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By Steve Musil - CJLO Presents - 07/09/2009

Right now the popular music scene has seen a revival of country and folk acts. Oddly enough, a few older punk rockers are making some interesting strives with the likes of Drag the River, Tim Barry, Saw Wheel, Wayne the Train Hancock & Hank Williams III leading the way. Ask anyone of them who have influenced their music, and I’ll bet dollars to donuts, they’ll say Steve Earle. One of the greatest living songwriters on the planet, Steve Earle was in town on July 9th to bring not only his brand of rebellious folk country, but the music of his friend and mentor, Townes Van Zandt.

      It was a seated affair, which at first seemed odd, but as he took the stage armed with a nothing but an acoustic guitar and a shining spotlight, it seemed only fitting that we sit back and take in the knowledge he was about to bestow upon us.

     During the course of the evening, Earle explained how he met Van Zandt in 1972, and how shy he was to even speak to him. He recounted the story of how Van Vandt “took up the whole first row” at one of his shows and heckled Earle to play "Wabash Cannonball". Earle confessed he didn’t know it, but decided to shut him up by playing the Van Vandt song "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold".

Those in attendance were lucky to hear songs that did not make it onto his newest album Townes. Steve had picked 28 songs the night before recording for his 2-disc set, but was only able to record 15 songs for the finished product. You could hear it in his voice through the stories he would tell, that Earle felt Townes Van Zandt deserved much more recognition than he got, and that he was grateful to be playing his friend’s songs to a new audience every night. As Earle said, “Van Zandt was a blues singer”, but not in the traditional way of blues where you state the problem, repeat the problem, and come up with no real solution. Van Zandt said there were two kinds of music. “The blues and zippity doo-dah, and this ain’t no zippity doodah”.

      Of course Earle also ran through his classics, tracks taken from 1986's Guitar Town, 1990's Copperhead Road,  1995's Train A Comin as well as many other of his releases.

The almost 2 hour set saw the crowd singing enthusiastically along to “Devil’s Right Hand” and “I Ain’t Never Satisfied”. Little can be said about this show other than inspiring.

      So, please do yourself a favor and check out Townes, along with Steve’s other classics from his extended discography. Also feel free to dig even deeper into the Van Zandt catalog, you won’t regret it. Earle was spot on in every way that night, and hey... He even said our food was better here in Quebec than in Ontario. The man knows what he’s talking about.

By Brian Hastie - Drive Home: Countdown To Armageddon - 06/15/2009

News that the latest Montreal appearance from CKY had been upgraded from Les Saints to Le National was good news to my ears. The band's brand of octave-pedal-abusing guitar heroics seemed at odds with the too-cool-for-school vibe that Saints often gives off, due to the venue's usual musical guests. Le National felt like a more appropriate venue to witness a band whose devoted fanbase are the very definition of hardcore and who would be sure to bring the venue to life via various mosh and dance moves, as they had in 2005 when they came to town touring behind An Answer Can Be Found. As I entered the venue right before any of the bands took the stage, I noted the fact that the venue was already 3/4ths full, which was a good sign of things to come.

Fall From Grace performed a set peppered with by-the-numbers alternative rock that would probably do well on the radio if signed by a major, nestled in-between Nickelback and Buckcherry. The crowd seemed indifferent as the band lacked the balls-to-the-wall mentality that the rest of the bands on the bill had, showing musical restraint where a straight-up hard-rocking approach would've been better suited.

Hail The Villain, on the other hand, managed to kick things into gear; picking up the slack and playing a set of fast-paced, up-tempo numbers with huge choruses and breakneck-speed solos. The crowd seemed more into the band as they joined in on the various audience participation bits singer Bryan Crouch initiated.

Early Man performed their role of direct support admirably, playing fast and loose rock-and-roll mixed in with bits reminiscent of the Bay Area thrash scene circa 1983. Vocalist/guitarist Mike Conte's warbling voice definitely had people comparing him to a young Ozzy Osbourne, slightly nasal and high-pitched, his phrasing and cadence similar to the Ozzman's. The crowd, obviously enthused by the fact that the headliners were soon to take the stage, cheered gleefully at every opportunity given. Thankfully the band did not overstay their welcome and managed to play a hearty 30 minute set that sufficiently warmed the crowd up for CKY.
    
Kicking things off with single "Escape From Hellview", the band stuck to familiar territory, building a large portion of their set from songs off of 2002's Infiltrate/Destroy Rebuild. They managed to play 7/10ths of the record throughout the band's 15-song set, bookending it with I/D/R stand-out "Sporatic Movement".

That point brings me to the biggest gripe of the evening: CKY's rather odd setlist choices. Their decision to spend half of their show playing tracks from a 7 year-old album (as well as none from its equally well-received successor) is one that left many fans surprised. Sure, CKY's known as a group of ragtag individuals that rarely play by the conventional rules, but giving the crowd 4 songs (that have been played to death on prior tours) from their debut Volume 1 ("Rio Bravo", "Disengage The Simulator", "Promiscuous Daughter" and "96 Quite Bitter Things") and 2 ("Hellions On Parade" and "Imaginary Threats") from their newest album is an odd choice. Carver City rivals any of the band's prior output and a chance to see how the more experimental approach that Chad Ginsberg and company took on the record translated into a live setting would've been great to see. The complete omission of An Answer Can Be Found is also a mystery, one the band did not even bring up.

A large portion of the audience did not care, naturally, as they enjoyed the band’s entire catalogue equally, but having seen the band perform these songs before felt like a bit of a missed opportunity to showcase new material. Don't get me wrong, it was a great evening filled with many fine moments, marred only by that one tiny gripe I listed above.

The band themselves were in fine form, engaging in their usual in-between song banter and baiting the audience with potential song choices before launching into other ones. The band's ability to rock harder live than on record is uncontested and they kept things fluid, only stopping to quickly change guitars before launching into another song. CKY managed to once again put on a great rock show that was appreciated by all, but the evening also managed to display a band that was perhaps too scared to venture into new, uncharged territory.

Tune into Countdown to Armageddon with Brian every Thursday from 4PM - 6PM

By Josh Mocle - The Kids are So-So - 06/22/2009

Now let me just start this review by saying I was slightly worried while going in to the latest Montreal appearance from Manitoba’s Propagandhi (and that worry had nothing to do with the overzealous bouncer at Club Soda taking the batteries out of my portable recorder for fear that I would bootleg the show…although I was then half inclined to go buy new batteries and bootleg it on principle…but that’s neither here nor there.) Rather, in the months leading up to the show I experienced the following interaction more times than I can count with dudes who were wearing polo shirts: “you like punk rock?! Dude have you heard the new Propagandhi (pronounced “propaGANDI” as most French Canadians are wont to do) record?!?!” Now, don’t get me wrong: I love Propagandhi…I love what they stand for, I love the way they go about getting their message across (living entirely within the harder void of melodic-hardcore) and I cannot deny the impact they have had on the North American punk and hardcore scene throughout the course of their over 20 year history (specifically in Canada.)

However, (again, specifically in Canada) they are in every sense of the term “that band.” The band that every poseur who likes to fancy themselves a rebel gravitates to because, if I had to guess, they are loud and swear a lot (this is what Rage Against the Machine was in the 90s and Anti-Flag is in the U.S. now.) Therefore, I was expecting the usual Montreal almost-but-kinda mainstream punk show audience: guys in polo shirts who understand zero English, swilling Heineken with their buddies and frequently forgetting they aren’t at a hockey game and their loud and equally francophone girlfriends. Generally, shows like this make me want to commit poseur genocide. Were it not for CJLOs own Brian Hastie and his manservant Alexander keeping me distracted and the promise of what was sure to be an excellent opening set from Richmond, Virginia’s Strike Anywhere, I very well might have.

Speaking of distractions, while checking out the mass amount of activist propaganda the band brought on tour with them, I heard a charging drum beat coming from the main room and remembered there were actually TWO openers on the bill. After making our way inside to gawk at Montreal’s own Humanifesto, we found ourselves back outside in search of pizza five minutes later. Overly nasal and lyrically contrived, I’m fairly certain the only reason these mooks were allowed to open the show was because of their name. Thumbs down.

Following some delicious pizza from our friends at “that-place-across-the-street-from-foufs” we made our way back inside for the band I was unquestionably the most excited to see: Strike Anywhere. Having been a fan of their politically charged street punk stylings for many years but not having seen them for over a year, I was jonesing for some sweet sweet almost southern-fried punk rock. In this regard, I was not disappointed: their slightly more than 30 minute set hit all the right marks with tracks from all three of their full lengths and their upcoming record out this October and all the requisite intensity and sincerity one would expect from one of the most earnest bands out there today. My problem was the fact that while the room was more than packed, only about ten or fifteen people (including Hastie and myself) really seemed to be into it, which only hammered home the disconnect between the material being put forward by the bands and the audience that had rolled up because they like it when people swear. Simply put: if you like Propagandhi for the right reasons (well crafted hardcore with a message sharp enough to cut through concrete) then you should like Strike Anywhere and if you don’t you are wrong.

Which I guess brings us to Propagandhi themselves. After a relatively earnest presentation by volunteers from the Rainforest Action Network (good kids…I felt for them slightly given that NO ONE gave a shit about what they had to say), the band took to the stage and the room exploded as a lot of now very drunk French Canadians finally got to punch something. I know the band opened with the title track of their latest release, Supporting Caste but I can honestly say I tuned out after that. While it’s probably the number one crime all music snobs commit, I finally let my disgust with the audience take over.  Even though I should be used to it by now, it still boggles my mind how so many people can be so absent minded. Here are some of the smartest, well versed punks the nation of Canada has to offer and I’d say only about 6% of those in attendance knew and appreciated what they had to say. Of the other 94%, I’d say give or take 50% didn’t understand the lyrics AT ALL (thanks language laws), and the other 50 just didn’t care and were there because the band was loud and swore a lot. I’ve often called the band the Canadian Anti-Flag and I’m gonna stick to my guns on that one. However, the comparison stems not from anything the band does themselves, but how people react to them. Now, the jury is still out on how I feel about the whole “throw political jargon at a bunch of blockheads and eventually one or two will get it” line of logic, but I will say that I see little point in laying this good shit out for a bunch of drunken assholes who will wake up the next morning and make zero changes to their lifestyle.

Or maybe I’m just an overly sentimental pseudo-activist with an axe to grind. Either way I just got you to read 960 words chock full of slanted ideas and musical elitism…I somehow think Chris Hannah would be proud.

Tune into the last episode of The Kids Are So-So with Josh this Thursday at 6PM. If you miss it, check out the ongoing saga that is the No Division Podcast over at NationalUnderground.org

By Simon Howell - The Lonesome Strangers - 06/26/2009

Of all the musical pairings I've seen on Montreal stages these past few years, not many have been as inspired as this one: a collision of two of Canada's most enduring punk bands, both of whom have a penchant for twisted humor and social commentary - and surprisingly labyrinthine tunes. With the unenviable task of opening up for two long-standing punk institutions, locals Grand Trine did the sensible thing: they kept it short. They couldn't have been on longer than 15 minutes, and that was about the right timeframe in which to best showcase their brand of indistinct-but-fun scuzzy punk.

Rick Trembles and his self-proclaimed "idiot cards" heralded the Devices' surprisingly meaty opening set, complete with the self-denigrating witticisms you'd expect ("I'm numb in more ways than two!") as he and Rob LaBelle went back and forth assuming vocal duties. The Devices have an appealingly slippery sound, less reliant on blitzkrieg distortion than on unpredictable songwriting and twin-guitar dynamics. I'll admit to being more partial to Trembles material, but LaBelle's songs were solid. I find it a little odd that the 'Devices seem to be utter unknowns outside of the province, and aren't terribly high-profile even here, considering their long history and Trembles' local profile as the Motion Picture Purgatory guy. If you've got any interest in Montreal's punk scene and you haven't checked them out yet, there's something wrong with you.

Of course, the main event was  NoMeansNo themselves. I'll confess that the moment Rob and John Wright and Tom Holliston came onstage, all I could think was, "damn, they're old." (Jonathan Cummins notes in his weekly column that they appeared like elder statesman even in the mid-80s). Sure enough, John sat down at his kit, set up on stage right, and bellowed, "we're...oooold," before launching into a massive, lurching new tune called, you guessed it, "Old", which was reminiscent of Wrong's epic closing track "I Am Wrong", all bass hooks and slow crunch. It wasn't the only new material to be played (we also got a memorable airing of a catchy new tune entitled "Liberation"), but it was the tone-setter, establishing their dark sense of humor and devotion to cranking out challenging, bracing material. Most corners of their discography were covered, from their mid-80s origins all the way to 2006's heavily represented All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt. Highlights included an incredible rendition of "Everyday I Start to Ooze," which had the pit swerving and skanking with great fury, the hardcore blast of "Oh No! Bruno!" (expertly placed immediately following the noisy crawl of "Old" for maximum impact), a solid rendition of "Humans" (which kicks off my favorite NMN release, The Worldhood of the World, which was otherwise absent) and a predictably awesome version of an old staple, the hard funk workout of "Rags and Bones".

It wasn't exactly an ideal setlist in my book - a little too much reliance on early, abstract material as well as a few too many of Ausfahrt's lesser tunes (never been a huge fan of "Heaven is the Dust..."), but with a back catalog so vast it's difficult to complain. Regardless, these old-timers wiped the floor with whatever young upstarts you spent your money on instead.

Tune into Sound on Sight with Simon every Monday from 9PM – 11PM