Inactive Local Band Notes, Go Skateboarding Day Fallout, And More!!

A new news post is upon us for this Friday morning, so what is on tap? Sadly, this post is largely devoted to bands being moved out of our active band links, but we also have a few more assorted recent updates and a new video featuring a recent performance to check out. With all of that said, here's what you need to know!

We have a pair of bands to imminently move to our inactive band links due to a year's inactivity, one being classic/hard rock cover quartet Lucky 13. While the band has made no public statements about their future, they have not played an advertised concert since one year ago on Sunday when they headlined at The Rockstar Bar, and they hadn't posted on their Facebook page since April of last year as it was (though note that guitarist Robin "Bones" Lee left his other band Soundcheck for health reasons earlier this year.) A staple of the bar circuit since debuting at the inaugural Toystock charity concert in November 2012, this union of Aftersight, Turner Up, and Gully Yodelers alumni were frequently seen on stage in solo concerts over the following 3½ years, as well as becoming the only band to play at the first three Toystocks, headlining The Rednecks Saloon's relaunch party last spring, and closing The Rockstar Bar's St. Patrick's Day festivities in 2013.

Featuring a solid selection of veteran presences in the local rock scene, Lucky 13 were always a reliable sight on local stages, and their gritty, workmanlike sound could easily be slotted into numerous events alongside their solo gigs. Hopefully we see them back out there at some point in the future, but best of luck to Ed, Robin, Jeff, and Roger, and don't miss original guitarist Jeremey Salatuk with The 3 Day Millionaires!

The other band we're soon moving to our inactive band links is local pop punk quartet Stereo North, as they have not issued a public update concerning new band activity since one year ago on Sunday themselves. In that Facebook page posting, the guys announced that they were "taking a little break" due to guitarist Matthew Anich becoming a father, but their only updates since have referenced frontman Andrew Pucci's burgeoning solo career, so it appears that the "little break" has grown into an extended hiatus (at least.) Launching publically in late 2014 with a bassist search, Stereo North debuted at the Bon Soo Marquee outdoor concert in February 2015, and next played live at the following month's VM Radio Battle of the Bands, so they definitely got a big start! Fans may also recall seeing them open for The River Jacks, Exes For Eyes, and Broomfiller, perform at 2015's Rotaryfest Stage 2 & last year's second VM Radio Battle, and play numerous all-local events late in their 1½ year run, last seen at The Rednecks Saloon over the Victoria Day long weekend last year.

Stereo North were an entertaining band that acclimated fast to the local scene back in 2015, and their originals and often-unconventional covers were always a fun sight on local stages, and it's a shame that their songwriting for a planned debut album didn't visibly lead to recording sessions before going on their "little break". Best of luck to Andrew, Matthew, Bill, and Brett in the future, but hopefully Stereo North return at some point, and don't miss Andrew's solo work or bassist Bill Bennett's current band Stegadeth!

Next up, here's a new YouTube video from yesterday's fifth annual Go Skateboarding Day festivities at Queen Elizabeth Park! Posted by SooToday to their YouTube channel and attached to this article, the video is similar to their video from last year, only with no interview clip, just skateboarding, vendor, and band footage with an audio track pasted on top in post. Filming took place during blues/hard rock trio Electric Church's opening set, and they are seen from 56 seconds on in the video, but again, their performance is completely muted. Still well edited and shot, so give it a look below, and click here for a live streamed segment of Go Skate Day before the bands began!



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

• Local alternative punk quartet A Dire Setback will play their second out of town concert on Saturday, July 8th when they open for Peterborough doom rapper Garbageface for a third time, albeit in Timmins! The show comes just a day after the two acts open for Vaultry at The Canadian for Live705's punk/rap hybrid event, and this should be another intriguing opportunity for A Dire Setback to branch out! There's not enough Timmins/Soo connections for concerts in either city. Click here for more details, and good luck on the road once again next month!
• Local indie rock quartet K.I.C.K. and former Pixo Control frontman Mike Mikus (in one of his last sets before moving to Montreal) have been confirmed as the fifth and sixth acts playing at this year's Downtown Street Party on Queen Street East on July 13th, joining hard rockers The Din and fellow groups The Bearded Lounge, Sometimes Ange, and The Stumpy Coldwater Trio. Solid additions to add some alternative original stylings to the proceedings, so keep them in mind as well for this Thursday event next month! Our source is the street party's Facebook event page yesterday.
• I reluctantly have to remove Sault Michigan/Isle Royale metal solo project The 1,000,000,000's Who Died from our band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only online) page at some point this year. Led by Life's Eclipse mainman Jason Mills, The 1,000,000,000's Who Died were best known from their participation in label Werehold Records' Friday the 13th new music events from 2012 through last May, but nothing has followed in the past year, and their page deletion leaves Life's Eclipse as the only Werehold act listed in our active links. Hopefully we hear more from Jason's musical projects soon, perhaps on October 13th!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on The Sault Metal Scene in the coming days! Thanks everyone!