1. DROPDEAD / RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA split ep (Arageddon)
2. TRENCHES demo (Self-Released)
3. PICK YOUR SIDE / TO THE POINT split 10' (Deep Six)
4. ABUSE - Life's Idiosyncrasy (To Live A Lie)
5. STALEPHISH 'Rock n Roll Revert' CD (Shred to the Grave)
6. BASTARD NOISE / LACK OF INTEREST split CD (Deep Six)
7. HENRY FONDA 'Deutschland, Du Tater' LP (Nerdcore)
8. ABJECT PAX ep (Sewercide)
9. KRUX demo (Self-Released)
10. OCCULTONOMY demo (Self-Released)
Labels:
* ARMAGEDDON - www.armageddonshop.com
* TRENCHES - www.trencheshxc-bandcamp.com
* DEEP SIX - P.O. Box 6911 / Burbank, CA / 91510 / USA / www.deepsixrecords.com
* TO LIVE A LIE - www.tolivealie.com
* SHRED TO THE GRAVE - 6159 Oldham / Taylor, MI / 48180 / USA
* NERDCORE - nerdcore@jesus.ch
* SEWERCIDE - 3125 Novalea Drive, #310 / Halifax, NS / B3K 3E5 / Canada
* KRUX - www.kruxrnr.bandcamp.com
* OCCULTONOMY - www.realityisacult.bandcamp.com
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Radio - Sunday, March 30th, 2014
Here is tonight's show.
FLQ'S - Never Here (Self-Released)
Stephe started out the show with a top 10 for March which features bands from Illinois, Texas, Berlin, Halifax, Detroit, Oakland, Vienna, and Rhode Island to name a few. A real international mix.
OCCULTONOMY - I highly recommend buying a booklight (Self-Released)
KRUX - Gone Again (Self-Released)
ABJECT PAX - Abject Pax (Sewercide)
HENRY FONDA - Euch die Uhren und die Zeit (Nerdcore)
LACK OF INTEREST - Hands Up (Deep Six)
STALEPHISH - I was Drunk (Self-Released)
ABUSE - Life's Idiosyncrasy (To Live A Lie)
TO THE POINT - I Gotta Match (Deep Six)
TRENCHES - Enemy (Self-Released)
RUIDOSA INMUNDICIA - Blanco Y Negro (Armageddon)
DROPDEAD - Last Breath (Armageddon)
D'Arcy started out with a set bands all from the 80's in Germany
DAILY TERROR - Einkessel buntes (Weird System)
TIN CAN ARMY - T.C.A. (Krachshwindel / Moron)
RAZZIA - Kriegszustand (Weird System)
MANIACS - Tanz der Vebonden Toten (Chaos)
DIE TOTEN HOSEN - Wir Sind Boriet (JKP)
VELLUCET - Nightmare (Pogar)
Rob started out with a tribute to Richard Carstens who passed away last week. Richard was in great bands from this city like Madhouse, No Mind and the Whammy. You can find a nice tribute at Mike Andrechuk's site with this song and a bunch of other Madhouse recordings.
MADHOUSE - Writing on Benzedrine (Self-Released)
THE LOOTERS - La La La
CHIEFS - Riot Squad (Taang)
THE JAM - In the City (Polydor)
THE DAMNED - New Rose (Sanctuary)
D'Arcy's second set was international in focus and featured bands between '77 and '82.
FEAR - I don't care about you (Slash)
UPSETS - Heartattack (EMI)
WIDOWS - For the Freedom
THE PROLETARIAT - Religion is the opium of the masses (Modern Method)
VIOLENT APATHY - Society Rules (Lost and Found)
WARDS - Spray Children (Medical)
ABSENTEES - Tryin to mess with me (UG)
LEGAL WEAPON - No Sorrow (Arsenal)
THE DILS - Mr. Big (Damaged Goods)
THE NECESSARIES - Runaway Child (Spy)
KAKA DE LUXE - La pluma Electrica (Chapa)
AVERAGE TIMES - She Knows (Hosehead / P Trash)
STRANGE ATTRACTOR - Johnny Black Cat (Self-Released)
MARKED MEN - not that kid (Dirtnap)
MUMMIES - I'm Down (SFTRI)
Tonight's demo feature is Gaucho who are from here and feature Warren Callbeck who has played guitar in too many bands to talk about. Here is a review from the April issue of MRR. You can download the demo from thier bandcamp page.
GAUCHO - Brutalidad policial (Self-Released)
GAUCHO - Maldita sociedad (Self-Released)
GAUCHO - Sistema de mierda (Self-Released)
GAUCHO - El dia final (Self-Released)
GAUCHO - Cerebro podrido (Self-Released)
Or you can download an MP3 file of the show.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Flyer - Thursday, March 27th, 2014
HARMS WAY
TRUE
http://
GRAVE NEW WORLD
(TORONTO HARDCORE)
https://www.facebook.com/
SIX OF SWORDS
(TORONTO DEATH METAL)
http://
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
at THE UNITED STEEL WORKERS HALL
25 CECIL ST
DOORS AT 7:30 PM
$10
THIS SHOW IS ALL AGES
THIS SHOW IS A DRY SHOW
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Radio - Sunday, March 23rd, 2014
This show features a session recorded with Screamin' Sam and the Problems earlier this week and you can find a post that has the songs and interviews in downloadable formats. Here is the pieced together version with bits of an audio collage from various other sources like the articles scanned from Steve Koch's archive
- "Horseshoe closes with riot", Toronto Sun, Sunday, June 14th, 1981
- "Beyond Primal: The Ultimate Scream", Shades Magazine #19/20, Oct. - Nov. 1981
- "..but Kennedys crowd dances on", Toronto Star
or this first hand account of the Professionals show
Some stories require visual aids like the video recorded at Roger's found below.
You can hear the whole show on the player above or you can download an MP3 here.
SCREAMIN' SAM - Live for Today (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Do you Like It (Unreleased)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Another World (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Big Smoke (Pelican)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Hot Dog City (Pelican)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Oh Oh Oh (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Been so Long (CIUT)
SCREAMIN' SAM - Interview (CIUT)
THE VILETONES - Sam (Fleurs de Mal)
TBC - Musik I Plast (Mjalthugg / Re-Ken)
ASTA KASK - Fredagsmys (Prank)
KNUCKLEHEAD - Bigger Bombs for a Better Tomorrow (Stumble)
SNFU - Crude Crude City (Cruzar)
FISSURE - Junkie's Day Off
LACK OF INTEREST - Head Trip (Deep Six)
NO COMMENT - Dead Stare for Life (Deep Six)
TO THE POINT - First world problems for a middle class white guy (Deep Six)
COLD WAR - No Regrets - (Deep Six / Regurgitated Semen)
PICK YOUR SIDE - Weakling (Deep Six)
SICKFIT - Guilt Trip (Bong)
MILKMAN - Gurkenzeit (Bong)
NUEVA AUTORIDAD DEOCRATICA - Genta mierda (Solo para punks)
TENSE REACTION - De wilders sharia / Angstendictatuur (Bong)
UNAMED TERRORIST GROUP - You are involved in the war
Tonight's demo feature is a new band from Calgary. You can download this demo on their bandcamp page.
EXOTIC FUNCTIONS - Feeling Good (Self-Released)
EXOTIC FUNCTIONS - Cobaxa (Self-Released)
EXOTIC FUNCTIONS - Vegetate (Self-Released)
EXOTIC FUNCTIONS - Petty Pursuits (Self-Released)
EXOTIC FUNCTIONS - Blessing in Disguise (Self-Released)
Flyer - Sunday, March 23rd, 2014
TERRORIST (WINNIPEG PUNK)
http:// terroristmusic.bandcamp.com /
IDNS (TORONTO CRUST)
https:// idnscrust.bandcamp.com/ album/eat-shit-distort
MAKE NO GAINS (TORONTO PUNK)
http:// makenogains.bandcamp.com/ album/severed-ties
This is the day after PUNKS IS COVERS #5 : SEX PISTOLS, THE CLASH, JOY DIVISION, NEGATIVE APPROACH, DAYGLO ABORTIONS, ANTI SOCIAL come drink your hangover away and support touring Canadian Punk and DIY bands!
Punks who run on punk time risk the chance of being punks who miss out on Mona's most excellent FREE platters of veggie spring rolls and tempura yams with spicy dipping sauce.
Pints: $5.00 & Pabst $4.50 a can.
http://
IDNS (TORONTO CRUST)
https://
MAKE NO GAINS (TORONTO PUNK)
http://
This is the day after PUNKS IS COVERS #5 : SEX PISTOLS, THE CLASH, JOY DIVISION, NEGATIVE APPROACH, DAYGLO ABORTIONS, ANTI SOCIAL come drink your hangover away and support touring Canadian Punk and DIY bands!
Punks who run on punk time risk the chance of being punks who miss out on Mona's most excellent FREE platters of veggie spring rolls and tempura yams with spicy dipping sauce.
Pints: $5.00 & Pabst $4.50 a can.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Screamin’ Sam and the Problems studio 3 session
This guy is a legend in this city. And I am not even sure what to call him. In Treat Me Like Dirt he is listed as Sam Ferrera, Sam Sinatra, and Sam Vincent. What do I call this guy? The answer is he answers to Sam. He is such a down to earth guy. I run into him putting change in the meter on the way to the studio. He is on a first name basis with everyone he comes into contact with. This is the guy who made up half the rhythm section for the most notorious punk band in Toronto the Ugly. This is the guy who became the only other credible line up for the Viletones. This is the guy Steve Leckie wrote a song about in 1999 in an attempt to woo him back. This is the guy that Mickey Skin and Nora Currie and Zero send shout outs to when they are on the show. People love him because he is a great bass player.
But people also love him because he is a humble guy. He understates his accomplishments when asked about them directly. So much so that people like Steve Koch and Cleave Anderson feel the need to speak up for him as by way of context to help understand why he is so important in the scene. His band played the next closing of the Horseshoe Tavern in 1980 for which a riot broke out when they played “Wild and Free”. His band opened for the Dead Kennedys back in 1981. They also played with the Professionals and it is rumoured that Paul Cook attempted to help himself to Tony’s drum kit and almost got away with it. But these historic incidents don’t seem to be of concern to Sam. Making good music does. In 1988, the band released a single titled “Not too safe for Love”. You can read and listen to the single at http://www.mocm.ca/Music/Title.aspx?TitleId=318290. In 1996, the band released a CD called “Dust”. Many of Toronto’s first wave of punk musicians have been in this band and we try and get to the nitty gritty of who played when. You can listen to the interview here. There is a second part to the interview as well.
Sam put together a band based on one of the later line ups which featured Steve Koch on guitar, his Rattlesnake Choir partner John Borra, and Cleave Anderson on drums. Sam still plays his hollow body Hofner bass which has a violin quality to it. It is a difficult bass to play but that doesn’t hold Sam back. I was pretty amazed by some of the things he was playing. We were treated to four songs from the band’s back catalogue.
1. Been So Long
2. Oh Oh Oh
3. Live for Today
4. Another World
Sam also did some IDs for us:
1. Been so long CIUT ID
2. Live for Today EXD ID
The session was recorded by Ian Wilkinson and video taped by Aldo Erdic of Punks and Rockers.
But people also love him because he is a humble guy. He understates his accomplishments when asked about them directly. So much so that people like Steve Koch and Cleave Anderson feel the need to speak up for him as by way of context to help understand why he is so important in the scene. His band played the next closing of the Horseshoe Tavern in 1980 for which a riot broke out when they played “Wild and Free”. His band opened for the Dead Kennedys back in 1981. They also played with the Professionals and it is rumoured that Paul Cook attempted to help himself to Tony’s drum kit and almost got away with it. But these historic incidents don’t seem to be of concern to Sam. Making good music does. In 1988, the band released a single titled “Not too safe for Love”. You can read and listen to the single at http://www.mocm.ca/Music/Title.aspx?TitleId=318290. In 1996, the band released a CD called “Dust”. Many of Toronto’s first wave of punk musicians have been in this band and we try and get to the nitty gritty of who played when. You can listen to the interview here. There is a second part to the interview as well.
Sam put together a band based on one of the later line ups which featured Steve Koch on guitar, his Rattlesnake Choir partner John Borra, and Cleave Anderson on drums. Sam still plays his hollow body Hofner bass which has a violin quality to it. It is a difficult bass to play but that doesn’t hold Sam back. I was pretty amazed by some of the things he was playing. We were treated to four songs from the band’s back catalogue.
1. Been So Long
2. Oh Oh Oh
3. Live for Today
4. Another World
Sam also did some IDs for us:
1. Been so long CIUT ID
2. Live for Today EXD ID
The session was recorded by Ian Wilkinson and video taped by Aldo Erdic of Punks and Rockers.
Flyer - Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
(features the lates zine co-ordinator from MRR on vocals)
(New 7" "Mas alla de la muerte" is out)
http:// permanentruin.tumblr.com/
COLUMN OF HEAVEN
(The Endless Blockade's noise campaign continues)
https:// survivalistdeathcult.bandca mp.com/
GAUCHO
http:// gauchogaucho.bandcamp.com/
ANXIETY
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=P_wPDwxYRXw
All Ages!
(New 7" "Mas alla de la muerte" is out)
http://
COLUMN OF HEAVEN
(The Endless Blockade's noise campaign continues)
https://
GAUCHO
http://
ANXIETY
http://www.youtube.com/
All Ages!
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Radio - Sunday March 16th, 2014
Tonight's show starts out with Brampton's Hormoans. This session was recorded last Tuesday and more material can be downloaded from that post including the interview.
HORMOANS - Punk Song (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Hormoans (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Drago (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Doc Brown (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Casualty of Worship (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Kids Suck (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Get Gone (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Shark (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Interview (CIUT)
HORMOANS - Knifed at Gunpoint (CIUT)
THE RUTS - Secret Soldiers (Strange Fruit)
BLOOD SUCKERS - Less Punx, More Punk (Sjakk Matt Plater)
FLQs - Trapped (Self-Released)
THE SOFISTIFUCKS - Nuclear Serenade (Self-Released)
GAUCHO - Brutalidad Policial (Self-Released)
DARFUR - Fallen on Deaf Ears (Bad Hair Life)
DEAD RADICAL - Mid life crisis (I Deal)
COMBAT CRISIS - Combat Crisis (Concrete Umbrella)
TASTE THE FLOOR - Threat is cool until the fashion (Rebound)
ARCTIC CHOKE - Full Tilt Bozo (To Live a Lie)
EDORA - Addiction (625 Thrash)
COLOSS - Not a cool job (Rebound)
BEARTRAP - Judge Me (Self-Released)
ANTIMASTER - Fuente do poder (Alcoholic Desaster)
DISHUMANITY - Policijska Represija (Self-Released)
BOMBANFALL - Mot em stralande framtid (Self-Released)
INSTITUTION - Falsk Tryggnet (D-Takt & Rapunk)
THE VIRUS - Vicious Rumours (Punkcore)
BURIAL - Out to die (Hardware)
BROKEN BONES - Kick down the doors (Combat Core)
AUKTION - Dags att paska (Muegta Negra)
MOTORHEAD - Ace of Spades (Bronze)
WAR RIPPER - Dropping to hell Hells head bwyer Bombr)
CHILDREN OF TECHNOLOGY - It's time to face Doomsday (Agipunk)
RAMMING SPEED - Vultures Prey (Punks de pogo)
I read about this demo in the February issue of MRR and here is the review. You can download the demo from the band's bandcamp page.
CHAIN RANK - Chain Rank (Self-Released)
CHAIN RANK - The Grip (Self-Released)
CHAIN RANK - Turn your back and run (Self-Released)
CHAIN RANK - Point and Accuse (Self-Released)
CHAIN RANK - Criminal Banner (Self-Released)
CHAIN RANK - Watching their world (Self-Released)
You can download an MP3 file of the show here.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Flyer - Saturday, March 15th, 2014
MURPHY'S LAW
(NYHC ORIGINALS - STILL PARTYING!)
https://www.facebook.com/
DEMOLITION
(THEE BARRIE HARDCORE - TRIPLE B RECORDS)
(IF YOU'RE FROM ONTARIO AND YOU DON'T KNOW, WAKE UP TO THE REAL DEAL!)
http://
HOCKEY TEETH
(TORONTO PUNKERS 20 YRS STRONG)
https://www.facebook.com/
KILLER OF SHEEP
(PITTSBURGH HC LIFERS)
http://
https://www.facebook.com/
STRAIGHT TRUTH
(EAST END HC FREAKOS)
https://www.mediafire.com/
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
at HARD LUCK
772A DUNDAS ST. W
DOORS AT 8PM
$12.50 ADV / $15 AT THE DOOR
http://www.ticketweb.ca/
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ROTATE/SOUNDSCAPES
Friday, March 14, 2014
Flyer - Monday, March 14th, 2014
SWEARIN'
(SALINAS RECORDS CRUTCHFIELD PUNK ROCK)
(EX - P.S. ELIOT - FIRST TIME IN TORONTO!)
https://www.facebook.com/
NEON WINDBREAKER
(WE ARE BUSY BODIES RECORDS)
(RARE APPEARANCE!)
http://
STUCK OUT HERE
(ART DRUG RECORDS)
(TORONTO INDIE PUNK)
https://www.facebook.com/
http://
STARES
(TWO-PIECE TECHY PUNK ROCK)
(MEMBERS OF !ATTENTION!)
(NO INTERNET! - LIVE ROCK ONLY!)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
$10 ADV / $12 AT THE DOOR
at THE SHOP UNDER PARTS & LABOUR
1566 QUEEN STREET WEST
10PM
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ROTATE THIS, SOUNDSCAPES & ONLINE HERE:http://
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Book Review - No Means No - Going Nowhere
Chapter synopsis of "No Means No: Going Nowhere" written by Mark Black
The author starts out by exploring his introduction to No Means No, which like many punk rock stories involves a sibling. This happens in a number of ways, but in Mark's particular circumstance begins with an older brother moving from Glace Bay on Cape Breton Island to Nelson, BC, which for people not familiar with Canadian geography is pretty close to the farthest distance you can travel in Canada. In phone conversations Mark would get his brother to tell him about punk bands that he had seen. Not many, if any, bands would make it to Glace Bay. But Nelson was on the way to shows in Vancouver. It was his brother's difficulty with describing No Means No that intrigued Mark about the band. "Dance of the Headless Bourgeousie" was Mark's introduction to No Means No's material. This is more recent in terms of No Means No's back catalogue, but then we are talking about thirty years worth of music. "Going Nowhere" was the only song from that record that Mark considered punk sounding upon his first impressions. This bibliophonic has to be read through the lens of Mark Black, which is great because I know Mark from having put on a show for a band I was in and he made a lasting impression on me as an interesting kid. The book gave me an opportunity to learn more about him as well as No Means No.
The Myth is Real
This first chapters gets into how the Wright Brothers started playing music. This is good background which involves being army brats. Having moved around the country I think that might partially explain why No Means No were such tour hounds. The Wright Brothers may not have been very grounded to one community. Mark also explains that there was an 8 year difference between the brothers and playing music would be a great way to bridge that generation gap. John, the youngest brother, had some training with a school band. Rob was inspired by the Calgary punk scene, the Sex Pistols and Devo. In 1979, DOA played the university and that became a turning point for hooking them on the local punk scene. You often hear the story about Black Flag playing their first shows in little towns and when they came back the next year a scene was starting up. The same was true for DOA up in Canada and the experience had worked it's magic on the Wright Brothers. They also talk about the Ramones being a keystone group, which also figures into the author's story with his older brother coming to pick him up at baseball practise. This revisiting of ones roots may also explain the development of the Hanson Brothers and there are plenty of examples that followed like Criminal Damage and Hard Skin. Anyway the Wrights joined a cover band before starting No Means No to get some experience. The band was called Castle and the two would write original music outside of band time. They recorded a song on Rob's four track called "You're so Blind" which was a long meandering song with progressive song structures that evolved while playing them. That is kind of what Black Flag became. The first Wright brothers release had a Wire inspired number called "SS Social Service". The A Side was a Devo meets Joy Division song called "Look here comes the wormies" and together this became a No Means No / Mass Appeal split single that Ray Carter wrote about in the "All Your Ears Can Hear" compilation.
Victoria
Punk bands have a good track record with writing insightful songs about their home town. No Means No is no exception. And yet without the song, which I didn't even know existed, No Means No are identified with Victoria. They are an unofficial ambassador for the province's capital. I stayed in Victoria for week and although I knew of other bands I kept thinking of it as No Means No's hometown. The song "Victoria" appears on "Mr. Right and Mr Wrong: One down and Two to go". The title of the LP is a play on the Meatmen song given the band's loss of Andy, but the song "Victoria" is a play on the Kinks number by the same name. They just changed the lyrics to talk about unpleasant truths of this retirement city. The song is actually produced through a Hanson Brothers collaboration, but the song gets credited as a No Means No song. This chapter goes on to explore things about Victoria which might help account for bands like the Neos. And conversely the chapter explains why people like Jesus Bonehead would escape to the larger metropolis of Vancouver.
Stock Taking
This chapter explores the thinking behind No Means No. This starts with an exploration of the name which is taken from an anti-rape slogan. The band doesn't really help with interpretations or explanations. This gives Mark creative licence to apply etymology to punk band names in general and No Means No in particular. Mark starts exploring the meaning behind songs and uses an example with the song that the book is titled after as an example of how songs can be wildly misinterpreted. Mark was working on a TV show about John Wayne Gacy at the time and thought the song was about him. No Means No resist providing explanations because they want the listener to apply their own meaning to the song. I get this although it can be annoying when you are looking for insight into a song. It could also be seen as a cop out with not wanting to provide explanations. Or it could be that the band thinks the subject matter is too ordinary to explain and as a result self-evident. The information vacuum on No Means No's material does have us debating and I wonder if a book like the "Stranglers: Song by Song" might be due for No Means No. This book starts it off with an interpretation of the "World Wasn't built in a day." John Samson from the Weakerthans notes that No Means No writes songs about "Existential darkness". Ford Pier remarks at the band's ability to frame complex philosophical musings in a way that doesn't sound to show offish. "Victoria" gets used to demonstrate layers of cerebral thought.
Canada is Pissed
This chapter explores Andy Kerr. He was in the Infamous Scientists a band that is confused as being the band that morphed into No Means No. And Mark breaks down a number of areas for the confusion. "Canada is Pissed" was an Infamous Scientists song which No Means No would cover later on and only helps to add to the confusion. The Infamous Scientists broke up in 1982. The band had John Wright playing in the band at the end. No Means No asked Andy to join No Means No which he did in 1983. This chapter is the closest thing to a discography which is only for the Kerr years which is roughly the first ten years. Mark writes about the importance of the "Wrong" album and delves into the song "Two Lips, Two Lungs, and One Tongue" as the punk version of the human condition. I remember taking a second year philosophy course which covered the basics in this area with Hobbes and Rousseau and I had never tried to apply this to a punk song. It does make sense out of the song, but I also think that this is another example of transference by the author. Psycho analysts would have a field day with this.
Blitzkrieg Hops
This chapter explores the origins of the Hanson Brothers starting out with fun facts about the characters in the Paul Newman film "Slapshot" where the characters come from. This hockey goon squad becomes the alter ego for the Ramones tribute band. The three chord side project of dumbed down songs is a head scratcher when compared to the cerebral and chord complicated No Means No. Searching for the Wright Brothers roots is how to make sense of this. The traumatic break with Andy Kerr left the band searching after what had been a fairly intense period of creativity in their first decade. The break of a jam band that combined three chord punk with their love for hockey, which is a genetic disposition for Canadians, and the particular area of goon culture within hockey allows for the worlds of punk and hockey to co-exist. Andy's roommate, Tom Holliston of the Show Business Giants, was asked to play guitar. He became Tommy Hanson. Bits of the Hanson Brothers discography get laid out on this chapter. Fun facts like "Sudden Death" being a tribute to DOA's "The Prisoner". The band also started up a campaign to get Dave "Tiger" Williams into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
I'm Doing Well
This chapter starts out by explaining how Tom comes to join No Means No. It was on a Hanson Brothers tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1993. Tom played guitar differently and the transition wasn't easy. Lots of people, including myself, considered No Means No over after Kerr left. I haven't listened to an album post Kerr until this book. Mark makes the case that the band has never stopped being No Means No. John worked with Tom for a year to get him up to snuff. And the reason why they stuck with Tom was chemistry. Something you can't teach. This chapter is mostly about Tom's transition.
My Game
The third Hanson Brothers release comes out in 2002 with an homage to Black Flag's "My War". This release saw a new drummer in Mike Bramm, who would become Mikey Hanson. Mike was playing in a band called Freak Accident but was known for playing in Fang and Capitol Punishment. This release had the worse production and inspired the brothers to go back and re-mix this record and then everything which started up Wrong Records, the band's own label.
Heaven is the dust beneath my shoes
Starts out with an observation that bands that sing about themselves, exemplified by the tour song is usually a sure fire sign that it is over. But really this discussion serves to point out that No Means No lyrics are grounded having never written a tour song. The Wright brothers grew up with an anti-music industry attitude and they share how ordinary they are by talking about how the band plays jeopardy in the van to pass time. But there is a tour story too juicy to keep to themselves which is the time when their van got ripped off in Poland. The band does get the van back after paying ransom for it, but the story about the dangers of 2nd world gangsters and negotiating a lie to the police so that they could leave the country is exciting and revealing.
'Til I Die
This chapter can be read as a contemplation. It starts out as a contemplation of No Means No lyrics. The band wrote about their experiences which is what they know. Mark uses the song "This town", which suggests there was unfinished critiques not found in "Victoria". No Means No wrote on equal fitting with their audience which is evidenced in songs like "Mr. In Between" or "The Graveyard Shift" or "Now" or "The World wasn't built in a day" or "Stock Taking". But the song "One Fine Day" seems to sum up what No Means No is about with the challenge of every day life. This is a similar story that Black relates with his dad. And No Means No was a band that allowed Mark to connect with his older brother that moved across the country. The Wright Brothers started playing together as a way of connecting. And perhaps this book is a way of connecting to No Means No because there is an air of unapproachability to the band which is really and clearly not the case as "Going Nowhere" points out again and again and again.
The publication is almost sold out so Mark recommends that you read it through your public library.
The author starts out by exploring his introduction to No Means No, which like many punk rock stories involves a sibling. This happens in a number of ways, but in Mark's particular circumstance begins with an older brother moving from Glace Bay on Cape Breton Island to Nelson, BC, which for people not familiar with Canadian geography is pretty close to the farthest distance you can travel in Canada. In phone conversations Mark would get his brother to tell him about punk bands that he had seen. Not many, if any, bands would make it to Glace Bay. But Nelson was on the way to shows in Vancouver. It was his brother's difficulty with describing No Means No that intrigued Mark about the band. "Dance of the Headless Bourgeousie" was Mark's introduction to No Means No's material. This is more recent in terms of No Means No's back catalogue, but then we are talking about thirty years worth of music. "Going Nowhere" was the only song from that record that Mark considered punk sounding upon his first impressions. This bibliophonic has to be read through the lens of Mark Black, which is great because I know Mark from having put on a show for a band I was in and he made a lasting impression on me as an interesting kid. The book gave me an opportunity to learn more about him as well as No Means No.
The Myth is Real
This first chapters gets into how the Wright Brothers started playing music. This is good background which involves being army brats. Having moved around the country I think that might partially explain why No Means No were such tour hounds. The Wright Brothers may not have been very grounded to one community. Mark also explains that there was an 8 year difference between the brothers and playing music would be a great way to bridge that generation gap. John, the youngest brother, had some training with a school band. Rob was inspired by the Calgary punk scene, the Sex Pistols and Devo. In 1979, DOA played the university and that became a turning point for hooking them on the local punk scene. You often hear the story about Black Flag playing their first shows in little towns and when they came back the next year a scene was starting up. The same was true for DOA up in Canada and the experience had worked it's magic on the Wright Brothers. They also talk about the Ramones being a keystone group, which also figures into the author's story with his older brother coming to pick him up at baseball practise. This revisiting of ones roots may also explain the development of the Hanson Brothers and there are plenty of examples that followed like Criminal Damage and Hard Skin. Anyway the Wrights joined a cover band before starting No Means No to get some experience. The band was called Castle and the two would write original music outside of band time. They recorded a song on Rob's four track called "You're so Blind" which was a long meandering song with progressive song structures that evolved while playing them. That is kind of what Black Flag became. The first Wright brothers release had a Wire inspired number called "SS Social Service". The A Side was a Devo meets Joy Division song called "Look here comes the wormies" and together this became a No Means No / Mass Appeal split single that Ray Carter wrote about in the "All Your Ears Can Hear" compilation.
Victoria
Punk bands have a good track record with writing insightful songs about their home town. No Means No is no exception. And yet without the song, which I didn't even know existed, No Means No are identified with Victoria. They are an unofficial ambassador for the province's capital. I stayed in Victoria for week and although I knew of other bands I kept thinking of it as No Means No's hometown. The song "Victoria" appears on "Mr. Right and Mr Wrong: One down and Two to go". The title of the LP is a play on the Meatmen song given the band's loss of Andy, but the song "Victoria" is a play on the Kinks number by the same name. They just changed the lyrics to talk about unpleasant truths of this retirement city. The song is actually produced through a Hanson Brothers collaboration, but the song gets credited as a No Means No song. This chapter goes on to explore things about Victoria which might help account for bands like the Neos. And conversely the chapter explains why people like Jesus Bonehead would escape to the larger metropolis of Vancouver.
Stock Taking
This chapter explores the thinking behind No Means No. This starts with an exploration of the name which is taken from an anti-rape slogan. The band doesn't really help with interpretations or explanations. This gives Mark creative licence to apply etymology to punk band names in general and No Means No in particular. Mark starts exploring the meaning behind songs and uses an example with the song that the book is titled after as an example of how songs can be wildly misinterpreted. Mark was working on a TV show about John Wayne Gacy at the time and thought the song was about him. No Means No resist providing explanations because they want the listener to apply their own meaning to the song. I get this although it can be annoying when you are looking for insight into a song. It could also be seen as a cop out with not wanting to provide explanations. Or it could be that the band thinks the subject matter is too ordinary to explain and as a result self-evident. The information vacuum on No Means No's material does have us debating and I wonder if a book like the "Stranglers: Song by Song" might be due for No Means No. This book starts it off with an interpretation of the "World Wasn't built in a day." John Samson from the Weakerthans notes that No Means No writes songs about "Existential darkness". Ford Pier remarks at the band's ability to frame complex philosophical musings in a way that doesn't sound to show offish. "Victoria" gets used to demonstrate layers of cerebral thought.
Canada is Pissed
This chapter explores Andy Kerr. He was in the Infamous Scientists a band that is confused as being the band that morphed into No Means No. And Mark breaks down a number of areas for the confusion. "Canada is Pissed" was an Infamous Scientists song which No Means No would cover later on and only helps to add to the confusion. The Infamous Scientists broke up in 1982. The band had John Wright playing in the band at the end. No Means No asked Andy to join No Means No which he did in 1983. This chapter is the closest thing to a discography which is only for the Kerr years which is roughly the first ten years. Mark writes about the importance of the "Wrong" album and delves into the song "Two Lips, Two Lungs, and One Tongue" as the punk version of the human condition. I remember taking a second year philosophy course which covered the basics in this area with Hobbes and Rousseau and I had never tried to apply this to a punk song. It does make sense out of the song, but I also think that this is another example of transference by the author. Psycho analysts would have a field day with this.
Blitzkrieg Hops
This chapter explores the origins of the Hanson Brothers starting out with fun facts about the characters in the Paul Newman film "Slapshot" where the characters come from. This hockey goon squad becomes the alter ego for the Ramones tribute band. The three chord side project of dumbed down songs is a head scratcher when compared to the cerebral and chord complicated No Means No. Searching for the Wright Brothers roots is how to make sense of this. The traumatic break with Andy Kerr left the band searching after what had been a fairly intense period of creativity in their first decade. The break of a jam band that combined three chord punk with their love for hockey, which is a genetic disposition for Canadians, and the particular area of goon culture within hockey allows for the worlds of punk and hockey to co-exist. Andy's roommate, Tom Holliston of the Show Business Giants, was asked to play guitar. He became Tommy Hanson. Bits of the Hanson Brothers discography get laid out on this chapter. Fun facts like "Sudden Death" being a tribute to DOA's "The Prisoner". The band also started up a campaign to get Dave "Tiger" Williams into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
I'm Doing Well
This chapter starts out by explaining how Tom comes to join No Means No. It was on a Hanson Brothers tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1993. Tom played guitar differently and the transition wasn't easy. Lots of people, including myself, considered No Means No over after Kerr left. I haven't listened to an album post Kerr until this book. Mark makes the case that the band has never stopped being No Means No. John worked with Tom for a year to get him up to snuff. And the reason why they stuck with Tom was chemistry. Something you can't teach. This chapter is mostly about Tom's transition.
My Game
The third Hanson Brothers release comes out in 2002 with an homage to Black Flag's "My War". This release saw a new drummer in Mike Bramm, who would become Mikey Hanson. Mike was playing in a band called Freak Accident but was known for playing in Fang and Capitol Punishment. This release had the worse production and inspired the brothers to go back and re-mix this record and then everything which started up Wrong Records, the band's own label.
Heaven is the dust beneath my shoes
Starts out with an observation that bands that sing about themselves, exemplified by the tour song is usually a sure fire sign that it is over. But really this discussion serves to point out that No Means No lyrics are grounded having never written a tour song. The Wright brothers grew up with an anti-music industry attitude and they share how ordinary they are by talking about how the band plays jeopardy in the van to pass time. But there is a tour story too juicy to keep to themselves which is the time when their van got ripped off in Poland. The band does get the van back after paying ransom for it, but the story about the dangers of 2nd world gangsters and negotiating a lie to the police so that they could leave the country is exciting and revealing.
'Til I Die
This chapter can be read as a contemplation. It starts out as a contemplation of No Means No lyrics. The band wrote about their experiences which is what they know. Mark uses the song "This town", which suggests there was unfinished critiques not found in "Victoria". No Means No wrote on equal fitting with their audience which is evidenced in songs like "Mr. In Between" or "The Graveyard Shift" or "Now" or "The World wasn't built in a day" or "Stock Taking". But the song "One Fine Day" seems to sum up what No Means No is about with the challenge of every day life. This is a similar story that Black relates with his dad. And No Means No was a band that allowed Mark to connect with his older brother that moved across the country. The Wright Brothers started playing together as a way of connecting. And perhaps this book is a way of connecting to No Means No because there is an air of unapproachability to the band which is really and clearly not the case as "Going Nowhere" points out again and again and again.
The publication is almost sold out so Mark recommends that you read it through your public library.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Hormoans studio 3 session
The Hormoans are a punk band from Brampton that have been around for quite a few years. The band has a lot of material to pick and choose from. They are also some of the nicest guys I have met. The band draws on influences from a wide variety of punk and I heard influences from post punk bands like Gang of Four and Joy Division and the Summer of Revolution sounds of Rites of Spring and Fugazi. The lyrics focused more on the personal (relationships). Ian Wilkinson recorded the following songs for our show:
2. Off Shore
4. Hormoans
5. Drago
6. Crowbar
7. Get Gone
10. Kids Suck
11. Punk song
12. Shark
14. Doc Brown
The band also made a number of IDs for the station:
15. ID 1
16. ID 2
17. ID 3
18. ID 4
And we also had a chance to speak after the session.
Punks and Rockers caught the session on video and here is an editted clip.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Radio - Sunday, March 9th, 2014
This show is in celebration of International Women's Day. The show was programmed by women from the Toronto punk scene and features Zoe Dodd, the singer of the defunct Bayonettes, Sarde, Marjie and Chloe. They referred to it as the ladies takeover at the top of the show. Mickey Skin, Nora Currie, Zero, and Donna of Luxury Bob were also in and told a few stories about what it was like breaking gender ground in the early punk scene. You can listen on the player above or download and MP3 at the end of this post.
IRREPARABLES - I Wanna Make A Fanzine (Nominal)
LOST KIDS - Alle Taller (Medley)
GIRLS AT OUR BEST - Getting Nowhere Fast (Rough Trade)
RED STOCKINGS - Unrequited Love (Matador)
DISHRAGS - I Don't Love You (Modern)
VIOLATERS - Summer of '81 (No Future)
LA MISMA - Guerras Silenciosas (Toxic State)
RAKTA - Take Your Time (Nada Nada Discos)
HYSTERIA WARD - Breakfast to Madness (General Speech)
FLESH WORLD - Sturdy Swiss Hiker (La Vida Es Va Mus)
ADVERTS - No Time To Be 21 (Bright Records)
DEKODER - Hate Song (Self-Released)
RUBELLA BALLET - Tangled Web (Ubiquitous)
BLUE CROSS - Mass Hysteria (Shogun)
MARCH VIOLETS - Cross Baby (Rebirth)
THE POLES - CN Tower (Nimbus Nine)
THE CURSE - Shoeshine Boy (Hi Fi)
ZRO4 - Gimme Attention (Chameleon)
Chloe jumped in as a fill in for Erika Supply and this is her set and the set ended with goth inspired punk and there is a goth revival. The girls credit Marjie`s dress as their inspiration.
SCREAMING SNEAKERS - Violent Days (Screaming Sneakers Records)
SUBURBAN LAWNS - Janitors (Suburban Industrial)
LAS VULPES - Me Gusta Ser Unna Zorra (Dos Rombos Discos)
BELGRADO - Panopticon (La Vida Es Un Mus)
SURVIVAL - Civil War (Self-Released)
KURRAKA - Hermanas de la Oscuridad (Self-Released)
ULTIMO RESORTE - Una Guerra Sin Fondo (La Vida Es Un Mus)
LAS OTRAS - Tragedia (Discos Sense Nom)
LIFE CHAIN - Dead End (Imminent Destruction / Adelante)
GEISTER - So Bored (Moloch)
LUXURY BOB - I screwed him for the air-conditioning (Self-Released)
X - We're Disposable (Slash)
THE EXPELLED - Got No Cider (Captain Oi)
NOG WATT - Big Warning, Big Mistake (Revenge)
DETENTE - It's Your Fate (Banzai)
Sarde`s last set starts out with Permanent Ruin who will be here in a few weeks.
PERMANENT RUIN - Legacy (Adelante Discos)
GOOD THROB - Feminazi (Pinball)
ATTAK - Today's Generation (No Future)
You can download the show as an MP3 here.