Meet the Mrs.

May of 2006. That's when we met. You know, it's almost always one of the first questions I ask a couple when I meet them. When did you meet? Where did you meet? I love hearing the stories. Sounds sappy romantic I know, but I sincerely enjoy hearing the history and the variety of background tales. My first impression of this woman who would later become my wife was that she was a cold and stuck up bat. Romantic hey? I went to introduce myself and she barely looked at me and didn't even want to shake my hand. A fabulous start. As the night progressed at this farewell shindig we attended through mutual invitation by friends on both sides, we were eventually re-introduced at the end of the night by a friend who knew both of us and began talking music. We found that we gelled really well, exchanged numbers and well folks.. the rest is history. 

Since I had taken a break recently from interviews and album reviews, I thought I would take the opportunity to write something totally different, and something a little more personal. That being said, I'm back in the saddle and reviews and interviews are coming. Anyways..

Meet Lorraine. This is my gal. My friend. She's seen me at my worst, and hopefully not yet my best. She's been my rock, and my thorn, my reason to be better. It is my pleasure to introduce her to anyone reading this. 

It is an honor to call this woman my wife. Its something that I do not entirely understand all the time. When we were first together, couples around me that had been together for years, would tell me that the love you start to feel for one another changes and becomes stronger overtime. I never got it until recently.

Not long ago we were talking over a glass of wine after the kids went to bed. As she was talking I found myself staring at her thinking:  If I were ever to screw this up, I would be the stupidest man on the face of this earth. It was an interesting revelation where I realized that our relationship had taken a different shape for me in that on some level, if she weren't in my life, I would be missing a part of myself. I would be fundamentally damaged. And no, I'm not a naive hopeless romantic. It's just how I feel, and the experiences that we have shared together have shaped our relationship to this level. 

As a mother, I could not ask for more. I will level with you, that when it comes to organizing things for my children's daily affairs, I am the worst. Parent fail 101 poster child one hundred percent. I sent Oreo cookies one day in my sons lunch, who attends a school that propagates healthy eating and nourishment. Absolute fail. My wife on the other hand, thinks ahead, packs a healthy lunch, dresses them well, hair is combed. Not my strong-suit, but Lorraine makes it look effortless. That's just one example among many that I can go on, but the point that I will share with you is that she makes the parenting thing a lot smoother than I am sure it could be.

We keep things relatively simple in our life, and I am of the belief that if you don't like the way some things are going, then say something. We are honest with each other even when it sucks, and we make sure to always be vocal about how we are feeling regards the direction our lives may be headed.

Bottom line guys, this is my girl. She's Rad. Thanks for reading.

-Jay Caption

Eternal Husbands. A Q and A with Jay's Topics

Eternal Husbands bring their own brand of rock to the table with this latest release French Exit. You can visit their website here. I recently did an interview with Matt from the band, you can check that out below. Be sure to give these guys a listen!

Jay: thanks for taking the time to answer some of my questions guys! First off, congrats on the new album French Exit. Now, about the name: is there hidden meaning to it? Why did you decide to go with this title?

Matt: According to public myth, a 'French Exit' is when someone leaves a party unannounced.  There is a slight reference to Rick's rapid departure from Montreal September 2013 after our first tour.  It sounds a bit better than 'Ghosting' though, no?

Jay: I've read that Eternal Husbands sound is described as fog pop. Can you comment on what that means? Is this a fair description of your sound? Personally I feel like maybe there is a bit of a 70s rock influence. Not to pigeon hole anybody of course!

 Matt: There are new musical descriptive terms popping up every single day so we thought we would have some fun with it and coin one for ourselves.  It was either that or twangaze.  It's much easier than saying "Diverse, experimental, pop music" and is clearly the reason neither of us are music journalists.   

Jay: You've had a few tour dates in support of this release between Alberta and BC. Do you find a difference in terms of the support for the music scene between the provinces? Where would you rather play?

Matt: We have played in Vancouver 30+ times in various bands and it has always been incredible.  It's a tight nit music community, with everything out-flowing from our friend/producer Jesse Gander.  All jokes aside, scene's are scenes.  Edmonton is a massive sprawling city but the people in the city really come out to support one another.  Half play in each other's bands, make videos for each other, record with each other, etc.  Then again, I'm sure if I spent enough time in Vancouver, I might say the exact same thing.  It's the same everywhere, people help each other out.  Some cities have more venues, some have more DIY spots, some have more house shows, but people are people are generally like to help each other out.

Jay: Any plans for a cross Canada tour? Surely you can't leave the east hanging!

Matt: We will be touring Ontario/Quebec/Maritimes and potentially NYC in October.  We need to debut our song 'Halifax' from the record in the city itself.  Maybe Joel Plaskett can come play guitar on it, the fellows from Kestrels doing some noise on the outro of it, and the Scoop Outs on harmonies.  All in a dream world I suppose...

Jay: Lets talk about the music industry for just a moment. There are so many musicians scrambling to be heard everyday popping up on SoundCloud, Bandcamp and the like. For touring musicians such as yourselves, do you find that the accessibility to music both professional and DIY over the Internet is a disservice or an advantage to bands who work hard and tour in support of their art?

Matt: I noticed that as more people had Macbooks, Garageband or any other free program, a lot more bands started popping up.  I don't know if everyone is recording at home, or what they are doing, but the fact that people are creating a ton of music is sweet.

An issue though is that more bands -or "artists"- can mean more people doing shows which can clog up a touring circuit.  For example, if we tour and always play the same bar in Winnipeg, have a great relationship with the promoter, and there is a newer band that is ultra tech savvy and can get the word out to 100x more people than we can, the promoter may choose to do a show with them.  Even though he/she may like your music better and want to help you out with the show, depending on how the venue is doing, they may choose the latter.  At the end of the day, it forces everyone to work harder to get people out to the shows but at the same time it makes you just another blip.  Maybe it is weeding out the lazy ones who don't want to tour but at the same time it is making it more difficult for those that tour all the time.

The internet gives you a platform to spread your music worldwide instantly, but at the same moment it opens the door for you, you look around and see one million others let into the same field as you.  It's there, we work with it, it isn't going anywhere any time soon so might as well use it. The important thing to remember I suppose is that the numbers and stats mean nothing.  There will be a time when facebook is not the most important thing in the world and likes don't mean anything.  That being said, I still log in every day or so...

Onto the next question!

Jay: Time for a controversial question. Which is better Alberta or BC? And...GO!

Matt: BC is leagues ahead of Alberta environmentally, but their handling of the Mt Polley disaster with the government and their mining interests is sad.  Alberta did itself a huge favor by electing the NDP, which blew my mind.  I truly never thought I would ever see anything but a conservative majority in Alberta.

There is a rational part of my mind that tells me no politician anywhere should be trusted, it is a giant game and there is no such thing as good or bad.  There is another part that says maybe some times you have to be a cog to change the machine and truthfully I don't have an answer. I want to believe that things change but I'm not sure the government is the place to do it.

I would suggest buying our new album 'French Exit' -available now on Clamour Records-, going for a walk to your campus radio station, and volunteering some of your time.  That is a meaningful use of time.

Jay: Back to some music questions. If you were to recommend an album to fans, what would it be? Anything in particular that comes to mind?

Matt: I'm not sure if you are meaning one of our albums or an album of someone else's so I will do one of each:

Eternal Husbands- French Exit: best thing we've made since our last one.

Baptists-Bushcraft: Heaviest stuff around since Propagandhi

Colin Stetson-Any record.  Colin played on our last band The City Streets' record "Winter Lightning" and blew my mind.  Circular breathing, one note held for 15-20 minutes, crazy syncopated stuff via Steve Reich, check him out

Mike McDonald-Live at the Blue Chair Cafe.  Jr Gone Wild frontman, always worth its time.

Jay: Thanks again for taking the time out of a hectic schedule to have a chat. Much appreciated!

Matt: Roger that, over and out.

-Jay Caption

Dwarves; A short Q and A with Blag Dahlia (Calgary Punk Shows)

Whether you have just begun to listen to punk rock, or have been for a couple decades, there is no denying, whether you love em or hate em, you have heard of The Dwarves. Hailing from San Fransisco and bringing their own kind of gnarly and vulgarity to the scene for years now, The Dwarves are a force not to messed with. Loud proud and fantastically obscene, Dwarves pummel all predictability with their act on record, and on stage. I was able to have a chat with Blag about the new record, The Dwarves Invented Rock and Roll, shows, album art, and what's next for them. 

Blag also wanted to make sure that we had a chance to have a read about the radical Islamists hacking into their website which you can read about here. Its a great take by Blag on the whole situation and a reminder of the privileges that we enjoy through our right of freedom of speech in our countries, when so many are oppressed and silenced, all in the name of a fanatical view of their religion. Its a great read, I highly recommend it. 

Read on for the interview:

Jay: Thanks for taking this time to chat with us Blag, we appreciate it! You guys are rolling through town next week for a back to back performance at Morgans. You must really love us Calgary fans to bring your awesomeness two nights in a row. Why are we the only town you are doing that for?

Blag: Philly Roch said we should do 2 shows in Calgary and if he’s paying, we’re playing! It’s also fun to do a bunch of different songs for the second show, mix it up and get some seldom heard stuff going.

Jay: Your latest album The Dwarves Invented Rock and Roll which was just released in September has been getting great reviews all around. How's reception been out on tour for this album? I would imagine fans are stoked!

Blag: Fans seem to love this new record, it’s not quite as experimental as the last couple, back to basics and featuring all the Dwarves past and present. We’ve been doing Get Up & Get High and Sluts of the USA live and they seem to be crowd pleasers.

Jay: Dwarves style has been called many different things punk, garage, hardcore, bum punk, dirt punk. Can you agree with that nowadays? Is there really one specific sound that can describe you guys?

Blag: No!  We started out as a garage rock band, got kind of psychobilly, played pop punk and hardcore, and then we went crazy with drum programming, noise, surf- everything.  That’s the fun way to make a record for us.  Live we just crank out punk though, otherwise it gets too arty.

Jay: I think we can agree that the lyrical content can be at times controversial. Is it the potential shock value behind the writing of such songs that's the driving force? Or does that even matter when putting the songs together?

Blag: Most bands censor themselves before the song is even written. We just write about the sick shit in our heads and let it all flow out. Before you know it, squares are shocked!

Jay: Your album covers no doubt can raise a few eyebrows for sure. Out of curiosity, who gets the final say when choosing a face to the album? 

Blag: I personally inspect each and every breast and vagina to make sure that nothing but the finest quality oozes through onto those covers. For the Gentleman Blag 7” we even threw my cock on there just to prove we aren't sexist, just really disgusting around the edges.

Jay: After this tour, what's next for The Dwarves?

Blag: We want to get high and fuck some sluts! Then we’ll spend the year celebrating 25 years of Blood Guts & Pussy live with HeWhoCanNotBeNamed. It should be a wild show…

Jay: Thanks again Blag. Looking forward to seeing you guys next week. One last question: Is there anything that shocks you anymore having the rap as shock-value-kings?

Blag: I’m shocked we still get paid to scream fuck and mock everything that moves!  

-Dwarves play Morgans Pub in Calgary tonight May 13th and May 14th for a double bill.

-Jay Caption

The Mandates: In the Back of Your Heart (Album Review)

The Mandates are back with another killer endeavor in their latest album, In the Back of Your Heart. If you have not had a chance to give the album a listen, you can do so here.

In listening to the album, I found myself feeling reminiscent of times past when I was younger sitting in the back of my fathers Valiant cruising down the highway listening to classic rock tunes. The Mandates have infused their own raw form of punk rock and blended it with an in your face rock and roll sound that is sure to keep you tapping your feet to the rhythm.

An energetic start to the album, "Something Wrong" and "Messing Around" are great songs to introduce In the Back of Your Heart. Here, we have fast, clean and warm tunes to set the stage for the rest of the record. I love the way the vocals sound on this album. The doubling up on these songs makes it feel like you are listening to AM radio with a way more polished feel to it. 

"Saturday Night" is a fantastic song, packed with great lyrical content and excellent instrumental work from the boys. That is something that cannot be overlooked. The Mandates deliver on a tight set together on this album. The guitar, bass and drums are always working together and are consistently complimenting each other as the album plays on. A great example of this is on the track "Lookin' Up" which I highly recommend. 

Nowhere on this album do you feel like you are getting any less than the best from the boys from The Mandates. To close out the record, we have "Not My Problem" and "I Got Eyes" which are nothing short of excellent. Really, if you are looking for an album that you can play over and over and have fun doing so, then In the Back of Your Heart is for you. Steady, catchy tunes, The Mandates are the choice to make if you are looking for true, honest rock music to listen to. 

Check in with Calgary Punk Shows and your local listings for when they might be playing near you.

-Jay Caption

Masked Intruder: A follow up Interview with Joel and Jay. (Calgary Punk Shows)

Masked Intruder at The Republik April 16th 2015. Photo Credit: Jay Caption

The halls of The Republik in Calgary filled with eager patrons last Thursday night when Masked Intruder and Strung Out were scheduled to play solid melodic punk rock to a sold out show. We were able to catch up with the boys face to face (Or face to mask I guess) to follow up on our previous conversation. We talk touring, masks, baklava, and music. You can listen to the whole interview here.

 A few shots of the show:

-All photos taken by Jay Caption

The Creepshow: A Short Q and A with Jay's Topics

A well known name in the psychobilly and rockabilly scene, The Creepshow are back at it with a full Canada USA tour going on right now. Going strong for 10 years, The Creepshow are still rocking out, having fun doing it, and not slowing down. I took the opportunity to chat with Sean "Sickboy" McNab about the band and whats coming up next. Read on for the interview.

Jay: Thanks for taking the time for this interview Sean! Really appreciate it. 

So you guys are on the road right now, how long are you going to be away from home for? 

Sean: Yes sir! We are on our way to Saskatoon right now on the trans-Canada. Played a super fun show in Winnipeg last night. We are pretty much booked up until the end of September , so like 5 months I guess, with a few weeks off here and there.

Jay: Are you looking forward to playing a certain city in particular? (if there is) What makes that town/city stand out?

Sean: Hmmmmm that's tough, there's so many.. We haven't toured Canada in a while, so we are pretty excited just to do that, but Calgary at the Ship & Anchor is definitely always a favorite tour stop. What makes a town stand out is usually 3 things... Food, people, and the show... 

Jay:  It seemed like you were ready to welcome Kenda right away which is awesome. How did that change the dynamic of the band with a new frontman? Or frontlady I guess. Was it an instant chemistry? Big shoes to fill no doubt!

Sean: I would say it was pretty instant! After about 30 seconds of hearing her sing with us, we all looked at each other with excitement and knew she was the last piece to the puzzle. The dynamic changed in a way that we are all like family now, we've been through a lot of ups and downs together over the years, but it has made us stronger.

Jay: With the last release, Life After Death, you also welcomed Sandro and Daniel to the band as well. What was that like with all the fresh new blood?

Sean: It's great! Daniel is a longtime friend that we met on a Europe tour in 2007, when we decided to add a lead guitar player to the band , it HAD to be him, He's an amazing guitar player, songwriter, and person.  We had seen sandro play when he was filling in for The hypnophonics when we brought them on tour a few years ago, and he blew our minds! After that tour , we needed a new drummer and immediately called him to come play in Europe with us for a month, he's a maniac on the drums and brings a whole new dimension to the band.

Jay: Lets talk about nowadays for a minute. With this tour having just begun, can fans expect to hear new material at all? Have you been working on anything recently?

Sean: We are currently working on a new album which will hopefully be ready to record in October. We have a shit ton of stuff but nothing that is ready to play live yet unfortunately, but maybe by the end of the tour!

Jay: What can you say about the rockabilly, psychobilly scene now? It seems like alot of bands have decided to hang up the guitars so to speak in the last few years. Does this affect where The Creepshow is headed?

Sean: Our shows are always filled with such a mix of different scenes and we live that. Punks, psychos, rockabillies, ska kids, whatever, just people that want to have a good time and everyone is welcome. The rockabilly / psychobilly scene is so different in every city and is always growing and then shrinking, and then growing again, just like any scene I guess. Will bands hanging up their guitars affect us? Hell no! If it did we would have given up a long time ago, we are having way too much fun.

Jay: Thanks again for taking the time to chat Sean. One last question, any bands you recommend listening to these days? What are you currently listening to?

Sean: No problem, anytime! Currently I can't stop listening to every album of the Bronx. The dead Kennedys are always on my play list, minor threat, sick of it all, bombshell rocks...stuff like that.

The Creepshow will play the Ship and Anchor in Calgary April 29th

-Jay Caption

Reminder: Of All The Things You Are (EP Review)

Canadian rock group Reminder have released a new EP entitled Of All the Things You Are. Having come from different backgrounds in the alternative rock scene from the Greater Toronto Area, the boys have developed their own sound and begun to make waves in the Canadian music scene.  

Of All The Things You Are takes a different approach to a few different genres of the alternative rock scene and blends it together. At times leaning a little more towards the melodic punk rock side, the songs also touch on elements of ska, emo, and at times hardcore. 

Reminder does not hold back from delving into different sounds even within the same song. While many bands have successfully bridged the gap between different punk sub genres within their music (Propagandhi comes to mind), Of All the Things You Are does come up short at times trying to pack in too much for one song, even sounding vaguely familiar to Jared Leto from Thirty Seconds to Mars, which you can hear on the track Head over Heels. 

However, where Reminder does excel on this EP is the harmonies and the melody. The guitars compliment each other quite well, and songs like Think Back is a great example of their utilization of vocal range and instrumental harmony. Other tracks, like Honest Things give us a dose of fast raw punk rock chords delivered powerfully. You can listen to the EP on bandcamp here.

With this latest release, Reminder has plans to continue performing live and being out on the road. Check your local listings for wherever Reminder is playing a show near you.

-Jay Caption

Masked Intruder: A short Q and A with Jays Topics (Calgary Punk Shows)

We were able to catch up with the boys from Masked Intruder recently and Intruder Blue filled us in on some touring, mask wearing, girls and of course about their current US/Canada tour that they are on with Strung Out. Making waves in the pop punk world, Masked Intruder is an act not to missed. Be sure to check your local listings for a show near you.

Jay: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! We know you've probably been busy getting ready for this tour you just started on. In light of that, how do you prepare for a tour like this? You guys gotta practice your on stage moves right?

Blue: To get ready for tour we usually get a couple of big bags and draw dollar signs on the side of them with sharpies. It can be hard to find a loot bag on the road, and you don’t wanna be caught trying to run with a buncha stolen loot without a cool looking bag to hold it. Other than that, you know, we don’t do much to prepare. We don’t really need to practice our on stage moves; we got that shit down.

Jay: You'll be joining Strung Out on the 9th of this month along with La Armada playing in San Francisco then coming up into Canada a few days later. We were wondering, have you been keeping up on your Canuck lingo? You'll need to brush up. Especially for the Saskatchewan folk.

Blue: Oh yeah? I mean, we know a couple things I guess. Like, we know the difference between a loonie and a toonie, and we know about poutine and denim jackets. Canada is cool.

Jay: We're super excited to see you roll through Calgary next week. What can fans expect to see at the shows upcoming? We know it wont be your faces!

Blue: Fans can expect to have a good time. And, if they don’t, they can expect to get hassled by officer Bradford, our court appointed chaperon. His mustache makes him look like a real asshole, which, you know, he is. 

Jay: Lets talk about outside the band for a minute. On an average, how many times would you say the masks get you pulled over? That's gotta be a drag eh?

Blue: Surprisingly, not often. We are pretty good at getting away from the cops, so it’s not like we would stop if they asked. But, as it happens, they don’t really ever hassle us. I guess it’s cause we’re white, and they’re racist, cause they’re cops.

Jay: Your latest album M.I was released last year through Fat Wreck Chords. We think its awesome. Are you finding the fans are digging it? Do you get more requests to hear the new or the old?

Blue: Thanks! Yeah, fans seem to have responded super well to it. As far as requests, it’s pretty split down the middle.

Jay: Back to the masks for a sec. You guys must reel in the ladies non stop! I know if we tried that with ski mask's, we'd somehow end up on in jail. How does that work? Is it the color? Is it the musty tour smell? What exactly do the ladies want guys??

Blue: I wish I knew! If we had any luck with the ladies, I would be happy to share the secret. I say that, but I actually probably wouldn't. If we got the girls, we would probably be too busy making out to do interviews.

Jay: You guys seem to be the experts on public ski mask wearing. Can you recommend a good place to be seen in public with a ski mask? My suggestion would be for somebody to withdraw money from the teller, but that's just my opinion.

Blue: You know, you’d think that you would be able to bank in the comfort of a ski-mask, but not so much. We like to think of our modern society as being all enlightened, but we face discrimination every single day. Try wearing a ski mask into a bank and you’ll see what I mean. It’s all “ahhhh!” and “he’s waving a knife around!” and we’re just like, fine, we’ll take our business elsewhere. You can’t let haters get you down.

Jay: I guess we should talk about music for a bit too. Are you guys working on new material while on tour? I would imagine you focus alot more on a killer set every night. Is there even downtime to write at all?

Blue: We don’t work on new material much on tour, that mostly happens when we are home. On the road, we’re more focused on the show, and then partying our faces off. It’s very absorbing work. 

Jay: You guys are playing at The Republik here in Calgary on the 16th. Should be a blast! I expect we will be having a good ol Canadian Beer together. What are we drinking??

Blue: Sounds good! We love beer! All of us except officer Bradford. He’s more of a whiskey guy.



-Masked Intruder plays The Republik with Strung Out Thursday April 16th-

Teenage Bottlerocket: Tales From Wyoming (Album Review)

Keeping things new and fresh can be a challenge for many musicians these days with the amount of bands flooding the internet every single day. Whether it be punk, pop punk, street punk or whatever other sub genre pulled out of the air to justify somebody's sound is currently the trend, putting together an album you can sit back, throw on repeat and still enjoy the third time around is no simple task. 

However, it is a true testament to these guys with their recent efforts in putting together a killer record. From beginning to end, you cant help but try and sing along even if you don't know the words having heard these songs for the first time. I actually found myself listening to "I Found the One" a few times before moving on to the rest of the album just so that I could try and learn the lyrics. 

Teenage Bottlerocket blow the doors off with their latest release Tales From Wyoming available online and in stores March 31st 2015. You can order the album along with other merch here. 

Once you press play, you are once again front row and centre to a solid album that makes you feel like you are in the room watching these boys rock out. The introductory track "In My Head" gives Tales From Wyoming a powerful start to the record that only promises to please fans from beginning to end. Ray's voice punches through and brings us back to familiar territory with Teenage Bottlerocket, yet the album offers a crisp and polished new sound. The distorted guitars and Miguel's deadly bass lines set up the listener to some of the best we have received from the boys yet.

The album is not just a re visiting of previous releases, nor is it a departure from those endeavours either. Tales From Wyoming gives us an earful of songs that do not stray too far from their early roots in the punk rock scene, however does touch on some subjects that will be new to fans. On one of the tracks called "TV Set", you can hear Teenage Bottlerocket's ability to delve into more serious subjects without becoming overly preachy and still keep a tone that is both sombre and enjoyable to listen to. Its a refreshing approach to singing about the worlds current state of affairs few bands are able to hone without sounding pompous.

Teenage Bottlerocket. Photo used with the permission of Miguel Chen.

We also get a taste of the regular goods in songs like "Haunted House" and "Too Much La Colina", bringing Kody to the front of the vocal delivery. The lyrics are catchy as hell, the guitar riffs so infectious that you find yourself unknowingly nodding your head along as you listen. 

When its time to shake up the tempo of the album, we have "I Wanna Die" which gets gritty right from beginning to end. Its raw, fast and ultimately a good time to listen to and again proof that the boys dont just stick to one formula of getting things done and aren't afraid to kick it into high gear. 

"First Time" gives us an opportunity to listen to Ray's vocal ability and songwriting talent. It is perhaps one of the most stripped down and honest tunes we have heard on a Teenage Bottlerocket album about a subject that is clearly close to the chest. I have to say this was one of my favourites.

Tales From Wyoming is witness to some of the best songwriting performed by Teenage Bottlerocket. In having steadily become a staple in the punk rock world, this latest release leaves us wanting to listen to it over and over again. This record is sure to become a fan favourite and is a true display that these boys have carved their way into the roster of essential punk rock bands that will be sticking around with no real end in sight.

Teenage Bottlerocket is currently on tour in support of Tales From Wyoming and if you have never had a chance to see them live, do yourself a favour, check out your local show listings and check them out. They are one helluva good time.



Teenage Bottlerocket plays the Ship and Anchor with The Copyrights June 10th in Calgary.

Misused: Out for Blood

Hard working and playing gig's at any opportunity, the boys from Misused have no doubt made a name for themselves in the local punk rock music scene. 

Their latest release "Out for Blood" carries a unique sound blending elements of riffs familiar to the horror punk scene, as well as old school street punk sounds carried by bands like The Casualties. Misused spends no time wasted... Well when playing music that is. 

Once the album starts playing, you can hear the energy that is delivered during the recording process that can also be felt once you have had the opportunity to see these guys live. You can listen to "Out for Blood" here.

Calgary based, this horror punk quartet promises to deliver a fun, fast and killer time. Songs like "I turned into a Cannibal" and "Mr. Bill" give music fans a taste of what Misused could be known for, catchy rhythmic chords, raw fast tunes. Honing their own melody as they go, Misused has captured a sound with staying power in this ever changing landscape that is the Calgary Punk Rock community. 

If you have not had a chance to see them live, check in with Calgary Punk Shows. They are sure to be playing a show near you real soon. 

Misused is set to hit the stage again on March 27th at Dickens Pub.

-Jay Caption

The Electric Revival: A short Q and A about their Latest release FREAKS and Canadian Tour

The boys from The Electric Revival are at it again with this latest release and they were kind enough to have a chat about the album, recording, and their Canadian tour that they are on. If you have a chance, check them out while they are out on the road. These guys are a blast! See the interview below...

Q1: Congrats on the release of Freaks! As I understand it, you recorded here in town, what can you say about the experience to self-produce the album vs hiring an engineer? How did this change the process for you?

Daniel:  To be quite honest,  it didn’t change the process for us at all.  Ian Dillon (Singer/guitarist for The Electric Revival) has engineered/mixed/mastered/produced all of our records from day one,  as well as records for other bands we’ve been in (with and without each other) previously.  It’s a great process during the tracking in studio because our engineer always already knows what you want to hear out of the sound.  I hear other bands talk and they say things like,  “They just didn’t get my tone right” or “I hate the way they made my snare drum sounds” and we don’t have that problem so much.  We’ve all known each other for half of our lives,  Ian knows how I want my bass to sound on the record,  he knows what we want the finished product to sound like.  By the time we’re done preproduction and have started tracking in the studio,  we all have a pretty good idea of what we want out of it before it happens a lot of the time,  so there’s not so much guess work.  I couldn’t really imagine doing it any other way at this point to be honest.  

Q2: 2014 was a packed year for you guys. With the upcoming tour across Canada, are there any signs of slowing down later this year? Or is it right back at it?

Daniel:  No slowing down!  Bury the needle!  We are working on plans for a summer and fall tours (dates and regions and countries TBA).  We’ve also begun writing new material for another studio album and we’re all super pumped about that too!  We don’t ever want to have a new year be less exciting for us,  or a new year in which we do less than in the year before.

Q3: The Electric Revival most definitely has a unique sound. You guys have been called rock and roll, punk, hard rock, progressive rock.. In your opinion, how would you describe your sound?

Daniel:  I suppose I’d just have to call us a Rock band.  We have some punk-ish songs,  we have some hard rock-ish songs,  progressive-ish songs,  etc. which I think stems from the wide range of influences we all draw from in our own personal tastes.  Between the three of us,  there are very few genres of music I can think of that don’t get some stereo play in the van on tour.  From blues,  to pop,  to country,  to punk,  to metal,  to classical to good ol’ rock ’n’ roll!  We all have our own tastes,  and listen to a wide spectrum of music,  and I think it shows in the songs we put out ourselves as a band.

Q4: Back to the tour for a moment... Do you have a favorite city to play in?

Daniel:  It’s hard to say,  everywhere we’ve played has been deadly so far!…..I guess for me personally,  when we toured to Eastern Canada last year for Canadian Music Week,  we scored a gig in a punk squat/flophouse in an abandoned factory in Montreal called DeathHouse!  I loved that one!  but every town we play in is usually great.  People come out to support us at the shows from Vancouver to Munich,  and they  feed us and give us places to stay,  and that keeps us alive on the road ya know?  The people at the shows are what make it,  it doesn’t really matter which town we’re in.

Q5: I'd like to talk about your album. Freaks. What would you say were the main things influencing the song writing on this album?

Daniel:  Freaks is a very hard hitting record for us.  A lot of it had to do with the years we had in 2013 and 2014,  the high we were riding,  and hopefully always will.  That energy from touring,  from the stage,  from the fans,  it pushed us in a direction we’d touched on before but hadn’t necessarily developed as much.  For me personally,  I was feeling much more confident in my own bass playing when we wrote and recorded Freaks than on previous outings.  I think as a band,  despite all of us having known each other for so long,  as this band,  we’ve really gotten comfortable with the sound,  the process,  and I think Freaks really showcases that,  but then again I could be a little bit biased…. 

You can catch The Electric Revival on one of their tour dates below in support of their latest release Freaks!

Tour Dates:

Fri. Mar.6. Vancouver BC. The Railway Club
Sat. Mar.7. Nelson BC. Kootenay Co-op Radio

Fri. Mar.13. Regina SK. The Exchange
Sat. Mar.14. Winnipeg MB. The Cavern
Sun. Mar.15. Thunder Bay ON. Black Pirates Pub
Wed. Mar.18. Sudbury ON. The Townhouse Tavern
Thu. Mar19. Kingston ON. The Toucan
Fri. Mar.20. Montreal QC. Barfly
Sat. Mar.21. Quebec City. Scanner Bistro
Sun. Mar.22. Ottawa ON. Rainbow Bistro
Mon. Mar.23. Toronto ON. Horseshoe Tavern
Tue. Mar.24. Peterborough ON. The Spill
Wed. Mar.25. Guelph ON. District
Thu. Mar.26. London ON. The APK 

Fri. Mar.27. Innisfil ON.The Stone Grille
Sat. Mar.28. Toronto ON. Cherry Cola's Rock 'n' Rolla Cabaret & Lounge
Sun. Mar.29. Hamilton ON. The Doors Pub

Mon. Mar.30. New Market ON. Big Daddy's Restaurant & Bar

Thu. Apr.2. Winnipeg MB. OSBORNE VILLAGE INN
Fri. Apr.3. Brandon MB. City Centre Bar And Hotel
Sat. April.4. Saskatoon SK. Vangelis Taverns
Sun. Apr.5. Edmonton AB. Bohemia
Mon. April.6. Calgary AB.- Secret Location - TBA