to remember from their early-mid 2000s heyday! Surviving information on the band is minimal, and that extends to their lineup, who were only credited by first names & nicknames on their
CBC Music and
PureVolume pages. Both list bassist "Beano", drummer "Clinto", and string instrumentalist "Lucas" in their lineups, while CBC lists singer "Hayward", keyboardist "Lamar", and "J Monty" as members, and PureVolume credits "Adam", "Scotty", "George", and "Michael" in their place (hopefully we get some clarification at some point!) Active from at least 2002-2006, The 12 Gauge Ready were notable from successful concerts at venues like the former Foggy Notions & Madison's Pub, along with at least one Hempfest appearance in 2003, though updates are hard to find after their exit from Rotaryfest's 2006 Second Stage lineup. Their pages (including on
MySpace) feature 5 combined original songs, no videos, and no band photos (hence the Christmas concert poster), but how did The 12 Gauge Ready sound?
The ska and reggae influences come through very clearly in their originals, much more so than other local punk bands, and I presume the short lived
Break The Violence were hoping for similar success with the genre! There's enough of a punk sound to go around too with nice faster stretches, and I like the use of nontraditional instruments too! I admit not being the right person to comment on their run (which largely took place before I became a concert regular), but fans will know their reputation, and ska fans should definitely check them out at the above links!
Next to add to the site is local/Guelph punk band
Burn The Past, who may be more familiar from their earlier all-local run under the name
Downshift! Launched in 1999, Downshift were originally a skate punk quartet that rocked the Sault area around the turn of the millennium until moving to Guelph for college in 2001, where they changed their name to Burn The Past, and later took on post-hardcore and emo influences. Burn the Past's last known full lineup featured singer/guitarist Steve Zuppa, guitarist Derek Wyatt, and drummer Mark Zurawinski, with Guelph area bassist Josh Hudman rounding that lineup, while Downshift-era bassists included Adam Turner & Gary Hazelton, and a bassist named Dan (last name not given) played with B.T.P. late in their run as well, not counting the 5 they cycled through before Josh joined. The band released two albums (2000's
"Before You Knew Me..." and 2003's "Surviving the Last Day's of Autumn"), with the former retroactively becoming a self-titled Burn The Past CD after their move.
Downshift/Burn The Past opened for bands like A.F.I. Choke, and Moneen locally, and attained their own following in the Guelph area before falling inactive circa 2004, but fans of melodic skate punk will take to these guys, who had a solid talent base and good chemistry! Steve's vocals fit the material, and whether playing a fast song or one with a more indie-rock angle, fans wouldn't have much to worry about! Check out more from Downshift or Burn The Past at their
Angelfire,
Bandcamp,
CBC Music, and
PureVolume pages, and here's Downshift at the former Koolie's & Cues during their heyday!
Third to add today are
Glunk!, a local alternative/punk trio that was active in Sault Ontario in the mid-2000s, roughly from 2005-2006. Their lineup featured singer/guitarist Angelo Tremonte, former
Fitswitch/
Scary Uncles bassist Andrew MacDonald, and drummer/current Toronto-area internet radio host Andrew Keachie, who quickly released a debut EP shortly into their run. Information on their live concerts aren't plentiful nowadays, but the guys did play at Madison's Pub with The Regal Beagle in January 2006, and I've found nothing 100% later from their run yet. A varied band who jumped from garage rock to more aggressive punk depending on the track, Glunk! had visible talenton their studio recordings, with solid bass work from Andrew especially, and Angelo's singing altered well to fit different tracks, but there can be some inconsistency in the tone of the members' performances, and the recording quality isn't perfect. I haven't found any videos of Glunk! from their run, but check out material and more from them at their
CBC Music and
MySpace pages!
Finally for today's punk band additions is the newest of these four bands, that being defunct local indie/punk quartet
Nebraska Arms! Active from 2008-2010, their lineup featured singer/bassist Guy Thiffault (
The Hangdowns), guitarists Wayne Watkins (Northwest) & Dave Prendergast (
Gilmour), and drummer Adam Sauve (
Renderware), so they definitely had a solid and experienced roster of local musicians! Runners-up at the Sault College Battle of the Bands in February 2010, fans may remember Nebraska Arms from opening for bands like SNFU, The Populars, and
The Artist Life at bars and all ages shows alike, along with making the finals of the Kiss Battle of the Bands in 2009, and recording & releasing their CD "We'll Never Sleep Again" that year. Last seen opening for The Flatliners at Foggy Notions in April 2010, Nebraska Arms had a solid fanbase and notoriety during their late 2000s run, with a sound that was reminiscent of their past local music work, with a poppy rhythm mixed with punk aggression, and you can see some of their sound wore off on Wayne's more recent bands!
Fans of indie punk would be well served to check out Nebraska Arms' posted material at their Sonicbids and MySpace pages, and I think their album's tracks are also floating around online too. I wonder if we'll ever see a reunion down the road? They had a good stage presence and chemistry, and you can see some of that in this retrospective video from last year!
I hope you guys liked this newest post to roll in defunct punk bands to our coverage! Our next one this week will either take from MySpace, Bandmine, or PureVolume, (or a combination therein), but we're not done yet, so stay tuned for that this week, plus more news and such as well! Thanks everyone!
Ben kept at it musically out west, where (as "Benny Blitz"), he joined Victoria glam metal band The Lust Boys in early 2010, though a planned homecoming gig with them in March 2012 at the former Canadian Nightclub did not take place due to their tour van breaking down 5 hours outside of town. The local openers, Late & Loud among them, played on though. Alas, Ben never got to bring any of his B.C. bands home for concerts, but he remained in The Lust Boys until they broke up in 2014, and he stayed musically active in the Vancouver area, where he and fellow Lust Boys alum Jayme Black formed the old school metal band Rebel Priest later that year. It's with Rebel Priest where Benny found the most success, releasing two studio albums and some other EPs and singles, and touring as far away as Japan on multiple occasions! Rebel Priest last played live at The Cobalt in Vancouver on November 21st. 
As "Benny Burn", he was also a guitarist in the Vancouver speed metal band Roadrash from 2017-2020, while Ben notably also worked as a bartender and live DJ. It was too easy to miss out on what Benny was up to in B.C. over the years, but he accomplished a lot as a musician there, and while our interactions were brief before he moved, he was always a good guy, and it's a shame to lose him so suddenly, especially just days after Christmas. If you haven't heard his three main bands since he moved, do check out The Lust Boys, Rebel Priest, and Roadrash, as there's some solid classic metal of varying flavours therein, and it'd be neat to see their original music get some well deserved Ontario and Michigan hits. I don't know if any services are planned yet in the Soo or Central Algoma, but we'll let you know when more comes out. Check on your friends, and please reach out if you're struggling. R.I.P. Benny!
