Dishrags! Past is Future---Vancouver Punk at Its Finest!!! Love/Hate Anthology...

I first heard the Dishrags on the excellent and essential Vancouver Complication compilation (available from Sudden Death records). Though I was familiar with some of the bands represented, of the unfamiliar ones The Dishrags really stood out to me. Eventually I picked up this super fine compilation of their music Love/Hate, released on Other People's Music in 1997.

In the US I suppose they aren't so well known, but they certainly should be. They never put out a single studio album. Unfortunately Love/Hate, a collection of their singles, EPs, demos, and live tracks is out of print and is commanding a high price. A veritable Punk Rock treasure trove. Earlier this year Three was released, a vinyl release containing mostly unreleased material from their early days. On the recent excellent documentary of the Vancouver scene Bloodied But Unbowed,the band is also well represented. I mean it took me about 30 seconds to realise (about 1/3 the length of one of their songs)that these guys were pretty tremendous--they even opened for The Clash, by request from Joe Strummer, clearly a man with good taste in music.



When I listen to them its easy to be reminded of The Avengers, Penelope Houston's band who were one of the great American bands of the era. Certainly you can hear The Clash and Ramones influences with the Dishrags, but I especially like it when they slow down and operate in Wire Post-punk mode. Apparently they were the first all-female punk group in Vancouver, which is a big deal, being teenage trailblazers in a mostly boys club--but I would rather think of them more as a great band in a very special music scene. Because they could hold there own with the male talent and then some. And in my opinion, I think the punk name Jade Blade is one of the best I've heard.



Lineup I--1977-1979
Jade Blade: Vocals, Guitar
Scout: Drums
Dale Powers:Vocals, Bass

Lineup II--1979-1980
Jade Blade:Vocals, Guitar
Sue MacGillivray: Vocals, Guitar
Scout: Vocals, Drums
Kim Henriksen: Vocals, Bass




I don't have that much more to say except, let the music speak for itself! Hopefully the songs on Love/Hate will be more available to the public in the near future, as the songs really need to be heard. The Dishrags have so much energy and punk swagger that the songs are simply irresistible. My only regret is that there isn't more here. I love this release so much--so much of what makes Punk Rock important to me and why Vancouver was such an important Punk music scene is right here!

Burning Light into Scars---White Lung---Deep Fantasy

Just for laughs, I decided to finally talk about an album in the same year that it was released.

Grind your bones to sand.........

Deep Fantasy by White Lung.....



I know that this is getting a lot of attention from various sources, but this is such a superb record that everybody ought to be talking about it, even me. Now that they have gotten released their 3rd album on a big indie label, Domino, let's hope that this sends this band to a higher level of public consciousness. No one expects a Franz Ferdinand level breakout, but this release is serious, serious stuff.

Angry, melodic hardcore from Vancouver. At this point, it is as Canadian as Maple Syrup. But they are not followers, but actively trailblazing with scorched earth and extreme prejudice, adding to and embellishing a renowned Northern pedigree.

One of the pitfalls of hardcore is that a lot of the bands wind up sounding the same. Speed is the guilty party here. And not all of the bands have interesting unique things to shout about. True, it is often as much about community as the music. But then again there are a lot of mediocre bands to found in any of the many subgenres out there. But there are always exceptions...., which is why we still listen.

Certainly White Lung are by all accounts taking a genre and reinventing it. In addition to loud and fast rules, there is a lot of great guitar pyrotechnics going on, like a revved-up version of the great NYC band Live Skull, or even the noise synchronicity of classic Leatherface. And I'm unsurprisingly reminded of Penelope Houston and the Avengers. I'm just listening to the powerful visceral sounds coming out of my headphones right now, and I know that it will be over before I realize it--10 songs in 22 minutes, not a lot  of proggy guitar noodling here.




And in this case, lead singer Mish Way, has a lot to say. And these lyrics are very very personal and on her owns terms. The imagery seems to be about relationships gone worn, about humiliation and abasement, about hard-won life lessons. But also about fighting back. But those are just my impressions. Let me just say that she is a formidable front woman, with kind of unique power we've seen in say, Kurt Cobain. had. And as far as impressions go, this is an album you will not sit on the fence about. You'll either dislike it or absolutely embrace everything they are about. Deep Fantasy will grab you by the throat. For me this album is like a breath of fresh air on the music scene.

Mish Way: Vocals
Anne-Marie Vassiliou--Drums
Kenneth Williams--guitar/bass

If you love punk rock, or great rock music in general, this is the shit, folks. I can't wait to see them live!

 

Soundtrack to Saint Patrick's: Dreadnoughts: Polka's not Dead!

At about this time last year, I ran a post about Songs from the Bunker by the great Celtic punk group Greenland Whalefishers, from Norway. A great, raw and ready band that I highly recommend. This year we head to the west coast of Canada for great Celtic punk!

Greet the sun with bottles high, your bodies pale against the sky...

This year I have discovered this terrific album by Vancouver's own Dreadnoughts, who combine Celtic music, punk, polka, and pirate shanties into a manic, boisterous mix. Polka's Not Dead, which came out in 2010 on Stomp Records, combines ferocious energy with great musical chops. I have little doubt that they must be a really entertaining live band. (check out the 3rd video)

This is about as much fun as it gets.

East meets West here, and then some. I was thinking that it wouldn't be a stretch to convert this album into a musical play like Les Miserables or Sweeney Todd. Songs like the Dickensian Gintlemen's Club or the a capella sea song Randy Dandy-Oh are examples of what I mean. In addition to the stirring vocal performances, they manage to deftly bang out a few fast and furious instrumentals, like Goblin Humppa. What's a Humppa? I'm guessing that its some sort of Finnish traditional music. The liner notes lists what the band was listening to when they made Polka's Not Dead, and one of the bands was Eläkeläiset, a Finnish group that apparently plays Humppas 24-7.

The album flies right out of the gate with the raucous Cyder Road. As much Clash as traditional folk,
this song rips!



Equally exciting is the title track Polka Never Dies. Lawrence Welk's worst nightmares realized. Make sure granny takes her heart pills before you play this for her.



This is another great band continuing and expanding on the legacy of The Pogues. Probably some purists may slag off the band due their globe-trotting musical tendencies, but they would only be doing themselves a disservice. This is kick-ass traditional music that is a load of fun to listen to.

Disavow your Vow Smash Your Sacred Cow---Art Bergmann-What Fresh Hell is This---It's Boxing Day in Canada!

I wanted to do a Canadian Post for Boxing Day, originally I was going to do a long overdue post on the Dishrags. But you know what? I realized that I've amassed 6 Art Bergmann albums without having a post on him yet. Well, I haven't listened to them all either.

So I've changed my mind. Sorry Dishrags--but your time will come. Jade Blade has got to be one of the best punk names ever.......

So I'm listening to a pretty great but extremely dark album from Art Bergmann, one of the most original and talented Canadian musicians you could listen to. The album is What Fresh Hell is This?, and it won the 1996 Juno Award for Best Canadian Alternative Album. But how many people have heard this one South of their border?

Create a Monster and Eat it Too......

Bergmann is probably best known for leading the K-Tels and Young Canadians from the early Punk days of Vancouver. You can see him in the documentary Bloodied Not Unbowed, one of the best made scene documentaries around. The Young Canadians/K-Tels compilation on Sudden Death Records is mandatory punk listening. Back in those early days he was probably the musician that people thought would break out. Well, sadly that did not come to pass. But let's get back to Hell.

But its pretty amazing that an album with such self-confessional desperate jaded gritty vitriolic poetry could get such mainstream acclaim. I couldn't really imagine an album like this winning a Grammy. Musically the album is a fairly melodic rock album (he's a pretty great guitarist), but the listening to the subject matter sort of like pulling off  a scab to reveal a whole other world that I'm fortunate not to have lived. Harrowing songs, right on the edge of things, kind of like Lou Reed. But its Art Bergmann and he is in his own Hell, not anyone else's. This music is just too personal, edgy, like Curt Cobain's---this is not about simply being an entertainer, it's breaking down the boundaries between generalities and the personal. I feel like I know too much now, like a voyeur.

Just from the outset, with the song Beatles in Hollywood, he sings about the contrast between idealism, innocence and the music business and its corruptibility, but it seems to be equally about fighting demons. But whatever it means, it is a seriously miserable place to be in.

The songs on Fresh Hell have titles like Demolished, Buried Alive, Some Fresh Hell, Dive. It gives you some idea of the subject matter. The song Contract is probably one of the more vicious songs about the music industry you could hear. "I dig my own grave for you, be a slave for you", he sings.



Guns and Heroin is an epic sounding ballad on the album, replete with cello by Anne Bourne.
What a powerful song this is!



Art Bergmann is an artist well worth getting acquainted with, and What Fresh Hell is This? is probably a good place to start. But most of his albums are available at reasonable prices, with the exception of Vultura Freeway. The Lost Art Bergmann  came out in 2009, but that seems pretty impossible to get today.

He's been playing shows again recently, the reviews so far seem to be mixed, but hopefully better times are coming for him. One listen to What Fresh Hell is This? and you'll wonder why you didn't hear about this album 10 years ago!

A Rock Opera Just for Kids!!! (and maybe a few cool grownups) Rheostatics---The Story of Harmelodia

Once again my goddaughter is having a birthday, so I've decided to showcase another cool album for the wee ones. Unfortunately, the album in its deluxe form has been out of print for about 15 years and is kind of a collectors item. It seems to be available as a digital download.



Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl....

The album is The Story of Harmelodia by The Rheostatics, who many say may have been Canada's most Canadian Band. I'm pretty sure Canada's most American band was The Band. I couldn't tell you who America's most Canadian band is. But I guess what they mean is that they write songs that have resonance with their fellow countrymen. You know, they sing about Wendel Clark and Saskatoon, and didn't really believe that being in a rock band meant you had be or at least pretend to be from the U.S. or England. I respect this stick-to-itiveness and sense of national pride that they represent who they are and where they come from.

After all, I am an American who would never think of turning the Maple Leaf upside down...

In a nutshell, The Story of Harmelodia is basically Tommy for toddlers. It's a Rock Opera just for Kids, or for those who are still kids at heart. Everything about this release is pretty much over the top. A lot of time, effort, care, and love went into the making of this record.

First and foremost, it is a lot more than a CD. It is really a CD sized illustrated book with a CD tucked inside. As far as the format goes, Harmelodia is a pretty hefty item.

So first of all you have a story, narrated by Janet Morassutti, who is Dave Bidini's wife. He is one of the Rheostatics and these days does a lot of book writing, mostly about Hockey, Baseball, and Rock N' Roll.

Secondly, the Story is loaded with illustrations, beautifully drawn and painted by Martin Tielli, another member of the Rheostatics.

What's the Word? Monkeybird

We complete this winning trifecta with of course the CD, full of engaging songs that accompany the narrative.

The Band: David Bidini, Kevin Hearn, Don Kerr, Martin Tielli, Tim Vesely
Produced Mixed, Aided and Abetted by: Michael Philip Wojewoda.

Additionally many other musicians made contributions on this record including the likes of Gord Downie (wrote lyrics to  Father's Sad Song) , Ben Gunning, Sarah Harmer, and Kurt Swinghammer to name a few.

Spoiler alert: There will no spoiler alert because I'm not going to give the story away, except to say it is about Bug and Dot, a brother and sister who get lost and go on a magical adventure.



What I will divulge is that the music is very diverse, from sweet loving ballads to rock n roll to classically inspired music, folk music, marching band music, and just plain silly musical mayhem! I really think that behind the idea of selling swag to kids which is something all American's know and love this is a covert attempt to trick innocent kids to learn to love music at a very early age. You gotta get em' on board while they're young. Like the cigarette companies. I mean music is at least as addictive as nicotine, but actually great for your heart and soul and long term personal development.




Since the CD is such an elaborate creation I would definitely recommend the physical copy over the download, but usually the price for this is a little costly. I guess anyway you can get this would be a good thing. I don't know whether they only made a small number of these or its just that people don't want to part with them, because I also don't see many of these being sold.

But definitely The Story of Harmelodia is an album that will delight children, a great gift to give somebody you care about.

Surviving Beat Me Senseless Day....Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails--Crackstatic

Another recently found gem for me is now Crackstatic the album by Toronto's Ron Hawkins and the Rusty Nails. Gave it a listen for the first time yesterday and immediately gave me a jolt of musical happiness!

Gonna find God in the midday Sun.....

Originally a member of the Lowest of The Low, a band that garnered surprising popularity, given that their first album was an independent release, Hawkins made a solo album The Secret of My Excess, and then put out Greasing the Star Machine with the Rusty Nails.

You would have thought NAFTA might have helped us get more recognition of deserving Canadian artists like Hawkins. Maybe Arcade Fire made it over the cultural wall to the USA, but it seems the wall still remains. Now that America's 24-7 news cycle is fixated on the Toronto's beleaguered mayor maybe more people will realize that there actually is a country north of us.

Hawkins is a pretty terrific lyricist, and possesses a sense of humor all too lacking in music, albeit pretty dark. Not to say this is novelty music, because unfortunately people tend to associate humor in music as not being "serious", which is seriously idiotic. The word is that he is revered by our friends to the North and one listen to this album will do a lot of explaining. There is a nice mix of songs here, from flat out punky scorchers here alongside poignant ballads. He really does sound a bit like Elvis Costello, but I find the songs to be definitely his own. I really love his vocal delivery---it sounds as though it is something that he is very conscious of and has worked at.

Ron Hawkins: vocals, guitar, piano hammond organ, talk box
Blitz: bass guitar
Mark Hansen: drums and percussion
Lawrence Nichols: vocals, harmonies, melodica
Christopher Plock: baritone and tenor sax
Jason Walters: baritone sax

The first song out on Crackstatic is Bite Down Hard, a anthemically hooky high energy number with great lyrics. The album is filled with black self-deprecating humor like on Beat Me Senseless;





There's a boxing ring in my reality
And there's a punching bag and it looks a lot like me
And they'll finally enrol my name in the Glass Half Empty Hall of Fame
If I beat me senseless again

Little Backstabbers is a vicious song, reminiscent of early Elvis Costello. Other highlights include the
oddly upbeat darkness of Small Vicories, the long song Beautiful Chemistry. The title track of Cracktastic is also great, a song criticizing the quality of music on radio. If Jonathan Richman sang Radio On! in Roadrunner, Hawkins is singing Radio Off!, or more accurately kick the radio until you hear static.

I've emphasized Hawkins as a singer and songwriter but I also must say that the Rusty Nails back him very ably on this album. From start to finish this is a standout album that needs to be heard.





These days Hawkins is playing with the Do Good Assassins these days and has subsequently released several other albums. Judging by YouTube he also performs a fair amount of one-man shows. He is also is an artist. Most of his art seems to be portraits, often of other musicians. You can see his paintings and order some of his discography on his website. He and several other Canadian artists are also profiled in a documentary by Tim Thompson entitled Born To It. Now available on DVD at Victimless Capitalism.

Crackstatic is definitely Cracktastic. You should give this Canadian classic a listen.

Local Rabbits---You Can't Touch This--Auspicious Debut Album from Montreal

Sometimes I hear about interesting bands from unlikely places. In this example, I first heard of Montreal's Local Rabbits because they were mentioned in a book by Dave Bidini of the Rheostatics called Around the World in 57 1/2 gigs. Apparently Bidini and Peter Elkas are friends, and at some point in a hiatus of the around-the-world-on-a-shoestring tour, he winds up at some rural lake with Elkas, friends and family members, fishing, hanging out, and taking turns singing tunes. It was a nice moment in a very recommendable book, a book where Bidini ends up in places like Finland and China, playing gigs and discovering how rock music is perceived and accepted around the world. But mostly its a lot of self-deprecating humor and awkwardness. Definitely a good music read.

Later I read some more on Local Rabbits in Have Not Been the Same, a pretty hefty book on Canadian Rock, which would probably useful if your interests lie there. So with a little more knowledge on my side, I made the mouse click and gave the band a listen.

Fresh New Kicks, Advance!

You Can't Touch This is Local Rabbits' debut album from 1996 on Murderrecords, and it seems somewhat disjointed. When I saw the album cover for the first time, my first impression was that these guys are the ZZ Top of sideburns. But look past this, and you will find a musically accomplished bunch who most definitely sport their own unique sound. If you put the album on and listen to the first song, your impression is that these guys sound like 80's post-punk, pre-Franz Ferdinand. But they mostly don't sound like that here.




Pete Elkas: singing, guitars, etc.
Ben Gunning: singing, guitars, etc.
King Johnny Starr: singing, bass, etc.
Brian Waters: singing, drums


On this record they sound kind of like a blend of Pavement and Neil Young and Crazy Horse. The songs are filled with loads of interesting somewhat discordant guitar runs, with mostly tuneful harmonies laid across the top. There always seems to be a lot going on these songs, and the songs don't rely much on cliches. What seems odd is the number of blues or country numbers interspersed (not to mention a little Klezmer or Pop's & Company's Haircut 100esque stylings) in between the alternatunes, but in all honesty those are done well too. People seem to have a huge problem with things like this, but I certainly don't. It seems like they had the chops to do mostly everything. What is equally remarkable is the upbeat nature to this album--no wallowing in misery for these guys.



These guys went on to make 2 more albums which I'm told are more accomplished than this one, but I haven't heard them yet. Their 2nd album Basic Concept even hit number 1 on the Canadian College Charts in 1998. Even from this stage, it is clear that these guy began with their own pretty unique music. Certainly I think their music lies in the tradition of modern guitar bands like Television, The Feelies, Wipers, Built to Spill, Dinosaur, Jr., that aren't afraid to air out the leads. But they never let the songs drag on to tedium--they change gears well.




Since the band split up, Elkas has put out 3 solo albums, and in 2010 Ben Gunning put out Mal de Mer, his 2nd album, which is described as a concept album about living and working on a cruise ship.

This album is a pretty cool one, especially considering this is a debut album from pretty young guys. Maybe a little more falsetto than I like, but overall a big winner. A very interesting guitar album. And a lot of happiness here, I must say.

PUNK ROCK Easter Egg Hunt!!! McRackins Rule, Ok?

What more appropriate way to celebrate this Easter than with the McRackins!!

I'll give you all a little hint....
There are Eggs hidden in the following videos---see if you can find them!!!



Ramones with a breakfast fetish I guess. Lipitor is their Kryptonite....




You have to admire their perseverance! They've been doing this for years & I hope they never change, even when they reach the point where they start doing duet albums in their senior years. I pray they never have a "McRackins Uncracked" album. When Kiss unmasked thousands of people died of shock. I just realized then that maybe Rock and Roll was never really real, unlike Professional Wrestling. Though frankly, with a dog playing drums, you'd think they would have more hits on YouTube...Anyway I love this Vancouver band and I hope you do too!!

Time to See the Light--Rational Youth--Electronic Pop from Montreal

I was never a big fan of electronic music when I started listening to music as a teenager.
Even though I was taking piano lessons, my idea of great music involved loud music, guitars, power chords.

Like every self-respecting rocker, I would faithfully watch show like Midnight Special and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert to see musical idols perform, and perhaps get a preview of the great new music to come. There weren't so many outlets back in those days for music.

One night I still remember seeing Gary Numan for the first time one night on Don Kirschner's show.
I was completely flabbergasted. What sort of nonsense were they trying to foist on us. At the time I thought it was totally laughable stuff. Weird. Wimpy. For a long time I just couldn't listen to much in this genre. It felt like novelty music. I thought it was cheesy and for the most part unserious.

But in reality electronic music has its good and bad, and of course can be superb, transcendent. Synthesizers and Computers are just another tool to be used to make music to express ideas, and for every 20 stinkers in any genre, there are always a few good, even great albums to be enjoyed.

I didn't overcome my musical prejudice for a long time. The whole "man becoming machine" thing is still pretty uncompelling to me. Even if in this day and age there it appears that there was more than a germ of truth to the concept.  I suppose I have a greater appreciation for music with a human face.
And that's why I was completely taken aback when I heard New Order for the first time. I heard it playing on my stereo, coming from my own college radio station. It definitely altered my perceptions about electronic music in a way that other groups like Devo could not.

I'm pretty sure it was "Age of Consent" playing that day--it was about the time the release of Power Corruption and Lies, which I became an owner of shortly thereafter. In those days I didn't know that it was a new incarnation of Joy Division after Ian Curtis' sad demise. It was an immediate, visceral reaction to great music, and it helped open me to listening to music rather than compartmentalise my musical preferences narrowly.

Which comes to the point of my post. I was reading Have Not Been the Same, a terrific and weighty tome on Canadian rock of the 1980's and 90's, and learning about a lot of groups that never reached my American airspace. I enjoyed the book a great deal. There is even a compilation CD that came out in conjunction (i.e. not with the book) that gives you a taste of the diversity and quality of the bands of the era.

When I was young, I knew Canadians could play Hockey and brew strong beer like LaBatt's and Molson, but believed they could never compete with the Americans and the Brits in rock and roll. I guess in the Cold War era, everything felt like a stupid competition. BTO of course was some crazy exception of course.

The Unity of Things is the Essence of Truth...

Based upon my Canadian research, the first album I bought happened to be by an electronic group of the 80's from Montreal called Rational Youth. I don't think they are any big secret to fans of new wave and electronic music, but they are fairly new to me. Some of the song titles of Cold War Night Life seemed vaguely familiar. I have to say that this album is pretty terrific. When you compare the quantum leaps of technology in the music world, you have to admire what these guys did back in the early 80's. The music was all created on keyboards. And unlike a lot of the music of era, the music does not seem so dated. In fact, I find it to be as good or better than most of the better-known synth-pop contemporaries were doing.

I find a lot of creativity in the music on Cold War Night Life. Sometimes groups latch on to a sound and their songs seem a bit samey, but there is a great deal of diversity in the arrangements. Instead of being a record with a few strong cuts and mediocre material, the songs here are universally good. The music is a combination of bounciness, and sombre macabre spookiness. There is an noticeably aggressive muscular quality to the music that is hard to ignore.  I cannot help but believe that these guy were pretty influential to other groups. I'm a little reminded of comeback era Wire, and they also seem to be a precursor to industrial music. The band was Tracy Howe, Bill Vorn, and Kevin Komoda, all playing synths, with Howe as lead vocalist.






Though Dancing on The Berlin Wall is probably the best known song, there are other songs that I like better. Though these days, seeing young people in the Middle East doing the Harlem Shake in a symbolic defiance of their governments, I see a bit of a connection. Dancing on the Berlin Wall is almost a Gothic "Rocking the Casbah" in a way. As for my tastes, Beware the Fly is probably my favorite on this album, dark clever atmospheric pop with haunted house organ sounding synths segueing into the ostinato laden chorus. Saturdays in Silesia is another Cold War synth classic with almost a Flashdance rhythm to it. Other recommended cuts are the the opening song Close to Nature, City of Night, and the instrumental tune Power Zone. The reissue also includes the tremendous electro-ballad I Want To See the Light. Definitely one of the band's high points. Coboloid Race, also included, is also very good, with a more industrial metallic sound.



When I first tried to pick up a copy of this, I was surprised to find that it would cost me a good amount of cash. I actually wound up buying it on Amazon UK. Right now it seems it can be purchased at a reasonable prize. If that changes, be aware that Yul records, the label that originally issued Cold War Night Life has come out of mothballs and is active once again. You can order the album directly from the label's website. To celebrate the label's 30th anniversary, they have released 4 Rational Youth eps, containing remixes, some newly discovered and never before released.






It has been nearly 25 since the Berlin Wall fell and I don't think people today understand just what things were like back then. For all we knew about life under Communism, there was a lot we did not know, and the same was true about life in the world of Capitalism. I don't think you will learn much about such things by listening to Rational Youth, but quite honestly by listening to the album you can get a little idea of what people were thinking at the time, beliefs and opinions, which were colored by a world seemingly running on a course toward mutually assured destruction. Of course if you had been to Russia at the time and seen how parents bundled their children for winter weather, you wouldn't have many doubts as to whether they loved their children or not. And certainly Rational Youth took the lyrical content of their songs extremely seriously. All I'm saying is there is a certain context to these songs which I still may find interesting today, but I understand how they would not seem so meaningful to people who were born after Communism collapsed in Europe.

All in all Rational Youth put out a very intelligent, forward sounding synth-pop album which should be better known. In addition there are other releases under the moniker, but none with the original lineup. There is an anthology of their music entitled All Our Saturdays which is readily available and includes music from Heredity, the 2nd album. Years later Howe put out another Rational Youth album To the Goddess Electricity on a Swedish label, which is a bit pricey to get. A Singles box set came out in 2000, but was released in limited quantities. But I recommend you go right to the first album if you want to hear the group. If you are a fan of synth-pop, electronic music, or merely an 80's nostalgist, this disc sound pretty essential to my ear.

Punk Pop Teen Idol Throwdown!!!--Travoltas vs Bonaduces

This is post is to a humungous degree an imaginary indulgent exercise, existing only within my own overactive imagination. But what the hell....

I recall a friend of mine who spent some time in Siena, Italy, who witnessed a yearly Medieval-themed tournament, where different sections of the City competed for glory, each district bearing their own distinct banner.

Well here we are in the semi-modern, post-fab punk-rock world (No Borgia's!, No Savonarola's), and the real purpose of this post is to extol two lesser known punk-pop groups who deserve more recognition. But the banners that these worthies fly are 70's American TV icons, the people we venerate today, the precursors of today's reality divas. One band is from the European Union, more precisely, the Netherlands, the other from the Heartland of our neighbor to the North, Canada, more precisely Winnipeg.

Travoltas vs Bonaduces.

Will  Proud Canada win a shootout in overtime? Or will they pass the Dutchie? Will resolute Dutch Courage triumph, or am I merely tilting at windmills? There is no clear cut favorite here. And no burning of flags or banners here either.

Travoltas:

 

 

 

 



 



 

 The Travoltas are a Punk-Pop band from Tilburg, Netherlands. As has been stated and cut and pasted many times over, they combine the 60's Pop stylings of the Beach Boys with the hard and fast Ramones sound. Other comparisons can be made to Weezer, and to Vancouver's Zumpano, at least as to the vocals and harmonies in spots. I must say that Teenbeat (which was released in 2000) sounds fantastic! They do what they do as good as any of the better known American acts who garnered serious cash. Radio ready punk-pop. If you heard this on someone's playlist, you'd probably ask "who the hell are these guys"? There is a timeless quality to their music.

 

 

 

 

Perry: Lead vocals

Vincent: Guitar, Synths

Eric: Bass and backing vocals

JD: Guitar and backing vocals

Wooter: Drums

 

Bonaduces:

 

 

The Bonaduces are a Punk-Pop band from Winnipeg, Canada. The Democracy of Sleep is a remarkable album also. Their music possesses some of the attributes found in the Travoltas, but either by osmosis or design there is a lot of heartland Minnesota punk influences, like the Replacements, Huskers, early era Soul Asylum or even Montreal's shoulda been contenders The Nils. Yeah, and maybe some Buzzcocks thrown in. They sound a tad scruffier than their Dutch counterparts, but in terms of lyrical poetry and musical inventiveness they really stand out. They are more of heart on sleeve, emoesque group--the songs seem really personal. The tunes by The Travoltas are great but I have to say that I'm not all that concerned with what they are singing about. The Bonaduces sound is itchier, intense, with a lot more originality.

 

Doug McLean: vocals, guitar

Michael Koop: Guitar, background vocals

Bob Somers: bass and background vocals

Chris Hiebert: drums

 

 

Yeah, I know this post is silly, but its just another way to talk about two albums I like very much.
If you've seen this blogpost before, you know that I like to write about what I think is the good stuff. And it's a win-win situation with these two groups. I say that if there has to be a winner, its the Bonaduces, because the album is more of a unique animal, idiosyncratic. Teenbeat by the Travoltas on the other hand may actually be a perfect Pop-Punk album. The sound, the songs, are superb, almost flawless. But they don't have the rough edges, the personal touch that would single themselves out. A great pop album that doesn't sound that dissimilar from a lot of other groups.

But you know what, that's merely my personal taste, and I would not be surprised if a lot of people disagreed with me. If you are a power pop fanatic, the sort of person who thinks that the Posies sold out after their early albums, you would definitely prefer Travoltas. As for me, I'm probably going to be getting more music by both bands. It's a long shot, but I'm going to try to get a physical copy of The Bonaduces K is for Catherine which won't require me to take out a mortgage. And find out what these guys have been doing for the last 10 years. They are a pretty amazing group. I have to believe this is one of the great 90's alternative albums that most people haven't heard.

I probably would have never found out about them except for a terrific blog spot, Music Ruined My Life. I've found out about some great Canadian bands from that site--one of the best music blogs out there. I do think that America is still snobbish about Canada and its culture. I think a lot of American don't believe it exists, you know Canadian culture. I recently read a book of essays (actually more like speeches) by the great Canadian writer, Robertson Davies, where he refers to some writer who referred to Canada as "America's attic". Wow! How subconsciously offensive is that!

These days music fans all know about Arcade Fire, Metric, New Pornographers, perhaps Sloan. When I was a kid, I think we were all strangely shocked when we discovered that Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, The Band, Guess Who, BTO, were Canadian. But I think for years a lot of Americans have missed out on some excellent music being made due North. These days we seem to finally be breaching a cultural wall, one that has resisted globalization. I listen to the Bonaduces and I feel deprived, in a similar way as when I heard the Nils and Pointed Sticks for the first time, long after the bands broke up. I feel I still have a lot of catching up to do. I've just read two commendable books about Canadian music history, recently published, that I'll hopefully chat about soon.

And there is a similar feeling toward European bands--unless its American or English, how good could it be? The real answer is very, very good!

But you discover if you dig enough, great bands in Scandanavia and Germany. And of course, the Dutch have Travoltas, Johan, The Nits, The Ex, Bettie Serveert, The Serenes, to name a few. Even France has great bands, despite the stupid caricatures. Bands like the Dogs, and Les Thugs, and even Plastic Bertrand made some fun music. And if you can overcome people singing in other than your own language, well the whole world is your musical oyster. Zimababwe, Brazil, Russia, Phillipines, Japan. Just when I think I've heard it all, I get blown away once more, unexpectedly.

A Final Christmas Memento from the Pointed Sticks!

Word on the street is that Vancouver's reunited Pointed Sticks may have played their final gig, and they are ready to call it quits. Today, one of my favorite bands, I was blissfully unaware of their existence in their original 80's days. Sometimes its so crazy--it's as though there was some invisible cultural border fence separating America from all these fantastic Canadian bands. I'm discovering great Canadian bands, new and old, and I'm completely shocked by my ignorance.

Well thanks to the good folks at Sudden Death Records, the Sticks' early output is mostly covered by their reissuing of  Perfect Youth their lone studio album, and the indispensable compilation, Waiting for the Real Thing. Out of Luck is one of my all time favorite songs. What was once rare music is now readily available. I recently bought a copy of the Pointed Sticks comp released by Zulu Records, but I lucked out--that one seems a little pricey these days. Their 2nd album, Three Lefts Make a Right is another worthy collection of music, that I recommend highly.

But since it's Christmas I wanted to share with you something I stumbled on accidentally. The Pointed Sticks posted complimentary MP3's of two Christmas tunes a few years ago. Well, they pressed a  nifty 7" single with the two holiday songs that they were selling at their final shows.

Well it turns out that they did not sell them all. If you are a Pointed Stick fanatic or maybe just plain Christmas crazy, you can get a copy without hiring a sled team and heading due north.

La-Ti-Da records (latidarecords.com) has a number of said Christmas single, with the songs Power Pop Santa & Xmas Time Again. Both exemplary Christmas songs, with a festive Christmas package cover and green vinyl. Very cool. They have some other cool things for sale, like a 7" single by the Tranzmitors.


Though possibly gone but probably not to be forgotten, The Pointed are also rumored to be releasing a third studio album in the near future, entitle Missed The Bus. I'm hoping that they ultimately decide to be like the Clean, and reassemble once in a blue moon, record a bit, do a few gigs, and go back to civilian life. If they call it quits entirely, there will probably be a national day of mourning in Japan!
In any event, if you don't know their music, I urge you to check them out--Waiting For the Real Thing belongs right next to your well-worn copy of Singles Going Steady.

Beretmania!!! Les Breastfeeders--Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe

I've been occupied this week with an album new to me, but from 2004, from a great sounding band from Montreal, Les Breastfeeders. This would be their first album, Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe. This is a 60's Nuggetts styled garage album, with energy, replete with swirling Farfisa, with lots of attitude, entirely sung in French. In addition to the uptempo numbers, there are also some moody ballads led by Suzie McLelove on voix.

Despite rampant election season fears that we are slowly turning French here in the old US of A, I have enough self-confidence to enjoy a superb French language album while proudly maintaining American citizenship. If you are not of the same ilk, simply refer to the music as "freedom rock", rather than "chanson". Like during that North Korean dustup, when we were calling Kimchi "Constitutional Convention" cabbage. Honestly I don't have a clue what they are singing about, but I know great classic garage rock, and this is it, like the Fleshtones, or The Dirtbombs. Fun, good time, party music.

The Band:

Luc Brien: guitare rhythmique, voix, choeur
Suzie McLelove: 2nd guitare, voix, choeur
Joe: basse, choeur
Kiki Boone: batterie
Johnny Maldoror: tambourine
Sunny Duval: 1st guitare, choeur




Right from the outset, with the tune Mini jupe et watusi, I knew I was going to really like this. Then the second song, J'pourrais pas vivre avec toi came, and I liked the album twice as much as before. Great raspy crooning from Luc Brien. I needed the 3rd song Laisse autant le vent tour emporter to cool down a bit, featuring the sultry vocals of Suzie Mclelove. She is also terrific on Amoureux Solitaires an uptempo Ramonesy sounding number. But there is something for everybody here. Check out the scorching garage-surf instrumental Miserats!! Another great number here is the tough rocking tune Y a rien a faire. I think you get the idea. I feel like hopping in my car right and heading north to Hockeyland right now! Believe me, I've only been to Montreal once, and its such an amazing city. I really had the best time there. I really have to go back and see how it looks sober.



Yes they have a tambourine master. How amazing is that! No digital tambourine for these guys. Johnny Maldoror---one word---wow.

But unfortunately, the band is touring in France right now, so I have to exercise patience for the time being. Just know that on the bands website, you can pick up all of their CDs (their new one Danse le guele des jours, and their 2nd, Les Matins des Grand Soirs) or get digital downloads at a very reasonable price. If you enjoy this kind of music, you really can't go wrong here. Do yourself a favor and check these guys out!

No Internet! No Cel Phones! No PC'S!--Bloodied But Unbowed---Historical Documentary of Vancouver Punk Scene now on DVD!

Bloodied But Unbowed is a highly entertaining documentary movie by Susanne Tabata, chronicling the Vancouver punk scene of the late 70's /early 80's. And now it's available on DVD!!  For $10.00!!! Go to www.thepunkmovie.com. Excellent product for a cheap price. The collectors 3-DVD version is sold out; they only made 150 of them, unfortunately. I held out and found myself out of luck last month. Luckily I managed to win one on Ebay. The single disc is still worth double what they are asking. If this project is successful, maybe more film makers will be encouraged to make more films like this.



This is a white hot, intelligent, humorous look at a special scene that like a lot of punk scenes, came and went in a short short period. And while things that happened there paralleled the trials and tribulations of other scenes, as in the early days places like Vancouver were islands in a mainstream ocean. Hell, they were an island in their own city! These days all bands are alternative, so this is something a lot of people probably don't understand. That punks had to travel in groups in order to risk getting mauled by complete strangers.
But the Vancouver had its own unique qualities, and that had to do with the unique personalities of the musicians.

A big part of this movie of course is D.O.A. and the Subhumans, excellent bands who are more hardcore punk. But the documentary includes a variety of bands, showing the diversity and experimental nature of the scene. In other words there was a high level of musical tolerance in those days. It wasn't like certain styles were considered verboten then.

One of the biggest problems was finding venues where punk rock was accepted, one of which was the Smiling Buddha, which seemed to be a bit of a dump but nonetheless a haven for the new sounds. Of course one of the problems was that places got wrecked, so there was not going to be a second booking. There is a lot of historic footage in the film, plus loads of contemporary interviews with many of the Vancouver groups and also American musicians of the era who performed in Vancouver and were fans of the music. San Francisco and Vancouver were very much kindred scenes with a lot of similarities. Dead Kennedy's Jello Biafra and The Avengers' Penelope Houston have a lot of insight on the subject, as do Southern Californians like Black Flag's Henry Rollins and Circle Jerk's Keith Morris.

In addition to the above mentioned bands, there are interviews with Pointed Sticks, the amazing pop punks, Tim Ray, Jade Blade of the Dishrags. You have interviews with Buck Cherry and Mary Jo Kopechne of the Modernettes. Kopechne speaks with a great deal of candor about her punk experience. On the one hand, getting involved got her into a community, because she was going in a bad direction earlier. On the other hand, some of the things that happened to her in that period are absolutely harrowing. It's no wonder that she is disillusioned about the old days. As tough as it was to a punk rocker in those days, it was triply tough to be a female punker. You also have an interview with Art Bergmann of the K-Tels/Young Canadians, one of the most talented artists of the era, who unfortunately did not find the success his ability merited.

One of the most intelligent, engaging interviewees is Gerry Hannah of the Subhumans. Later on you find out that he was an extreme environmental activist, one of the Squamish Five, who did some pretty serious stuff. They blew up a factory building parts for cruise missiles and also a power plant. He did five years hard time out of a possible 10. Today he still holds strong convictions, but is contrite about how you go about achieving goals. Another one of the cautionary parts of this movie is the destructiveness of hard drug use. A lot of people who could have been in this were not around to do it.



I highly recommend this movie. By viewing this movie, you get a good idea of what things were like in those days. And the interviews are insightful and funny. It puts a face on the great music we listen to today. A lot of the recordings of these bands can be found on Joe Keithley of  D.O.A.'s music label, Sudden Death Records. It's great that classic Canadian punk music like The Modernettes, D.O.A.,K-Tels/Young Canadians, and Pointed Sticks and the landmark Vancouver Complication comp are readily available today. But check out this documentary sooner than later. I think you will really enjoy this. Kudos to Susanne Tabata and all involved in the making this important movie.

A Continuum Transfunctioner Happy New Year!!!! The Real MacKenzies!!!!

Happy New Year All!!!

The Real MacKenzies----Auld Lang Syne!!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 64---Count Floyd!!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!

Count Floyd---Reggae Christmas Eve in Transylvania!!

The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 38--Pointed Sticks!!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for All to HEAR!


The Pointed Sticks-XMAS Time Again

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 34--Ron Sexsmith!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

Ron Sexsmith---Maybe this Christmas

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 23--Sloan!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to hear!

Sloan----Bells On!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 12---Pointed Sticks!!

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!

The Pointed Sticks-Power Pop Santa

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer!----Part 7--Doug and The Slugs

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear!

Doug & the Slugs--White Christmas