Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Half Past

It's now time for our last Defunct Local Band Profile of the year, as we once again look at a randomly chosen defunct or inactive metal, hard rock, or punk band from the Sault Ste. Marie area, in order to spotlight them, their activity, their material, and more from their local run! We're ending 2014 with a prominent Sault Ontario band from the turn of the 2010s, but I will just note as a reminder that we will not mention the recent legal issues of one of this band's ex-members here, as it's irrelevant to our focus on local bands and music on the site, not to mention this profile. Now, here's what you should know on this former local band!
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Half Past

Genre: Hard Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (Members not in their last full lineup in italics)

Jordan Rains (NAClamation), vocals

Alain Fletcher (Skeyes of Seven), lead guitar

Arthur "Chicky" Lacasse, bass/ex-rhythm guitar

Chris Thompson (Giwakwa, Frightlight, Fitswitch), drums

John Barber (Late Shift, Redefined), vocals
Luke LeBlanc, vocals
Charles Gibson (The Pisstanks), bass
Harley Syrette (No Arrow, Quite Frankly), bass
Ryan Disano (Caveman Morrison, Winkstinger), bass

Audio/Video: While Half Past were working on a debut CD in 2010, it was never completed, and it's preview video featuring original samples has since been pulled from public view. However, a decent amount of videos currently exist online, including a number of videos with different lineups at drummer Chris Thompson's YouTube channel, three covers from their classic lineup's last set together in February 2011 at this link, and a handful of live videos from assorted events on our YouTube channel, though note that Fingerbone-era videos aren't known to exist publically. Here's Half Past playing one of their best original songs "War Inside My Head" at The Canadian Nightclub in April 2010!



Info/Analysis: Active from 2008-2012, Half Past launched under the name Fingerbone, with their original quintet lineup debuting at Coch's Corner in the fall of 2008, though they only played a handful of gigs before a number of lineup changes & departures through 2009. After changing their name to Half Past, the band's classic quartet lineup debuted at that year's Coch's Corner Halloween Party, and followed it up with assorted headlining gigs and a set at Garden of Bedlam's website launch party during their early 2010 peak. After another hiatus partly due to bassist Arthur Lacasse's original departure, the band returned to headline at The Rockstar Bar in February 2011, but parted ways with then-singer Luke LeBlanc shortly afterwards. After acquiring new vocalist Jordan Rains, Half Past played sets at that year's Hempfest and returned for one more abbreviated set that October, but the band wouldn't take the stage again, and quietly dissolved in early 2012.

I enjoyed Half Past with all three of their singers, and it really seemed like they were going to do some big things, but they never had a sustained run of full activity under any incarnation. Al Fletcher's guitar stood out throughout, their singers all held their own, and Half Past's original songs from 2010 were entertaining, though it is disappointing that we never saw the release of their planned CD. Hopefully the guys stay active in music, and for the closest active matches to Half Past's sound, check out Al's current band Skeyes of Seven, and Fingerbone singer John Barber's band Late Shift!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Now, what's in store for this series to kick off 2015 via random band selection? Well, we'll start the year in Sault Michigan with the defunct young hard rock band Intrepid (featuring The Highest Of Fives' Mitch Goetz), but with only one substantial surviving online page and no currently public videos, I'll likely add a Sault Ontario band in a similar situation to fill things out. That band is The Joe Falco Experience, the former solo project from ex-No Arrow drummer Joe Falco, but if Intrepid's profile proves to be large enough to stand alone, Joe will lead off a split profile in February. Look for our next Defunct Profile(s) on or around January 10th, and stay tuned for more news and previews soon! Thanks everyone!