Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Top 10 – July 2008

Top 10 – July 2008

1. NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE s/t LP (Even Worse)
2. KNUCKLEHEAD “Lost” CD (HG Fact)
3. BIRDS OF A FEATHER “Chapter 5” ep (Commitment)
4. INMATES “Now We Talking Hardcore” ep (Even Worse)
5. SACRED SHOCK s/t ep (Schizophrenic)
6. SUICIDE PILOTS “War on Satire” CD (Self-Released)
7. YDINASEETON POHJOLA “Euro Ohjukeet” ep (Nightstick Justice)
8. KAIBOUSHITSU “Dokuro Dokuro Dokuro” ep (HG Fact)
9. DISKAAOS “Sota on Sotaa” ep (Tuska ja Ahdistus)
10. BLACKOUT “Stop the Clock” CD (Profane Existence)

Label Info:
* EVEN WORSE – Noel de Boer, Saenredamstraat 44-2, 1072 CH Amsterdam, Holland /
www.geocities.com/evenworserecords
* HG FACT – 105 Nakanoshinbashi / M 2-7-15 Yayoi / Chou Nakano / Tokyo 164-0013 / Japan /
www.interq.or.jp/japan/hgfact
* COMMITMENT RECORDS - Ridderspoor 42 / 1689 TG Zwaag / the Netherlands /
www.commitmentrecords.nl
* SCHIZOPHRENIC – 17 West 4th Street / Hamilton, ON / L9C 3M2 / Canada /
www.schizophrenicrex.com
* SUICIDE PILOTS –
www.myspace.com/thesuicidepilots
* NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE –
www.nightstickjustice.com
* TUSKA JA AHDISTUS – Kannaksenkatu 6 as. 7 / 33250 Tampere / Finland / www.elisanet.fi/tuskajaahdistus
* PROFANE EXISTENCE – P.O. Box 18051 / Minneapolis, MN / 55418 / USA / www.profaneexistence.com

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Sunday, July 27, 2008



Download the audio archive as an MP3 file

CHRIST SWALLOWER - Swamp (Self-Released)
CHRIST SWALLOWER - Interview (CIUT)
CHRIST SWALLOWER - Ice Shelf (Self-Released)
CHRIST SWALLOWER - Wasteland (Self-Released)

July Top 10
BLACKOUT - Everyday (Profane Existence)
DISKAAOS - veri Virtaa Punaisena (Tuska ja Ahdistus)
KAIBOUSHITSU - Track 4 (HG Fact)
YDINASEETON POHJOLA - Talousuutiset (Nightstick Justice)
SUICIDE PILOTS - Harper Youth (Self-Released)
SACRED SHOCK - For a Living (Schizophrenic)
INMATES - On the Dots (Even Worse)
BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Growth / Between two Worlds (Even Worse)
KNUCKLEHEAD - Track 5 (HG Fact)
NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE - Commitment / De-Sensitized / Re-Construction (Even Worse)

NARCOLEPTIC YOUTH - Vicious Killers (Finger)
LETS DANCE - Today (Longshot)
STATUES - Lifting Fingers (Deranged)
CHORDS, THE - Hey Girl (Captain Mod)
GUITAR GANGSTERS - It’s Only Punk (Captain Oi!)
ARGY BARGY - Your Time Will Come (Captain Oi!)

SKELETON - Sucking Absorbing Blood Ogre (Cries of Pain)
ROVSVETT - Der Sadist (Six Weeks)
HUMAN GARBAGE - Complaint Department (Self-Released)
THE TOTAL END - Stolen in the Night (the Total End)
END OF ALL - .45 Statement (Crimes Against Humanity)
WORLD BURNS TO DEATH – Come and See (HG Fact)
ENDPROGRAM - Niche Avant-Garde (High Art for the Low Down)
DIRTY POWER GAME - Calibro 9 (MCR Company)

Demo Feature
GENETIC ANGRY - Thoughts (Self-Released)
GENETIC ANGRY - Change (Self-Released)
GENETIC ANGRY - Flags (Self-Released)
GENETIC ANGRY - Language (Self-Released)
GENETIC ANGRY - L.S.D. (Self-Released)
GENETIC ANGRY - Proof (Self-Released)
GENETIC ANGRY - Gone (Self-Released)

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Eating Glass "Feed Them ... to the Vultures" ep

Eating Glass were from Toronto and took a certain amount of influence from teh Swarm / Cursed / Left for Dead sounds. Chris Colohon, the singer in all the bands of inspiration released this record on his label High Anxiety and No idea did the distribution. The cover art was done by Jeff Beckman of Chokehold / Haymaker fame. The songs found on this ep are:

1. Cannibals
2. Amongst The Wolves
3. My Own Hell / Watching the World Burn
4. King of Frauds
5. Beating Myself Up
6. Feed Them...
7. ...To the Vultures
8. Coming Clean

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Sunday, July 20, 2008

SWITCHBLADE CHEETAH - Nightmoves (Goat-fi)

SYSTEMATIC DEATH - Step (Systematic)
JUDGEMENT - Process (HG fact)
PAINTBOX - Back Reporter (HG Fact)
CORRUPTED - Anciano (HG Fact)

THE EXISTERS - I Can’t See (Unreleased)
THE EXISTERS - Spadina (Unreleased)
THE EXISTERS - Cake (Unreleased)
THE EXISTERS - Don’t Talk About It (Unreleased)
THE EXISTERS - Future Shock (Unreleased)
THE EXISTERS - Think Big (Unreleased)

CROWD OF ISOLATED - No One Can Stop Us (Trust)
JINGO DE LUNCH - What You See (Trust)
RAPED TEENAGERS - Mor Ahl (Chicken Brain)
BARN AV REGNBUEN - Ponga Profit tog Kapital (Barveplatter)
HERESY - Never Healed / Conform / Standing Hard (Dogma)
RIPCORD - Lies. Lies. Lies (Raging)
CONCRETE SOX - Eminent Scum
SACRILIEGE - Blood Run

VOIVOD - Voivod (Metal Blade)
BLASPHEMY - Intro - Atomic Nuclear Desolation (Osmose)
CONQUEROR - Chaos Domination (Evil Option)
REVENGE - Death Hirtage (Built Upon Sorrow) (NWW)
DARKTHRONE - Canadian Metal (Peaceville)

Demo Feature
GUILTY FACES - Nightmares (Self-Released)
GUILTY FACES - Scum (Self-Released)
GUILTY FACES - Untitled (Self-Released)
GUILTY FACES - Glass Bullets (Self-Released)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Various Artists “High Art for the Low Down” Dbl CD

What is “High Art for the Low Down”. It’s END PROGRAM’s space opened up to the local scene and touring bands as an all ages venue that does shows. The space is called Sieasta Nouveaux and reminds me of how Burnt Ramen operated out of San Francisco area. See the Ramen Days documentary for reference. Existed out of an old warehouse space in the lower eats end shows have been going on for the last three years and bands that have played have given up a track to make this compilation. There’s a lot of great stuff on here. There is a lot of variety. And it represents a huge part of Toronto’s historical underground over the last few years. The INFEST like nature of TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM, to the metal exploits of RAMMER, which is a show I got to see. And the liner notes accurately capture the filled to capacity, sweaty pit, frenetic explosion that takes place at the events. A.N.S. from Texas give up a track and there are dozens of locals that most folks outside of Toronto probably haven’t heard of. This is one of many T.O. centered comps coming out in the next little while and is probably one of the most accurate as it is a form of living document. (High Art for the Low Down / www.HA4TLD.com) – SP

UV Rays “…Are Sick of Humans” ep

This is the UV RAYS third release and it is consistent with the previous two outings in capturing an early raw punk sound. The band goes back to punk’s roots and draws inspiration from bands like MC5, the DEAD BOYS, and the wreckless abandon of the GERMS. The opening track is titled “Failed Generation” which brings to mind RICHARD HELL’s “Blank Generation”, but UV RAYS’ song is more an observation on the current state of apathy that pervades today’s scene. The band does covers of BLACK FLAG and GANG GREEN live but “Sick of Humans” doesn’t contain any of these. The ep has a version of “Monster Mash” that has been re-written about the recently departed guitar player, Pat, who was quite the party animal. And in talking to the band that party element is a part of what gives the UV RAYS their feeling in a sound. This is a similar experiment to band’s like BRUTAL KNIGHTS and DISRESPECT, except the UV RAYS are going for a snotty punk sound. They pull it off. (Feral Kid c/o Eric Bifaro / 379 Ontario Street / Buffalo, NY / 14207 / USA / www.myspace.com/feralkidrecords) - SP

Terminals CD

The TERMINALS are a new three piece from Toronto made up of Joolz and Roddy from REPEAT OFFENDER, THE SPAZMZ, and SPOTTY BOTTY fame. They keep getting back to make more angry music. This time they teamed up with Twitchy who was in SHITLOADSOFFUCKALL. Out of their influences list they remind me of FILTH meets CRASS. I also hear influences like PANTYCHRIST, the BELLA BOMBS, and the FALLOUT in their sound. The band pulls off a cover of JOHNNY CASH’s “Sam Hall” with enough country twang to give it a country punk feel. The band also experiments with some free styling at the beginning of “Asphyxiation” but the rap is very political in nature a la Chuck D, which isn’t weird when you realize that Twitchy is also in HOBO BANDITOS, which is a local progressive rap group. But having said that the ringing guitar of “Pissin on the Electric Fence” reminds me of the ADICTS and the vocals remind me of the FREEZE. The country and rap references are more anomalies to the straight forward punk that the TERMINALS bash out. It’s raw, it’s primal, and it’s angry. (Terminals / www.myspace.com/theterminalsrock) - SP

Teenage Head with Marky Ramone CD

I don’t know how TEENAGE HEAD convinced the drummer from the RAMONES to come to Toronto and play TEENAGE HEAD covers, but here’s the proof. Well it turns out that it started the other way round. TEENAGE HEAD did some backing for Marky Ramone when he was up here for a spoken word tour. He did some music as well and TEENAGE HEAD was the backing band. That’s when TEENAGE HEAD approached Marky about jamming out TEENAGE HEAD’s rockers. The band drummed up the money, scheduled everything and basically worked out all the details to make this happen. I get the sense that it was TEENAGE HEAD’s determination that was a factor in convincing Marky that this was a project worth doing. It turns out that both folks were mutual admirers of each other. That’s not that far of a stretch when you consider that both bands play a fairly melodic version of punk that takes the BEACH BOYS sound and it gives it some fire. There is a whole lot of magic on this recording. Gord Lewis likens this recording to the ones where old time jazz greats would get together. I tend to agree with him. This is an instant classic with legends playing classics. TEENAGE HEAD’s classics. Gord Lewis tells the story beautifully of this recording in the extensive liner notes and he gives away some of their secrets like the engineer who sets a metronome click track to TEENAGE HEAD’s original recordings. A lot of work went into this and all is revealed. This is a once in a lifetime kind of event. We are lucky that this has seen the light of day. Loads of local folks can now breathe a sigh of relief. (Sonic Unyon / www.sonicunyon.com) - SP

Shitreign s/t CD

SHITREIGN have released their debut CD and it’s a doozy. Before we begin, Kudos to the cool plastic less sleeve. The CD is housed in a folded cardboard gatefold sleeve with minimalist graphics screened onto both sides. It’s pretty intriguing...I certainly spent a few minutes examining the packaging for future projects. On to the music. SHITREIGN are from Peterborough and I know this but when I flipped this disc in I could have sworn they from the market. Yes remember when Kensington Market had it’s own scene within the scene. These fine folks would have fit nicely into that scene. Socio political lyrics reminding you about ecological damage, email addictions and beheadings in Africa ( I wish there was more info about the event that moved the band to write the song) screamed by three vocalists, over a dirty combination of hardcore and some killer metallic riffs. There were a few times I wished the band would just go for gold and rip out some CRO-MAGS inspired metallic tune...but they just teased me with some killer metallic riff or double bass barrage. Definitely a CD that will be on repeated spins and has been at home in the car CD player since I got it. Great lyrics, good music, what else do you need punk? I loved the photo college with the lyrics but damn I am going blind in my old age. Let’s make the font a bit larger. (Shitreign / P.O. Box 342 / Peterborough, ON / K9J 6Z3 / Canada) - CC

The Screwed “1977” CD

THE SCREWED are a new-ish local band made up of scene veterans. When I say scene veterans I am often talking about the hardcore scene. The folks that make up SCREWED are mostly from the original punk scene. So we are talking about the original punks. Cleave Anderson is on drums and was the original drummer for the BATTERED WIVES and went on to form TYRANNA, and most recently has been in the reunited VILETONES. Steve Koch played in the legendary DEMICS. You have probably played air guitar to “New York City” at least once in your life. John Borra was in A NEON ROME who I used to see at the Beverley in their early days. They too did a great version of “Pretty Vacant”. And Steve Saint is the singer from the SINISTERS doing some moonlighting and can pull off Johnny Rotten as easily as Pete Shelley which is a talent that goes far beyond karaoke. So these guys formed this band and started playing out and became a lightening rod for this local KBD era scene that has started to come out of the woodwork. Our show has been a major beneficiary of the SCREWED’s work as a lot of these bands have played the show and done interviews with Greg Dick. But “1977” was the original idea of these guys which was to get together and jam out some covers of the stuff that got you into punk. So this CD is made up of all covers from the BOYS to the CLASH, from the RAMONES to the VIBRATORS, from the JAM to the HEARTBREAKERS. There’s a lot of choice cuts on here and not necessarily the ones you would find on some retro K-tel package. A lot of thought and a lot of heart went into this. The SCREWED have started writing originals and continue to play out with all kinds of re-unions planned for the summer. I have heard some of the originals and I can say that the SCREWED have a lot to offer and it’s not just nostalgia tripping. Can’t wait. (Screwed Records c/o OPM Inc. P.O. Box 266, Postal Station ‘P’ / Toronto, ON / M5S 2S7 / Canada / www.myspace.com/thescrewed) - SP

End Program “The Machines are Only Human” CD

END PROGRAM are relatively new in Toronto although they have had quite an impact on our local scene. END PROGRAM have recorded a demo and this is their first official release. END PROGRAM have a big crossover sound that defined New York City after the straight edge renaissance in ‘86. You know H2O, BIOHAZARD, SICK OF IT ALL and that sort. The closest comparison I can find on their myspace site is SLUMLORDS. They have that crossover kind of sound. The lyrics are written in a punk rock stream of consciousness as if Matt were speaking in tongues but inspired by Kalv of DISCHARGE. (High Art for the Low Down / www.HA4TLD.com) – SP

Broadcast Zero “Yesterday, You Could Change the World” CD

BROADCAST ZERO fall in a long line of bands that marry a message with melodic three chord punk. It’s infectious and it’s substance oriented. They remind me of a modern day MARILYN’s VITAMINS which is to say something like DILLINGER 4. And they keep good company with bands like the FALLOUT and the REBEL SPELL who come from the same school of punk. This is the debut release by this new fledgling label that cut their teeth as part of Insurgence. And it’s a dandy for both label and band as a debut release. Fans of HOSTAGE LIFE and BLACK JACKET should check out BRAODCAST ZERO for their tales of hardship and disappointment all to a racing pace that has gang chorus sing-a-longs. (Rebel Time Records / 2-558 Upper Gage Avenue, Suite 162 / Hamilton, ON / L8V 4J6 / Canada / www.rebeltimerecords.com) - SP

Punk Record Labels and the Struggle for Autonomy : the Emergence of DIY by Alan O’Connor


Alan O’Connor is an Associate Professor at Trent University in the Cultural Studies program. For those who don’t know about Trent University this post secondary institution in Peterborough has the best Cultural Studies program in the country and is comparable to Berkeley’s program back in the 60s. So it should not be a surprise that a book on DIY punk labels would come out of an institution like Trent. It should not come as a surprise that Alan would write it. Al;an has been immersed in radical politics for a lot longer than than I have known of an activist movement. And Alan was the catalyst behind anarchist punk ventures in this city, like Who’s Emma. Alan went across America visiting all these punk run anarchist spaces in order to get an idea of the kind of space that Toronto needed before getting people involved in what grew out of a gig space collective. Who’s Emma flourished for a couple of years as a book store meets record store meets show space. So when Alan went back out on the road to see what made punk labels tick I knew something was up. Alan interviewed 61 labels differing in size and intent. Some from Canada, some from Spain, but most of them were from the US. What emerges is an exhaustive study on the DIY phenomenon from a record label standpoint. I have to tell you that I have a bias for this book. Alan asked me to proof a manuscript of this book and I have to say that it blew me away when I first read it. The ability to piece together punk rock from the label side of things is amazing. And there was lots of things I didn’t know about. But Alan tells all. Lots of people think that punk rock was compromised from the outset by major label intervention. Alan demonstrates how the early DIY roots started with the RAMONES and slowly evolved as the lessons of the last generation got passed on in an almost oral tradition fashion. DIY grew out of necessity. It was the only way for the punk scene to be documented. From the RAMONES and Sire to the DC scene with Dischord DIY became a way of life pretty quickly. But BLACK FLAG and the DEAD KENNEDYS had major label involvement in the beginning. Their negative experiences led to starting up SST and Alternative Tentacles. Bomp, Posh Boy, Slash, Frontier, Dangerhouse, Subterranean … they all have their lessons that shaped the DIY credo that evolved. MRR and CRASS records had huge influences on there developments, but there are others. There is a fascinating amount of history around punk labels written here and make the book read as well as any historical account of punk. And Alan’s book covers generations of punk so it can’t be situated with any specific era of punk. This book covers it all. Alan also applies a lot of Pierre Bourdieu’s writings of the French Theatre subculture to punk but this is to analyse class and ideals within labels. This reveals some notable things about labels and people behind them, but really reinforces what we know about the middle class. This book is excellent. The unpublished interviews are great. Our zine got to run one on Subterranean, which was amazing unto itself. I can only imagine what the others are like. Well the interview with Lengua Armada is included as an appendix, which like the content of this book becomes an example for DIY research like so much of his resource material. This is an excellent account on all levels. (Lexington Books / 4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200 / Lanham, MD / 20706 / USA / www.lexingtonbooks.com) - SP

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Sunday, July 13, 2008

THE BABYLON WHACKERS - Rudeboy (Dirty Faces)

BRAT PACK - Observation (Dirty Faces)
THE JOLTS - Bloody Eye Socket (Haute Voltage)
TOMBSTONES - Jailhouse Tattoo (Saustex Media)
MOTORAMA - I do as I Like (Dead Beat)
JUANITO Y LOS FEOS - Sisebuto (Dead Beat)

ARGY BARGY - Lights Over London (Captain Oi!)
UV RAYS - Too Much (Garage Pop)
NARCOLEPTIC YOUTH - Pull the Trigger (Finger)
THE SUICIDE PILOTS - Hand to Mouth (Self-Released)
HOLD UP YOUR HAND - Gunboats in Gaza (HA4TLD)

ROVSVETT - Machopunk (Six Weeks)
MORGUE MART - They Sold Us Out (Self-Released)
END PROGRAM - Non-sufficient (HA4TLD)
MOB 47 - Brutal Nedladdning (Profane Existence)
WORLD BURNS TO DEATH - Open Wound (HG Fact)

LETS DANCE - Bodies (Longshot)
86 MENTALITY - Next Generation (Deranged)
MOTHERFUCKERS - Living in Fear (Handsome Dan)
SHEGLANKED SHOULDERS - Energy Bomb / I Don’t Like You (Handsome Dan)
SISTA SEKUNDEN - Slagen Meninte Besegrad (Instigate)
F.P.O. - Which is Your Sin ? (Commitment)

NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE - Cut Off (Even Worse)
CUT THE SHIT - Cut the Bullshit (Gloom)
SACRED SHOCK - Double Standards (Schizophrenic)
DISKAAOS - Niin Kaukana (Tuska ja Ahdistus)
BILL BONDSMEN - If You Want a Picture of the Future (Dead Beat)
CRUNKY KIDS - Shit out the Poison (Motorchest)
PRESS GANG - 24/7 (Radio 81/P Trash)

SPRINGLOADED - Back from the Debt (HA4TLD)
68 PORNOMAGS - Exploit (HA4TLD)
TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM – Garbage Run (HA4TLD)
END PROGRAM - Lights (HA4TLD)
BUKKAKE KATHOLIK - Columbus Day (HA4TLD)
A.N.S. - Bombing for Beelzebub (HA4TLD)

…AND THE SAGA CONTINUES - T-4 (HA4TLD)
RAMMER - Dataslut (HA4TLD)
TUGNUT - Fuck the Fisher (HA4TLD)
PANTS AND TIE - Little Bird (HA4TLD)
WORST CASE SENARIO - We’ll sell you the seat, but all you’ll need is the Edge! (HA4TLD)
HELL OR HIGHWATER - More (HA4TLD)
KANKERFACE - Kill Your Brain Cells (HA4TLD)
SINGLE FILE TO FREEDOM - Stompin’ Your Trend (HA4TLD)
SONS & LOVERS - Our Salads are Fresher (HA4TLD)

Demo Feature
NEVER TRUST – Stop/Start (Self-Released)
NEVER TRUST – Clean Slate (Self-Released)
NEVER TRUST – Everyday (Self-Released)
NEVER TRUST – Void (Self-Released)

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Interview: Pete Genest of Hits and Misses

There is a new punk store in town around Bloor and Ossington and it is called “Hits and Misses” and the shop owner – Pete has come in to guest host the radio show tonight bringing a smattering of things from the shop, which is good for you because you get to hear some of the latest things in the city.

Tell me about the name “Hits and Misses”. Where does it come from ?
I took it from the STIFF LITTLE FINGERS song. I’ve had stores in the past and I’ve taken names from either albums or songs. The last one was from an album. This one’s from a song. And the first one was from a club actually.
Oh yeah. And why did you choose this song in particular ? It’s a great name.
I just thought it would be a good name for a record shop. Your going to have the hits and then you’re going to have some misses. I wanted to go with some STIFF LITTLE FINGERS name actually. They are one of my favourite bands. It was between them and the CLASH and I couldn’t really think of what to take from the CLASH.
Garageland ? I don’t know.
Yeah? That seems kind of corny. I don’t know. I love that song. It is one of my favourites but I was thinking maybe something in Strummer’s lyrics. I was going to take some lyrics from somewhere, but I don’t know. This one just seemed like a good idea.
This isn’t the first punk store you have done.
No. I had a shop in Seattle called “Singles Going Steady”.
Now that store seemed pretty much legendary. A lot of people who I have heard from who visited that store described it like Mecca for punk rock. It was the place to go. Tell us about when that started up.
I did that for about eleven years. I moved up there in ’98 and ran it until about the end of 2007.
Is it still going ?
Yeah. There is a guy that bought part of the stock and kept it going. Kept the same employees.
That’s a good thing.
Yeah. It was easier for me to leave the city just having “Singles Going Steady” still open. People were bummed that I was leaving, but it made it easier to tell people that the store was going to stay.
A bit of a legacy almost.
Yeah. And the guy who took it over is going to do a good job. There is just not enough stock as when I had it. It’s still okay in there.
What was the idea of the store when you first started up ?
I just wanted to run a good store. To concentrate on collectible punk vinyl and have fair prices and no attitude when you walk in and just all the stuff I hated about other record stores I wanted to do the exact opposite. Owning a record store is a labour of love. I’m never going to own a house or a new car or anything but if I can pay my bills that’s all I care about.
What was the store before ?
I was in Portland before that and I named the store after that famous club in London called “Roundhouse”. SHAM did a lot of recordings there and the BUZZCOCKS did a few recordings there. It was one of the early punk clubs so I called it Roundhouse Records. I guess I lean towards the UK stuff.
That’s okay. That’s what we all listened to when we first got into it. And “Singles going Steady”, what a great name for a record store.
Yeah. I wanted to use that here but I told the guy that I wouldn’t so….
But there is an awesome 7” wall when you walk in so in some ways it’s there.
Yeah.
Was there a big singles collection at the old store ?
Oh yeah. The store here is set up fairly similar to the store there. I don’t have quite the same amount of stock yet but that’ll be coming.
It seems like it is building. There is a lot of stuff in there now. I don’t think Toronto has ever seen a punk store like this.
Not since the heyday of the Peddler for sure. But I don’t think I could ever … man that store back in the day they had everything in there. That was an amazing shop.
It was. That is where I bought my first punk records. Lets get into some other stuff. Your brother was in the legendary YOUNG LIONS. There is this releases coming out …. I don’t want to jinx it by even talking about it, but I hope there is going to be this early release of the demos coming out on Brian’s label right ?
Yeah.
On Blue Fog ?
Yeah. Fingers crossed. My brother went about three or four years ago and took whatever tapes he still had of the original masters and re-produced them in a proper studio.
Re-generated them somehow.
Yeah. Some of them were just wasted. They couldn’t use them, but some of them he got some stuff on and he got that to Brian a while ago.
And Brian has some other material apparently.
Yeah. Apparently he has some stuff too. When they first started talking word was that Brain was going to do a YOUTH YOUTH YOUTH CD, then a YOUNG LIONS CD, then a split YYY / LIONS live CD because Brian has lots of good recordings of live shows by both bands.
Well lets hope that is still the plan.
Yes. I would love to hear all of them.
Can you tell us about when you first got into punk ?
Through my brother. We were always into music, everybody. When he first started listening to punk I would hear it from his room but I was listening to BAY CITY ROLLERS and KISS and that kind of rock stuff. I was just a little too young for it. He took the attic and I would go up there and he would play records up there and he would have SEX PISTOLS spray painted on the wall and stuff like that.
That is awesome.
Yeah. He had this little wall with spray painted bands on there. I actually moved away before I got into punk.
Did you move out of the city ?
Yeah. I moved from Toronto to Salem Oregon, which is where my folks lived and here I lived with my grandparents and out there I went to high school and lived with my folks. So Chris just started sending me tapes.
Of Toronto bands ?
Toronto bands and UK bands and DOA and SUBHUMAN stuff.
So you guys stayed in touch by letter writing and tape trading.
Yeah and if he didn’t have a tape to send me then he would send a letter saying check these guys out and these guys and these guys. Just go and start buying stuff.
That’s pretty good though because at least it gives you an idea of what is good and what to look for ?
Everything he told me to listen to was good. I definitely liked it and a couple of times I would come back for visits and I would weed through his collection and just make tapes of stuff. I would also go through Mike’s collection from the LIONS and make a few tapes from his. You know records that Chris didn’t have. I just did that stuff.
Did you get to see any shows before you left ?
No.
In your visits ?
Of course the LIONS were never playing when I came back so I never saw them.
What a drag.
Yeah I know.
Did you ever get to see them practise ?
Yeah I did get to see them practise once so that was okay. I saw YYY once.
What were they like ?
They were really good. I can’t remember the name of the club it was at. That was a long time ago. I probably saw DIRECT ACTION three times. They always seemed to be playing a lot when I was here.
That’s a curious thing because when I first started getting into the scene I always used to see DIRECT ACTION play too. And also their spin off band, or Buzz’s spin off band A.P.B. I saw them play a million times.
I don’t think I ever saw them. I saw CHRONIC SUBMISSION one time. I think it was on a DIRECT ACTION bill or something. And I think A.P.B. was on that bill too.
Probably. They were playing a lot together.
Oh I remember where I saw YYY, it was at Larry’s Hideaway.
That place was great.
Yeah. A neat little place. I think the only other show I saw was in ’85 and the CIRCLE JERKS played. The club you had to walk up some stairs. I don’t even remember.
Not the Upper Lip or the Turning Point.
I don’t know, but that was kind of cool. But I saw some great shows when I was out in Portland when I moved there, so …. I made all these guys jealous here that I saw POISON IDEA so many times that I would stop going to see them. They played every show.
I only got to see them once. I think they only played here once and Jerry did blow fire. It was at a club in Kensington Market called the Siboney. A short lived place. DAG NASTY played there once and not too many others. That was a good night. He was bleeding from the forehead.
When was that roughly ?
It was before “Feel the Darkness” had come out. It was just after “Kings of Punk”. Sort of in between there.
Still a good era.
Yeah definitely. Where was the first record store ?
In Portland a city with the most record stores out of any place in the world.
Does the place still exist there ?
No. I just closed that place down and moved out to Seattle. It was a neat little store. It was a fun experience. Every kid growing up buying records wants to grow up and open up a record store and I actually did.
Totally. It’s a dream.
Yeah. It was a dream. It’s a lot of work. It still is a lot of work, but it’s alright.
What was the scene like in Portland at the time because it seems like it has exploded there, but it always had a crust scene out there, like with RESIST and DEPRIVED and a bunch of other bands like that. Along with POISON IDEA being a constant out there and more recently there has been a new crust explosion that has taken part as well as all kinds of styles of bands. I mean you just can’t say it is just crust anymore with bands like the OBSERVERS.
In the 90’s for sure. Like I opened my shop there in ’92 and all those bands like RESIST and DEPRIVED were all releasing records and those guys all shopped at the store. They were really nice guys.
Yeah I was penpals with some of those guys like Kelly. He seemed to have a good record collection. You could tell he knew his stuff.
Portland, while I had my shop open I had a rep from one of the major labels said that Portland bought the most vinyl out of any city in the U.S.
Wow. That’s amazing. There still is a lot of shops there. And they all survive. Everybody buys records there. It doesn’t happen so much here but people turn into junkies there and so they sell their records to the shop. So you have people selling great record collections to the shop. Lord knows I got a fair amount of those so God bless drugs.
At least for us record collectors. How do you stock the store ? You told me of these shopping ventures that you have gone on to England. Do you still do that ?
I want to start doing that again in the future because it is great to go over there and look for records all day long. It is work but it’s fun. It’s work because I am getting up at 5:30 in the morning to go to these record conventions and to travel to as many cities as I can in one day. For new releases I use several different distributors.
Where is the store located ?
860 Bloor Street West, just east of the Ossington subway station.
And I have seen regular postings on the Toronto Hardcore message Board. Is there anywhere else people can find out about the store ?
I also post on stillepost.ca, which is more of an indie rock board. I also post on the kill decibel board, which is www.thekilldecibel.com. Coming very soon there will be a Hits and Misses website which will be at hitsandmisses.ca.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Interview: Molested Youth




MOLESTED YOUTH are a new local hardcore band influenced heavily by CAREER SUICIDE. This interview was conducted back on September 7th, 2008. Since then the singer Sean has left the band and Warren’s brother is now doing the vocals. The interview was done by Stephen Perry and transcribed by D’arcy Rix-Hayes.
Introduce yourselves and tell us what you play?
Nick: I play drums.
Sean: I do vocals.
Warren: Guitar.
Rich: Bass.
How long has MOLESTED YOUTH been together?Warren: The better part of a year.
Nick: We used to be called URETHRA FRANKLIN.
Warren: But we were just assholes making noise in a garage back then.
Is this your first band are have you guys been in other bands before?
Warren: Technically URETHRA FRANKLIN sort of merged into MOLESTED YOUTH, so I guess it’s still one band.
Rich: I’ve been in six or seven.
Right, you were talking about being in FULL CLIP ORCHESTRA earlier.
Rich: Yeah, that’s the big one.
How did MOLESTED YOUTH come together?Sean: We’re actually all part of a private school and Rich is just ‘the old guy’.
What was the idea of the band when you guys started?Nick: Basically we were just bored with everything and decided to start playing music.
Was there some stuff you were listening to or...Warren: Well, we were all into hardcore for a little while and we decided to jam some songs out in that direction.
Was there a main influence for your sound when you started?Sean: Pretty much just unnerving anger for everything.
Nick: I’m in it for the babes and money.
Warren: And fast cars.
Sean: And bicycles.
Nick: And guns...
So where did the name MOLESTED YOUTH come from?Warren: We were all sitting in class trying to come up with a name for the new band...
Sean: I suggested it and we all liked it immediately.
Rich: I was six years old and in church.
Ain’t that the truth. Who do you consider influences on the band?Sean: For me I’d say SLAPSHOT.
Warren: A good mix of BLACK FLAG, NEGATIVE APPROACH, some modern stuff, too
Sean: SPAZZ, BAD BRAINS, stuff like that too.
SPAZZ is one of my all-time favorite bands. Cool! So if you had to limit your record collection to five punk releases, what would they be?Nick: I don’t know if I can think of that many
Rich: “Like a Motherfucker” by JOHNNY THUNDERS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS, “Vicious Cycle” by ZERO BOYS, CLASH self titled, anything by the NEW YORK DOLLS.
Sean: “Feast of Shame” by BRUTAL KNIGHTS. I cannot stop listening to that “Epics in Minutes” by FUCKED UP. “Damaged” by BLACK FLAG.
Warren: “Shattered” by the EXPLODING HEARTS, the “SARS” EP by CAREER SUICIDE, “Tied Down” by NEGATIVE APPROACH, “The Kids Will Have Their Say” by SS DECONTROL.
Nick: LIMP WRIST complete discography, “Violence, Violence” by CEREMONY. That’s gotta be fifteen records by now.
I think that’s more than enough. Sean, what are some of the things you’re singing about?
Sean: It’s a mix of ‘fighting against the man’ and ‘rising above’ and all that cool stuff...persevereing, and going on and on when you can’t go on.
What is your favorite MOLESTED YOUTH song from a lyricial standpoint?Sean: “Shining Light” because it’s about organized religion.
Anyone else?Rich: I don’t know any of the lyrics.
Warren: I’d have to agree with Sean for the same reasons. A few lines really stand out as badass. That or “Watch Me Rise”, it’s pretty self-explanatory.
It’s about bread?Warren: Yeah.
Sean: Bread has to constantly rise against oppression...the breadmaker.
So tell me about the demo and recording it.Warren: July sixteenth, we did the whole thing in about four hours and then made all the tapes that night.
Nick: We actually rented rehearsal space and did it all “properly”, then decided that sucked and did it all over again in a living room. It actually sounds better.
Sean: It’s got that garage sound, which is crucial.
Nick: We released it on cassette tape and we sold out pretty quick.
What’s the response been to the demo?Rich: People fucking hate it.
Nick: We sold them pretty quick.
Sean: Surprisingly, we sold them really fast.
Warren: I dunno...someone told us we were bringing hardcore backs to its roots...ahahhaa.
Sean: Yeah, that’s a little much. I don’t think its that good. But people have been saying its just cool that we’re young kids playing hardcore and we’re sort of a minority in that sense. There’s another Toronto band that’s this young, BORED STIFF, which you should all check out. Us and BORED STIFF are basically the two youngest bands. Warren plays for them too by the way.
What are your thoughts on the Toronto scene at the moment?Warren: I think it’s better than it’s ever been. Greg Benedetto (Stuck in the City) has been putting on some great shows and definitely giving it a sense of community.
Rich: In the past year its all gone uphill very fast, it’s been pretty awesome.
Sean: Especially, we’d like to thank Stuck in the City. They’ve been great.
Who have you been playing with?Warren: We played with SHIPWRECK for our demo release.
Nick: Great local bands EATING GLASS, RAH, THE OMEGAS (from Montreal).
Sean: BAD SKIN, REPROBATES, TEEN ANGER. Yeah, uh, we played with Led Zeppelin once. That was pretty cool. They were O.K.
Warren: It seems like there’s been a boom.
Rich: It feels like there was a gap that needed to be filled. There wasn’t this many kids around or bands around. I used to be part of a different scene with different kids...
Kids notice the vacuum and take it upon themselves to fill it.Sean: Stuck in the City has been doing a lot to fill that vacuum. Stuck in the City is a hardcore promotion deal...
Warren: A few guys who like what they do and do it well.
So what is the bands plans for the next little while? Recording? Touring?
Warren: Jonah Falco (CAREER SUICIDE/FUCKED UP) might be doing our next release actually. Hopefully we’ll get a 7” out.
Any thoughts on a label?Warren: It might be a DIY release, we might send it out to a few labels and see what the response is. The demo plus three new songs.
Any idea when that will be?
Warren: Last I talked to him he said the next couple months, but there’s pressing and all that...a few other steps along the way before the final product.
What’s the best way for someone to get a hold of you?Sean: www.myspace.com/molestedyouthhc. We love friend requests.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

EXD IN MRR - TEENAGE HEAD

Greg Dick interviews Teenage Head about the early years up to and including the first LP. This interview was originally a live radio interview, but was transcibed and published in in the July 2008 edition of Maximumrocknroll. Since then lead singer Frankie Venom passed away and this was one of the last recorded interviews with everyone. The issue number is 302 and you can get copies of the issue at http://maximumrocknroll.com/back-issues/.