No Arrow - "Souls For Sale" CD Review!!

It's time for our 199th monthly CD review and first one of 2026, and after a Christmassy detour last month, we're back on our backlog's timeline by release date, and while we're a few months behind, that's nothing given how long this album has been in the works! This month's review is of defunct local grunge/alt-rock trio No Arrow's album "Souls For Sale", which was finally released on July 21st after first being recorded in 2009 midway through the band's original run! The posthumous release is through Mike Haggith's indie label MorningStar Records, where it is exclusive to physical formats through their print-on-demand supplier ElasticStage, and is not on most major streaming services. Recorded locally at the time and mastered in the UK by Chris Daniels, No Arrow are represented here by future SBD singer/guitarist Dann "Wayek" Pichette and Faithless Sin alum Joe Falco on drums, with Quite Frankly bassist Harley Syrette featured on all but two songs.

Harley's replacement Brad "Gortium85" Griffith (later of Bizotic) plays bass on the remaining two tracks, while a guest guitarist named Lutz Wille appears on "Lighter". You can buy "Souls For Sale" at this link on vinyl for $43.90 or on CD for $17.90, though be advised that the vinyl pressing omits "Most Of All" due to the 23 minutes-per-side space limitations given ElasticStage's printing methods ("Cuts" moves from the end of the album to replace it as track #6 there). While not on Spotify and them, Dann has freshly uploaded all 12 songs from "Souls For Sale" to his YouTube channel, so if you want to stream them for free, do so there or via the song names below!

With 12 songs running for about 49 minutes (on the CD), let's begin this album review, over 16 years in the making! No Arrow lead off here with "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 1", which gets off to a very 1960s psychedelic vibe to start (how SBD of them) before the song gets into grungy territory, with a pacing and melody not unlike Nirvana's "Breed", but with more measured verse singing. The chorus is where this song takes a bit of a step back, as it comes off too chaotic and messy with Joe's drumming not really gelling with Dann's vocals. Intro aside, this doesn't reinvent the wheel for fans of early 1990s grunge, but it's a fun rocker that would be ideal to start their set with, even with my chorus points! Next up is "Sikkha", A nice raw sound to this one with really solid kick drum work from Joe early, and Dann lets off some welcomed force and anger in his singing early!

Mid-way through, the tempo slows down for an effective but short bridge that launches back into the hard rocking with a primal scream from Dann, and with a catchy guitar riff throughout, a more original freewheeling structure, a solid (if somewhat buried) solo, and thumping rhythms, this is easily a highlight of "Souls For Sale", and highly recommended for genre fans! Third is "Lighter", featuring Lutz Wille (who I am 100% unfamiliar with) on guest guitar. True to its name, this is is a lighter and airier song that would translate well to an acoustic format if they ever went that route, though it still has distorted guitar and an alt-rock edge that slightly picks up on the bridge, plus an outro of what sounds like surfing the radio dial. The pacing and casual nature of it doesn't suit No Arrow's skill set (to me), so while well performed, I prefer their harder edged and faster stuff overall.

Song #4 is "Delayed Reaction", which brings back the heavier stylings with strong bashing of the skins by Joe and a strong lead guitar riff, but interestingly, the choruses are slow and measured whereas the verses are balls to the wall. Honestly, the guitar work feels a little proggy to me, which goes in line with Dann's known fandom of early Pink Floyd, but this is very much a heavy track. Catchy and strongly performed, but the choruses do stall the momentum enough for me to not prefer it to "Sikkha" despite a lot of good intensity on offer! Next is the shortest song on offer, namely the title track "Souls For Sale", which is a tighter and more direct grunge rocker with pointed vocals, a gritty & in-your-face guitar riff, and solid bass work from Harley, plus a spacey flourish in some of the instrumental sections. Nothing too shocking, but if you want a straightforward song for genre fans, this is it!

The first half of the CD ends (or the second half of the vinyl begins) with "One On The Line", which is the most punk-inflected song on the album yet, and it's another strong bass showcase for Harley while letting the guys let loose with something a little different, but Dann's vocals are more buried in the mix here, especially on the choruses (where only "I don't mind" comes through with any clarity). Musically, this feels the most like "organized chaos", so to speak, but it does end somewhat abruptly. Fun diversion but I wish Dann's singing was more consistently clear. Next is the song that Dann opted to drop from the vinyl copies of "Souls For Sale", namely "Most Of All", which is also the first of two tracks with Brad on bass. This is a medium paced rock song with more of an indie influence but still with grungy distortion. Joe's drumming is a highlight here, and Brad acquits himself well also!

While not an intense, fast grunge track aside from Dann's vocals, it works well enough and is structured well without any major gaps. Perhaps Dann didn't like it as much as other songs, hence why it was dropped from the vinyl copies, but honestly, I don't think it's the worst song here. We next get "Substitute Victim", featuring Brad in his last turn as a performer on the disc. Things get dialed up to a fast tempo with a punk influence, which all sounds good, but why are the vocals so processed here? It sounds like Dann's singing in a tunnel! We even get a bit of a guitar solo here, and Joe's drumming is really good, but the song feels so over-processed in post-production, and if you listen to the whole album, this really sticks out like a sore thumb in spite of the guys' strong musicianship. Harley returns for track #9, "The Pissing Song", which runs for an album-high 6+ minutes. 

Luckily, the processing from "Substitute Victim" does not recur here, so we get to purely hear the guys in action, though there is some layered-in background spoken word at the midpoint. The song does kind of meander in the later stretches, but the riffs and vocals are strong, and Dann lets out some solid screams here! A lot could have been edited out of this song without losing the essential bits, but early on, No Arrow fans will be right at home with the hard hitting alt-rock! Tenth up is the long awaited "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 2" (why not make it track #2 or #12?), and you can tell how this song must have been so casually performed despite having the requisite catchiness and a full-on grunge vibe that feels straight out of 1992 rather than 2009! Not a lot of vocals here, but it gets the point across and it is a fitting companion piece to the album opener that everyone performs well on!

The penultimate song on "Souls For Sale" is "Colderside Of The Sun" (yes, "Colderside" is one word here), which has more of a "stream of consciousness" vibe, including a relatively repetitive instrumental line, more droning clean vocals from Dann, and more of a jam rock vibe in the back half, including an extended guitar solo. I can see how this would have played well in a live concert, but to me, it ran too long as a studio offering and kinda lost its way despite hearing Dann let loose more on the six strings. A good song but a better jam than it is a composition, if that makes sense. The CD ends with "Cuts" (bumped to the end of side A on vinyl), and after a minute of Joe repetitively & methodically hitting a drum while his bandmates slowly joined in, the song finally kicks into gear with more of a doomy vibe that offers a late variance in sound while still fitting in with No Arrow's existing range!

Again, this is a song that Dann stops singing in for the back half, but it's less of an extended jam, so it still has more of a defined rock structure. Some heavy and deliberate riffs and a direct mood help give this album an effective ending, even if I do prefer my No Arrow to be faster and more raucous. So, what are my final thoughts on No Arrow's long-gestating album now that it's finally on sale? I'm just glad to finally see it out beyond loose/free uploads, and it delivers a fun and varied mix that fans of early 1990s grunge and alternative rock will be fully on board with! It is serendipitous that the namesake of 2010s' big local grunge band Haggith helped Dann finally get "Souls For Sale" over the finish line after 16 years, but if we're being honest, No Arrow always suited the genre more for performance style and attitude, and you can see that in spades with this album!

The songs all sound as good (if not better) than the prior free copies did, and "Sikkha" in particular shows off what Dann, Harley, and Joe could do at their full powers! Dann had strong and well suited vocals, the guitar work suited where each song was going, Harley was always a great bassist (as is Brad), and Joe's loud and rollicking drumming was underrated then and now! I did find that the opening half of the album (side A, if you were) was better then the back half, more or less. In terms of issues, I would have severely dialed back the processing on "Substitute Victim", "The Pissing Song" could have been edited down a lot (I'd have dropped either in favour of "Most Of All" on vinyl), and I would have liked more guitar solos than we got, but you can't knock the experimentation in styles (especially late), which portended the more psychedelic and progressive material that Dann and Brad did with SBD.

Kudos to Mike Haggith for helping get "Souls For Sale" on sale (natch), let alone their paths crossing for networking in those "independent DIY musician showcase" YouTube channels, and if you're a fan of grunge and 1990s alt-rock, you'll enjoy what No Arrow brought to the table a lot! Maybe SBD's "Sonic Experiments" will get a MorningStar/ElasticStage reissue next? Buy/stream everything above, and I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Our backlog continues next month with Sykotyk Rampage's latest album "WYRD Radio 3: The Midnight Horror Show", so look for that in February, and for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!

The Ripcordz Concert Cancellation, A Reunited Local Band, And More Recent Updates!!

Let's dive into some recent news and notes on the SMS on this Sunday afternoon, including a Tuesday night concert preview, a well publicized concert cancellation from this weekend, a recent (and long awaited) album release, and a surprise band reunion, so here's what you should know!

We'll start with the big story that was all over Facebook late Friday night and into Saturday, as The Ripcordz' concert at The Distraction on Friday was abruptly cancelled when the police and fire department arrived to shut the show down. This may sound ultra fitting in a way for the Montreal hardcore punk icons, but the plug was actually pulled during the late stages of Hails' set in the middle of the program. The Ripcordz were open about what happened on their Facebook page, and frontman Paul Gott spoke by phone with SooToday's Darren Taylor for this article about everything. There, Paul indicated that he was told that someone called the police with a complaint about the concert, and while his assumption was over noise (makes sense given what the former Foggy Notions nearby dealt with), Ha!ls' set occurred before the time that a noise ordinance would have been in effect.

Based on what I have read from those in attendance on Friday, it appears to have been related to concerns over permits or the fire code, possibly due to the single door access to the basement. I won't speak further as to what happened, but the discussions ran fast and furious on Facebook (for what it's worth, The Distraction haven't posted on their Facebook page in almost three weeks). Hopefully this is just a stumbling block for The Distraction, which has gotten rave reviews for the basement space since moving downstairs last summer, and that The Ripcordz try here again soon, as they love playing here! No word on if they can on this tour run, but we'll let you know when they get a chance to return to Sault Ste. Marie!

Next up, here's some surprising news, as local hard/classic rock cover band Quite Frankly have reunited! Well, their Facebook page is treating this as a new debuting band, but three band members from their original 2009-2010 run (2000s local metal guitarists Frank LaTassa and Joe DelBasso and former No Arrow/Half Past bassist Harley Syrette) are back for 2025, though Joe has shifted to electric drums in lieu of the departed Adam Pettenuzzo. Original singer Jack "Jacklyn Hyde" Alisat has been replaced by 2024 The Soo's Got Talent semifinalist Haley Alopaeus, and while keyboardist Vince LaTassa (Frank's brother) isn't back either, he did guest with his old band in their first gig back, which was at a private function at Venue on Queen Street East. In their first public video from July 14th, you can see them covering Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" in a jam session, which does sound good across the board!

As for the Venue gig, this 3 minute video (which features both vertical and horizontal camera orientations) is a compilation of clips of cover songs from that night, including The Black Keys' "Gold On The Ceiling", Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". Journey's "Don't Stop Believing", The Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner" (with Frank on vocals), Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Sun", Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care Of Business", Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine", Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey", and Collective Soul's "Shine". Not long clips of anything, but a good sampler of the new Quite Frankly, who definitely still have talent, and Haley has a nice voice, so check things out above & below!

Speaking of Harley Syrette, his old 2005-2011 grunge band No Arrow's unreleased studio album "Souls For Sale" was finally released this past Monday! As detailed here, Mike Haggith's indie label MorningStar Records has belatedly given this album a professional physical release, and you can now order it via ElasticStage at this link for $17.90 on CD or $43.90 on vinyl. As best as I can tell, the album is not currently officially available through MorningStar on major streaming services, but you can hear the unreleased free demo version at this link. The album's track listing is mostly the same to what was presented on the demo, but "Cuts" was moved from the end of the album to track #6, the final two songs were flipped in the order, and the original track #7 ("Most Of All") was dropped from the final product for unannounced reasons. I'm only going off of the song previews here, but they sound largely identical to how they did in the late 2000s.

It may take ordering the album for potential liner note details (remember, they broke up in 2011), but No Arrow are represented here by singer/guitarist Dann "Wayek" Pichette and drummer Joe Falco, with Harley and Brad "Gortium85" Griffith supplying bass tracks. This has to be exciting for No Arrow alumni who couldn't get this album out at the time, so kudos to Mike for getting things completed and published all these years later! I wonder if Dann & Brad's successor band SBD's limited print album "Sonic Experiments" could get a similar reissue next? Given our immense backlog of album reviews, "Souls For Sale" is pencilled in for December, so 2025 is now booked solid. In the meantime, buy it for yourselves above!

Finally for this news post, here's a special preview of a show on TUESDAY NIGHT, as local punk/alternative cover band Bookclub will rock The Roberta Bondar Pavilion as part of the City of Sault Ste. Marie's Summer Concert Series! Annually, local musicians (typically covers-centric ones) take the stage under the big tent downtown on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer, with BookcluB being the fifth of eleven with the honours in 2025. Last seen at Rotaryfest Stage 1 this past weekend, Tuesday's show should see the return of saxophonist Josh Norling, who was out of town and missed their Saturday evening set at Clergue Park. Hopefully a strong crowd turns out on Tuesday for BookcluB's eclectic mix of unexpected rock covers! Mikey, Dustin, Brandon, Allan, Erin, and Josh take the stage from 7:00-9:00 PM, and this concert is FREE & ALL AGES, as are all others in the Summer Concert Series, which runs through late August.

As the show is kinda sorta outdoors (tent acknowledged), 9&10 News is currently calling for mostly cloudy skies with a high temperature of 23° and a 10% chance of rain, so not quite as warm as it is today. That said, we're not close enough for an hourly forecast, so check in closer to for updates on the likely conditions. Visit the above links for more on BookcluB's Tuesday evening gig downtown, and here they are live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!

The Rest Of The Weekend Concert Previews, Assorted Updates, And The Return Of No Arrow?

Today's post both closes this weekend's hard rock & metal concert previews and covers some recent news items (including a band resurrection and some cancelled shows), but remember to check out yesterday's post for previews of shows taking place today! Now, here's what you need to know!

A special benefit event named Medifest 2014 goes down TOMORROW NIGHT at The Grand Theater! The first hard rock-featured show of the year at this venue, the event is designed to raise proceeds and awareness for the expiring Medical Marijuana Access Regulations program, and to help preserve existing rights to medical marijuana usage in Canada and promote awareness to the cause. For all information on that angle of Medi-Fest, visit the Facebook event page! In terms of the music, there are now 6 acts due to a late notice addition, so who's playing? The event will be headlined (and promoted) by new local alternative/funk rock quartet The Elements in just their second live concert appearance, while bassist James White's punk trio Redundant are also on board for their first Grand Theatre appearance since the Motion Carried days, and classic metal quintet Project 421 will make their own Grand debut tomorrow night while riding the momentum from the Anvil show! As well, Skeyes of Seven frontman Cory Murchison will make a rare solo appearance tomorrow night in his first public concert set in almost a year, which should be interesting!

A debuting local band named Obviously D'uh are also scheduled for tomorrow's show, but I still have no information on them, though I'll update this if I hear anything! The late notice addition is The Craig West Experience, a new local rock trio featuring most of local prog-rockers Machines Dream (minus Keith Conway), so don't miss their experienced talent! Admission is via a $10 donation (but advance tickets are available on request), an 8:00 PM start time is advertised, and age limits are unclear. Check the above links for more information! Though I don't smoke marijuana at all, I understand it's benefits, and if Medi-Fest succeeds at spreading awareness, then things will work out well! Hopefully there's a huge turnout, and for a preview, here's The Elements at their debut show!



Lastly for known hard rock concerts this weekend, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's weekly concert/jam night arrangement at The Harp Pub & Grill continues TOMORROW NIGHT! Entering the 16th week of his current regular run at the former Madison's Pub, this week's show was postponed from it's usual Friday night placement due to tonight's Glitch show at The Harp, so if Saturday doesn't work out for you, Tym will be back at his normal day next week! Regardless of day, his acoustic hard rock covers are always a reliable option for your weekend concert/live music plans, and if you're a prospective open mic performer, there's always that angle to keep in mind too! There's no announced cover charge for Tym's show tomorrow, you must be 19 to attend, and there's a 10:00 PM start time as well. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Tym should be at usual form for his unplugged and diverse covers tomorrow, so take note of it, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Extreme's "More Than Words"!

Next up, remember defunct local grunge trio No Arrow? Well, they re-emerged online last week, over 3 years after their last show, though their future status is somewhat muddled. The return of sorts appears to mainly be an outlet to finally release their debut album "Souls For Sale" (which was started in 2007) through Right Notes Recording, which I believe is drummer Joe Falco's new independent label, and they're even getting some internet radio play this week. However, there has been something of a falling out between Joe and frontman Dann Pichette since, and while I won't get into details on that aspect, Joe has updated the new No Arrow Facebook page since, and he also changed a few song names (i.e. "Sikkha" is listed as "Sik Master") via their streaming copies on Soundclick. Even before recent revelations, these plans just looked like a posthumous release of the album, especially with Dann living out of town & the band's various bassists not being visibly part of the new activity, though who knows what will happen now if Dann and Joe aren't on the same page.

I always enjoyed No Arrow during their active run, and while I'd love to see "Souls For Sale" finally out in a completed state, I'd definitely rather see it happen if Dann & Joe (who were with the band from the beginning) came to a consensus on everything. I would question why three song names were changed when that's what they've been called since the late 2000s, but I'm not involved in the process to know all that went on. If more comes out on these No Arrow plans, I'll have them here!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news stories from the last little while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

• These Sins of Time frontwoman Alexa LeClair is looking for a bassist to play "rock originals", though it's not clear whether this is to fill the vacant bass slot in T.S.O.T. or for an unrelated music project (for what it's worth, she previously looked for a drummer without clarifying the intended band earlier this year as well.) If you're interested in trying out, message Alexa at this link or via her Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from this past Sunday!
• The previously announced Heavy Thursday at The Roosevelt Hotel on April 3rd has quietly been cancelled, as per the deletion of it's Facebook event page on Monday. A reason has not been announced, but as of last Saturday, Victoria punk band (and projected headliners) Babysitter listed their local date on Facebook as having a venue to be announced. Disappointing, but hopefully the series persists, and don't miss the next confirmed installment with Tribune on April 17th!
• It looks like next weekend's scheduled RamWagon dates at The Rapids Lounge at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino have been cancelled, as new local country rock band Highway 63 (which I believe features ex-Monkey's Uncle frontman Henry Switzer) are now advertising that their debut concert weekend will take place over the same nights. The venue has yet to confirm this, but I'll note that RamWagon haven't updated their Facebook page since they severely cut their 2014 concert schedule last month. Stay tuned in case we get any extra clarification!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles and new Anvil videos soon! Thanks everyone!