the air / psytrious

Mike Haggith - Percussion, Vocals

Dylan Panek - Guitar

Mike Angelini - Bass

Emily Guillas - Keyboard

Dennis Glover - Bass, Vocals

Collin Giofu - Bass

   Initially launched as an informal jam group playing predominantly original blues rock and select cover songs from prominent psychedelic and classic rock guitarists including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, The Air was founded by Haggith, Panek, and Angelini in the summer of 2007. The group never had promotional photos of themselves taken, opting instead to use psychedelic-infused imagery and images of hot air balloons wherever possible. Featuring a select few session musicians during early recording sessions, most notably Guillas and Glover, the group produced a large catalogue of recorded works, though they never formally released an album to the public. While the group predominantly focused on recording rather than performing live, there were a handful of instances where the group did take to the stage; the first of which occurred at the Sandwich Secondary School auditorium to an audience of roughly 600, where the group performed their single The Blue Door. Featuring Haggith playing drums and supplying lead vocals, this seemingly strange arrangement would lay the groundwork for a similar role years later, when he would do the same for HAGGITH in Sault Ste Marie.

     For having never released an official studio album, the group did write and perform a surprisingly high volume of strong original material. One such song was initially named Psytrious, until the group opted to rebrand and adopt it as their new name in 2008. As the group shifted from a blues rock outfit to a darker, more serious tone, so did its material, with tracks including Schizophrenia and the nine-minute opus Clockwise becoming live staples. The group briefly performed as a trio featuring just Haggith, Panek, and Glover, and as their direction further shifted, Giofu was hired in the group's bass role in early 2009. While the group was arguably shifting toward its most commercially successful sound at this point, it would fall into a permanently inactive status not long after.