WALL OF SOUND - SEPTEMBER

News from the underground, show listings too!

This month column features Hastings Street hardcore punk. We love Hastings Street for its hardcore/metal/punk proximity between the venues.

THE SONICS

Merri L. Sutton photo

Still Booming

Hold tight because the wild ones of Pacific Northwest garage rock, the Sonics have just channeled their raw spirit into thirteen new tracks. Not even twenty-four hours out of the studio, saxophonist and vocalist Rob Lind alerted that the material is on its way to Detroit in the hands of the mighty Jim Diamond. The Vancouver date will debut these. “It will be the first time that we play them in public,” says Lind. It will also be the first live performance in Vancouver since the mid sixties.

DESTROY ALL

Heavy As Balls

Have you ever tried to start a band? There are a few different ways. One is the method of throwing something together quickly just so you can get on stage ASAP and score new friend points. Or, you can shoot for the stars and attempt mainstream success by writing crap tunes that no one cares about, including yourselves. Or you could get together a bunch of egos that constantly bicker, fight and do nothing but play self-indulgent music that confuses the hell out of anyone within an ear's reach.

Destroy All is none of these.

ANION

Disrupts Silence

A sonically abrasive Anion not only lives up to their namesake but also to the 2013 release, Without Solace. By description “a negatively charged ion” characterizes this intense Vancouver four-piece. “Johnny discovered Anion, we liked the word itself as well as the definition associated with it, which relates to our negative and ugly music, so it was a perfect fit,” says bass player Cole Benoit. This uncompromising line-up includes Johnny Matter on vocals, Steve Sepanzyk on guitar and Adam Rayburn enters as the new full-time drummer.

The sound of this “filthy metallic noise rock” is made up of elements of sludge, noise and hardcore. “We strive to make the music really dirty and negative, which is how we all feel heavy music should be and what we want to hear,” says the bassist. “We really wanted to focus on crafting songs this time around, making everything work together and be memorable as a whole song, rather than just a certain riff.” With that intact they also wanted to draw out their influences. “We feel we’ve got more in common with older hardcore bands like Kiss It Goodbye, Playing Enemy and Anodyne then we do with a lot of modern stuff, for that reason, back when bands had a lot of negative emotion to them and wrote ugly yet fantastic riffs,” he says.

The 2013 LP was recorded with producer Matt Bayles at Red Room Studios in Seattle, also known for Botch, Mastodon and Isis. “He’s worked on a number of seminal albums that we relate to as a band, so we contacted him to see if he was interested in working with us. He liked what we were doing and so we booked studio time,” says Benoit. Winnipeg's No List Records is putting out this release and also a great match with a roster of the likeminded: KEN mode, The Great Sabatini and Breathe Knives.


Anion - Snake Oil from Anion on Vimeo.

Anion’s discography includes: Manolete, a digital EP, the 7-inch Carrion King on grey splatter vinyl and Corpseflower, which is a limited edition of red cassettes in cloth sleeves. Vinyl albums have reemerged to the forefront and Without Solace is an intriguing audio-visual parcel. “The artwork does relate to the album title and the contents of the album, but I’d rather leave that open to interpretation. I will say that 'Rotting Bloom' is the sonic sequel to 'Corpseflower', an older song of ours, and if you dig into the lyrics of 'Corpseflower' things might make a little more sense,” says Benoit, who is also responsible for the photography of the new album. “To me, artwork is a huge part of an album and always has been, it makes it that much better when the packaging is as fantastic as the music inside. This is even more relevant now when you really need to give people a reason to buy a physical copy, rather than just download it. So I wanted to make sure that our packaging had that,” he explains. “We really wanted to step away from any sort of ‘metal’ or other imagery that might pigeonhole us based on how the album looked. We wanted something really elegant and beautiful, but with a darker edge to it [and] the design to be very clean and simple. Allowing the photos to really come through and again to leave the sonic contents of the album a bit of a mystery.” A song from the upcoming LP, “Snake Oil” is now out on video. Anion is currently booking support tours for North America and Europe.

Without Solace, will be released Sept. 17. Catch the party on Oct. 11 at Astoria joined by Breathe Knives and Weirding.

-More Betty

MOTORAMA

Hard rock vets release new album

Seventeen years of songs, tours, and shows around North America haven't worn down Motorama, who just produced the high-energy album Found On Road Dead. This release finds them backed Vancouver scene supporters Not Yer Buddy, who produced and distributed their newest release. “We've always gone with revved up rock and roll,” founder and songwriter Marcus Lander relates. “This album has got a little bit more of a pop vibe and a little more angular as well.” Motorama is a heavy noise rock trio featuring some of Vancouver's most prolific and experimental rock musicians. Lander played with supergroup Little Guitar Army and the reformed Fiends, bassist Rich performs solo under his pseudonym Orchard Pinkish and Bertman writes songs for heavy contemporaries the Strugglers. “My aspirations have always been to just write the best songs I possibly can,” Lander explains of this project. “I don't know if I've ever succeeded in that, but that's the intention.”

SUBCULTURE SEPTEMBER

Free money!! Anyone else think these Kickstarter and Indiegogo crowdfunding website cash grabs are out of control? It's one thing to have the funds raised actually be for charity or serious life-changing obstacles but when it's funding people's educations and businesses, how far is too far?

I recently found an Indiegogo campaign for a former D.I.Y. haunt of mine asking for dough to expand their business, in exchange for potential goods and services if the endeavor pans out.

DISTORT VANCOUVER FEST - VOLUME IX

The Final Chapter

Ink September 5th, 6th and 7th onto your wrist and prepare for a raging 72 hours as FOAT and CHARGED//DISTORTED present the final edition of this West Coast punk event, Distort Vancouver Fest.

Unquestionably, the event organizer’s appetite for “Scandinavian punk” fuels Distort and this is conclusive with MOB 47 on-board for this instalment. “One of the first Swedish bands to take on what DISCHARGE created all those years ago, but mixed it with the speed of American hardcore, (ie. DRI, CRUCIFIX, etc) creating something totally insane,” explains Foat. “Hence, raw fucking mangel. Members have been active in such classic Swedish hardcore bands as CRUDITY, DISCARD, one of my all time favourite d-beat bands. More recently, DESPERAT featuring Jocke from D-takt & Ra Punk records. Which, every punk should check out,” he emphasizes. On the bill and that label are WARVICTIMS, ELECTRIC FUNERAL and PARANOID. The last count was thirty bands booked for this fest and with that another highpoint is SUICIDAL SUPERMARKET TROLLEYS, described as “ridiculous beer drinking British punks!”



The eight consecutive fests have cultivated networks. “I will say, over the years, some life long friendships have formed because of the bridges of certain cities/regions of the punk community being built.” Not only has this event brought notice and energy to this city, but also exposed folks to bands they would otherwise not catch live. “I think Distort put Vancouver in league with bigger punk scenes on the coast, and a must stop for any bands touring the West Coast. This was one of the reasons I started doing the fest in the first place,” he says. CHUCK NORRIS was a part of the early fests and this year they will be playing their final show. “They were the first band I put out a record for, they let me roadie for them a bunch, and are dear friends, who helped shape my ideals of punk. It just makes sense for the band to die with Distort,” says Foat.

Distort is certainly an undertaking between three “active” bands, monthly shows, a label, a life and a full-time job. “I think my mission has been accomplished. Vancouver has one of the most thriving punk scenes in the world,” he says, “I can't credit it all to Distort, as there are many punks who make this city fucking awesome. I think it's time to see some younger blood do something similar. Maybe not take on the burden of Distort, but to do their own thing. No matter what, I will ALWAYS be involved in punk, for better or worse, till I fucking die.” And what’s next? “Next summer for the first time in nine years, I will do jack fucking shit! I’m really surprised I’m not bald yet from all my stress, and that's why I keep dying my hair,” he laughs. But this is not the end, still busy with the DIY, practice space and his label, CHARGED//DISTORTED is about to release, the KOSZMAR LP along with RUST AND MACHINE Records.

Surveying this vast collection of handmade event posters, flyers and tickets, they hold their own not only as a record but as “Punk Art.” Foat has created many of these but also credits, Jersey, Laura Lint and Zach from SPECTRES and who is also co-founder of Distort. “I’m just a mega nerd about flyers. These are the documents of amazing or shitty nights. I always put the year on them so punks can remember. I love looking at old flyers on punk house walls, and remembering that time in my life, and the shows I’d go to, and the bands I see.” With the indefinite life of digital content, this handheld artifact has an even greater significance. “I think this get's lost in 2013, I see less and less flyers, and it really bums me out. On top of it all, DIY flyers, posters, and tickets just look cool. And though others will disagree, fuck Photoshop. It is killing punk art! And yes, artwork has almost as much to do with punk as the music,” he adds and, “this is why, while records are being pressed in fewer numbers these days, vinyl will never fucking die, despite the Internet.”

Further kudos and thanks go out to, David and the Astoria, as well as WENDYTHIRTEEN. “But maximum appreciation goes out to all my friends, bands, labels, promoters, and venues that supported Distort and me over the years,” he says and, “I’ve been definitely in the hole, but I’m not complaining. I knew what I was getting myself into, and it's worth it.” A series of shows, fundraisers will lead up to the fest.

“Actually, I can honestly say I am very excited about all of these bands playing the last Distort. So many raging riffs and friends I would gladly take a bullet for from a buncha areas of the world!”

DISTORT VANCOUVER FEST VOLUME IX will be early September at the Anza on the 5th, WISE Hall on the 6th, and the 7th at the Astoria, and keep your ears up for pre/post/night/day/hangover shows put on by friends.

- More Betty