New Archive Video Uploads Of No Arrow & Faithless Sin!!

Just a heads up, this post is the first on the SMS that I've had to make using Blogger's new editor interface which was rolled out earlier this year. I am not an immediate fan of it, and I have already had to check online help forums to answer questions about where certain things are, so if anything looks amiss, that's why. Hopefully things are sorted out soon!

Today's post is devoted to archive videos from prolific local rock musician Joe Falco's YouTube channel, which we alluded to in a post on the site three weeks ago, as Joe was in the late stages of a massive upload streak of videos from his run in live bands in the mid-late 2000s. Let's start with the biggest of his past groups, namely 2005-2011 grunge/alternative rock trio No Arrow (née Murder Playground), who are the subject of 25 of his videos in the last few months! These include a now-band official upload of all 12 songs from their unreleased studio album "Souls For Sale" and a few videos that were previously uploaded on frontman Dann Pichette's YouTube channel. Joe's uploads, brand new or otherwise, include three videos from a weekend at The Canadian Nightclub in April 2007, two from a Sault Area Wrestling event at The Elks Lodge that fall, two from The Speak Easy at Algoma University, three from Madison's Pub (now The Harp Bar & Grill), a rehearsal jam of "One On The Line", and a Fitswitch parody under their original name.

Embedded below is 62 minutes of an early No Arrow set at Madison's Pub in November 2006, though it doesn't capture the entire performance due to tape limitations. Featuring Dann and Joe alongside original bassist Jason Bourcier (more on him in a bit), this concert took place on Jason's birthday, and it features 17 songs, though only 5 are originals at this stage. In order, you can see the guys play Local H's "All Right, Oh Yeah", Helmet's "Unsung", The Melvins' "Revolve", their original "Bleed Your Hate", Nirvana's "Stain", The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage", their unreleased album's title track "Souls For Sale", Local H's "Cool Magnet", their own "Genocyde Revealing", The Melvins' "Youth of America", part of Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick" with a guest guitarist, their original "Delayed Reaction", Local H's "Bound For The Floor", Motorhead's "Ace of Spades", their own "One On The Line", and two final Local H songs (part of "Everyone Alive" and "All The Kids Are Right".)

It's awesome seeing a lengthy No Arrow video like this, albeit 14 years later, and while the VHS camcorder quality isn't ideal (smartphones weren't ubiquitous yet), the raw intensity is on full display!  Of course, any fans of Local H will want to give this a special look, especially as you don't hear them covered often nowadays. Give this video a watch below, and check out much more from No Arrow's mid-late 2000s heyday at the above links!

Speaking of bands that Jason and Joe were in together, let's now look at another old band that Joe has uploaded content from, namely their old 2005-2007 thrash metal band Faithless Sin! Here featuring Jason on vocals (a'la Operation: Killdozer) and Joe on guitar, this band also features guitarist Frank LaTassa (Quite Frankly), bassist Ryan Gratton (Chronic Demonic) and drummer Mark Parent in their lone video, but Mike DiPasquale preceded Frank in the band, and Gates of Winter alum Jonathan Harvey drummed in their brief 2010 reunion. Faithless Sin never got far off the ground, and have no known public concerts to their name, but some members did more collectively in their successor band Time of Ruin from 2007-2008. Joe has uploaded four videos representing Faithless Sin, including two crude audio copies of originals ("Chaos Reigns" & "River Flows Cold"), plus a better quality recording of two Slayer covers. Embedded below is Faithless Sin's only surviving video!

Also filmed via that VHS camcorder, this is very much a jam session recording, and Joe is very forthcoming in the video description if a song was a jam or rough, plus what he wishes the video would have captured from their setlist at the time. In order, the guys can be seen playing Slayer's "War Ensemble" as a soundcheck, Megadeth's "She-Wolf", In Flames' "Behind Space 99", Sepultura's "Refuse/Refist", their combined version of Slayer's "Die By The Sword" & "Black Magic", a jam of Pantera's "Fucking Hostile" from a different camera angle, another loose jam of Metallica's "My Friend of Misery" with Joe on vocals, two separate run-throughs of their original "Chaos Reigns" (a first-time jam and a proper performance), and finally, Metallica's "Blackened". Camera aside, this raw and brutal rehearsal captures a promising band that I'd have liked to have seen go further locally! Our view of Faithless Sin is only optimal on the Pantera cover though.

On songs that Joe doesn't give a disclaimer for, everyone sounds tight and dialed in, and Jay's groove-influenced growl adds the extra bark (that's a good comparison), and given that Frank had just joined the band, he fit right in on certain songs! Give Faithless Sin's archive videos a watch above and below, and stay tuned for more from Joe's channel in the coming days!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Rick Styles

On this 22nd of the month, here's our newest YouTube Channel Profile, our last before we formally include channels in our random selection that have a high ratio of local punk videos! This month's selection in our monthly look at YouTube channel(s) with a majorty of SMS-relevant clips takes us to a channel that's been a steady source of metal & punk action since the mid-2000s, and is owned by a very familiar face, so read on below for this month's YouTube Channel Profile!
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Rick Styles (http://www.youtube.com/fitswitch)

Owner: Frightlight guitarist Rick "Styles" White, also known as the drummer for Redundant, T-Rex Manning, and The Thrill Junkies, and for past work with bands like Fitswitch, Caveman Morrison, Browbeat, The Pisstanks, Fist Fighting Stephen Hawking, Chronic Demonic, and The Northern Mudsliders, among others

Channel Timeline: Launched on February 16th, 2006; Videos posted from that day through March 2014

Channel Summary: Originally the official YouTube channel for Rick White's popular mid-2000s punk/metal band Fitswitch, Rick began expanding the channel to include other bands & videos in December 2006, later including an early No Arrow performance and two clips referring to his old band The Pisstanks, though neither features the band playing a song. After his last Fitswitch video from one of their reunion concerts went up in the spring of 2009, later uploads would revolve around Rick's newer bands, focusing on Frightlight & Redundant through 2012, and Fist Fighting Stephen Hawking in early 2014, with his most recent video being a solo guitar cover of The Kittens' song "Great Dane".

Why Should You Watch: Rick's channel is worth checking out if you've ever been a fan of any of his more prominent bands, as it's got some solid concert footage spanning over 8 years, and the talent and live energy is present on these whether you're a punk or metal fan! Note that the quality of the videos can be sporadic (especially the older Fitswitch clips), and aside from the Redundant videos, there's no footage relating to bands that he drummed for. For reference, note that while Rick did post videos on his channel earlier this year, it's not uncommon to go months without new postings there.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Suicide Girl - Fitswitch: Though Rick's most viewed video is actually of a pool party, it's not connected musically to any of his bands, so we won't embed it here. Instead, here's his second most viewed video, of Fitswitch playing their song "Suicide Girl" at a basement jam session circa September 2006, late in their original run together. Their lineup at the time featured Rick on lead guitar alongside Frightlight bandmates J.D. Pearce & Chris Thompson on vocals & drums, plus his Redundant bandmate Justin Langlois on rhythm guitar, and ex-Sense of Truth bassist Curtis Beauchamp, though with the band wearing what appear to be Jason masks, it's hard to tell without the end credits. The video is very dark too, and the colour filters don't necessarily help, but it's a strong performance musically, with a neat ambiance, and J.D.'s melodic vocals fit well throughout! Give more of Rick's Fitswitch videos from the late 2000s a look above!



Fright Light - Dead town (live): Rick uploaded two videos of his recent punk/metal band (and Fitswitch successors) Frightlight onto his channel from a concert at the old Coch's Corner on June 16th, 2010, which was the famed "secret show" that still has never been publically detailed in it's entirety as to what happened that night. All I'll say is that the events of their Toronto tour date vlog from 2012 (also from Rick's channel) bear a large common element. As for the videos, an attendee filmed Frightlight's then lineup (Rick, J.D. as "Johnny Pints", bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras, and drummer Jeff "Shrek Ogre" Richards) playing their originals "Fright Night" & "Dead Town Anywhere" that night, though the audio can be tinny through this camera, and the absence of a second guitarist is noticeable. Still, this was a solid early performance from the guys on a big night... you had to be there!



Redundant Live Halloween Show 2011 at Feedback: Running for 41 minutes, Rick's longest video comes from his current punk trio Redundant's Halloween night concert in 2011 at the former Foggy Notions (then in it's brief run as Feedback, now the current Coch's Corner.) The video features Redundant (also featuring frontman Justin Langlois & Rick's brother James on bass) in Green Day costumes playing an all-cover set, including covers of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" (with usual Metallica intro), Green Day's "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield?", Screeching Weasel's "Cool Kids", Weezer's "El Scorcho" (with usual TLC interlude), Del Shannon's "Runaway", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", Blink-182's "Dammit" (with Fitswitch alum Larry Mousseau on guest drums), Green Day's "When I Come Around" (with "Friends" theme intro), part of Tool's "Sober", and NOFX's "Bob", before a noise complaint and a police visit called the show short. Strong energetic set, and well filmed at stationary and moving angles from near the stage, so fans will enjoy the fun yet attitude fueled covers on display!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, we'll profile a channel picked from our deepest pool yet of local channels due to the punk expansion (217 and counting!), but what channel got picked this time? Through 100% random selection, we've chosen Bad Back drummer Nathan Sauve's old YouTube channel, which features videos of him with Bad Back, Lion Ride, Fuller, and more, so there's a wide array of sounds for fans to enjoy there! Look for that on or around August 22nd, and stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

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!

An Upcoming Outdoor Charity Concert, Plus More News And Updates!!

Can you believe that this is our 29th post of the month? That's an SMS record, and we still have four days left in the month! The news and updates keep rolling in, and today's post includes a bit of backlogged stuff too, but all of it is worth mentioning! Let's begin!

I recently got an e-mail from Chris Wilson, who's looking to hold an outdoor fundraiser concert on August 14th, and asked for my help in getting the word out on this event. The show would be in benefit of Pauline's Place Youth Shelter on Pim Street, and Chris is looking for local bands (presumably of any genre) to fill a 9-10 hour timeslot for this concert. Bands won't be paid for performing, this is a charitable fundraiser, but it's for a great cause, and could get your band some exposure! No word on already confirmed acts, where the show will be held, or any other details yet, but I imagine those should come out sooner or later. So if you or your band would be interested in playing this outdoor benefit concert for Pauline's Place, e-mail Chris for more information at lp_k_fa@hotmail.com! Sounds like a nice idea, we'll have to see how this concert shapes up! As I hear more, I will let you guys know!

Next up, the final installment of Woods of Ypres' 2010 tour diary on Decibel Magazine's website is now online! Once again, bassist Shane Madden detailed the happenings, events, and notable moments of more of their tour dates, this time focusing on their final American show in Worcester, Massachusetts, and their last two Canadian dates in Toronto and Ottawa, with a conclusion afterwards to sum up the tour! We get such things to read about as what the band used to temporarily repair a broken van window, the surprising ease of crossing back into Canada, the "homecoming" feelings that the Toronto show gave them (remember, Woods were based out of Toronto in the mid-2000s), what happened in an "alternate universe" on their way to the Ottawa show, and much more from their last three tour dates! Sounds like the tour went well, though I still would have loved to have seen a local show! I know David Gold isn't highly enamored with here, but I know I'm not alone in saying that they should play here again down the road! Check out the final tour diary installment at this location, and I'll keep you posted with more Woods of Ypres updates as I hear them!

Thirdly today, I have a video that, though not newly uploaded by any stretch, is new to me! If you were around the local music scene in the mid-2000s, you may remember that local grunge band No Arrow were originally known as Murder Playground, and have a couple videos floating around online. This one, I've never seen until the other day, and it's a live performance video from New Years Eve 2006 of Murder Playground covering the Nirvana classic "Breed" at Madisons Pub! The video is in black and white, and while the video quality isn't bad, the audio is VERY scratchy. So I'm embedding this here for the historical coolness moreso than to listen to, but do check it out! I've always liked Murder Playground/No Arrow, and the dancing concertgoers in the video would likely feel the same! Check out this classic clip below, or at No Arrow's MySpace page!



And finally, I have some cool stuff to share from the local scene's past! Glen Thomas, prolific local drummer and mastermind of The Barking Eye, graciously gave me two really cool locally-relevant metal posters a couple weeks back, and I finally have room to show you guys! One is a classic poster, presumably from a concert, of Human Disorder, the Port Colborne metal band featuring Saultites/current Phatstick members Jason Taillefer & Joe LaVergne! Plain, but effective, you can check it out on your left! The other is an authentic concert poster from way back in the mid 1980s (I'm guessing 1984), from Canadian metal legends Anvil's show at The Ramada Inn (now The Best Western!) Yes, they were here in person, on April 13th of that year with special guests Riggy Zomba, a local band that later became known as Vandyl! Glen profiled Riggy Zomba/Vandyl in May on The Barking Eye, click here for details on them! Europe-style glam hard rock quintet, not bad at all, though none of the members are largely active in the local scene nowadays to my knowledge. I love both aspects of the poster, the "Forged In Fire" poster artwork and the photocopied local show poster stapled to the side. You just don't get posters like these anymore for local advertising! Huge thanks to Glen for giving these posters to me, both proudly adorn the walls of my room! Check out the Anvil/Riggy Zomba poster below, and also below that, Glen's YouTube upload of Riggy Zomba's song "Teenage Rebel" from their Vandyl days!

That's all for today, but stay tuned over the next few days for previews of this weekend's shows, my next album review (here's a hint: It's a band I've reviewed an album of before), my next out of town profiles, and more! Stay tuned!