It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, as we're once again spotlighting a local metal, hard rock, or punk band from the past, as randomly selected from our inactive band links! This month's selection takes us a decade and a half back to Sault Michigan for a young original band who definitely had something good going while it lasted, especially for their scene, so here's what you should know on them!
Lineup (Members not in their last known lineup in italics):
Taylor Keller, vocals/guitar Ian Rose, guitar Justin Menard, bass Jack Messer, drums
Nick Marsh, guitar Scott Savoie (Swayze Train, Insipid Brutality), guitar Mike Libertoski (Bleak Life, Galactic Alignment), bass Nathan Cushman, bass Bertram Miller, bass/trumpet Stephanie Frost, bass Chris Shannon (Bush Meat, The Dirty Merchants), drums
Audio/Video:Poverty-Stricken did self-publish a demo cassette tape in 2004 with six original songs and two covers that was available on request, and a proper album named "A Rising Fall" was once planned to follow it, and it may have seen a release of some kind in 2006. Material from the latter sessions did make it to their page on the now-defunct PureVolume, with titles like "Stickin' In My Eye", "And The Hero Will Drown", and "Prostrate", though no material is known to publically survive on active social media or music sites. Note that band members are not familiar from other major E.U.P. acts aside from Scott & Mike, albeit via heavier projects.
Info/Analysis: Active from 2003 until at least mid-2006, Poverty-Stricken are one of the very few modern punk bands to come out of Sault Michigan. Originally named Lung Cheese & Death By Kickdrum, the band went through a lot of lineup turnover during their run, with only Taylor & Jack sticking with the group from bell to bell. Plans initially called for them to play hardcore ska, with early updates mostly revolving around demo recording & their lineup changes, but their best known lineup (Taylor, Justin, and Jack) settled into more advanced studio sessions in late 2005 onward, including a song for a planned compilation from the now-defunct Geneva Records. Scattered concerts would occur, including high school functions and a July 2006 show in Cedarville, but updates did not follow online, and Poverty-Stricken likely dissolved by the beginning of 2007.
With a detailed array of online pages (now only really visible on Tripod) and a locally unique sound, it would have been nice to see Poverty-Stricken have a longer & more fruitful run, as they had potential! Their PureVolume demos were rough, but they had a good ear for melodies and d a fun free-wheeling style, with "Stickin' In My Eye" working as an upbeat skate punk number in particular. I was in high school at the same time Poverty-Stricken were, and I'd have been into them had we been in the same Sault Ste. Marie, but alas. Hopefully the guys are all doing well nowadays!
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! This series returns on or around May 10th when we return to Sault Ontario for our next randomly selected defunct band, that being mid-late 2010s alternative hard rock quartet Id Iota! Look for that then, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
Continuing with our recent abundance of Sault Michigan news, we have even more on this Saturday morning (our first of two posts today), so we'll lead off with a new band discovery and a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for TONIGHT! After that, we'll touch on some recent Sault Ontario updates, including a new video and much more, so here's what you need to know!
In some recent Google searching, I recently discovered a defunct Sault Michigan hardcore/punk band named Poverty Stricken, so here's what you should know about them! Previously named Death By Kickdrum, Poverty Stricken were a young band (at the time) that was active from roughly 2003-2006, and they have a fairly detailed autobiography on their Angelfire website that has even minor details about their run, along with more info on their Tripod website and their PureVolume page. Their lineup widely varied, but frontman Taylor Keller & drummer Jack Messer were constants (alongside guitarist Ian Rose & bassist Justin Menard in their last lineup), and notable local metal guitarists like Mike Libertoski & Scott Savoie were briefly members according to the above links. Poverty Stricken did play live gigs, mainly at school functions, but they did play at the local Sidewalk Sales event in August 2006, and I can't find much else for band details after that point. They also released two demo tapes featuring mixtures of original material and metal/punk covers, and four rough demos were posted onto their PureVolume page linked above, but how do they sound?
The quality's rough, but there is a carefree style and a hard edge to the posted songs, and I think Poverty Stricken sound pretty good given their ages! I also admire the work put into their websites, band pages this old (let alone from high schoolers) don't tend to be this detailed. Some of the songs are a bit punk leaning, but there's something there musically, and I'd be interested to see what Taylor and Jack are up to musically now! Poverty Stricken are now in our inactive Sault Michigan band links!
Next up, here's that SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, as Sault Michigan hard rock quintet Full Throttle will be playing at Golanka's Bar (a.k.a. The Bird) TONIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, this was only just announced yesterday, and it'd have made our last Sault Michigan-only post too long if I shoved it in late. Recent favourites at The Bird, Full Throttle (featuring Absolute's Donny Newell on vocals, guitarists Jason Lamoreaux & Steve Pevarnic, drummer Mark Gillotte, and a bassist to be determined) should have a varied set of hard rock-leaning covers in store for fans tonight, so if you need something to do after LemmaFest, why not take a trip down to The Bird for some Full Throttle action? There's no announced cover charge for this 9:00 PM show, and you must be 21 to attend. Check the above links for details, and for a preview, here's Full Throttle's current incarnation covering Velvet Revolver's "Slither" in March!
We'll close this post in Sault Ontario, starting with new videos from local hard rock quartet Ashes To Dust! These are their first live concert videos since last fall, and like most of their other uploads, these come from performances on the stage at Superior Heights Collegiate & Vocational School, where the members still attend. Featuring their current lineup (though with Noah Morden focusing on vocals only with no bass), the videos are of Ashes To Dust playing their new original song "Forgotten Lives" and (as embedded below) a cover of 10 Years' "Wasteland", and the quality's fantastic on these! Noah's vocal range is improving, and the guys have a good sound and know the songs, though they could all stand to be a bit more energetic. Check out their 10 Years cover below, see more at the above links, follow Ashes To Dust on Twitter, and don't miss the guys at the third annual Swampstravaganza in August!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from Sault Ontario, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by band or venue name:
Queen Street East bar/concert venue The Bottom's Up Lounge will close this weekend, due to the building's landlords selling the location to new owners who want it vacated by July 1st. Though not a common metal venue, Tym Morrison once frequented this small (though classy) lounge, and metal band alumni have played at their open mic nights. Disappointing news for sure, but hopefully the ownership returns with a new spot down the road!
The July 6th Promonium Jesters-headlined concert has switched venues
(sort of), as promoters have quietly moved the show from The Rockstar Bar to their downstairs neighbour The Algonquin Pub. A reason wasn't
announced, but a scheduling conflict wouldn't surprise me, as it is a Saturday nighter. The show should still be great no matter what floor it's on, so don't miss it!
I've removed defunct local hardcore band With Blood Build Character (the original band under this name, not the former Unbound that guitarist Christopher Neveau is also a member of) from our Sault Ontario band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook page earlier this year. Essentially the successors to March Into Regression, they played live just once (in Laird last August) before falling inactive, but hopefully their members stay active in local music going forward!
That's all for now, but stay tuned later today for this month's YouTube Channel Profile on ex-Intrepid guitarist Donnie Hank's channel! Thanks everyone!
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