Defunct Local Band Profile Series: The Northern Tragedy

It's now time for our last Defunct Local Band Profile of the year, as we continue our regular spotlighting of local metal, hard rock, and/or punk bands who may no longer be active, but still deserve a look back at their run and accomplishments. This month's randomly selected band was one of the more promising new punk bands locally in the early 2010s with two CDs and a lot of shows to their name, so here's what you should know about them!
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The Northern Tragedy

Genre: Punk/Alternative Rock

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Terrence Gomes (Changing Waves), vocals/drums
Mike Ivany, guitar
Corry Rideout, bass

Audio/Video: The Northern Tragedy released two independent CDs during their run, including a self-titled demo in October 2013 & an EP named "Home Ice" in March 2014. Both are long since out of print, but you can download both on a "name your price" model (or stream them for free) on their Bandcamp page, albeit without the physical cover artwork. A handful of videos survive publically from their run, including a pair of Rockstar Bar concert videos at their official YouTube channel, and videos of them playing "These Days" at the same venue and "Writing A Letter" at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion. Here they are playing "Dragon Drums" back in 2012!

Info/Analysis: Occasionally abbreviated as T.N.T., The Northern Tragedy were a local punk trio that publically launched in late 2012, shortly after frontman Terrence Gomes' prior hardcore band Changing Waves dissolved, though the new project shared more in common with his late 2000s punk band Good Morning Gorilla. The guys quickly became a prominent name in the local punk scene via opening slots for bands like Dearly Beloved, The Golers, and Warsenal, along with sets at 2013's Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands, the third Swampstravaganza, the Tippy Canoe Festival in Bruce Mines, and at Bon Soo's outdoor Marquee stage in 2014. After opening for Skynet at 180 Projects that March and releasing "Home Ice", Northern Tragedy updates became more sporadic, and they were last heard from plugging their addition to VM Radio's local music rotation in January 2015. Two months later, Terrence would resurface in the new alt-hard rock duo Infinity Grinder, who were active themselves until the spring of 2016.

With an upbeat modern punk sound with some indie flourish, The Northern Tragedy seemed primed for big things locally, and it's a shame they didn't last longer! Terrence's vocals were a great fit, especially while drumming simultaneously, and both Mike & Corry were effective compliments, but I always found them to be stiff in live concerts without much crowd engagement. Musically though, they were a solid boost to the local punk scene in 2013, and here's hoping the guys stay active in other projects!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Our first installment of 2020 will take us back to Sault Michigan, where we have randomly selected late 2000s grunge/alternative trio (and Plastic predecessors) Half Stupid to look at on or around January 10th! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and concert previews on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!