Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Programmed To Fail & Mackinaw Trail

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, as we're once again looking at one or two defunct/inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk bands, in order to spotlight their public run and accomplishments for current readers! As usual, this month's bands were randomly selected from our band links. This month's first band didn't have enough surviving information to warrant a solo profile, so I randomly picked another band in a similar state from Sault Michigan to round things out, and the fact that their names rhyme is purely coincidental. Now, here's what you should know!
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Programmed To Fail

Genre: Hardcore Punk
 
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (The instrument roles of this band's members may be incorrect. Let me know if you can make any corrections! Note that they never had an official drummer, and used a drum machine on their Soundcloud postings.)

Craig Kelly, vocals
Justin "Thorky" Thorkilson, guitar
Corry Rideout (The Northern Tragedy), bass

Info/Analysis: Launching under the name The Transjenners in February 2016, Programmed To Fail quickly posted their only original "We Push Back" on their Soundcloud page, which was a raw but intense punk song that showcased fair promise! After a brief hiatus, P.T.F. returned in late 2017 with Corry added on bass, but little followed aside from teaser photos, and the band ultimately dissolved in 2018, aside from posting a trap instrumental on Soundcloud that October. Programmed To Fail were a work in progress that never had much to report, but Craig & Thorky had something on "We Push Back", and it'd be interesting to see them pick up where they left off! 

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Mackinaw Trail

Genre: Classic/Hard Rock
 
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members:

Henry Switzer (Highway 63), vocals/guitar
George Belleau (Highway 63, Full Throttle, Hawk Junction), bass
Ron Suchey (Highway 63, Monkey's Uncle, RamWagon), drums

Audio/Video: Mackinaw Trail themselves never posted any media to preview their sound, but seeing as they were a side project of 2014-2020 classic/hard rock cover quartet Highway 63, and shared three members with their final lineup, watching that band's extant videos will give you an idea. As well, note that Mackinaw Trail did tease a setlist comprised of songs from Henry & Ron's old band Monkey's Uncle (née Jager) when they made their live debut.

Info/Analysis: Mackinaw Trail (an alternate name for the real H-63) played their only concert on October 18th, 2019 when both bands split a weekend engagement at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Ste. Marie Kewadin Casino. This new band was designed as a way to play live dates when Highway 63 guitarist Nathan Switzer (Henry's son) was unavailable, while also recording original music, but the pandemic & Henry's health issues stalled any further public plans. Henry did post some of his solo activity on Mackinaw Trail's Facebook page in late 2020, but the band likely dissolved following his death in February 2021. While videos never appeared of Mackinaw Trail proper, it's safe to say that fans of Henry's local music career would have enjoyed Mackinaw Trail, and they were the victim of bad timing. Hopefully we'll see George and Ron back on stage down the line, and R.I.P. Henry!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next month in this series, we'll head back to Sault Ontario for the summer, where our newest randomly selected band of the past will be mid-2010s solo project StrykerGC (a.k.a. Stonesmith GC),so look for that on or around June 10th, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Punk Band, Project 421 Updates, And Much More!!

Today's news post is full of shorter recent items, but we also have some details on what's been up with a popular local band recently, and first, here's a new local hardcore punk band to add to our band links, and they are called Programmed To Fail! Note that they spelled it "Programed" with one M, no word yet on if that's intentional. This is actually the band who formerly went as The Transjenners (presumably referencing Caitlyn Jenner), and who had recently deactivated their Facebook page for unannounced reasons, but now it's back with the new, less-topical name. As of this writing, we don't know a lot about Programmed To Fail (including who all is in the band), but they do have a Soundcloud page under their original name that has a short original song named "We Push Back". Running for just 74 seconds, it has the requisite intensity, but it's staticy, ends abruptly, and has very loud vocals. I'm curious to hear more from Programmed To Fail though, so check them out above!

Next up, here's the latest from local classic metal quintet Project 421, who clarified their recent inactivity and concert removals via their Facebook page two weeks ago (our apologies for the delay, I only saw the personal Facebook posting about this at the time.) In a nutshell, guitarist Frank McGillivray's daughter Casey has been brought to the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto due to abdominal tumours, and while she has undergone surgery, they were awaiting further details on her prognosis as of February 7th. As a result, the band is hoping to host a benefit show (date & venue unclear) for Frank's family in order to cover medical costs, and are looking for bands and a P.A. system for said event, though the posting notes that Project 421 themselves likely won't be playing if it happens. This is definitely sad news, but our best wishes and thoughts are with Casey, the McGillivray family, and all affected by this, and hopefully she gets well soon!

And if you're interested in helping out towards the proposed benefit concert, message guitarist Blair Burch at this link for details! Hopefully we see Project 421 back on stage when the time is right, but family comes first, and if you want your fix in the meantime, remember that Curtis, Daniel, and Chris are also in Eclipse! Stay tuned for more when it's announced!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Remember how the Facebook event page for last night's Like A Pisces Nirvana tribute concert at The Gore Street Cafe replaced the individual performer names with the monikers "Brash Gash" & "Insoosticide"? Well, those weren't just stage names, as they were actually (one-off?) bands that played the event alongside The Pixo Control, presumably with some of the same performers that were previously listed, with a shared photo showing Brash Gash's frontman wearing an elaborate fish mask. Very intriguing, we'll have to see if these bands prove to be more than one-offs!
• Newer local modern hard rock quartet Eclipse are the fourth publically confirmed band for next month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands (as per the Facebook event page), joining The Din, K.I.C.K., and Stereo North on the bill! Eclipse are also the first band confirmed to be playing next month's Speak Easy Battle, but can members improve on their performances in last year's battles with The Din, Haggith, and Project 421 come next month? Stay tuned for much more on both events!
• Speaking of Haggith, the defunct local grunge/hard rock quartet revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that they're giving fans the chance to bring the band back for a reunion concert (date and venue undetermined), but only if they get 500 shares/likes on the aforementioned post by May 10th. If this campaign gets that far, the 475th person to share or like the post will win a gift package of band merchandise. It'd be nice to get full closure to their run, so visit the above links to help support the reunion campaign!
• Local drummer John Ethier is looking to jam some "fast punk" with other local musicians. There's some early interest, but if you'd like more details, message John at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from this past Monday!
• Local classic/hard rock quartet Mourning Wood's special evening show at Cocina Del Diablo this past Thursday (as "Jukebox") was held without guitarist Steven Flint for unannounced reasons, as per personal Facebook postings by band members. Hopefully "Jukebox" had a great show despite Steven's absence! Also, just to clarify, last night's New American Pub gig was apparently an 8:00 PM show (not 6:00 PM, but still unusually early.)
• The original crash band (Sykotyk Rampage) have posted their newest free "album" onto their Reverbnation page! Entitled "Messa-Chords", it was released last week, is considered their 56th album (and first of six this year), and is an instrumental release with all song titles starting with the letter B and consisting of four words, with all but two having at least two words starting with B. It's up to their usual creative standards, so give it a listen at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates as this week progresses! Thanks everyone!

2016 Speak Easy Battle Of The Bands Information, Plus More Assorted News & Notes!!

Today's post at the SMS is mostly devoted to some shorter news and notes, but let's kick things off with some big updates concerning another local battle of the bands for next month, so let's get this one started!

The long teased second Speak Easy Battle of the Bands finally has an announced date, and it'll take place at Algoma University's campus bar/concert venue on Thursday, March 10th! Ostensibly an annual event now, this was originally scheduled for November 19th before being postponed due to unspecified "sponsorship issues". As per the new Facebook event page, the ground rules for this battle will be very similar to last year's, with 15 minute sets for each band and 5 minutes for set-up time, a crowd vote to determine winners, and prizes of $400, $200, and $100 for the top 3 bands. Twin City Sound will return to provide sound and base gear for the competitors, and it's now emphasized this year that the winning band will also get an encore set (I can't confirm if that was the case last year.) Promoters aim to have eight bands next month (up from seven last year), and while not currently confirmed, advertising for the battle's original date indicated that The Din, Eclipse, Jesse Merineau, and the returning Pillory were scheduled at the time.

Nothing there indicates that they still have reserved slots like they had in November, but might we still see some or all of them next month? If you're interested in competing, message co-promoter Meghan Rix A.S.A.P. at meghan.rix@algomau.ca for details! For reference, last year's battle was won by Gnaeus, with Long Shot and The Bear Hunters taking second & third, while the other competing acts were Infinity Grinder, Jesse Merineau, (Mike Haggith &) The Din, and Project 421. Also, note that Pillory bassist Jordan Leach is not involved with promoting this year's battle, so if Pillory do compete, there's no conflict of interest! For potential attendees, there's a $5 cover next month, there's a 10:00 PM start time in effect, and while there is a 19+ age limit for most attendees, minors with valid Algoma University student ID can get into the event. And yes, this battle will again be taking place one day after a night of next month's second annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands (in this case, after the March 9th semifinal; last year's was after the first night.)

While it's a little odd that they'd continue the scheduling in such proximity to the bigger VM Radio Battle, at least it's a consistent annual schedule if this maintains, and they don't run on the same day! Last year saw four bands play both battles, but will more pull double duty again next month?  It's great to see the Speak Easy Battle back for a second go, even if the fan vote method isn't optimal, so be sure to message Meghan A.S.A.P. at the above links, click here for more info, and stay tuned for more on both of next month's battles!

Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Garden of Bedlam frontman Erik "Buzz" Boissineau revealed in a recent personal Facebook posting that he "can't wait until Garden of Bedlam and Changing Lanes perform for you guys again", which indicates that his local bands aren't done yet despite his impending work-related move to Guelph. Changing Lanes played Buzz's farewell concert this past weekend, and while the door remains open for a return when the time is right, we've only seen Garden of Bedlam (outside of a stag & doe) once since 2013, and they haven't updated their Facebook page since the summer. Stay tuned for more (hopefully) on their status and future plans!
• In their first public update since July, local alternative hard rock band Id Iota posted a photo on their Facebook page showing guitarist Dustin Goodall (also now of The Pixo Control) "making some sounds", with the picture showing him playing in front of a laptop with a music mixing program open. Are Id Iota recording new originals? When will we see them live next? Have they found a new bassist? Hopefully we hear more from Id Iota soon!
• In a clarification for Friday night's Pixo Control/Aldous concert, we can now confirm that the show is NOT the Valentine's Day-themed event that Daniel Horton was promoting, as The Rockstar Bar's Facebook group confirmed that the show in question has now been postponed to THIS SATURDAY NIGHT for unannounced reasons. The date did change, as opener Shit Creek Survivor & planned performers Eclipse have both said it was on February 12th in earlier postings. With that said, the involved bands haven't plugged the show on Facebook as still being on the 13th, but we'll let you know more in this weekend's concert previews!
• On their Facebook page last night, local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage revealed the titles and irreverent cover artwork of this year's planned new "albums", and they are titled "Messa-Chords", "Alarm Alarm", "Strange", "Krazy", "Kock Block Rock", and "S.C.O.T.T." Odds are, these will again be free postings on their Reverbnation page, but fans of the crash will want to pay attention for when these go online, so stay tuned for more!
• If you saw a Facebook page in recent weeks for a new local hardcore punk band named The Transjenners (obviously referencing Caitlyn Jenner), you're not alone, but that page was quietly deleted for unannounced reasons. I do not know who was in the band or anything on them beyond the name, but there was a comment on their page from a Facebook user who had saw them jam once. If they re-emerge, or if we hear more about them, we'll let you know!
• Registration packages for next month's second annual VM Radio Battle of the Bands will be available to pick-up at The Rad Zone and Case's Music THIS FRIDAY, as per co-promoter J.D. Pearce on the Facebook event page yesterday! There are limited spots available for next month's four night event at The Canadian Nightclub, so if you haven't gotten your packages yet, get them starting on Friday! Remember, there is a $100 admission fee, but you'll get that money back (and more) if you sell even seven of the 10 ticket bundles that you'll get, so don't let that stop you! See the above links for full current details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!