Looking Back on July 13, 2013

DV8 Underground
8130 Gateway Blvd
Edmonton, AB
July 13th, 2013

The Cleaners, Anatomy Cats, The Rhubarbs, Down The Hatch, Rebuild/Repair
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cross posted with deadcity.ca/press
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Rocked into the "new" location for DV8 Tavern, nay now DV8 underground, somewhere in the vicinity of 9:30pm.  Luckily, and oddly, I had remembered to bring my Dead City press pass with me, I'm not even sure who else (besides Landon & MraeD) has one... However, since an accident back in December, I'm still lacking a non broken lens for my DSLR so sadly I was unable to get any photos. (Rita Hex took some shots, however I have yet to obtain any of them.)

Full disclosure. 

DV8 Underground has probably my favourite crowd of regulars in Edmonton. Hell it's possibly my favourite venue in Edmonton, certainly top 2 (as I'd say it's probably a coin flip, and depending on who is playing.)  DV8 Underground is run by good people. People that will go out of their way to help a touring band.  This actually brings us to the first band of the night "The Cleaners".

The Cleaners

The Cleaners are kind of a greaser/blues/punk band, and they were already tearing up the stage when MraeD and I walked in.  This is the only band on the bill that I've never shared a stage with.  According to the pile of business cards sitting on their mersh table The Cleaners are a "UK/Canadian offbeat Rock n' Growl Band"

About mid set, between one gnarly song and another steezy Rock-a-Billy tune, we get a little bit of band history.  Turns out, at least one of them did an acoustic tour of Canada last year.  They dug the country so much that they moved permanently to Saskadelphia, err, Saskatchewan.  Provided that I heard the spiel correctly. Anyways... The Cleaners are currently mounting a cross Canada tour.

Brittany, the lass with the growl on the mic, bounces effortlessly across the stage. The Cleaners pour intense energy into the room, feeding off the love and energy that the room gives back. You could almost feel the electricity in the air.  My only issue with these cats is that I missed the first half of their set.

Anatomy Cats

Once again, in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I consider these guys to be friends of mine. Having said that, it's been far too long since I've last seen the Anatomy Cats live. So, I was standing outside talking shop, catching up, basically shooting the shit with Dustin and Nolan (StruggleFucks, Micelli, others...) and we hear the distinctive clack of drumsticks on a four count. From that point on Blake and company tear a hole through the fabric of space and time.  We're all transported back to the mid to late 1980s, the din of D. Boon going off on a spiel about politics, the smell of Greg Ginn's sweat soaked guitar, you get the picture.

Attending, watching, and listening to the Anatomy Cats live is probably as close to catching an early Propagandhi concert as any of us are likely ever going to get (aside from late night VHS bootlegs that is...) These working class boys from Fort Saskatchewan (located about 20 - 35 minutes north of Edmonton on Manning Dr. NW) live the lives they sing about.  There is no moral or ethical ambiguity to be found here.

One could classify the Anatomy Cats as a Hardcore band, you wouldn't be wrong. You could also classify them as a Punk band, even an EMO band (mind to me EMO still is a word used to describe bands like Husker Du and Jawbreaker.) The Anatomy Cats are as punk as it comes, yet so much more. Hell call them a Thrash band, no one would dare to question your thought process.  But again they are so much more.

These boys, nay, men, come from a long line of humanist Canadian Punk Rock. Checkout the song "Selectively Blind" [Track 6 on A Matter Of Minutes] it would fit perfectly on any D.O.A./SNFU/Propagandhi setlist. As it was the fifth song they played, it helped to further open the minds of all in the room, including those of us who have already been converted. Since their last album these cats have been working on some new material, and its working for them, as the next tune to really draw the crowd in was "Breaking the Walls Against Racism (Tear Them Down)" reminding us all that the global struggle for equality is still just beginning. Unlike some "Political Punk" bands we never feel as though the Anatomy Cats are talking down to us. Instead its like were all equals, just sitting down over a pot of tea, or a pint, and having a conversation about how to make this spinning rock we call home a better place for all of those who inhabit it.

Side note: Is it strange that I wish the songs were longer? You know, coming from the guy who wrote Zero Cool's "Gossip" and "Nineteen Eighty Four" that both clock in somewhere between 35 - 55 seconds (depending upon the recording, or the live tempo)?

Tonight we were treated to a very special event as Blake invited Jerm Hex (Micelli, StruggleFucks, Former Whiskey Wagon, etc..) on stage to play their last couple songs with them.  The first (w/ Jerm) was a tune that I had not heard before, but even in this moderately sized room with the guitar sounds bouncing back at me from all angles, I became aware that part of me just changed for the better. 

Their closing song “Destroy / Exploit” a poignant diatribe about what we’re facing here in Canada under the (Mussolini styled) Fascist Stephen Harper and even more so here in Alberta with our seventy plus years of further and further right wing voting giving us our current crop of small “c” conservatives.  At the end of the song, as the teardown begins to take place, I find a note I made years earlier when I first shared a bill with them; “The Anatomy Cats are a band that I believe will make you a better Human.” The results of what I’ve seen in the last three years would certainly say that this hypothesis is correct.

Full disclosure, every band that I'm reviewing for the rest of this tale are friends of mine. The following is probably going to read a little bit like a bunch of bro-grabs. Now that we have that out of the way....

Between the end of the Anatomy Cats and the start of the Rhubarbs, the population in DV8 Underground easily doubled in size.  So it's pretty safe to say that the new location is working out well for them.  That and folks who were wandering past when The Cleaners/Anatomy Cats were on decided they better come on down and check out this gig.

The Rhubarbs

Funny story, for the first four years that I had known their bassist, I could have sworn his name was Dan. It's Mike. We got that sorted out when we finally hung out, not at a gig, when I had him deliver a copy of their LP to me. See... it was funny. (And before you say it, I was not confusing him for Dan, I am aware they are two different people.)

In some respects the Rhubarbs are almost the exact opposite kind of punk band from the Anatomy Cats, mind all of those are stylistically.  They just come from a different school is all.  Raised on the Ramones, some Descendants, a bit of Minor Threat, and with a little Replacements thrown in for flavour. This is working very well for them.  It also appeared to be working well for the second influx of people who arrived shortly after they took the stage.

This wondrous juxtaposition in sounds, four on the floor, 135 bpm, straight up punk rock keeps the crowd bobbing, the floor moving. From my vantage point near the back of the room the movements of the crowd almost appeared to be like that of a wave crashing against the rocks. The harder the `Barbs played, the more the crowd got into it, and the harder those waves just kept crashing, a beautiful circle of passion and energy.

When I was first introduced to them it was a cold December, one of those Festivus fundraiser gigs I put on every year.  Since then they have dropped the second guitar, gotten tighter as a band, and started to wear their influences on the set list. Words fall short of expressing how much the Rhubarbs have grown as a band in the couple years.

Adding a cover of the legendary D.C. Hardcore Punks Minor Threat's "Seeing Red" near the midway point of the set fits right in with their original tunes.  It all makes perfect sense, kind of like adding a thin layer of brown sugar, as a crust, on top of a rhubarb pie. I actually have a very delicious recipe for rhubarb pie, and these men have a delicious Rhubarb recipe for your eardrums.

Down The Hatch

One knows that it's going to be a good set when Joey takes the stage shirtless, doesn't even bother with the pretense that it might be a mellow set. Keelan hits the four count and Rob's bass begins to come thundering through.  For those of you who are not yet aware, Down The Hatch is a punk band by way of Lagwagon, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, and a myriad of other Metal/Punk bands.. genres never make much sense anyways... mind they sound nothing like Lagwagon, or Black Flag, or Black Sabbath, Joey just has these intense riffs that attack you, just like each of the aforementioned bands.

Now, if you didn't know that Down The Hatch is a three piece band, and you're not looking at the stage, you would swear that there was probably five or six guys up there. They have a HUGE sound, one that they have been developing for a while, one they have somehow managed to develop while downsizing after losing a frontman/second guitarist, had the original ox of a bassist ship off across the Atlantic ocean never to be seen in this part of the world again, and picking up what most folks thought was going to be a timid man on the thunder stick.  Sure Rob isn't near as intimidating on stage to look at, but his sound, my friends, his sound provides the perfect punch and counter balance to Joey's two (or is it three now?) guitar amplifier setup. Now in the middle of all of this sits Keelan, possibly one of the hardest hitting and dynamic drummers Edmonton has ever seen, and I've ever had the pleasure to watch and listen too.  Most don't quite realize everything he does behind his fortress of “sound-itude”, but you have to understand, he more then holds his own against two wizards of electric mayhem and volume mastery.

So, how do I know of this mythology of Down The Hatch? Aside from first having been introduced to them sometime in early 2007, where I played an acoustic set opening for them at the Wunderbar. Since that time I've probably played forty gigs with them, while I was in Zero Cool,  and seen them another twenty or so.  Hell I even shipped off copies of Fiasco! and Space Goat to a couple different record companies in hopes of having them get picked up...  I guess at this point it becomes obvious that not only am I friends with them, but I'm a fan of what they are doing.

From the looks of the crowd still inside of DV8 Underground, and the few more people who wandered in, everyone in the room is as well. Even if, before this very evening, they had never even heard the name, Down The Hatch, or their music before. By the time Joey is singing the second chorus of "Rock n' Roll High School Dropout" most of the bar is singing along.

Since the last time I was able to make it out to a DTH show they've written a few new tunes, retired others, and started asking the audience what they should play. A gamble of some acts, but one that pays off, as much like the Anatomy Cats, DTH has made their entire back catalog available for free online via bandcamp. This has allowed a lot of new fans to learn the tunes and make concepts like this workout. It's also good news for all of you, as you can now go and acquire the albums, mind a physical CD is a whole $5.00 or you can trade a fresh beer for one at a show, so really its win/win for all involved.

So how to explain the intensity, energy, and the power coming off the stage from a band that has self financed and released two albums and one EP (only the most recent album and EP are available.) Maybe its because they come from the DIY skateboarding scene, where its about building something that will last. See, personally, I still consider DTH as skate-punk band. Not shitty Bro-Skate like say, Pennywise, more akin to (Thrasher Magazine's) Bad Shit, but actually serious about what they do. Maybe it's best described by how they can pull up KP (Zero Cool) to sing ETS Blues. It's a fifteen to twenty second song that encompases all the frustration we feel everyday in this city, but is so satirical that most of our "fine" city will never be able to understand.

Edmonton, we need more bands like this. 

Now, with a bill this loaded, and a lineup this good, something bad was bound to happen. Sadly it did, Jon, the bassist for Rebuild/Repair came down with something evil, he couldn't make the show. There was talk for a bit that the band may drop off the bill of their own CD release. There was brief talk that I might even fill in on the thud stick for the night. Fortunately, neither of those things came to pass. Randall picked up some sort of octave pedal, and a line splitter, and words were said, small prayers possibly, and the gods of rock allowed the show to go on, as it must.

Rebuild / Repair

Ever since the first note, of their very first show, I've been sold on these guys. I've said it from the beginning, and now three EPs in it is even more true. Rebuild/Repair is Edmonton's much awaited and longed for answer to Flipper.

A little back story, indulge me.  I first met Randall, god knows how long ago, probably at a gig, but it wasn't until Twitter that we really actually got to talking about random things. Jon I probably met eons ago on one edmonton forum or another, but I suspect indecline. Kelly, he's just always been around, I think... but we never talked until the band formed. Now ever since Rebuild/Repair formed and started to do their thing, I have attempted to get every person I've met into them.  In this time, I'd like to think, we've become friends, possibly colleagues, and over this past May long weekend, we became tour mates. Shockingly no one was tossed out of the Dodge while traversing that devilish piece of Highway One (aka the Trans-Canada) somewhere between Regina and Winnipeg. We made a 3000+ KM journey across the great Canadian prairies, for basically a bit less than the cost of gasoline to do so (after gig money, and merch money that is.)

Somewhere just before we hit the road I was even approached to do the art for the new EP "Arson Awareness Day". Though asked to do it not in my normal abstract style, but something more akin to what I've been playing with art wise, something more like my Edmonton Bands series, or perhaps the Insta-Sketch series. (The Edmonton Band series did include a painting of Rebuild/Repair, among a few others..)

So what I'm saying here, is I'm a bit biased when it comes to these guys.

So, on July 13th 2013, as Rebuild/Repair releases their brand new EP, they will play their first (and quite possibly only) gig as a two piece. I mentioned it earlier that Jon couldn't make it out. Randall's last minute purchases, and slightly more self deprecating than usual demeanor played into the hands of the crowd. It sounded near as good.  The crowd was eating it up, some cats even started to "Pogo". It was kinda like 1983 again, and much like earlier in the evening I felt like we had all been transported to an earlier time.

A time when Punk was an attitude, not an image. A germ of an idea, before we all had to sound the same. When records were a document of a period in time, not some way to "get rich" and be over analyzed by the same sort of music nerd that would type up some long winded diatribe about a local punk gig...

"This one's off our new EP. It sounds better with a bass player." Randall explains before breaking out into a slightly sludgier version of Arson Awareness Day, the title track of the new album. The people are into it, as they should be. This is the music of the people, cranked past eleven, we should be hearing it eeking out of back alleys, burnt out basement dwellers, and garages.. in a perfect world.

"This one is some avant garde bullshit... then we have three more" Our reluctant hero mumbles before kicking into one of my new personal favourite tunes Post-Industrial City-States. In finding that much sought after harmony between droned out sludge and intense power, you can feel it taking its toll on the bodies that remain, as the night ebbs towards its end. Rebuild/Repair sets up for a Shellac like death mantra closing out the night with Summary's Falling Out/Burning Down and Relics' Failure Scene. Those of us who managed to survive into the wee hours of the morning, still wanting to take more from Rebuild/Repair, begging, pleading, chanting... to no avail.

I recall something about Randall saying he wasn't sure if they could do any of their other tune justice without Jon on the bass, Kelly just grinned. The band had accomplished what they set out to do. The thoughts of modern radio rock obliterated from our minds.

Rebuild/Repair is the band you're looking for.

- Jim Nowhere

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http://www.facebook.com/thecleanersbanduk
http://anatomycats.bandcamp.com
http://rhubarbs.bandcamp.com
http://downthehatch.bandcamp.com
http://rebuildrepair.bandcamp.com
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Kaskitayo Today!

This is happening today!

So get your asses down to Kaskitayo Skatepark and get a sesh happening.

We're gonna be onsite from about 1:30pm - 4:30pm

We've got some 2nd Pressings of the File Under Music Comp
(Each CD comes with a download code as well, as it's the only way you can get your hands on Issue 1)
We've also a few Zine+Comp download codes left as well.

Special pricing for this event is:

CD COMP $5.00

ZINE/COMP DL CODE $3.00

$2.00 from each CD will be donated to the water supply fund
$1.50 from each ZINE/COMP DL CODE will be donated to the water supply fund

Don't live in Edmonton? Can't make it to the park? Want to donate anyways? Cool.

$1.50 from each ZINE/COMP purchased at http://onthewallzine.bandcamp.com until Aug 16th will be donated to CRBM's water supply fund.

Both are in limited supply, once this pressing of CDs is gone, we will not be doing another run of them.

Once these download codes are gone, no more will be made available, though you'll still be able to buy the digital copy from http://onthewallzine.bandcamp.com

- Jim Nowhere
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Sadly our costs on producing the Comp, digital or CD version still need to be covered. BUT feel free to donate directly to the cause, I'm sure they're gonna have people around to make sure you can do that.

Hey, Zeus On Heroin

http://zerocoolband.com

Let me tell you about this experience I had in a strange dream. It was a hot summer day in a suburb I’ve probably never visited in real life. I was at the top of a street, slanted downhill. It was midday. I found myself in a streetluge - which is nothing like luging in the winter. It’s a lot like skateboarding only…with your body laying flat on the board – going down this street so fast my eyes couldn’t see anything, the lines all blurring into undistinguishable shapes and masses. The fear of hitting something and my body launching far into the air was only eclipsed by the fear of suddenly stopping in a dead halt with none of the answers to my questions realized.

Why was I not skateboarding? Why was I not thinking of other things I could have been doing? What was so special about going down that hill like road on a board? The only suitable answer I could come up with apart from the retort that it was a dream and I can dream whatever my subconscious demands me to is that I was seeking some sort of subconscious mental assault, an idea that sounds pretty bogus anyway.

Yet, listening to Zero Cool’s most recent album “Hey, Zeus on Heroin” is the equivalent of strapping yourself in and careening down a street at speeds you’ll do best to avoid reaching in any other situation, unless you’re a speed junkie in which case is a totally cool decision. Once the tense apocalyptic introduction to “Square Pusher” ends, the album rushes at a breakneck pace, stopping for no one. It’s rooted in late 80s, early 90s skate/thrash punk with a lyrical focus on all the wrong things, samples of speeches from dudes like MLK or the guy on ‘We’re All Going to Hell’ proclaiming the rock and roll lifestyle to be strange don’t seem out of place in the Zero Cool universe.

Having the ability to play faster than everyone else is something a lot of punk bands strive for but what makes the songs on “Hey, Zeus…” interesting is the brevity and the amount of dynamics present. It helps that the album’s production avoids the thin, trebly production most punk rock albums seem to suffer from and beefs the guitars and drums, resulting in an album that never wavers from its mission statement in delivering a high quality sound barrage that both entertains and provokes.

- Jibrill Yasin

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Official Site - http://www.ZeroCoolBand.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/ZeroCoolZeroCool
Bandcamp - http://store.zerocoolband.com
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/ZeroCoolBand

Spastic Panthers - Unreleased Shite

http://spasticpanthers.bandcamp.com/album/unreleased-shite

Now these cats have more then a couple records out in the world, and I don't really know how to single out what one a person should start with.  Me, I picked a couple 7" releases up at the shops here in E-town, and happened to snake the rest of them from the band themselves one of the last times they ventured up here to the north. And while doing a bit of research to update myself before asking their front man Dan Izzo some questions stumbled upon this "new" release, four tracks entitled "unreleased shite"

Now I've been a fan of thrashy skate punk since as long as I can remember, some might even say that i grew up on the stuff.  This no frills internet only release from Calgary's Spastic Panthers is probably some of the best of the genre that I have heard in a while, at least heard in a while that came out within the last few years.  Now if you aren't already a fan of these cats you may wish to start with something that is a bit more polished, a little less akin to studio out takes, and available on wax.  But if you're like me and willing to take a chance, this little four track gem will end up holding a place in your heart, a spot on your skate playlist (or mix tape, i don't know what devices the kids use now a days.)

- Jim Nowhere
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Handsom Dan Records - http://www.handsomedanrecords.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SpasticPanthers
Bandcamp - http://spasticpanthers.bandcamp.com/
Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/thespasticpanthers

Vol. 1 Issue 1 - Available May 1

Just to give you a heads up, the "Winter 2012/13" issue of the print version of On The Wall will be hitting all your local skate & record shops that will let me leave them there on or around May 1st 2013.
and then work will begin on the "Summer 2013" issue. If you would like to contribute to On The Wall
then hit us up on facebook: www.facebook.com/OnTheWallZine there should be a MESSAGE button in the top right hand corner..

There is still a plan to sell an On The Wall compilation album as well, and we've extended the due date for that to April 15th give or take.  So if you happen to be in an Edmonton band and are down for donating a track to help me cover printing costs I would love to hear from you.


The compilations will be available as a digital download for $2.00 or a 60 minute Cassette with digital download card for $3.00 if you are grabbing it from my hand at a gig, in a coffee shop, or at whatever places will take them on consignment. For those interested in obtaining a copy by mail I'll be setting up some sort of Paypal thing-ma-jig for you to be able to order it.  Mail order copies will be $5.00 including shipping, for CONTINENTAL NORTH AMERICA, and $7.00 to the rest of the world. ALL mail order copies of the zine will come with a mix tape. So sadly we can't rock those out for free.

Keep your eyes open.

- Jim Nowhere

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facebook.com/OnTheWallZine
OnTheWallZine.bandcamp.com
onthewall-mag.blogger.com

Cover art layout by Jim Nowhere
Photos by Jim Nowhere / Kalan Olsen-Peet
Photo Edits by Jim Nowhere
5-0 Nose Grab: Matt Shnell
Bowl Carve: Kalan Olsen-Peet
Boneless: Matt Cunningham
Graffiti artists unknown

Kroovy Rookers

just.. just go listen ..

you'll understand.

http://KroovyRookers1.bandcamp.com

and for only $2 an ep you'd be stupid not to buy them.
(and feel free to pay more.. i know i did)

JN - Sunday update.

The Fuzz Kings - Accentuate Everything

http://thefuzzkings.bandcamp.com/album/accentuate-everything 

 An experiment in bringing back some Rockabilly? Or maybe just an Honest attempt to make some good `ol rock and roll. I'll let your ears decide. I know what mine think.

 But i'm not here to argue "genre" classifications, I'm here too listen to music, and when I dig, to tell you about it. Having only really given this thing a quick virtual spin at the moment, it caught me by surprise. Knowing how the Edmonton music scene works is part of that, also knowing the production values usually found on a self released record is another. So the first thing that blew me away was how good absolutely everything sounds, the second thing was excitement at how much better it will sound once I've a limited edition LP in my grubby hands and I'm cranking it through my home stereo, instead of just streaming it through my laptop speakers. But lets get to the meat and potatoes of this thing.

 My first impression was that I had traveled back in time about 50 years, tossed on some spats, and was getting ready to take my best girl for a night on the town. Solid grooves run right through this record (no pun intended) and catchy hooks that just make you want to pick up ones feet and get our collective asses down to the dance floor. Pick it up, give it a listen, and know that what you are hearing isn't from a bygone era, but brand new and about to hit a few local stages kicking off the summer of 2013.

 If you can catch The Fuzz Kings Live for the LP release party Saturday March 16, 2013 at Edmonton's The ARTery

 Jim Nowhere

 ---115---

thefuzzkings.bandcamp.com
www.fuzzkings.com
Facebook
Twitter

Fat Dave - an interview

'Fat Dave' Johnson

www.FuzzKings.com

Alright so Fat Dave Johnson... 

We all know who Fat Dave is right? Well I had the chance to talk to him a little bit about the new Fuzz Kings LP, guitars & gear, and a little bit about what drives him to keep putting out music this far into the game.

Jim Nowhere: I've a few questions to shoot your way regarding this new release you and your boys are putting out "Accentuate Everything" but I figure the best way to start is to learn a little about you and your history within the Edmonton music scene(s).  So lets cut through the crap and just get started.

Who are you and why should people check out your music?

Fat Dave: I'm Fat Dave, I'm an internationally renowned singer, songwriter and guitar player who writes catchy, tongue-in-cheek tunes that make girls stop and stare. 

I'm a head-turning, charismatic entertainer and musical heavyweight. I might be the best at what I do, and my super-musical heavyweight rhythm section in THE FUZZ KINGS is air-tight... 

JN: How long have you been playing in bands?

FD: I just passed the 16 year mark. 

JN: After catching a few of your live performances, I've noticed you've a few different instruments, what would you say your main live rig is?

FD: Mainly I've been using my American 60th anniversary telecaster through a Fender Blues Jr & ext cabinet in stereo with an excelsior 1x15 combo, split with stereo slap-back delay. 

When I'm feeling silly u bring out a Leslie cabinet as well. 

JN: Now what did you use when recording this album?

FD: Blues Jr power section through an avatar 2x12 cabinet, fender teles and a fender marauder. 

Acoustic parts were played on a beat up old 1956 Gibson J45 and I also used an old electric accordion that I found at value village years back. 

When writing a song, do you approach it differently for the Fuzz Kings, `Ol Smashy, the Fat Dave Crime Wave, or solo, or do you just go with what comes and find a way to make it work within the "confines" of each project?

Songwriting has evolved for me as I've gone through becoming a dad and dealing with divorce, new love, various old cars... And the timeline of bands follows suit somehow. 

Out of the crime wave came ol' smashy... As did the beginning of the end of my marriage. Ol' smashy was something to do more than anything. I just wanted to keep momentum while I figured out what my next real step was...

Which is when I found myself hiring out to Jake Ian and the haymakers and Sherry-Lee Wisor. I was trying to get my bearings and it took a while, but playing music with those bands that I wouldn't normally have chosen to play definitely helped form my decisions and improve my chops in other settings. 

I'm a more traditional player because of it, but I've maintained the rock and roll growl as well. 

Everything is refined and intentional, like it was in the crime wave days, but stylistically different. 

JN: What would you say the main difference between recording a Fuzz Kings record is vs say `Ol Smashy?

FD: The fuzz kings is a little more slick. Just as punchy as ol' smashy but more precise. Less 'smashy' I guess... The songwriting is more upbeat and the delivery is stronger. More finesse. 

JN: Where will the fine folks of the world be able to grab this new release?

FD: Online through thefuzzkings.bandcamp.com and locally at permanent records, freecloud, and a few other places, I'm sure. 

It should be out around the town within a few days of the release party on March 16th at The Artery. 

JN:And if they want to check you cats out online where would they be able to find you?

FD: http://www.fuzzkings.com 

JN: Anything else you'd like to say?

FD: This is the most seriously I've taken a musical endeavor since the demise of The Fat Dave Crime Wave, and it totally shows. Definitely worth a listen. 

JN: Thank you very much for taking the time to participate.

FD: Thanks, Jim. 

---101---

thefuzzkings.bandcamp.com
www.fuzzkings.com
Facebook
The Fuzz Kings Twitter

The Strugglefucks - EP

http://strugglefucks.bandcamp.com/album/ep

Released back in November 2012, I somehow missed this little gem of an EP by Edmonton Punks The Strugglefucks.  This self titled 5 song EP is up on the bandcamp site for a pay-what-you-may plan.  And well worth whatever scratch you find sitting in your paypal account.

This first EP is pretty rough, but worth the listen, Nolan and co lay down some amazing tunes and certainly let you know the potential of the band.

--99--
Bandcamp
Facebook

Anatomy Cats - A Matter Of Minutes

http://anatomycats.bandcamp.com

Released with very little promotion at the Wunderbar last January 12th (2012) The Anatomy Cats softmore release show growth in the band, from lyrical phrasing, and a bit more of that `ol late 90s Propagandhi guitar style.

 A Matter Of Minutes kicks off with the ear pleasing "Devolution" One minute and Thirty-two seconds of pure power, making no mistake about where this band stands on the political spectrum.

This is the second release for our friends from Fort Saskatchewan and hopefully we'll be hearing and seeing a lot more of them over the next while. Never forgiving, never giving up, nothing but the truth.


--97--
Bandcamp
Facebook

The Old Wives - Sux To Grow Up EP

http://theoldwives.bandcamp.com/album/sucks-to-grow-up-4-song-ep

So, you're a fan of "pop" punk.. I am.. not Blink 182 POP-Punk, but ya know, Descendents "pop" Punk.  The Old Wives come from a pretty varied background, one that I'm not going to get into, but let's just say that these kids have more cred then the guy writing the review.  This little 2 new/2 acoustic EP is well worth the $2 on Bandcamp, and honestly, its even worth it on iTunes where you don't get the acoustic songs.

In these two tracks one can tell that Liam & co are well versed in the music of the Riverdales, Descendents, ALL, pre-Dookie era Green Day, and most obviously Screeching Weasel. So if you dig any version of those bands, and you aren't already a fan of The Old Wives, grab this new EP.  It'll make you smile. Then, once you've devoured the deliciousness with your ears, grab their back catalog  you can thank me later.

--55--
THE OLD WIVES
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Bandcamp
Twitter
Myspace
When's Lunch Records

Micelli - A Very Micelli Christmas

http://jeremytownsend.bandcamp.com/album/a-very-micelli-christmas

Saturday December 22, 2012. Down `pon the Island marked the release of A Very Micelli Christmas, a D.I.Y. CDR release by Edmonton's favourite Folk/Punk band. I'm sure eventually it will be up on their bandcamp site for a pay-what-you-may/free or something plan. What you do get on this little EP is five very amazing renditions of Holiday favourites.

Let's run through the track listing.

1.Little Drummer Boy
I'll be honest with you, it's not the holiday classic that Bing Crosby/David Bowie recorded, but it is full of passion and love, and makes you feel like you're sitting around the living room fire pit with your best friends, enjoying a glass of `nog or three.

2.Little Toy Trains
Quite possibly my new favourite rendition of this song, not quite the soft spoken holiday classic that you know, but filled with life. I'll be listening to this on Christmas eve before bed awaiting Santa instead of tracking down the old vinyl version that I grew up doing this ritual with.

3.A Christmas Song
Although I'm personally not familiar with the original version of this tune, I certainly don't feel like it could hold a candle to this "Ballad-esq" Micelli version. My only complain is that Jerm's vocals could have been mixed a little louder, as I find they get lost in the mix from time to time.

4.Do You Hear What I Hear?
Quite possibly a new holiday classic, well a new rendition of an old holiday classic. The way that Cody and Jeremy holler out asking if we've heard the news of the baby Jesus being born in Bethlehem, make you really want to know the tale, you can feel the electricity and change in the air.

5.O' Holy Night
As I pour my third cup of `nog & mix, okay it's pretty much just rum at this point in time, the cable TV fire log on in the background, and the twinkle of Christmas lights bouncing off of everything in the room. The sound of Micelli telling us the tale of the birth of the small child in a manger filling up the little space between the crackles of the fire log. It feels like Christmas, and this song really makes you feel it down in to your bones.

I like this little EP, and I can certainly see it getting a lot of play over the holiday season.


---47--
MICELLI
Facebook
Bandcamp
A Very Micelli Christmas

Good Friday Brawl - Dirty Music Dirty People

http://gfb780.bandcamp.com/

Dirty Music Dirty People.  

8 Songs.   

Takes me back to the 90s, you know microchips, fax machines, no cell phones, sugar cereals  and killer fucking music.  Folk punk in the vein of Against Me! Hard songs about drinking too much, chasing women (or the lack of women chasing them.)  Opening the albums with January a catchy number, one that I've found myself humming along while wandering about my neighbourhood in the wee hours of the morning, and like those walks, are over just after they start.   Front man Miek Headache just pleads with your very drunken soul throughout this album.  From asking you what you believe in (Holy Rollers) to denying that these are the words of a prophet  and just chronicling time, drunken dreams, catchy riffs. Honesty and heart are the soul of this record, believe your ears, this is a band you can actually believe in.

No matter how many times Miek tells me he isn't a prophet, I always refuse to believe.

Just grab it, for pay what you may over at their bandcamp site.

--27--

GOOD FRIDAY BRAWL

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/GFB780

Bandcamp - http://gfb780.bandcamp.com/


**Edited 03/21/13 to update the name of the band, as since this post was written & published Good Friday Massacre has become Good Friday Brawl. - ed.

The Mange - Second Foundation

http://www.themange.com

Seriously, I love Edmonton's The Mange, but try finding their shit online. If you don't know about them, you probably never will.  Firstly, they have the same name as a band in France called Le Manges, there is also another band that has been playing for a while down in the USA called the Mange, and even a Facebook search for either their "official" page, or the "Fan Army" page is pretty fruitless, EVEN if you're friends with the whole band.  AND you've clicked LIKE, BTW they need more Likes, but I digress.

I'm here to chat about this EP they put out this past summer. IF I could find a place to listen too it on the inter-webs. Sure I have physical copy of the album but dammit  I suspect that MOST of you don't, and that needs to change.  See the Mange have been Edmonton's best kept secret Punk/Pop Punk/Misfits Core band for about a decade.  I've had the privilege of playing gigs with them for the past six years, so I'm a little biased on how awesome I think they are.  

So now that we have a little bit of the history of the band out of the way, let's get down to just how awesome THE MANGE - SECOND FOUNDATION really is.  Firstly it manages to capture both the intensity and ferocity of the live show.  Secondly it's exactly what you want the Misfits next album too sound like. And Lastly it is only available direct from the band, on CD, and doesn't appear to exist online..

But i'll leave you with this rad YouTube video of some dude shaving off his `Movember stach to the title track.

---32--

THE MANGE

http://www.themange.com
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/TheMangeBand

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Mange/162850237104573

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/groups/2440819834/

Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/themangecanada

Micelli - D.I.Y. or DIE (acoustic)

http://micelli.bandcamp.com/album/d-i-y-or-die-acoustic

Micelli - D.I.Y. or DIE (acoustic) to me is a straight up punk rock record.  It's just two guys on acoustic guitars, singing from their very souls, passionate to the core. As every song kicks in, the high energy "Folk-Punk" just makes you want to smash the state, phone up your member of government to complain about the oil sands, light a Molotov cocktail and toss it through the window of your least favourite coffee shop. You know, like something from and Against Me! song.

There is also an electric version, where the songs are a bit faster, and Bass & Drums have been added, courtesy of The Party Martyrs (who have become the full time rhythm section.)

Where D.I.Y. or DIE really shines is capturing the intensity of a live Micelli gig.  Available for pay what you may on their bandcamp site, it is a record worthy of any collection.

-Jim Nowhere

---23---

MICELLI
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/MICELLI.DIY.OR.DIE?fref=ts
BANDCAMP - http://micelli.bandcamp.com

Down The Hatch - Space Goat Coast to Coast

http://downthehatch.bandcamp.com/album/space-goat-coast-to-coast

For those of you unaware of Down The Hatch, a lot has happened to them in their short time span.  Starting out as a four piece, and releasing a short EP before their lead singer left for another project.  New front man Joey Woods dusted off a fresh set of tunes and lead the charge for the full length debut 2010's Fiasco! Things looked on the up & up. Then just as they started to rebuild their name and fan base, their bass player headed across the pond to start a new life.  For a lesser band, this would be it.  Instead it just furthered their resolve.  They took a bit of a break, found a new man to rock the thud stick, and came out swinging with Space Goat Coast to Coast.  

This four song EP (available for whatever funds you can scrape together on their Bandcamp page) shows the pure heart and determination of D.I.Y. Edmonton punk, breading sound somewhere between thrash/skate/pop punk and doom/skate/metal.  It was the must have soundtrack to anything gnarly that we did over the summer of 2012.  From the opening riff of The Fuck? one immediately knows they are in for a ride.  Guitar riffs so reminiscent of early Lagwagon & How To Clean Everything era Propagandhi, Joey just gets your head bobbing along, and before you know it Kellan is hitting the four count and Boobgasm begins.

I'll leave the last two tracks for your own interpretation, but I'll leave with this.

Down The Hatch, Purveyors of Fine Punk Rock, deliver the goods with Space Goat.

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more Down The Hatch on the internet
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Now accepting submissions

We are currently accepting submissions for a 60 minute digital download/limited edition cassette release
and we would like to fill it up with Edmonton Punk.
The digital version will be free, and the cassette will help to pay for the photocopying of the print `zine.

File Under Music:

expected release date February 2013, Submission deadline for Audio is January 20th 2013

Also we are currently accepting applications for people who want to write about the shows they attend, spots they have found, or just general total nonsense. 

Please email submissions to serfxisdead@gmail.com  subject = On The Wall Comp Submission

Black Mastiff, Shooting Guns, Free Judges - in review.

March 24^th 2012 – New City Legion – Edmonton, AB

Black Mastiff, Shooting Guns, Free Judges
18+ $10 Advance, $12 Door

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deadcity.ca/press / onthewall-mag.blogspot.com

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Oh Saturday evening in Deadcity with many bands playing, and of those, quite a few that i wanted to see, however none more so then the show at New City. It isn't often i wander to the west side of the tracks on a Saturday evening, as the jocks, and preps, and general drunk frat boys just take a lot out of me, and I think back to when i was that age (early 20's) and hope that i was twice as drunk and half as much an ass hole. At any rate by the time we found ourselves walking through the red door on Gateway Blvd. and down into the basement that has become New City Legion. After squaring away the price of admission for MRD, I showed my deadcity.ca press pass, and my note book, and after being advised that New City has their own press passes (aka the Golden Ticket) and that I'd be required to earn one or work for one (I presumed through writing,) My wrist was stamped and I was let in. Almost immediately ran into the cats from Görgön Hörde, and Lindsay bought us a round of drinks.

FREE JUDGES

See we walked in part way through the Free Judges set, my first impressions before seeing the stage were big drums, Replacements style guitars, and droned out vocals. A couple songs later they certainly had started sounding more like Big Black say Headache EP era, and maybe it was the band, possibly the crowd but I’m just not sure that Free Judges were a good choice to open up the show, especially knowing what was coming next. Had this been a bill with Sangsara or Cockatoo they would have fit right in. The obvious lack of a drummer that had been replaced with samples became more and more apparent to me, and those around me as they neared the end of the set, and the crowd just wasn't really getting it. Closing out their set with a Nine Inch Nails inspired tune in dropped B ave me pause for thought, as i found it to be a promise that next time I saw them they would be better.

SHOOTING GUNS

Having never heard of Shooting Guns, I was going into this on the concept that Black Mastiff hand picked them for the bill, and rumour had it that they are an instrumental metal band. Leaning heavy on the doom side of the spectrum, chances are I would quite like them. At 11:20 they started the set, with five guys on stage,all decked out like a mid 90s logging company, and some classic metal drone over taking me, I knew i was in for a good ride. The crowd inched forward toward the stage as though they were about to be attacked by a black bear cub, but they still want to see it up close and give it a pet. Just before the second song takes off the only words spoken are “There's never a better time to get broken.” Something resembling the Melvin's + Witch – Vocals drenched in the sweat of hard working men emanates from the stage. Like a doom version of the ventures with a lead guitarist that reminds me of Tad Doyle, and a bass player that resembles Kim Thayil whacking out riffs like Mike Watt on the thud stick. The overall impression left on myself, my room mate, and a few others that i chatted with was that “They're really fucking good, `cept someone should sing.” Now to add a vocalist to this group might be a bit of blasphemy to say, but it would require a certain type of singer, not that scream/singing shit, but the pacing of Mike Patton, or King Buzzo to turn these amazing riffs into true songs. Placed on stage right before Black Mastiff this band makes perfect sense, and knowing that when they usually stroll through town they rock out with BM or Krang it all makes perfect sense. Certainly a band worth checking out, and required listening for anyone who has spent a winter at -30C.

BLACK MASTIFF

I'm going to lay this right out, I'm a fan. I dig these guys, though I've only seen them play live once before, and with an average song length of 4 – 6 minutes, not something folks would think I'd really be into. Either way, this worked out to be a perfect way to spend my Saturday night, being the broke son of a bitch that I am, I was unable to pick up a copy of the new LP but I suspect it will be found at all the usual Deadmonton haunts and record shops before long. I did attempt to buy a couple stickers with the $2.75 that I had in my pocket, and that worked out all right. 12:23AM the show really starts, Green pyramids emit a light from stage, three guys, huge sound, and a crowd that was ready to rock from the moment those drum sticks counted off a four count. The crowd tonight isn't one that I'm used to seeing, nary a spiked leather jacket or belt to be found, instead replaced with healthy looking, beef eating, kids in college sweaters, a lot of plaid (myself included), and people just looking to enjoy a show. The smell of bad, cheap, weed wafts through the air, people keep on piling in, rocking out, and Black Mastiff stands up and delivers. Personally I haven't really listened to much “new” “rock n' roll” in the most recent years, I've found most of it to be uninspired and BORING, and too damned long. Much like the guys in Görgön Hörde, Black Mastiff gives me hope for a genre I had given up on. Gone are the giant egos, and synthetic plastic, replaced instead with huge sound with each note given a chance to breathe, each word sinking into your skin, and it feels as though the drums are beating in place of your heart. Black Mastiff represents everything that I love about music, like I said, I'm a fan. Looked to me as though a lot of the audience was as well, and those that weren't when the show started certainly were by the time the band hit the mid-way point of their set. Maybe its that attitude that one is used to finding more at a punk gig then at a rock show, or the haze of weed and a groove so deep you could feel it's Black Sabbath roots, and a couple pauses for tuning that are used to thank the audience, the families, and dedicate a tune or two. As the crowd started to wait, either for beer, lack of sleep, or who knows around 1AM, Black Mastiff, brought out the big guns, four on the floor, in your face, doom rock that they built their name on, picking up the pace, and getting all of those that were there to come down into that groove with them. Lyrically dense and vocally strange each singer on his own isn't much to write about, sonically, but combined it feels as though they are channelling the late Layne Staley, tearing out their soul for you on stage dripping it into a dropper and shooting it up. “Feel it through the pyramid power” says more about it then it needs too, much like Black Mastiff, it's something you'll either get, or you won't.

-Jim Nowhere
Shooting Guns photo by MRD, Black Mastiff photo by Jim Nowhere

Good Friday Brawl, Feast Or Famine, Freshman Years, Minuet – In Review

March 23, 2012 – DV8 Tavern – Edmonton, AB
Good Friday Brawl, Feast Or Famine, Freshman Years, Minuet
18+ $8 at the Door.
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deadcity.ca/press / onthewall-mag.blogspot.ca
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It isn't very often that I wander out my door and head out across town to catch bands, though it does happen from time to time, and I was excited about seeing the Cavalry Good Friday Brawl again, as well as catching Feast or Famine. See it has been a while since Feast or Famine has played at DV8 and I’ve actually never seen them play at all. Plus there looked to be a new band on the bill, Minuet, and I like checking out new bands. So around 9:30 MRD and I rolled into DV8, where i got to show my deadcity press pass and saunter on in, this was also followed by the question “Wait, you're Jim right?” so chances are i would have walked in without paying anyways. MRD however showed her press pass, payed cover, and then proceeded to buy me a beer.

MINUET

Having never seen Minuet before I sat and asked James Frost (Freshman Years) what they were like, his only response “They are better then us.” I took that as a solid sign. Shortly after Ten Minuet took the stage, and before even playing a note asked/told everyone to come towards the stage. They weren't gonna play to 15 feet of space and then people. They has a short 6 song set, that held my attention throughout, and is generally what you find in a new band. Had they played 12 songs, everyone still would have been into it. They have this solid 90s “alternarock” beat and enthusiasm. My first impressions of the band were good, they reminded me of HUM with Cancer Bats-esq vocals, but i could understand the guy. Super uptempo tunes, and lyrics about sharing cigarettes that just make me happy. If someone could put them on a bill with Rebuild/Repair, and Diehatzu Hijets we'd have a fucking early 90s punk revival on our hands. This by the way is a good thing. Great stage presence, and chill between song banter, they even managed to get the crowd into it a bit, kicking up some of that dust that is on the DV8 floor.

BRANDON JOHANNES

Next up was a surprise for us all as after the Freshman Years finished setting up James (Frost) introduced us to an old friend of his, and i thought maybe this dude was joining the band as a second guitarist, but even better he was going to play a couple tunes on an acoustic. Brandon “No Stage Name” Johannes reminded me of Jay Shitshow, or Jeremy Townsend, and would fit perfectly on a bill with either of those boys, or with myself (Jim Nowhere) for that matter. I really dug what he was doing, though it added a bit of a strange lull to the show, I feel as though he should have kicked the night off. Having said that, the crowd demanded an encore so he worked his way through another tune that I never caught the name of, but found myself nodding along and being lost in the lyrics. It worked as a really good interlude.

FRESHMAN YEARS

Around 11pm the Freshman Years took the stage, kicking things off with the well known crowd pleaser “You Got A Friend In Me”. Sadly the crowd that was out was kinda your average E-town crowd these days, and instead of dancing about and causing a ruckus, they just kind of stand their arms crossed, heads kinda moving, sipping beer. Myself included, but I’m old. Since last seeing these cats play in January it felt different, their sound is changing, less of the straight up mall/pop punk of “Riverdale” and it sounds like they have been taking cues from local mainstays Down The Hatch, & later years Wednesday Night Heroes, while still keeping the happy bouncy fun pop-punk beats. About midway through their set the crowd really got into it chanting along, clapping hands, and doing all that participation that you would find at a stadium rock show, here in our humble `ol DV8 as James (Frost) sings about Star Wars & Princess Leia. The lone heckler (Miek Headache) keeps shouting “That Shirt's LAME, Take it OFF!” Instead however the Freshman Years debut a new song, about Christopher Walken, alas i never got the name of the tune. It's got that Blink 182 M&M's Radio Vibe with an edge of early “Let's GO” Rancid. All part of that change I was talking about earlier, and with the smiles from the stage and the ever goofy antics of men who make you believe they are still in their first year at university I feel like the best tunes of this band are still to come, and the ones behind them are well worth checking out, either live or on their first album “Riverdale”.

FEAST OR FAMINE

This was the first time that I've seen Feast Or Famine though I did play a show a couple weeks back with the lead guitarist and front man Kyle Shabada, and I've heard their music on our own deadcity.ca pod casts and via CJSR, so I had an idea as to what to expect. This however was not a normal Feast Or Famine show, as they were rocking out as a two piece, though with James Renton (Fire Next Time) in the crowd I was still expecting a good show. They kicked things off fast around 11:50 or so and as I’m not familiar with the songs I have no idea what it is that they were playing. Even with only having a guitar and drums on stage the room still sounded full, rocking out some serious folk/ska/punk a little bit twangy, some heavy fuzz, and a lot catchy. The crowd really got into it clapping along, bobbing heads a low haze settled into the air on the DV8 dance floor, I was beginning to understand why these guys were one of the “Sonic Band Of The Month” alumni. As Kyle introduced the second song (Broken Bones) and explained that it was about breaking bones while skateboarding, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it brought out those skate punk roots that I share with these guys. It didn't have the thrash of Shelank'd Shoulders, or the insane riffs of Lagwagon, but it was what one might expect to hear on CKUA or CJSR mixed in with those bands and so many others. It's understandable why Feast Or Famine has the reputation that they have here in the deadmonton scene. We even received a little bit of a history lesson midway through the set as someone (not me surprisingly, and not Miek Headache either) shouted “LESS TALK, MORE PADDY!” learning that when the band first started out in Drayton (Valley, AB) they were a two piece, so for them this was a little bit of a throwback historical set. Also explaining that their bass player Paddy is currently in Australia wandering about, but they weren't going to miss an opportunity to take the stage. After this they take the opportunity to break into a couple of brand new tunes that they just finished recording. A fantastic back beat, and a vibe that anyone could groove too. A little slow and pop punk for my liking, though the crowd was totally eating it up. I had the audacity to shout “Play something I know!” right before their last song, so they closed with another folk/ska song that I’d never heard before, making it a solid set by a solid band.

Good Friday Brawl

What can I say about Good Friday Brawl that I haven't probably already told you in person, or ranted about on Twitter or Facebook, they are not a band that is known to be a headlining act, despite having been grinding away through the scene for a little over a year and are deserving of the slot. I was to say a little surprised considering the other heavy hitters on this bill (Freshman Years, Feast or Famine) though it did allow for front man Miek Headache time enough to down his beers and get right up and smashed enough for his stage persona to be spot on (having said that, looking back on the evening, I don't think that Miek was even drunk...) Finally able to take the stage leaning into the wee hours of the morning at 12:45 the boys kicked it off good, keeping the attention of a waning crowd, and it felt to me like every time i looked around there were more people in the audience. They once again managed to live up to the reputation made for them as a true working class band, right down to the Joe Strummer Telecaster, with Nolan Bossart as always solid on the thud stick, Bert McClure looking scared of his band but pushing them forward on drums, and Miek spewing the spiel and playing guitar. Apexing mid set with “Caroline” the growl of Miek's voice was only matched by that of his guitar. With things in full swing and a crowd overly enthralled , I took the opportunity to re-introduce myself to Rusty for probably the fifth or sixth time, as I'm bad with names, but good with faces. Around this time KP (Zero Cool) showed up adding another layer of drunken beauty to The Cavalry's stage show “I'm fucking Ben Weasel bitch, though i might throw up on the monitors” was all Miek had to say to him. With a haze of dust sitting in the air Miek tells us he isn't a prophet, before blasting into another blues drenched tune. Yet I, the listener, know better. No matter how many times I see The Cavalry they just keep getting better, with punk rock chicks dancing to their noisy blues inspired spiel, I felt as though the rest of deadmonton, nay, the world needs to take notice and start showing up, as they are missing out on something very special. To close the night off in the most classy way that they know how, Miek shouted “This is our last song, FUCK YOU!” Though after some mild coercion (mostly by me) Miek begrudgingly played a solo one song encore.

- Jim Nowhere

Photos by MRD.