Mike Robillard - A Bench for Remembering

On November 2, current and former members of the local music community will be holding a special event to celebrate the life and music of one of their own who succumbed to cancer in 2022. Mike Robillard was a bass player, writer, artist, and podcaster, whose passing left behind a legacy of passion for the arts and his former bandmates are intending he not be forgotten.

In the early 1990s Mike founded Shrug off reality…, an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting original music in Sault Ste. Marie. In 1991, Shrug off reality… released a compilation album of locally written and recorded music called Extracts. By the mid-90s Mike had moved to Toronto, playing in the music scene there, while also running regular poetry readings at the Savage Garden.

After living in Toronto, Victoria and Prague, Mike returned to Sault Ste. Marie where he maintained an active presence in the music scene, as well as hosting a podcast series called The Taxi Passenger Review on Borderline Radio.

In addition to celebrating and remembering Mike, the event also hopes to raise money for a park bench in his name, where future artists might sit, have coffee, and plan their artistic takeover of the world! Any additional funds raised will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

For donations of $50 or more, a free t-shirt will be shipped to you. All donors of $50 or more will be contacted for their t-shirt size. Please note that this offer is only valid while t-shirts and sizes last!