A Sarnia-based independent rock band that was robbed late last year is bouncing back better than ever.
It was dark days for Mark Tetreault and his band Action Figures, when in early November, their rehearsal space was broken into and nearly everything was taken.
“It was very sad. If anything, we thought the band was done,” said Tetreault.
Drummer Ben Fraser was spared somewhat, as his drum kit was the only equipment left behind. But he still felt a jolt of pain, knowing his brothers in song were hurting, “I showed up later on, and they were already in here, and just everything was gone.”
For guitarist Scott Stephenson, it was personal. It was a violation.
“Having something that we’ve worked on, that we’ve built for almost 25 years, just being taken away,” he said.
But the band wasn’t done. Little did they know this was a new beginning for their musical journey.
Firstly, they recovered a few items of their stolen gear through the “black market,” as Tetreault explained, “I had to buy back my own guitar, which felt very surreal.”
It was then they found out how much support they actually had in their community.
They played a benefit concert at local venue, Imperial City Brew House, and with the money raised, they were able to replace much of the gear that was gone for good.
“We had a gig booked at the Imperial City Brewhouse, and the owners were like, ‘We’re going to do this for you, we’re going to turn this into a bit of a fundraiser,’ said Tetreault. “So they put together a silent auction, and all these local businesses and friends of ours came together to raise money.”
In the months since then they have been busy working on a new independent album called Sideswiped.
“It was like an act of almost rebirth,” said Stephenson. “After going through that roller coaster of losing everything, and being able to come back.”
“Just stuff coming out of nowhere that we didn’t expect, you know, being sideswiped kind of made sense,” added Tetreault. “So yeah, that’s what we landed on.”
Action Figures will hold an album release party for Sideswiped at Imperial City Brew House in Sarnia on September 30.
