(💿) Who is the ANTLER RIVER CO.? ;D

Willow switch emerged out of the 2010s midwest noise with a sound that harkens back to psychedelic-era progressive folk groups like Comus, and further still, drawing inspiration from the Anishinaabek ghost dance, indigenous Romanian folk song, and the land itself. Their music is fiercely political in ways you wouldn’t expect– Andra’s family fled violent revolution, though anarchist ideals are still romanticised through the eternal truth that in time, all nations will fall and we can return to life free of foreign rulers. The constant is death, and the magical patterns life finds to escape it. I first saw them perform at the first annual Stompfest, and fell in love with the perfect blend of heartfelt lyricism, powerful performances, and the mystic atmosphere surrounding.

Predated by the noise project Averting Eyes and the folk-punk project Owl and Antler, their self-titled debut released in 2023, recorded by Adam Sturgeon in a defunct church and celebrated in the Forest City Satyr zine. It features songs by Robin Henry, who has now gone on to foster a vibrant alt community space in Honey Dip. At its conception, the band featured Kelen on percussion, who also books for No Normal and plays in The Film Critics and Susans, London’s greatest punk acts. London’s a misnomer- it’s Eshkani-zippi, but regardless, they were recorded to tape by JJ from Subsector studio, who along with Kelen, brought the scene into prevalence by collaboration with Mas Aya, Lido Pimienta, and the legends Nihilist Spasm Band at TAP Creativity, Forest City Gallery, and several punk houses.

Meanwhile, I started at Grogettes in an overlapping music community led by the Brampton post-hardcore band Mile End. We opened a diverse jam space featuring Sam Hansell, Los Freakies, and 4da Tribe, and then led by Shebad, followed it up with performances at the Sunfest World Music festival. Under various names and with support online from the Needle Drop and Freddy Gibbs, we embarked on an exploration of our local tour circuit and the government-funded music industry in Canada. Andra travelled to Romania to feature in Coven, an irresponsibly-scripted CBC documentary, and returned home in 2025 when a devastating witch-hunt (at least two cases of sexual assault and drugging) left our found-family in ruin.

In 2026, we’re recollecting our intent of putting the community above 15 minutes of fame. I’ve released a remaster of the original Willow Switch project with extra instrumentation, and Andra and Tim (of King Cobra Sex Cult????) moved to Toronto for collaborations with the Spindle Collective and Project Nowhere. Lori Watt has stepped up to lead the local scene with Robin, and a vibrant network of resistance has developed between concert goers, journalists, friends, artists, market spaces, and venue operators since. Now, Willow Switch reconvenes for the city’s largest halloween party yet at Centennial Hall, and wrapped the line around the block for the ticketed costume-manditory afterparty at Honey Dip. Upcoming on March 2nd, 2027 is a show at Sneaky Dees with Willow Switch and the extranational success Rent Strike! Stay watching for new projects as lineups morph into the future’s greatest bands of the End America movement.

Nii’bizh anishinaabewaki

• Written by Aiden Waasaezi

Willow Switch Remaster: The Eternal Dance of Pearl and Hermes: Side Z

Listen to Holy Locust for “End America”: https://holylocust.bandcamp.com/

Owl & Antler: https://owlandantler.bandcamp.com/

Averting Eyes: avertingeyes.bandcamp.com

The Film Critics: https://thefilmcritics.bandcamp.com/

Susans: https://ssusanss.bandcamp.com/album/susans

Rent Strike in Toronto: https://www.ticketweb.ca/

& the NEW WILLOW SWITCH (to be released)