AND ANOTHER ONE

 It just keeps on happening ! Another great weekend of punk rock was to be had, and I feel sorry for you if you missed any of it.

The Phoenix hosted a mostly Oi show on Friday night, with No Heart's first one in over three years . IQ78, Line Traps ( who aren't even really together) , and Bug opened up. It was a decent turnout all things considered, especially with the monster rock concert the following night with the almighty DOA. All the bands were awesome . It was only my second time seeing Bug. We will be playing with them on March 4th at The Phoenix. Look for it. Spread the love.

 

The following night had Skull and Knife Manual starting things out before DOA took the stage. Holy fuck what a blazing hot musical extravaganza ! I believe it was Skull's second gig, and they blasted through their no nonsense hardcore set. Next up were Knife Manual, who are always a delight to see and hear. They have yet to disappoint me , and their trademark 20 minute sets will always leave you wanting more. DOA were on their fucking game last night ! They were inspired and inspirational in return . The energy did not let up for one fucking second. Absolutely wonderful. Everyone should be grateful to Esther of Rockland PunkHouse for bringing us yet another fabulous event. Thank you to her , and to all of the lovely people who were in attendance.

RENAISSANCE

 It would appear that Victoria is having an upsurge in talent with local bands arriving on the scene and rocking the fuck out of this town.

The Chain being one of he most notable , being 15 years old and killing it every time they play. Crowds seem to love their brand of driving mid-tempo punk rock , and the kids can play.

I fucking love Hung Up . Their energy and enthusiasm combined with their punk/hardcore/skate sound is a fucking winner. See them.

IQ78 have a unique Oi!/Leatherface sound that is melodic and tough sounding. Don't be afraid of the Oi! label. They are far from sketchy.

Bug sound almost like a melodic punk rock band with rough punk vocals, and it works. We'll be playing with them on March the 4th at The Phoenix . Come early and see them play. You will not be sorry.

Neurospazm have Lettuce and Trez at the helm, and they fucking killed it when they opened for The Black Halos at Lucky. Mid-tempo no frills punk , just how you like it, or you should, anyway. It was their first show , so they will only get better , despite the fact that they're already awesome.

Skull will be opening for DOA on the 28th. Non-stop energy and anger , sounding like UK'82 style of hardcore. Excellent , and this city needed something like this. I'll see you at the show.

GREAT FUCKING WEEKEND

 Some folks might know that we played a show put on by Hung of Hung Up on Friday night at The Phoenix on Quadra St., and it was awesome. Good people, good music , and good people in attendance. Fuck yes.

The Hex opened up with their brand of psych/garage rock, and were well received by everyone there. Hung Up destroyed the stage with their hard driving punk/hardcore . It's great to see Roy of AWT back in the game, and killing it as the Hung Up frontman . Their energy was intense , fuelled in large part by drummer Elena, who also plays for Zero Coping Skills. Look for a recording by them soon(ish).

We played last and had a terrific time . It's always nice to be appreciated , and we appreciate everyone also. It's time we got our asses in  gear and recorded also. It's unclear as of yet whether we'll be releasing another CD, cassette, or vinyl. CD is easiest, but does anyone want them ? I mean, I still buy CDs, but I've always bought all the formats. I don't care, I just want a physical album in my hands in any form. We'll see.

The following night I went to see new Victoria band Neurospazm open up for The Keg Killers and The Black Halos. It was another Rockland Punk House ( Esther) production, and the turnout was magnificent !

I had to see Neurospazm since Lettuce crawled back from the dead to grace the stage with his presence once again, and I thought The Keg Killers were done, but the crowd went nuts for them too. But I digress.

Neurospazm started the night with their hard driving mostly mid-tempo bass heavy sound, and it was fucking wonderful ! It was worth the money right there . I am excited to hear what they'll come up with in the studio . Go see them when they play next.

The people went crazy for The Keg Killers, with their brand of non-"woke" punk rock and attitude, none of which is faked. It was great to see them in action. It had been too long, and it was a great time.

I don't usually say too much negative on this site about bands, but The Black Halos were bargain basement Motley Crue hacks. Not into it at all. Any band who look like they're trying too hard to present an image loses me. I left after a few songs. Obviously I was in the minority that night, and that's fine. The locals dominated , and that's the truth.

All photos by John Carlow, that wonderful man.

  

AND ANOTHER ONE

 This will be our first show of 2023 , so come out to The Phoenix, it'll be a good one. The Hex and Hung Up are playing also , which means there's something for everyone !

Whether 20 or 100 people show up, it doesn't matter. We're gonna tear the roof offa that sucka.

WESTERN DUPE AND PUPPET

 At this point , there has to be zero doubt that Zelensky is a western dupe and puppet, grovelling at the feet of his masters. Despite that, does it follow that the russian army should just be allowed to march in and rape and kill everyone while simultaneously destroying the country ? Fuck no ! He will undoubtedly sell out his country to the amerikkkan imperialists , but that's his problem. Russia is not the saviour to this issue. They are behaving like the asshole yanks. Fuck them and the amerikkkans.

Victory to Ukraine.

The russians will lose.

METHOD MAN

 Playing for over 30 years and still hitting as hard as ever, this song is new to me. Method Man is still relevant, and Immortal Technique's part in this song is fucking hardcore.

Please listen to this.

If you don't like it, it's your loss.

Good night.

RESOLUTIONS AND OTHER SHIT

 Here we are in 2023 . Some will make nonsensical resolutions that they won't keep, others will do the best they can no matter what the occasion is. If you're on a quest for self-improvement, it's always a good time to start , or to continue for that matter. I know I've a got a fuckload of work to do, but so do all of us. Honestly, I never thought I'd live this far into the 2000s.

We've got a show coming up on the 13th with The awesome band Hung Up, and also The Hex. It will be a varied show and no matter what, it will be fun. I hope to see you all there.

Towards the end of 2022, I was saddened to hear of the passing of soccer legend Pele  , who was one of the most skilled athletes of all time. I don't give a fuck about how you feel about the sport, he was truly incredible, and when I was a kid he was simply a living legend. He set a standard that will never be repeated. I'm not talking only about stats, but his style and effect on the game itself.

Putting all of that aside, I hope everyone does well in the new year, and we continue to enjoy each other's company and loud and obnoxious music .

See ya soon.