"After seeing the Furies at Japanese Hall, Tim Ray and Bill Napier-Hemy set about forming a band in early 1978. They added drummer Brock Smith and bassist Randy Wright. They called the band AV. Colin Griffiths replaced Brock Smith, and in May they opened for the Patti Smith Group at the Commodore Ballroom. In August 1978, Tim, Bill & Colin recorded the four-song 7-inch AVEP, the inaugural release on the Quintessence Records label. Then Bill & Colin left to concentrate on their new band, the Pointed Sticks. By the time the AVEP was released that fall, Tim Ray had formed a new version of AV, with Martin Brown (bass) and Ronnie Cargill (drums).
In April 1981, Ray recorded Seen A Fight with Payola$ bassist Marty Higgs, Ronnie Cargill, and keyboardists Bill Barclay and Peter Helliwell. (Seen A Fight surfaced on the Zulu Records compilation CD Last Call: Vancouver Independent Music 1977-1988.) In June, Ray (whose band now included Alex Varty of AKA, and Danice MacLeod of UJ3RK5) was the opening act for John Cale on the west coast leg of his tour. In the mid-to-late ‘80s, Tim Ray moved to New York and pursued a visual-arts career. He also was an important figure in the underground “Anti-Folk” movement. Today, Tim Ray lives in Vancouver."
Early 80's Vancouver reggae/ska/new wave. I bought this 7" cheap recently to put up on here since I've already posted their 'Red To Black' almost 5 years ago.
Happy Canaduh day. I posted these guys' debut tape almost five years ago so here's their only other release. "The Mechanic" also appeared on the 2021 compilation, "Diggin' Up The 90's".
Bought this Victoria band's 7" because I recognized them off the "ALL YOUR EARS CAN HEAR" comp. A year before it's release they completed a 6 week cross-country tour to Halifax and back, which was impressive at the time for a band that didn't have a record out. In '87 they were supposed to do another Canadian tour with AGNOSTIC FRONT but Stigma and company couldn't get across the border so they decided to try to do it on their own. The band got as far as Regina before bad luck forced them back home where they split up shortly after.
Local hard rock from the early 90's (in case the use of U instead of You in three of the song titles wasn't a dead giveaway). They seem like the kind of band you'd see opening for 54-40 at the Town Pump during that time period.
Found this local band's debut album for under $10 last month. Formed in 1978 though I'm not sure how involved they were in the Vancouver punk/new wave scene as I've never seen them on any flyers from that time period. They also released a couple of singles and a sophomore LP in '83 before finally disbanding in 1987.
Experimental hardcore project with improvised vox featuring members of NEOS and JERK WARD. This disc compiles everything they recorded between 1984 and 1986, most of it previously unreleased.
Soldiers Of Misfortune were one of my favorite local acts in the mid to late 90's. They wrote some great tunes and were always fun to see live. This cassette was their only release, taken from two different recording sessions. Tracks 1-11 were from their second recording done at Profile Studios on November 21st 1995. The rest is from their first demo recorded on a 4-track two months earlier. Personally I think the demo sounds way better than the studio tracks. The bass was too loud and the guitar too quiet on that recording and in my opinion doesn't really do the band justice. (Originally posted 6/22/2012)
UPDATE MAY 8, 2023
I wasn't happy with my original rip, so I re-digitized the tape a bit quieter and was able to turn down the bass a bit with a newer version of Audacity.
This was Fratricide's first demo, recorded in 1986 and originally intended to be on a split 12" with Holland's Neuroot on Pushead's Pusmort Records. For someone unknown reason, it was never released except for a few test pressings, which went for an arm and a leg. A few songs from this session did end up on a couple of Pusmort compilations. I've been wanting to post this record since I first started up this blog, but I didn't because it was still a new release. But now that it's over 3 years old, I'm sure anyone who wanted it has it by now. This was ripped from the red vinyl version that came with an alternate cover.
1. Blind Faith 2. Rip Wide The Sky 3. Blood Red Dream 4. Going Under 5. Grave 6. Final Solution 7. Beaten Senseless DOWNLOAD (2010 reissue) UPDATE 26.04.2023
Here's the original Pusmort mix ripped from the test pressing that bass player Dan Walters brought over for me to digitize for an upcoming discography CD.
When Dan Walters brought over the unheard A.O.T. cassette for me to digitize, he surprised me with an unedited 5 song version of this demo that includes the missing song 'Attitude 77'. But wait, there's more! He also had with him an unreleased APOSTASY 4-track demo recorded in March of '83. This one has a few alternate versions of songs from the first tape, an unheard cut (No Rights) and a shit load of instrumentals (some played more than once so I didn't include them all). What a find! Thanks again DAN!!
Thought I'd start off 2019 with a long lost demo from my hometown of Surrey. I first heard about Apostasy back in the mid 90's when I was taking an animation course with Keith, the band's singer. But it wasn't until a few weeks back that I finally heard their demo thanks to a friend who lent me his dubbed copy from an old mixtape. He also happens to be old friends with the drummer Brad, who filled me in on the song titles. It was tough to find any other info on these guys other than a little write-up from an old fanzine called 'No Cause For Concern', as well a review from the July/August '83 issue from Maximum RnR. Their bass player Eric later played guitar in Fratricide and Strain. A much faster version of 'Army Grave' was later re-corded by Fratricide with new lyrics as 'Grave'.
Mucho gracias to Fernando Herrera for sending me these scans of a 3 page spread on Apostasy from the Spanish zine Penetracion as well as translating their interview back into english!
APOSTASY interview from Penetración nº 4, Feb.84
Re-translation from the Spanish translation
APOSTASY is a Canadian band, from Surrey. What you're about to read is an interview with Eric, bassist, and an explanation of their songs by themselves. They have released a tape that you can get if you write to them using the adress: APOSTASY c/o Trash Trax, 11067 146 A St., Surrey B.C. V3R 3V3, CANADA. They will send it yo you if you send them a blank tape and 1 $. Well, Eric is the one who answered the interview, but what he says is valid for the band's ideology in general, a fighting band wthat would be too much for the Madrid punks (the more moronic punks in the whole world). Anyway, let's listen to them.
Question – When was the band formed? Have there been changes in the line-up? Who are the current members?
APOSTASY – Apostasy was formed in September 1982. Apostasy are: Eric - bass, Keith - vocals, Rod - guitar, and Brik, drummer. The original band had Brad on guitar but he left soon after beginning, and was replaced by Rod.
Q – How come you chose the Apostasy name?
Apos. – We chose the Apostasy name because it had lots of different meanings for each member of the band. We thought a lot about the name and the word Apostasy and some very abstract ideas came to mind. There's no specific meaning for us, because it means so many different things. Originally it was chosen because we were sick of so many different things that were happening to us.
Q – What was the main goal in creating the band?
Apos. – The main goal when we created the band was having fun, because we all enjoyed playing music and expressing some of our views and thoughts to the public.
Q – What do you think about the Vancouver Five?
Apos. – Wow! You've heard about them in Spain! Basically we all sympathize with them and we agree with most of their views. We know what they did to make the world a better place to live in, but there's also the fact that other human lives are left out to dry [pilloried?] because of their actions. Wasn't saving human lives the basic idea of what they tried to do? We also feel that they're not getting a fair trial because of all the revelations from the media. The media here are just looking at the negative side of what they did and they don't take into account the positive pro-life ideas that they were trying to express. Most people here consider them as criminals.
Q –Have you participated in support shows?
Apos. – We have not done anything beyond the verbal support. We've taken part in demonstrations and we've gone to some benefit shows but we haven't played ourselves in the benefit shows for them, because the Defense Comittee didn't call us. If they call us for some benefit for them, we will do it.
Q – What does Punk mean to you? How do you define yourself?
Apos. – Punk has become a very abstract concept and it's hard to define. We see it as an effective way to put our ideas into practice and helping people to think. Punk has increased its intentions a lot and it aims now for much more than it did originally. We don't try to define ourselves as punks but rather as restless human beings. Screw labels! Nobody needs a label, we're the same under our labels, it's time for people to have awareness and get united without thinking of race, colour and so on.
Q – Have you had problems with the authorities because of your lyrics?
Apos. – No, we never had problemas and we hope not to have them in the future. Not being famous, they leave us alone.
Q – What do you think about violence in gigs?
Apos. – Violence has never solved anything anywhere and usually it makes things worse (look at the world today). There's a small difference between violence and self-defense though. This summer I was involved for the first time in a fight during a gig, but violence is quite different from self-defense. I'm completely sure that anybody (even the pacifists) would fight before being seriously injured or killed. Here in Vancouver normally there is no violence in gigs, though, everybody does what they please, there are no fights.
Q – Who are your favourite bands? What about your influences?
Apos. – Each person in the band likes different music styles, but mostly hardcore. Rod likes Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones and old punk bands as well as bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat and Discharge. Brad likes a lot of heavy metal bands and the Dead Kennedys, DOA, Minor Threat, and Discharge. Keith likes political bands from the 60's and Minor Threat and Discharge. My fave bands are Minor Threat, Discharge, Discharge [sic!], Crass, MDC and Crucifix. Our musical influences come from bands such as Discharge, GBH, DOA and Personality Crisis, but in the lyrics the influences come from anywhere, things that happen to us and affect us, so that our lyrics may be as real for most people as they are for ourselves. How many normal punks in the street do really undestand some of the lyrics by Dead Kennedys, Crass or MDC?
Q – What's the situation in Canada about the punk bands and the public?
Apos. – I don't know a public who really likes punk. In Canada there more than a couple of oppression situations and the punks only achieve to have fights with the non-punks and the police. The media have brainwashed the people making them believe that punk is only a violent attitude and not a positve alternative.
Q – What's your view on vivisection, the destruction of nature, the arms race, torture...?
Apos. – We oppose the destruction of anything and we think that all living things hace the right to live. Vivisection is unnecessary cruelty, specially in the case of animals that are used to prove the safety of chemical products for human beings. We can admit experiments with animals only in cases such as dangerous diseases like cancer. The arms race is stupid! It's about time the people in the whole world would unite and show the rulers of the world how do they feel. We need to disarm before it's too late. Nobody should have the power that these nuclear arms have, the arms race is absurd, and it's as well a case of devastating counter-attack on [or: from] the enemy. We'll go ahead and about those individuals [?], but that would take too much room here so we'd better leave it here. [N.T. I'm not sure of having understood this last sentence...]
Q – Something else you'd like to add? Do you know anything about Spain?
Apos. – What we'd really like to say is that it's about time that people from anywhere would start thinking for themselves and don't hide their instinct in order to control their actions. Be an individual! Don't let anybody else try to lead your life, it's your life, so you must do what you want to do. You have a brain, so – use it! Do what you want to, as long as it doesn't harm other people. We'd also like to say that anybody can write to us and we will answer, we will be happy to write to people from all the world with similar views and ideas. We know nothing from Spain, so if any Spanish punk wants to write to us, do it! Thank you.
EXPLANATION OF THE SONGS
PSEUDO PUNKS: It's about people in the punk rock scene that dress up to feel different but don't understand anything of the ideas behind punk, only superficial things such as violence.
IN FOR LIFE: avery abstract song. It's about trying to get involved with something and get caught inside without a way out.
ATTITUDE '77: About punks who are trapped in the past and don't see anything but the superficial aspects ("Destroy" and so on...), the 77 attitude is like the SEX PISTOLS, EXPLOITED attitude, the song is telling the punks to think for themselves.
NO RIGHTS: we wrote this song about a postman who tried to achieve better work conditions for their workmates but lost his job because of that. "If you don't follow the norms, you have no rights". In this system we have no rights, do we?
ARMY GRAVE: Don't join the army. You'll die one way or another, if you don't die in a war, your liveliness will die because of the army's restrictions and immorality.
APOSTASY: It's our motto, it tells a bit about what we're trying to do.
(LYRICS translated into Spanish in the feature: Apostasy, False Promises, Pseudo-Punks.)
I haven't had anything local to post as of late, so I was super stoked when Dan Walters of FRATRICIDE dropped by yesterday with some tapes to digitize. One of them being an unreleased studio recording by my hometown of Surrey's very own ABORTIONS ON TOAST! This is by far their best sounding recording as it was recorded at Vancouver's Ocean Studios. If 'Soldiers Of Doom' sounds familiar, that's because it was later recorded by FRATRICIDE with new lyrics and renamed 'Beaten Senseless'.
Got this Subhumans' promo CD at their return show in 2005 that featured 3/4 of the original lineup together for the first time since 1981 with new drummer John Card (of Personality Crisis,SNFU and D.O.A. fame). This was their first release of new material since "No Wishes No Prayers". I wouldn't exactly call this a demo, these are just unmixed versions of 4 tunes that would appear on their 2006 album "New Dark Age Parade".
