Defunct Local Band Profile Series: The Din

It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, and this month's randomly selected band is quite a big pick given the local scene's recent history! Here's what you should know in our latest monthly spotlight of a defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk act!

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The Din (originally known as Mike Haggith & The Din)

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Genre: Hard Rock/Power Pop/Acid Jam (early)

Lineup: (Members not in their last full lineup are in italics. The fluid nature of The Din's 2013-2014 run meant that guest musicians and permanent band members taking on alternate instrument roles live were not uncommon)

Mike Haggith (Haggith, The Strange Coyotes), vocals/bass/ex-guitar
Tammy Hill (The Steeletown Girls, Leaked), guitar
Brandan Glew (Re:Born, The Revolution), drums

Curtis McKenzie (Haggith, Project 421), guitar/bass
Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson (Crucify The Whore), guitar/bass
Daniel Horton (Spades GT, The Fast Life), drums
James Watterworth (The Strange Coyotes, Blackwater), saxophone

Audio/Video: The Din released two studio albums for sale, including "Give In To The Din" in 2016 and "Suburban Dream" at the tail end of their active run the following year. Three live albums, an expanded reissue of "Give In To The Din", and the soundtrack of the independent movie Ashes of K (featuring Din and Mike Haggith solo songs) were all also released, mostly after their breakup, and all can be bought or streamed on The Din's Bandcamp page. In their original era as an acid jam collective, Mike Haggith & The Din recorded a handful of "albums" that were posted for free on Mike's YouTube channel, but were never put on sale or physically printed. Live videos of The Din (both versions) are plentiful across their Facebook page and YouTube channel, plus Mike's solo channel, among other sources. Here's a near-hour long concert video of The Din live in 2017!

Info/Analysis: The original 2013-2014 version of Mike Haggith & The Din was an acid jam collective known for improvised and free-wheeling original sets distinct from members' then-concurrent work in the grunge/hard rock quartet Haggith. This era of the band was primarily seen at private events, but did play a handful of public gigs, Mike, Curtis, and new drummer Brandan Glew relaunched the band in time for a battle of the bands at The Speak Easy in March 2015, adopting a more traditional musical structure influenced by power pop and alternative rock, later shortening their name to just The Din. The band's classic lineup came into place when Tammy replaced Curt that fall, and they would become one of the most prominent local hard rock bands over the following two years, playing numerous concerts and community events like Rotaryfest Stage 2, Go Skateboarding Day, and Loud & Proud Day.

The Din announced their dissolution with their "Suburban Dream" CD release party at LopLops in October 2017 in advance of Mike's move to Manitoba for work reasons, but they did play a one-off reunion set at the same venue in July 2018. Mike has since enlisted Brandan on drums for his full-band solo gigs in Sault Ste. Marie. With good chemistry, tongues firmly planted in cheek, and a harder edge than Mike's more recent solo output, The Din left a solid impression upon local fans with their upbeat alt-rock originals and select covers! Their acid jam work is more of an acquired taste, but the guys were clearly having fun at the time. Be sure to check out both eras' ample extant media to hear what Mike & The Din brought to the table in the mid-2010s and beyond!

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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! For the fourth and final time in 2023, we're heading across the border in our rotation, with next month's randomly selected band being Brimley, Michigan metal quartet Half A Man! Look for that on or around November 10th, and for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!