Thursday, December 29, 1977

Flyer - Thursday December 29 - Saturday December 31, 1977

The Saturday night show is the night that David's burned to the ground.

Saturday, December 3, 1977

Zine - The Pig Paper #07

The issue starts out with short news updates on some of the heavy hitters. There is a report on the UGLY playing their first show at the Outrage concert and how the Shock theatre has become their new home. There is a report on the Poles getting back from teh States and the "CN tower" single had just come out. There was a piece on a band called Dole Q from Port Perry that I had never heard of. There is a great story about pinching Tommy Ramone on the bum at the New Years gig at the New Yorker. In the gossip section the Diodes single "Red Rubber Ball" had just come out. The Curse just went on tour with the Diodes. The Dishes first single had come out. And there was reports on the mainstream press covering punk. There is a mention of a Concordes demo in the gossip section. There are reviews and photos which are worth the download. And the Sex Pistols had just toured America.

Friday, November 25, 1977

Flyer - Friday November 25, 1977

The Androids and the Toyz at the Shock Theatre.

Wednesday, November 9, 1977

The Diodes LP

This was the first Diodes album that came out on Columbia Records in 1977. The songs on here are:

1. Red Rubber Ball
2. Child Star
3. Tennis (Again)
4. Blonde Fever
5. Plastic Girls
6. Death In The Suburbs
7. Behind Those Eyes
8. Midnight Movie Star
9. We're Ripped
10. China Doll
11. Shape Of Things To Come
12. Time Damage

The Diodes "Raw / War" ep

Some members of the Diodes put out their first record at this time, a vinyl single featuring Bruce Eves and Amerigo Maras of CEAC; CEAC was a gritter alternative to general Idea's glam / gay projects. Mickey Skin of all-girl punk band The Curse spews profanity on one side; the Diodes provide musical backing on the other - released on the Crash and Burn label. One side was called “War”, the other “Raw”, one of the first punk records to come out of Toronto. This single was actually an issue of the CEAC Newsletter (published by the Centre For Experimental Art and Communication, the owners of the building that housed the Crash ‘n’ Burn club).

"Raw" finds Maras querying us with bits like "Does a repressive society reproduce repressive social models?", with Skin in the background snarling, as if in response, a litany of gems like "Stick it up your fucking ass!" and "You're the scum of the earth!". Over on the flip, the pair take what will become the first recorded sounds by the Diodes, and use them as punked-up backing music. There is a great write up on this at Canuckistan Music.

Sunday, October 30, 1977

Flyer - Sunday October 30, 1977


John Brower writes about this show in his first book about Heatwave trilogy saying
"Jim Piatro was the promoter for this show, but a week before Jimmy landed himself in the Don Jail for a few months and Brower was left to handle the concert. The Hot Rods didm't draw flies and Teenage Head had not become huge yet. Eddie had been paid half his fee in advance but Gary Kurfirst who was managing the band at the time demanded the rest of the money or he wouldn't let the boys go on stage. There weren't a lot of people at the show, but it was Halloween and many were in costume expecting a party. Brower and Kurtfirst argued in the box office while stagehands and clean-up crews waited outside to learn the outcome. Kurfirst won. There wasn't much choice for Brower, so Hot Rods renamed the Shit Boxes by Brower, got all their money and the stagehands, the cleaners, and Teenage Head got none. But the show went on and Brower paid the others personally a week later."

Thursday, October 13, 1977

The Diodes "Red Rubber Ball" ep

The single, "Red Rubber Ball", is a sped up version of The Cyrkle's 60s hit. Technically this was the first new wave single on the Canadian charts (peaking at a modest No. 96 on the RPM singles chart), It reached No. 5 on the U.S. Record Week "New wave Top 20" chart in Feb, 1978. The original was co-written by Paul Simon. One of the reasons for the Didoes covering the song was because Paul Simon had been vocal in his disapproval of punk rock.  





Tuesday, October 11, 1977

The Dishes "Fashion Plates" ep


The Dishes were an early Toronto punk band based out of the Ontario College of Art (O.C.A.)scene. This was their first release and the members in the band were Murray Ball on vocals, Scott Davey on guitar and vocals, Kenneth Ferr on bass, Steven Davey on drums, Michael LaCroix on saxophone, and Glenn Schellenberg on piano. This ep was released the band's own label called Regular Records and the songs on here are:

1. Fred Victor's Mission
2. Police Band

3. Walky-Talky
4. Monopolies are Made at Night

Monday, October 3, 1977

Zine - The Pig Paper #06

This issue came out in October 1977. The news briefs are the best part of this zine. The Dishes ep had just come out and they made a video called "The Dishes on TV". The Concordes went to Paris to play. The Diodes went into the studio to record an LP. There is a review of the "Rock Shock" show on May 20, 1977 which featured Simply Saucer, Teenage Head, and Johnny Lovesin. There is also a great review of the Outrage show that John Brower put on and the Ugly pirated. There is pieces of an interview with david Byrne of the Talking Heads from a show they played at the New Yorker on September 17, 1977. As for the gossip, the Crash n Burn had just closed down. The Dead Boys played the New Yorker. there is a review of the Dishes "Fashion Plate", the Viletones ep, and the Raw / War single . Club David's gets rid of the Monday night newave showcases. And there are some zines to write away for in the back.

Saturday, September 17, 1977

Flyer - Saturday September 17, 1977


This was a famous show in Toronto's punk past. It happened at the Masonic Temple which was a big deal for a punk show to happen there. Gary "Pig" Gold sent us these after hearing the interview we did with the Battered Wives. This was a piece we didn't cover in their interview. Thanks Gary.

Thursday, August 11, 1977

The Viletones "Screamin' Fist" ep

This was the first Viletones 7". It was self-released on Vile Records back in August 1977. The songs on here are:
1. Screamin Fist
2. Possibilities
3. Rebel

The record was released on a 12" a month later by Montreco Records.

Friday, August 5, 1977

Flyer - Friday August 5, 1977

The Dead Boys play two nights at the Crash 'n Burn. These were the last shows at this space.

Wednesday, August 3, 1977

Zine - The Pig Paper #05

The publishing date on this August 1977. In the news briefs: 1) Teenage Head had just played CBGBs with the Viletones and played the Crash 'n Burn and CTV filmed some of that, 2) Simply Saucer played Rock Shock on May 20, 1977, and 3) the Battered Wives Homemade Theatre gets shut down. There is an article on the Saints and a fun piece on hanging out with the Ramones at a New Yorker gig.

Saturday, July 30, 1977

Friday, June 3, 1977

Flyer - Friday June 3 - Saturday June 4, 1977


This was the Curse's first show and this was one of the few shows at the legendary Crash 'n Burn. "Not Them! Not Here! is in reference to a review that a Globe writer wrote about with one of the first Crash 'n' Burn shows.

Thursday, June 2, 1977

The Poles "CN Tower" ep


The Poles were a Toronto punk band that featured Michaele Jordana who is an artist and her first art exhibit came in 1976 with an exhibition of hyper-realist paintings titled "Whales: the Slaughter of the Innocent". The Poles were one of the few bands to play the Crash 'n Burn in the summer of '77. This is the only single by the band that was recorded and Nimbus 9 Studios by Jimmy Frank. The single remians in the punk consciousness because they sang about the most obvious target in the Toronto landscape which was teh CN Tower. The band would go on to play gigs at CBGB and Max's Kansas City. The songs on this single are:

1. CN Tower
2. Prime Time

Saturday, April 23, 1977

Viletones Manifesto

This Flyer was written up by Steve Leckie of the Viletones and was left at tables and handed out at the gig the night of their frist show, which was at the Colonial Underground.