In this Issue:
i h d n a g a Prop rview Inte
Page 2
Upcoming Shows
Page 3 ge 4
Pa Album Reviews Nostalgia
‘ G a n d hi! t a e r G
After the announcement of Propagandhi’s long awaited follow up to ‘Supporting Caste’, we thought we’d get vocalist/guitarist Chris Hannah to comment on their new label, and what you can expect from the album. Firstly – how are you today? Oh, I’m great. thanks for asking. How about yourself? [Great - thanks; Tom]
The title track implies it’s a natural progression from ‘Supporting Caste’ but a little bit heavier – is this fair to say of the record in general? Maybe. “heavy” is such a subjective experience. Sonically, “supporting cast(e)” is definitely a “brighter”, more “modern”-sounding record than “Failed States”. this time around, we wanted a record that sounded more like we do live in the jam space than an idealized version of the band. If anything, “Failed States” is a little more surprising of a record — at least it was for me — than “Supporting Caste”.
‘Failed States’ drops in just over a month – how did the partnership for the new record with Epitaph come about? Well, as was the case for the last record we made, we wanted an independent label who could do as good a job at letting the world know about the record — the record we worked so hard on — as Fat Wreck Chords did in the past for us. Smallman (RIP) What were the key differences between did a great job for us on a smaller the recording of ‘Supporting Caste’ and scale, but also with less structural ‘Failed States’? independence — Smallman had “Failed States” was the first record we’ve ever a corporate production and made here in Winnipeg, so that was a really distribution deal in Canada whereas different feeling for us. Usually we’re sleeping Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords are/ in a studio in some other city, completely were truly independent entities. I immersed in and overwhelmed by the understand that people perceive a recording experience, watching the clock like disconnect between our band and it’s a gun to our head. There’s was a little more some of the younger bands with room to breathe during the sessions for “Failed swoopy hair on Epitaph, but that has very little to do with States”, which meant more time to consider us. really, it came down to consumer reports from bands things. It also meant I wouldn’t miss any games that we felt we had something in common with: I talked for my local hockey team, Caress of Steel! to John from The Weakerthans, Kurt from Converge and Ben from Heartsounds (I should add that Matt from Shai How nerdy did you get over gear this time around? hulud was the first person to strongly suggest Epitaph as Were there any “I wish I’d been playing this / using this an option) and they all had nothing but positive things years ago” moments? to say about their experiences with Epitaph. In Not too nerdy. I mean, I used one of these Fractal d, Axe-Fx preamps at the last second — through a n u ro my experience, it is unusual for a record label to a e m ti This sustain that much positive feedback from the artists “ amp and without actually understanding record tube that they work with. I mean, we talked about going we wanted a how it works, but otherwise it was fairly low-key. a very “downsized” route and/ or crowd-sourcing unded more Beave just uses an old single channel tube head so t a th a completely independent recording and letting Kowalski doesn’t even know what he uses e in the and the band become essentially a hobby, but I don’t like we do liv (haha) so we’re not exactly on the cutting edge n an of technology. think we were ready to roll the dice and each take jam space tha on more work at this very convoluted point in the n of band’s life and our personal lives. It’s very possible, if idealized versio Lyrically, are there any particular themes not probable, that we could have made more money .” d n a or events that you set out to address on the b e th through crowd-sourcing “Failed States”, but getting record, or was it largely a case of calling it as a bunch of money and being responsible with your you see it? music or your art are two very different things. Their Hannah s ri h There is no planning of lyrical content in any C was quite a “dynamic road” leading to this album… strict sense. Of course, both Todd and I — alot of challenges the band was facing. I really don’t the lyric writers — can get wrapped up in think we would have done the songs justice if we didn’t exploring specific themes if something really gnaws at enlist some serious, competent help from an experienced us, but even then, I don’t think there’ any real sense of independent record label. The fact of the matter is that, despite how things unravelled with both labels, Fat Wreck where they are going to go. I think each one really is a bit Chords and Smallman Records set the bar high for us in of a journey for us. terms of treating our music with a modicum of respect and we weren’t ready to just roll the dice on how “Failed States” was going to be treated. Story continued on Page 3
Great ‘Ghandi Continued....... Are you planning a trip back over to Europe to support the album’s release? (feel free to bring Comeback Kid along when/if you do) Would love to! Hopefully some time in 2013. Would love to travel with our homies in CBK. Good fellas. We’re heading out to the eastern states with them soon. Gonna be fun scoping out the local vegan spots with Jeremy from CBK. As a band that’s been around long enough to see the internet grow from nothing to become the ubiquitous “problem” in the music industry, where do you see things going in the next five years & what do you think of streaming services like Spotify? Don’t know too much about it to be honest, though theoretically a subscription based model could be interesting. I really like the idea of community/ crowdsourced art, music and literature. Either way, I don’t mind at all that the old model of selling recorded music — and the widespread sense of entitlement among labels and bands that came with it — is on it’s way out.
despite it’s mass-appeal. I definitely prefer the constraints of twitter to the conceits of facebook. Do you think social networking has been a benefit or a detriment to humanity in the last few years? You seems to be enjoying twitter… There’s pros and cons obviously. Most hardcore political activists and organizers I know are on some form of digital social networking, so it has some utility despite it’s mass-appeal. iI definitely prefer the constraints of twitter to the conceits of facebook.
Chris Hannah Vocalist/Guitarist for Propagandhi (above)
Do you think social networking has been a benefit or a detriment to humanity in the last few years? You seems to be enjoying twitter… There’s pros and cons obviously. Most hardcore political activists and organizers I know are on some form of digital social networking, so it has some utility
Upcoming Comeback Kid
Are there any bands that you’ve come across recently that are doing good things that people should know about? There are so many people doing interesting things with music and words I’m almost paralyzed by it all. If we can limit the scope to records sitting literally in front of me at this very moment, I just received a 10” in the mail the other day from a band called “War On Women” from Baltimore. Very rowdy and unapologetic feminist hardcore punk. Propagandhi release ‘Failed States’ through Epitaph Records in September. If you’d like to preorder the record, head to King’s Road Merch EU or Banquet Records.
Shows
Thursday, May 23, 2013 West End Cultural Centre
Expire/Isolation/ Sunday, June 2, 2013 Diefenbaker/ Usurper
The Frame Art Gallery
Silverstein
The Pyramid Cabaret
Saturday, June 8, 2013
at the Winnipeg’s own Comeback Kid will be West End Cultural Centre in May.
The Flatliners/ Tuesday, July 2, 2013 A Wilhelm Scream
West End Cultural Centre
Arsonfest 2013
The Windsor Hotel
Friday, August 9, 2013
Punk/Screamo band, Silverstein will be rocking the pyramid in June.
Nostalgia Album Reviews The Resistance The Clash
London Calling Released: 1979
This is the album that many call not only one of the greatest punk albums of all time, but also, one of the greatest rock albums. When released, many in the scene thought it wasn’t “punk enough” in terms of the sound. This album in a ways isn’t all hard guitars, and really loud, but it’s the lyrics and how the songs are delivered that make this one of the genres defining documents. This album stretched punk in way that was unimaginable at the time by incorporating a multitude of genres. From jazz, ska, rockabilly, reggae, to classical, and of course punk. The great thing was that that this band didn’t change their views and ideaologies, but pushed their limits and managed to keep true to what truly makes The Clash. This album is a testament that punk is more than just a fad, but a truly artistic form of music that is here to stay. The album keeps the listener engaged, because of the changing mood from each track, with the most sincere lyrics to go with the music. This is the most diverse punk record, and one of the most diverse albums in rock and probably in all music.
Revenge On The Riverside
Rancid
...And Out Come The Wolves
Released: 1995 From The Clash, to a band that is inspired by them. Here is Rancid’s album ...And Out Come The Wolves. The landmark 1995 record that at once invoked and transcended the punk rock genre, cementing Rancid’s place forever as one of the great rock bands of all time. ...And Out Come the Wolves combines Dylanesque portrayals of downand-out streetlife and personal experience with tunefully concise, dynamic songwriting to create an enduring body of work that grows better with each listen and every passing year. Styles range from the recklessly belligerent punk rock rampage of “Maxwell Murder” (featuring a mind-numbing Matt Freeman bass solo), to the masterful pop craftsmanship of “Ruby Soho” and the fully realized punk/ska hybrid of “Time Bomb”. This is what many consider the bands finest piece of work. As someone who grew up listening to 90’s punk. This is one of the greatest albums of the decade. With each passing year, it will probably be considered one of the all time great albums.
Released: 2005 This one is for the people that are or were into the local scene. This one comes from The Resistance, a quartet from Selkirk Manitoba. This album seems like a hybrid of AFI and The Distillers had a kid and came out with guns blazing, and destroying everything in it’s path. There are a couple of quirks with this album is that a couple of the songs seem similar until you hear the chorus. Another quirk is that there is some filler in this album. The filler on this album is enjoyable, but filler none the less. The things that are great about this album is the goth/metal inspired lyrics. One might think the lyrics might not make sense on some songs, but they are very subjective, letting the listener interpret what the lyrics are while giving some imagery in the mind of what the song is about. Not too often you get that in this kind of music. Another reason, this album is good is because of how the songs are composed into a layered soundscape. The composition is very mature on a first album. Unfortunately, this ended up being their only album. If you are a casual listener, hardcore fan, or even a fan of local music; it’s a good album with a couple of quirks but is very enjoyable. If you can find this album, I suggest buying it.