LIVE RECORDINGS

I've started doing live recordings. I'm going to post them soon. The recordings will be from various bands at various locations, mostly Halifax in the beginning. I'm working on a way to get them posted on a music player to the blog but for now I think the files are going to be too big to do anything but mediafire.
Hopefully I can do something better, but I think being able to download them to one's computer is best anyway, and only people who really want the recordings are going to even go to the effort to visit the blog let alone download. Anyone who has a better idea is welcome to email me @ rawgrove@gmail.com.
cheers

Silent Order

Go listen to my new band, soon to have our own blog, condemned to Myspace for now. We have the rough versions of our demo tape that will be out when we feel like it. The summer is when we'll most likely feel like it. June probably. Fuck off and listen to my band:

LISTEN TO SILENT ORDER  <-----------Thats a link, click on it. Cool, eh? The internet is pretty rad like that.

Miscreantz Interview.

With the Adhesives, Get Wrecked and Gone Drinkin’… all but finished (as of now), the Maritime Canadian punk scene is left with very few purveyors of UK82/Street Punk style punk rock. The Miscreantz, from the bustling Nova Scotia metropolis of Springhill, are one band who is still plugging away, heading out on their second tour as of the day I’m writing this. Read the following short interview I recently conducted via email with bassist Benji Havoc and then go listen to their music.

EE: Names, instruments, band homebase?

The Miscreantz are Dwain Crisis on vox, Marky Bakon on skins, Tyrone (Tyrant) Gagnon on Guitar, Dwayne Riot on Guitar and Myself Benji Havoc on Bass.

EE: I don’t usually ask this, but I want to today: Influences?

I can't speak for the whole band too much, but Tyrone wrote most of the songs with a heavy street punk influence and a little hardcore edge. Mostly We're influenced by alcohol.

EE: You guys did a tour in 2010… how long was it, where did you tour, how did it go, highlights, etc.

It was 5 or 6 days long, pretty short but it was well worth it. We played in Sackville, NB. Jammed a house party with the Whiskey Shits in Ottawa, and played shows in Toronto, Montreal and Burlington.

It went pretty well, a lot of people really got into our music. But it wasn't all fun and games, the dynamic of a band changes on tour lack of sleep and the stress of preforming every night can lead to some friction, that being said I'd do it every day if I could. We played some great shows with some kickass bands such as the Delinquints, Brooklyn Fletcher, Chix'n'Dix, and Vulgar Manor.

EE: What is your individual/collective perception(s) of the Canadian Maritime punk scene as of 2011?

My personal view of the Maritime puck scene is that we really need to get on the map. The east coast of the states is known for producing some of the heavier punk and hardcore bands, but not much has come out of the Maritimes.

EE: Best venue to play in the Maritimes?

Gus's pub in Halifax is pretty cool, and house parties tend to be a good time.

EE: Plans for the near or not so near future? Releases/touring, etc?

We are actually going on tour on April 21st, starting with a house party aty place then going to Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto then back to Montreal. Unfortunately this will be the last thing we do for a while as Tyrone is moving out west to work. But this is just a hiatus and we have plans in the works for a full length and some more touring as soon as its feasible.

EE: What is on your record/media players right now?

I've been really into Biohazard lately and tons of CV/Leftover Crack.

You can keep track of us at www.myspace.com/themiscreantz
or here for the videos from the tour once they are up http://www.youtube.com/user/themiscreantz

-Matty

Editorial column 1: Get Ready To Be Offended!

This is the first installment of Get Ready to Be Offended!, where I give everyone exactly what they deserve: my opinion. And it is my opinion, shared only by me and no one else who writes for EE unless they explicitly say it is so. These rants are in no way meant to be my final word on anything. I also heavily encourage anyone who wants to contribute an opinion piece to do so.
So enjoy, or don't, but please read carefully before you respond. I willingly take constructive criticism, but not from someone who has not taken the time to understand and digest what I'm saying. Get ready to be offended.

             I want to talk about the recent debate/phenomenon that I’ve noticed populating the letters/ columns pages of MRR. I am talking about the question of whether or not punk is still a threat, or ever was. Somewhere, somehow, someone assumed, very fallaciously and perniciously, that punk was going to kick the status quo’s ass so hard that Wall Street would tremble with fear.

I have some serious gripes with this. To me, punk was never a threat. Punk is a way of life (how cliché sounding, but true) that is conceptualized in terms of pre-figurative politics and lifestyle choices. The first and second, and maybe even third waves (Casualties becoming a household name? Maybe that’s important) definitely made waves in musical history, but punk was never going to change the world other than through some kind of butterfly effect. Plain and simple, punk is an escape, a subculture (when looked at objectively) and a place to create, alter and maintain identity and community.

            So you think you will change the world? How naïve. You think that your 1% (I would say FAR less of a percentile) subculture that holds absolutely no clout in the world of active denial and autotmatonity- the ‘real’ world- is going to up and become a threat to the status quo? Especially when a large percentile of this already small sample is made up of lazy, uninspired drunks? Does this sound harsh to you? When is the last time more than a handful of people in your scene ever got together to collaborate on a project that didn’t end up half done, half assed and left to wallow in limbo due to nothing short of sheer laziness? The action side of punk is mired in bad passive aggressive noncooperation, lack of organization, lack of focus and childish social politics.

There are usually only a few people in every scene who have any desire or drive to do anything, and a good portion of the time these people like to keep it that way through marginalizing into bitterness anyone who tries to become a new player in the active part of the scene. We hierarchize too, so very much like any other sphere of human collective action. This small portion of those who are active not only pander to the standard human trait of power clutching elites, but this small sphere of action is normally limited to action based on music Politics is, to be fair, a by-product of punk. Music is the basis and the glue of punk. When politics do come into play, the same problems of collective action that plague music based projects also plague collective political types of endeavors.

This all begs the question: Do most punks really want anything more than a loosely associated group of people to jam and drink with, and occasionally start a band? I also want to state that I am not at all trying to downplay the efforts of those who do make things happen, my gratitude and respect to you all. Nor am I questioning the sense of community that a lot of people, even someone as anti-social as myself, feel punk offers them. I am, however, attempting to take a step back and somewhat “objectively” critique something I’m involved in. We do not live in a vacuum either. More general problems are also endemic in political action, adding another element of futility.

Human beings have never, ever ever ever ever (to the power of 10 million) created a fair and equitable society. We also have never been able to get past our propensity to entrust the resources and responsibility of governance to the least qualified and most self-interested, and seemingly never will. Let’s face it, the greediest and least worthy of life have always been our benefactors. To be able to say that we are smarter than the rest of the world would be to admit that some sort of utopian vision that attempts to prescribe a denial of this historical precedence, although completely reasonable in most instances, is so very, very unrealistic and unattainable. Anarchism, for example, is reasonable. But it is a theory and praxis issue just like any other prescription. By that I mean in order to take it off paper, you need to get humans involved. Just as we hierarchize our own subculture in a similar way to the ‘real’ world, so are we pawns of our species pubescent non-rationalities when it comes to political action as well.

            Next point: I didn’t get in to punk to change the world. I got into punk because after years of soul searching, all the while knowing I fit in somewhere but just not with the normies, I finally found somewhere I felt I belonged; friend wise, music wise, and yes, aesthetically. If I want to change things I will continue pursuing my career as an academic and MAYBE make an ever so minute change with my research. To use a social movement theory term, I am attracted to the pre-figurative. This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop bathing, build a yurt and become some sort of militant vegan crimethinc asshole. I didn’t get into punk to be a threat. The most I’ve done so far is threaten other people’s ignorance by making them uncomfortable in public, and that is mostly because I have spikes all over my jacket.

            Am I political? Yes. I have some strong convictions. I suppose I would fit into the critical social libertarian camp if I had to be somewhat specific. I’m no activist in the traditional sense, I eat meat and I definitely like my technology, I have a job, I got to university, I like to get drunk and be rowdy and I spend a lot of money on records and video games. But I’m a punk, I contribute to the canon of music, I write for zines, I attempt to put out stuff on my “label”, and I am attempting to build a career as an “activist academic” to study and advocate violent anti-racism. Why am I telling you this? Because I need an example. This example is my pre-figurative personal statement. This is somewhat similar to what a lot of people around me can say as their statement as well, should they choose to. I am by no means a threat to anyone, aside from my offensive and opinionated nature. I love punk because it offers me a lifestyle as far outside of mainstream culture as I can reasonably get. The last thing I’m going to do is flatter the vegan gender benders by saying they’ve managed to find a utopia where they no longer need the grid. They do, and I don’t have the space here to elaborate, but I think most of you have some sort of opinion on this.

My point is that as much as I have distanced myself from mainstream society, its only so much. The pre-figurative element of my punk existence is one that alleviates the horrors of the culture I live in, but it doesn’t destroy it, make it go away or threaten it. Punk has never threatened the status quo in any serious way. Punk is an escape, punk is a place to find solace, but punk is not going to change the world in any significant way shape or form.

            If you need to be involved in something that is going to tangibly change the word I would suggest getting independently wealthy and becoming a lobbyist. I seriously doubt punk is the place for that. Punk is a place to find camaraderie, community, a space for creative expression, an aesthetic to bind you to others in your subculture and a space where you can make alterations to your lifestyle with varying degrees of support from others.

  -Matty

Review: Skitkids- "Besoket Vid Krubban" (2008) Room 101

I'll start this by saying "Besoket Vid Krubban" is the best album Skitkids have made. I heard this was their last album, although rumours and band breakups are pretty fluid processes. The rock has been turned up this time, with solos everywhere and the songs all have a distinct 'rockndbeatmotorpunk' flavour, more so than previous releases. I am a big fan of this sub-genre, and Skitkids are definitely on the top shelf. They have a great fusion of catchiness and aggression, while not veering too much into either category. This adept fusion makes for a balanced effort, one that has been perfected by this band over their career.

Highlights include: 'Weekday Suger Rov,' with its screaming lick intro and similar refrain throughout, 'Uppvaxt Till Svin,' which has a great Motorhead-ish lick and some very Totalitar-like riffs, plus a thoroughly enjoyable screaming lead followed immediately by a drum break. All the songs on this album are top-notch and I highly recommend seeking out this now 3 year old gem on you next record order, or download binge.

-Matty

Death House interview

This is an interview with Alex, who runs the Death House in Montreal. It was printed in Dealing With It, a local zine by Ian Langille, which I highly recommend if you can get your hands on a copy. Enjoy, or don't.
First, some photos of our Gone Drinkin'.../Get Wrecked show/party at the Death House:

Alex feeding some Halipunx beer bongs:

 Gone Drinkin'...

 Get Wrecked:

And now that you have an idea how awesome the place is, the interview:

After playing the Death House in the spring, Alex (who runs it) left a lasting impression on me. It wasn’t just the fact that he ran an independent venue for very little money in return, or that he shows everyone a rare type of genuine hospitality- those things make up a long list of check marks on the awesome list. It was his passion for punk rock which is evident after just minutes in the room with him.

Looking back on the trip to Montreal, and thinking about how kick it was not to deal with one bouncer or lame ass god complex promoter/bar booker, I thought that the Death House and Alex’s efforts deserved some attention in print. The following is a short interview conducted via email in May 2010. Enjoy, and support independent venues!

We should start with you introducing yourself and telling the readers what the Death house is all about, where it is, etc.

My name is Alex (Maniks Crimes) I grew up downtown Montreal my whole life(I love my city) The Death House is my new home in Place-St Henri (first time out of downtown and plateau)The lofts are jam spots and my buddy Dica got me the place...knowing that he’s an outlaw redneck I knew I was able to do my shows there without any problems since I’ve lived with him before.

When did you open the Death House?

I started the DEATH HOUSE last November… I have an obsessive mind about the other side of life hence the name of the venue.

How did you get started doing this type of thing?

Punk music has always been my favorite type of music and has always been a driving force for me in this life so being able to share music with punks everywhere is a dream come true. I started doing this type of thing when the opportunity came up and I knew I was gonna get away with it, keeping in mind it's hard to do that kind of thing anywhere in the city.

How many shows have you done?

To date, almost 60.

What are some highlights of running an independent venue? Favorite shows you’ve done?

It feels good to be able to have the Death House and see people be themselves, go crazy and have a good time! Running the venue by myself has definitely taught me some very good life qualities and it's always a constant challenge. I don't like to pick and choose what shows are better then others, but definitely when it's full of punks and we're all getting fucked it's much more appreciated.

Any plans for the venue? By that, I mean beyond what you’ve already done, as in renovations you might plan to do, promotions, anything for the future.

 I pretty much have balconies going all around but I'm still missing one to connect them and I have also have two release valve beer bongs, I think the only thing I would really like to do is have gear (PA, music equipment, etc.) in the house that bands can use and jam on right away in case those bands don't have the means to play or practice. Doing promotions for venues that I like is always just a part of what I love to do. The future you, who are you...hahahaha! I'm always ready for new challenges. I know there are a lot of good things that are going to be coming up ahead! And of course sick shows are gonna be happening and I plan on doing this shit until the day that I die!!!! Its a great experience and I am grateful towards everyday for having my venue, I definitely became more humble and it changed my life dramatically.....from being extremely destructive to completely changing my life pattern and being more productive was a great challenge in itself! Cheers and up the fuckin punks!!!!!

-Matty

Germ Attak interview; Asia Tour

Here's an interview I did with Germ Attak many months back... 

            Germ Attak are definitely in my top 5 favorite Canadian bands. They are also fantastic guys who I finally had the pleasure of sharing the stage with at Spiderfest this summer, as well as hanging out with them for the weekend. They have a work ethic, motivation and passion which is lacking in many of their contemporaries.

Germ Attak toured Asia in April 2010, and I was curious to see how it went for them. I was talking to Will about their tour after they got back and he had some awesome stories. I thought it deserved some print attention, so I set up an email interview with them. The pictures I got to sort through and the interview/ conversations I had with them about it were fantastic to say the least, and it definitely made me want to take my own band to the far-east. Enjoy...

Names and instruments?

Will – Drums

Jo – Vox and Getarz

Simon - Bass

What cities/ countries did you hit on the tour?

Will: Singapore, Malaysia (Johor Barhu and Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Yogjakarta, Bandung and Jakarta), Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Hiroshima, Tsuyama, Niigata and Mie).

What were some of the cultural highlights for you guys? By that I mean the structure of some of the local scenes and also the general culture in particular countries as well.

Will: Arriving into Indonesia was great. We got picked up by 3 punx who didn’t speak a word of English except “scooter..ok?”. So we assume we’re going on scooters and we have 3 boxes of heavy merch, our travel packs AND guitars. Not even 5 mins on the road and my driver runs a red light and gets stopped by a pig. He ends up paying off the pig like 30.000 rupees which is equivalent to I think…. $3, but is probably a ¼ day pay. Oh and I’d say 85% of the population drives scooters/bikes here. The pollution was insane. Breathing is like constantly being behind a diesel truck. And traffic is crazier than NYC, scooters bikes motorcycles cars everywhere. There are wild chickens running around. You are going through villages with huts and no running water. When it rains, it pours a foot of water in 30 minutes and the city practically shuts down cause its too wet to do anything. You can eat an awesome meal for less than a dollar. It was an amazing experience.

Jo: Ya, there is food absolutely everywhere. At every given moment within a 20 foot radius there is some street food for sale. At traffic stops, train stops, etc. People eat a lot there: very greasy food in Indonesia hahah.

 Any other interesting tour highlights or stories you guys want to share?

Will: Unfortunately we didn’t have too much time to see too many things.  But Eiji took us to the ground zero of Hiroshima. We did the touristy stuff, saw the “Atomic Bomb dome” and also went to the “Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum”. Going in there gives a different vibe… everybody knows what happened and how much was damaged, but when your actually in there and looking at articles collected from that day and reading the traumatizing stories of many that were affected by it you just want to scream and destroy shit. You walk out half upset and half angry. Knowing how many countries STILL have so many of these fucking nuclear bombs disgust me…. Do they really want an encore of what happened ever again??? Cept worst?? The future will judge that.

Jo: The museum is quite disturbing with wax statues of little girls melting from the heat of the blast and walking the streets like zombies. There are many preserved pieces of concrete walls where people where disintegrated from the blast and all that is left is a shadow! Bone melted with flesh preserved hands etc. every time there is any kind of nuclear weapons testing, the city of Hiroshima files a protest.

Will: I was told about 3 weeks before we played Jakarta, Total Chaos played a show there. 5000 people bought tickets and 2000 more were outside without tickets. They rioted to get in. Just an example of how big and intense the punk scene in Jakarta is. You see 10 year olds with studded jackets and spiked hair living on the streets. Punks are everywhere!!

Jo: Punk in Indonesia is fairly new. about 8 years old it seems. They have a different version of punk there, without the history. Its very strange. Many punk families. Mom, Dad, Kids... many Muslim punks.

Any concrete plans for your next tour/ release(s)?

Will: I think we’re taking a small break. Talk of another tour hasn’t yet been decided and will definitely be awhile until it happens, too much is going on with our lives right now.

Jo: The only recent release is "the punk singles collection vol. 1" CD out in Russia on Drunk With Power Records. Soon, some of our never released demos might be released. We have demos for "A bleak Future", "Molokai", "They live We Sleep", "Death to Cops" and "Cruxshadow"

Care to let some of the more green punk musicians out there how you made something this intense happen?

Will: Just giv’er! It’s the only way you will accomplish a goal that sounds a bit ridiculous (Touring southeast Asia and Japan did not seem like it was going to happen at first to me). Just go as a band and have the commitment to do it. Keep in mind money is and always will be a pain in the ass, and sacrificing the time to do things like this isn’t easy for everyone. I had money saved up and was willing to quit my job on the spot if they told me no. I got laid off a week before this tour. I guess they were sick of my shit and also business was very slow.

Jo: Ya, you got lucky haha.

Will: I’ve played and quit 3 other bands before. I never saw anything going anywhere because of unorganized band mates, lack of money, lack of communication, lack of commitment, and the list goes on. It seemed like as soon as one promoter out there heard about us coming, word got around and we were offered to play all sorts of places. And at first we we’re gonna tour Thailand instead of Japan. But Eiji and DSB convinced us to play Japan and I have no regrets. Hopefully next time we can do Thailand and more.

Jo: Unfortunately, being in a band is more than just playing your instrument. Its mostly sitting in front of a computer for a few hours a day answering emails and interviews, Booking tours, shows, releasing records, selling those records, paying for ads in all the zines, getting merchandise made, booking studio time, begging labels to release your stuff aha, etc. the touring and practicing only accounts for 5% of the time I spend on Germ Attak.

-Matty