Ain’t Nothing But A Swamp Thang
Five months ago vocalist Johnny Matter pulled a bit of a shocker when, true to his promiscuous band swapping ways, he abruptly left Vancouver metal upstarts Anion (after five years and almost directly after their debut album was released). After hearing Matter was a free agent I was rather excited when I was invited down to his jam space to check out his latest project and Vancouver’s newest band called BOG. Matter has always been in some seriously heavy hitting bands over the years. Not only that, his production company, Apocalypse Sunrise, has produced some of this city’s finest underground music festivals over the last five years. Matter gets around and is well versed when it comes to the ways of extreme music. The band came together amazingly a mere month after Matter’s exodus from Anion. So I went in with high expectations.
“I really wanted to start a band of bros. I left Anion because it became no fun anymore. It was more of a job and we weren’t really friends. We never hung out,” Matter expands. “I wanted to play with a bunch of friends I can hang with. So I messaged all these guys and we talked about our favorite bands. We had everything from Black Flag to Black Sabbath. Swans, Jesus Lizard, a lot of stoner stuff and Captain Beefheart even came up.”
Hanging with these guys it seems as almost like they went to high school together and decided to start a band that was discussed while in detention together. Drummer Poib Feur is just a plain out weirdo, snagged from various local spazz core bands. Guitarist William Craig Bowron is the doom loving riff machine. Bassist Denis Maile fits in oddly as the decorated scene veteran from the punk and garage rock scene. Then there is second guitarist Chris Raffin. If you’ve been to any rad shows around town, you’ve seen his face and hair. A local DJ from the Undie Scene show on CJSF, he knows his music. BOG did not disappoint and came across as a loud noise filled lumbering monster. With the musical passion of the eclectic crew that Matter has assembled, you just know that they are going to emerge as a thriving force in experimental extreme music. We should all look forward to catching this unique creature in the early stages of evolution. Freaky things are about to surface.
Be sure to catch BOG in their debut live show on May 28 at Funky Winker Beans opening for The Great Sabatini, Destroy All, and Craters.
-Heath Fenton
