LIQUOR KINGS

Liquor Kings - Jonathan Moogk photo

“And their fans say, Liquor Kings Baby”

Some might say, RNR music is the fountain of youth. After the last four years these rolling lifers, the Liquor Kings seemed to have tapped into a prolific wellspring. With over 60 original songs under their belt, they seem to be pumping them out at a rate of one a week these days. If you check out the rap sheets for these musical gangsters you will find their individual records go back as far as Vancouver’s first and second wave of punk heyday. History, indeed, look it up!

Their second release, Unfiltered came out in the fall 2014 and a third DIY release Happy Hour is underway and due out early 2015. Perhaps, this last title is a tip of the glass to the reinstated drinking establishment tradition and a return to Vancouver cocktail culture. You should check in with them at the next bar show, after all, they are the ‘Kings!’

Oh, wait; this story is getting sidetracked, so back to the album. “We do the entire process ourselves. We write, record, mix and master the songs,“ says their front man, Eddy Dutchman. To add to this home-brew society, another pal of theirs, artist Richard Katynski threw together some artwork and T-shirt designs.

They claim these high-spirited and high-proof songs come together as a rock ‘n’ roll duty and an enterprise of good friends. “Everybody is involved. Our music is seemingly simple and anthem oriented rock with lots of loud and complicated guitar parts,” he adds.

As for original music, Dutchman asserts that they will never do covers. “Never have, never will,” he firmly states reinforcing their inclination ‘to do it their way.’

For this gang of pranksters their colours are laden with imagery and metaphors of LIQUOR, DEVILS and EVIL. Dutchman’s philosophy reads like a mislaid pulp fiction novel. “For us, as a rock band, we are like your older juvenile delinquent brother,” he claims and “it’s a challenge and rock is our medication and our rock is salvation rock.”

You never know what dark corner these guys turn up on for local gigs. They can add them, as fast as they can write songs. With that in place the vocalist dares you to hit them up at one of their live shows. “Loud and ugly,” he calls it, “we don't care, and straight up and on the rocks, Liquor Kings, baby.

In the meanwhile for those who wanna hear the testimony, their two releases Liquor Kings - 100 Proof and Unfiltered are available direct from the band or at Neptoon Records and Bonerattle Music.

The Liquor Kings perform at The Fairview Pub on Friday, Feb. 27th with The Bad Beats



- Anita Lee

LIQUOR KINGS

Unfiltered - Independent 2014

Back again with a hard rocking blast are these local practitioners of Satan, Bacon and Beer!

This slab comes out swinging with 'Hit You Hard' the twin axe attack of Steven Graf and Mike Laviolette ripping right into your cranium. "It's 3 A.M." lays down a mean groove - time for some dancing. The lights and the sound are beginning to make everyone delirious so "Head above the Water" brings furious focus back into action - Liquor Kings baby!

The album switches into high gear, with Terry Russell and Ed Hurrell providing a wicked bottom end. "On my feet Again" is a lovely ballad, so, buy the ladies a drink now.

Coming home the epic 'Way down Here' turns the dance floor into chaos! It's a fun time here with Eddy and the Boys - this recording was recorded in 12 hours flat over a week - with exemplary artwork by Rich Katynski. Check it out and come see their live show anytime!

- Rene Milord

SUBCULTURE - JANUARY

Another year has come and gone. Of course I’m writing this article on deadline eve. Some bad habits like procrastination linger in my sober life. At least I’m finally on top of my personal citizen paperwork. Another thing I’m on top of is compiling a personal apocalypse kit. It’s kind of like what they call a bug out pack. I’ve been stocking up on shit like flint and Lifestraws, made a bunch of beef jerky that I have frozen, and am just gathering what you would call glorified camping supplies.

When this world goes to shit I’ll be ready. People already stampede and panic over Black Friday shopping and hackers fucking up their video game time.

SPITFIRES

The SPITFIRES loosen things up!

It's just Rock n Roll, that's all...

So somewhere on the very outskirts of Vancouver, around 1995 some pals got together to make some noise. Out of that clamour, shot out some fast, furious and unabashed rock n roll. Think, Humpers and Pagans. In the midst of post grunge copycats and eccentric indie super tours, their fuelled up and stripped back punk and roll was as refreshing as a can of cold beer. So with packed venues, spilled drinks and broken glass, the good times spread across Canada, US and the UK. After a bunch of touring, they continued to jet away on four-fourteen day blowouts. These days the frequency may have toned down to special occasions, but the intensity hasn’t been diluted. “Now our mission is to get together and hang out like old pals do!!” explains, front man Jay and that they do very well. So with a quick nine-ten question spread, we interrupt the lead singer’s Christmas dinner to find out the status of this fine tooled lot of scoundrels.

88 MILE TRIP

Through The Thickest Haze - Independant

Vancouver’s reputation for quality stoner rock bands has been gaining huge steam. But for the most part, the bands have been a sludgy, doom ridden and noised out.

Enter 88 Mile Trip. A serious breath of fresh air exhaled onto the scene. With soulful clean vocals and warm fuzzy riffs they bring a sunny laid back vibe reminiscent of the California stoner bands of yore like Kyuss and Fu Manchu.

Through The Thickest Haze kicks off with a huge bong hit of wonder and keeps burning. It travels on tasty leads and rampant bass runs. Where some bands might slow it down, 88 Mile Trip keep the groove upbeat and feeling just right. With stand out rompers like “Sky Valley”, “Burn The Saints”, and “Song Of The Dead”. Vocalist Dave Bell croons like a graceful stallion riding over these stoney tones into the glowing moonlit desert. He’s definitely got a cool Ian Astbury thing going on.

JERK IN THE CAN

Ching Ching A Ling - Independant

If you like your music a tad psychotic and over the top experimental, then Jerk In The Can may just be right up your alley. I am not sure what the hell these guys are on, but Ching Ching A Ling borders on pure insanity. Channeling the Residents and Disco Volante era Mr. Bungle this quick five song EP is extremely chaotic as it downward dives into lunacy.

 It is a good thing the songs are short because they beat you relentlessly with some sort of fucked up mind warp that is best served in small doses. Songs like “Bath Salts” and “I Know You Don’t Know Me” are slow spooky bewilderments. While “Killer Owls” and “Fake Phoney” drive in some schizophrenic spazz.

WEIRDING

Driving that mountain

In a thick sea of genres this three piece has spent the last year in the studio pushing through the low, slow and heavy. Attaching a handle to their sound may not always be accurate. As with all good things, music, the common variable maintains an uncompromising attitude, exponentially. This approach yielded a new ten-inch recording aptly titled Mountain, which is about to make its way out to the public ear, as early as the new year.

KEITHMAS V

Rich Hope and partner have been Keithmass staples

This Rock n Roll fundrager turns five

So, what does Rich Hope and His Blue Rich Rangers, The Jolts, Sh-Shakes, Strange Things, Johnny De Courcy, The Highway Kind, La Chinga, The Midnight Ramblers and The Rentalmen all have in common? Well, this handpicked crew of nine bands are gonna deliver nine takes on Keith Richards and 100% of the proceeds go the Vancouver Foodbank. Rocking into their fifth year event organizer John Hewer fills us in, on how they roll.

REMEMBERING BRIAN GOBLE

Bev Davies photo

“Wimpy Roy”

We are at a loss for words and would like to extend our condolences to members of Vancouver’s first wave punk rock community, friends, family, fans and colleagues at Portland Hotel Society.

By now the notice of Brian "Wimpy Roy" Goble’s passing has circulated broadly. He had suffered a heart attack December 7, 2014.

Many know him for his antics as the front man for the Subhumans, but also as the bass player for The Skulls and D.O.A.

There has been an outpouring of emotions within the music community and social circles. We extend our compassion and sympathy to those who knew, were inspired by and laughed with him.

Vancouver photographer, Bev Davies has shared two of her memories with us here. Davies is a highly respected documentarian and friend of Vancouver’s early Punk Rock music community.

Wimpy with Dimwit in Rude Norton at the Buddha, July 12 1979, top left.

The Subhumans go to College - Oct 8, 1980 - Bev Davies photo

LIVE NOTES

LIFE AGAINST DEATH - RICKSHAW THEATRE DECEMBER 2014

HELLO FOLKS, well, actually, the volatile front woman here is probably the sweetest person you will ever meet! A moment with Twitch from Life Against Death giving it all. So it goes!

As we finish off 2014, we are busy updating behind the scenes to bring you new albums and formats! We are adding in some extra release reviews as well, focusing on some locals that might get overlooked as everyone flocks to the top ten list.

The 2014 live reviews and photosets are going through a rebuild to accommodate for functionality changes and elements that are no longer supported within our parent host, the old and new. Yes, that is technology for you. Since, advertising dollars does not drive us, things are built in a DIY manner on a volunteer basis. Do bear with us as we swap content around and find a better solution. Some of 2014, 13, 12 live reports are back online as to not leave an empty space. 2014 hopes to finish off with year-end round up as soon as the pieces come together.

ORANGE GOBLIN

Ester Segarra photo

Back in the groove

Stoner rock has become somewhat of a vague term when describing heavy music. Like the weed that gives the genre its name, it has many branches. It’s fair to say though, that the seed was planted with British icons Black Sabbath. So it seems odd that over the years the U.K. would fail to clone similar bands. However, there are a few that have sprouted up and London, England’s Orange Goblin have been smoking grooved out riffs since 1995 – around the time the stoner rock movement began to take shape in the U.S.

SUBCULTURE DECEMBER

I’m not a person that takes to being censored in any way very well. The muckity mucks at BeatRoute don’t like when I go off the musical beaten track in my columns but how can I not when all this shit is happening around us. How many times can I discuss shitty turnouts, poor stage changeover manners or cross booking newbie promoters.

I was looking over all my articles since October 2011 when I started writing for this paper. I touch on political issues a lot. I’m a punk. A lot of activists are punks. It’s my salute to their tireless work. Someone has to give a shit about the ‘man’ running civilization into the ground. I had written about music in reference too. I had lamented about the former shitty DJ at hockey games and people potty training at the bar. I had given up the idea of ever starting the Hellhole in this gentrification-obsessed city and wonder why I can’t sell off the Cobes fixtures I have in storage. I talked about my pickled liver and quitting the booze. I memorialized those that have passed.

MUDHONEY

Pop the cork on pacific punk

Not long ago, Pacific Northwest’s Mudhoney managed to cash in on a more discerning investment, something finer than a gratuitously priced bottle of vintage. This is not about a ‘90s Seattle sitcom or wineglass toting crew of celebrity. Instead, they traded in their full-time “rock star career” stocks for a different set of high notes. You will not find these four glued to the couch or caught up in complacency. By the time the Friday arrives, Steve Turner, Mark Arm, Dan Peterson and Guy Maddison bypass the velvet upholstery and strap on the jetpacks making their way to exotic venues near you. Still poking fun at those day-to-day forces of irrationality with a punk rock stick.

PAMPERS

‘Because Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys was already taken!

It’s true, just Google it. But try searching for the band in question and you get nary a blip on the Internet save for a Bandcamp page. That page reveals a couple of links, one of which is a YouTube clip of the Fat Boys. Where I am going with this, you ask? Well, the plump pontificates are from the borough of Brooklyn, home to the gutter-garage scrawl of Pampers, who assault your ears quite righteously with a din of noise somewhere between the sharp punk jabs of the Spits and the cathartic crunch of the Cheater Slicks; basically a perfect fit for In The Red Records, their present label lair after a pair of now-extinct singles funded by their illegal puppy-breeding business (read: record label) Jack Shack Records.

DIECEMBER FEST 6

A not so silent night

“Burning Ghats has been lucky enough to play every single Diecember Fest! Some of the best heavy bands in the city, blowing your eggnog riddled brain for two nights at one of the best venues in town, all for a great cause. Would you rather be at your creepy uncle's house singing Christmas carols?” jokes Cam Strudwick of Burning Ghats.

Christmas may only come once a year, but Diecember Fest comes twice and once again the musical underground of Vancouver will congregate for their annual holiday party. This event keeps gathering momentum and has become a tremendous tradition in this city. Johnny Matter from Apocalypse Productions has been at the helm since day one. He created a festival that has gained a life of its own and since then has since enlisted fellow local promoters Crowsnest, Invisible Orange and Nothing Is Heavy. “Crowsnest has been an essential part of the fest for the last four years and NIH has helped out for two. [Working] with co-promotion and getting on board some of the bands they manage,” says Matter. “I wanted to invite Invisible Orange to the promoter roster this year. They book some of the best metal shows this city has to offer and are wonderful to work with.” Add in some of Vancouver’s cream-of-the-crop bands and you will have what they call a plum treat.