ROCK BAND CALLED TIME

clocks in, ten more songs!

by More Betty

The eternal spirit of RNR finds its gravity in a Rock Band Called Time (RBCT). The origins of this East Vancouver trio can be traced back a few years, but the time is right for their self-titled LP. Guitarist and vocalist Braden DeCorby along with bassist Phil Misquitta both play in a very different sludge-doom band called Haggatha. “It's really slow heavy grim music with very little rock and roll influence. ‘Killyourmothermusic’ some would say. Just ‘cos we play that stuff, doesn't mean that’s all we listen too,” explains Misquitta, “Truth be ‘telt,’ we all MAINLY listen to old hard rock records.”

So to step back to 2009-ish and a broken ankle had DeCorby trading in his kick for a guitar and he wound up writing what could be described as “straight down the line” rock songs. Once healed, a few drum tracks made it to tape. Misquitta infers that an earlier incarnation with DeCorby had 20 songs written and sat in the basement on Fraser Street. “One day, a few years later he just pulled out these ADAT tapes and we started listening to them. They all had these amazing riffs and classic structures and I was sold right away,” he explains. Material that recalls Thin Lizzy, MC5 and early KISS. “I told him if he ever wanted to jam these songs, I would be down to play bass,” says Misquitta. At the time DeCorby was working with drummer Stew Johnson (GRASS CITY, BRONZE). “Stew is pretty much the most rock and roll guy in the city, so it made sense. We started jamming and pretty soon we were [the] rocking-est band in all of Little India,” he exclaims. To go from playing provocative punk-metal to music that gets folks dancing and singing can be described as “flattering!”

Hearing a Rock Band Called Time, the Thin Lizzy connection is so clear and incidentally another ensemble that started out as a trio before adding their two-guitar sound. “Everything about them was awesome. They had the best riffs, best drums and the best pronunciation of the word ‘out’ (oh-we-at). They wore women’s blouses but were super tough at the same time. All the vital rock and roll requirements,” says the bassist. RBCT considered adding a fourth member. “We always said that the only other guitar player we would ever add is Davy Blaze from Hoopsnake on account of him being one of the most ‘badassed’ rock and roll bastards we have ever known. He lives in Squamish though, so for the time being all you get is a power trio.” Another local, Pride Tiger, comes to mind immediately. “We actually played our first ever show with Pride Tiger, which ended up being their last ever show. I guess they passed on the Thin Lizzy rip-off torch to us,” he says.

In Vancouver, the name Jesse Gander is synonymous with recording and an obvious choice for this group with their collaborative history and a style that goes “above and beyond.” In 2012 they went to the Hive to record with Gander with plans for a four-song tape. “The songs went down a treat; even being played on 99.3 The Fox's indie show. The song ‘Manitoba’ in particular seems to be somewhat of a hit with the punters,” he says. “A friend of ours, let’s just call him ‘Big Fancy,’ persuaded us to go back into the studio and record enough songs for a full-length LP. His method of persuasion was to pay for it all,” he adds. Before recording they rehearsed with a vigorous work ethic, jamming for months, preparing right down to the last note. This allowed them the freedom to work and record right off the floor. “We find that we get a more honest and real result that way and that is important to us," says the bassist.

The task of an independent release can be a challenge to coordinate and finance. That said, their LP is available at Antisocial Skateboards, Audiopile, Neptoon Records or directly through them and be sure to catch them live so you can experience both the new songs and the old un-recorded ones too! “With the spirit of ROCK on our side.” Be assured, the torch will burn!

Look out for a show in December with Jiffy Marker and Proteens. Don’t be so ANTISOCIAL, come on out!

BURNING GHATS

worship the fore

by Heath Fenton

What is a burning ghat?

One version: A ghat is a stairway down the banks to the holiest bodies of waters used in cremation rituals and the charred remains of the burned would be set adrift into the current. Another version: The Burning Ghats of Vancouver: an extreme noise-filled, irate machine of a local band dedicated to dreadcore. Steeped deep in hardcore with a guitar tone that preys on minor chords that summon storm clouds to roll in fast, topped with lyrics that wail and scrawl with despaired reality, it’s bleakness at best.

Now that we cleared that up, may there be no more misinterpretations of their name. “Everybody seems to have their own versions of what it means,” chuckles bass player Cam Strudwick. “I actually went to the burning ghats in India. It’s insane. The funny thing is that they named the band before I joined.”

Over five years ago Burning Ghat’s guitarist Kevin Grindon’s previous band Batoche fizzled out. It was from these ashes that the Ghats were born. For his next project, Grindon picked his Scab (vocalist Chad Jones from the band Scabs). Then another scab was picked when Strudwick was recruited. More recently, they snagged manic drummer Ryan Driscol from Galgamex to make the current line-up. Like many young bands, Burning Ghats would go through evolutionary phases to get to what they have now.

“When we first started we wanted to be super techy and still have crust punk parts,” Grindon speaks of this process. “Then we moved away from the heavy metal and monster vocals to go back to our roots: hardcore, the one thing that ties us together as a group.” That may be, but there’s more going on in their music than hardcore, like evil undertones and dark tumultuous screamed lyrics.

The Ghats recorded their new record entitled Something Better Than Yourself at the Hive Creative Labs and made it a sort of coming out party for the years put in. “Lyrically this record turned into an attack on the lack of compassion I am forced to see every day. I've seen situations with other people that have affected me and about 75 per cent of what I write about deals with addiction and aversion to pain. Escapism, I guess.”

The Burning Ghats will announce their full arrival on to Vancouver’s extreme music scene with a coming-out-record-release-party on November 22 at the Astoria with Bridge Burner, Keep Tidy and Soot.

WALL OF SOUND - NOVEMBER

Here are some gigs to keep you maniacs smashed and thrashing through the fog and November rain:

Fri. Nov. 1: The Ramores (Ramones Tribute) Teenagers From Mars (Misfits) and Turbobastard (Turbonegro) wendythirteen’s Funky Winkerbeans @ 37 West Hastings St.

SUBCULTURE NOVEMBER

Ha ha ha, Chi Pig was part of a hilarious situation last night at the SNFU show as he came up and hid behind me saying that a rabid female fan was harassing him... So I was standing there protecting him and she spots him poking his head out from behind me... She moseys on over and tries to engage him again while he's telling her to leave him alone and I'm also then telling her to shoo... Then she says, “I'm going to keep bugging you until you remember me Justin!” Chi and I were just gutting ourselves laughing about that all night and for the rest of the gig I addressed Chi by his new nickname 'Juschinn'! Comedy gold! They say everyone in the world has a doppelganger... Oddly enough; Chi Pig has one named Justin somewhere out there...

THE SADIES

wax sonic mileage and landscapes

By More Betty

Photo by Don Pyle

Canada’s favourite touring band The Sadies are dropping a new record! Internal Sounds is a record infused with psychedelics, garage, a country lineage, Detroit RNR undertone and the geography of their native Ontario runs through its veins. The autumn hued gold-orange cover of this 2013 release is actually an image of guitarist Dallas Good’s shattered leg. “An accident [happened] before a show in Saskatoon a couple of years back. So, that was the inspiration for the title. I remember right after, he wanted to call the next record, Internal Sounds referring to the noise his leg made when it popped,” explains sibling, guitarist Travis Good as he chats from his Ontario farmhouse.

The contrast and harmony between the brothers, Dallas and Travis Good, a pairing of guitars and vocals, is consistently paced by the backbone of Sean Dean on upright bass and drummer Mike Belitsky. The original four-piece is still intact. “It’s really rare for a band like us,” he says, “to continue on with the same line-up this long. No members have ever changed, no-one has ever dropped out as we move along.” The accomplished catalogue from Favourite Colours, New Seasons and 2010’s Darker Circles segues seamlessly into Internal Sounds and the narrative and musicality of the recent recording unfolds from the inside out with tracks from “The Very Beginning” to “Leave This World Behind.” Dallas Good produced this album, which afforded the band space to work within their own timeline. “He’s learned a lot of tricks from a lot of people,” says Travis Good of his brother Dallas. “He always had [producer] Gary Louris’ voice ringing in his ear.” These experiences have guided their process. “He always knew what Gary was going to say,” he adds.

Travis Good wrote “So Much Blood,” with an acoustic guitar in mind, something folks could play at a campfire. “All my songs are just weird. Something you can’t play without The Sadies,” he says. “So I consciously made a decision to make it a real simple song.”

The lyrics of the second last song, “Story 19,” are written by Mike Stacks of The Loons along with Dallas. “It became our tribute to Ronnie Splinter, as opposed to a collaboration,” says Travis. It’s a song about the guitarist from ’60s Dutch garage group, The Outsiders, who passed away during the recording of this album.

This band has been blessed with stellar associations. “I just have to pinch myself for our luck,” says bassist Sean Dean. One track, and quite possibly the biggest surprise on the album, includes a guest appearance by Buffy Sainte-Marie.

“It was a sonic experiment that turned into my favourite song on the record,” echoes Travis. They met in Winnipeg, where she joined them onstage for a few songs and Dallas stayed in touch. “We heard that in the old days that standard tuning was a different,” explains Travis, which led to a noise experiment with the tuning. “We had had two, three minutes of this droning psychedelic music. So we sent it to Buffy to see if she would play, maybe her mouth harp,” he says. “She had lyrics for it that [went], way, way, way beyond our expectations and hopes. We just hoped she would contribute anything, strum a guitar and then she gave us that!”

This well-humored four-piece hits the road once more, this time extending their show. “We are going to do two sets,” Travis explains, as he considers the pacing of their live shows, working this time without an opener. A spirit reflective upon the days when a band would play all night, as it was with his father’s group, The Good Brothers. To add, these dates are rumored to bring along a light show of projections. “We don’t take ourselves seriously, but we take our rock ‘n’ roll very seriously,” says Sean Dean. If you haven’t ‘experienced a Sadies event, be prepared and if you don’t normally dance, you probably will here.

Join the Sadies for an evening at the Rickshaw Theatre, Oct 24th.

HAGGATHA

as ugly as they want to be

Remember when music was ugly, despicable and repulsive? Nirvana glamorized it. Eyehategod and Buzzoven disfigured it beyond recognition. Music played with anguish, desperation and hate. No shine, no polish, just greasy notes buried in mud, crust and chaos. Violence thrusting forth, screams of the depraved slaves. Haggatha captures this lost art with pure dissonance and disregard for anyone’s eardrums. Dirgy scowls and a raw slow grinding of the bowls. They are creating Vancouver’s ugliest music as they staple beer goggles to your ears and force you to fall in love with them.

GUITAR WOLF

“Creates, builds, destroys”

Something feral makes it’s way to all points rock ‘n’ roll. Seiji a.k.a. Guitarwolf, Toru a.k.a. Drumwolf and U.G. a.k.a. Basswolf comprise Japan’s Guitar Wolf and are set unleash their inner beast on this side of the Pacific. This ferocious trio touched down in Memphis late September and is set to prowl and stalk across North America equipped with a state of the art 12-inch vinyl titled, Beast Vibrator. A moment of acuity and keen observation spawned this recording. “Everyone was looking at smart phones while walking in the street. One day, surrounded by the telephone junkies, the anger exploded in me. That was the moment the album title track “Beast Vibrator” was born.” Seiji believes there is a solution to the technological malaise of the soul. “Recently, I noticed people saying, ‘I want to be healed,’” says the guitarist. Instead, he sees the real need is a matter of energy, to become “wild beasts” and to transform. “Move your body, shake your body more and more!” he exclaims.

There is a well-documented Japanese fascination with American rock ‘n’ roll; both masters of raw intensity, colliding, yet distinctive. “It’s like a difference between King Kong and Godzilla. I bet the longing for King Kong motivated the creator of Godzilla. “The rockers in Japan admire rock ’n’ roll in America strongly,” says Seiji. He mentions variances between Japanese and American culture, as well as physical characteristics, so Japanese R&R has come through the filter differently. “It’s like trying to be King Kong but turning out to be Godzilla with a long tail. I’m one of those rockers in Japan, clumsy but aiming at one of a kind R&R,” he explains.

Seems appropriate that Guitar Wolf lands in the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. This relationship was established because of a demo tape handed over to a man at the end of a live show. “Six months later, a vinyl record of the tape was delivered to me. The man was Eric of The Oblivians, a founder of The Goner Records in Memphis,” he says. It was a place that accepted the band when no one else was interested. “Sometimes, some interviewers do not know we are from Japan and ask us ‘Where are you from?’ Then, of course, I answer ‘Memphis, Tennessee,’ ” he adds.

“Energy” is a constant with Guitar Wolf’s music; it reads like a science fiction novel. “When I was in high school, I had sleep paralysis, old hag attack … it seemed I was taken away to UFO and they embedded a chip inside my body. I write the songs when I receive the messages or the commands from the star,” he says and explicates further, “It might be a memory of the past of the aliens. The source of my power and energy is UFO and a cool Alien chick I haven’t met yet.”

There is further evidence of this phenomenon on Beast Vibrator with titles like, “EARTH vs. ALIEN.” Stories of time travel with “Mesopotamia Lonely,” a motorbike ride to “Sapphire City,” the power of “Magma Nobunaga,” the prophetic “Gasoline Lullaby,” the motivation of “Ghost You,” and technological love story with “Maria Robot,” to the ferocity of “Female Machine Gun.”

Science Fiction is evident; distortion obliterates and lays waste to the doubt of non-believers of the robust power. “There are two types of human beings in the world: Ones who can play the guitar with clean sound and ones who can’t. I’m the one who can’t,” he says, “I’m the one who wants to destroy the sound. I guess those of us who like noise and distortion want to explode ourselves all the time. That’s right, the rockers who rode on such a sound were always exploding.”

Guitar Wolf live is a transformational experience. A connective ritual and Seiji is the master of ceremonies, harnessing and molding the energy. “Of course! You haven’t looked at the movement of my throat when I gulp down a beer. It’s the Morse code. I’m sending a message to everyone, “Fire up tonight!”

Get set to create, build, destroy and vibrate with Guitar Wolf at the Rickshaw Theatre October 9th.

-More Betty

TERROR

Keeping it real

Los Angeles’ Terror is one of the hardest-working bands that has more than earned its place and keep at the top of the hardcore mountain. Certainly, they’re a tall order alongside legendary contemporaries like Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, Cro-Mags, Madball and H20. Together since 2002, one of the most dedicated and respected, known internationally for the intensely powerful and energetic live shows. The last 11 years has seen this band tour the world, back and forth, relentlessly, and still constantly destroying stages and representing real hardcore to the kids.

SUBCULTURE OCTOBER

I had really hoped that the public outrage over the new labour market opinion [LMO] fees would carry more weight than it has ... Jason Kenney doesn't seem to give a shit at all ... That being said, I'm sure Stephen Harper doesn't care either, even with nearly 137 thousand signatures opposing those changes ... I personally find it outrageous that musicians are lumped in with mine workers from China with multi-billion dollar corporations behind them...

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.”

WINTERSUN, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, ARSIS, STARKILL

The Rickshaw Theater - Sept 21 2013

This energetic night of camaraderie proved to be an international representation of symphonic metal and superb musicianship. Starkill, the Century Media newcomers break the ice to a receptive audience of metal fans.

Headliners, Wintersun, hailing from the land of ice and snow were warmly welcomed with a much-anticipated reception. From Finland: Jari Maenpaa is on lead vocals and guitar, Kai Hahto on drums, Jukka Koskinen on bass and Teemu Mantysaari is on guitar, all demonstrating brilliant arrangements of progressive, melodic, symphonic metal.
Clever compositions keep the audience spellbound by their performance. The passionate, set included “Beyond the Dark Sun”, “Battle Against Time”, “Sleeping Stars”, “Beautiful Death”, “Death And Healing” followed by the grand finale of “Winter Madness.”