Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Bent Rollercoaster

It's the 10th, so as expected, it's time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Likely our only Sault Michigan-area defunct profile of the summer (barring a 2 band month in August), this month's randomly chosen band had some solid notoriety in the Eastern U.P. in the late 2000s, so we're giving these guys (and girl) a deserved look back at their history, material, and current whereabouts, as we do with 1-2 bands each month. Without any further adieu, here's what you need to know! (Updated on August 27th, 2013)
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Bent Rollercoaster

Genre: Classic Hard Rock/Indie/Alternative

Hometown: Eckerman, Michigan

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics. This information may be incomplete. E-mail me at robertfigures@outlook.com if you have any additions or corrections!)

Dian Welch (Canabyeti), vocals
Denny Breslin (Half A Man, Hammerspace, Canabyeti), guitar
Chuck "Hemo" Welch (Canabyeti), bass

Paul "Dorothy" Burns (Plastic, Hammerspace), drums
Jeff Parish, vocals

Audio/Video: Bent Rollercoaster have a very high number of original songs & videos across their numerous online pages that are worth checking out! Their OnStage page features 13 different original songs spanning numerous styles from their late 2000s run, along with their song "Hater" by their short lived successor band Canabyeti. Most of their MySpace pages include some extra tracks, including three unique songs at both this link & their fan club page, and the song "Bentcave Boogie" on their primary MySpace page. As for videos, while drummer Paul Burns has uploaded 8 videos from an unidentified concert onto his personal Facebook page, the oldest videos are from their MySpace pages, including a 2007 video of them playing "Vaporized Mind" with a guest singer, and three videos from a Halloween 2008 gig (including a Collective Soul cover) via their main MySpace page. I've uploaded all of the MySpace videos to our YouTube channel as well, but check out any of the above links to see Bent Rollercoaster in action, including their Halloween performance of "Let Your Voice Be Heard" below!



Info/Analysis: Bent Rollercoaster were a diverse hard rock quartet from Eckerman, Michigan that were active in the Eastern U.P. from around February 2007 through early 2009. Though specific information on their 2 year run is minimal, they were a frequent sight at numerous local concerts, including the four band Rock Starz event at The Sault Theater in July 2008, that year's Brimley Whitefish Festival, and many other area concerts. Last verifiably seen gigging in October 2008, they quietly parted ways in early 2009, with most of the band forming a short-lived new blues rock trio named Canabyeti that spring. Since their breakup, members Paul Burns & Denny Breslin have been active in newer local bands like Half A Man & Plastic. It's a shame that Bent Rollercoaster didn't last longer than they did, because though they weren't the most consistently heavy band in the area, they must have gotten lots of notice! Songs like "Unsought Tyranny" & "Let Your Voice Be Heard" showed their heavier side fairly well, while others widely vary, but a nice laid back spirit is a general constant. Dian's singing, though casual, suited their various songs, and the guys had a nice groove and melody on most of their wide array of originals, especially thanks to Denny's solid guitar work! If you're up for a looser and more carefree style of hard rock that encompasses many genres, give Bent Rollercoaster a listen, and maybe they'll come back down the road!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Next in the series, we'll return to Ontario for the rest of the summer in all likelihood, and as always, the next band we're looking at was randomly chosen from our inactive band links, but who's getting profiled next? Kiss fans should like this, as we're profiling the mid-2000s Kiss tribute band (and Dunnplugged veterans) Creatures of the Night next month, so watch out for that on or around July 10th! That's all for now, but stay tuned for our second archive Woods of Ypres magazine interview later tonight! Thanks everyone!