Vancouver Independence

Not having grown up in either Toronto or Vancouver, I cannot personally attest to the efficacy of their respective punk scenes, circa 1980. But having listened to the musical records (excuse the pun) of each scene, it would seem to be that Vancouver was the punk capital of Canada. The sheer number of bands makes the city one to rival the London scene at the time.

Anyway, in 1980 this compilation was released, showcasing fourteen tracks by some of the city's independent artists. This collection is by no means "Punk" in the sense of the term as we know it: ie. how one might describe the music -- "rough, loud, etc."... But this is definitely punk in spirit.

The music is admittedly all over the map and may not always work, but that's neither here or there; it's merely my opinion. I'm posting it here for archival purposes.

Enjoy.


(VA) Vancouver Independence (1980):

1	Subhumans	Behind My Smile	2:53
2	Metros	Don't Like It At All	2:49
3	Si Monkey	The Conquest Of Daytime	2:58
4	No Exit	No Excuse	3:42
5	Droogs	Nuremberg '34	2:56
6	B-Sides	Spy vs. Spy	2:41
7	Melodic Energy Commision	What Would You Say?	2:50
8	B-Sides	Underground Radio Stars	2:40
9	Droogs	J.K.O.	3:09
10	No Exit	Nothing New	3:36
11	Si Monkey	Get Rigid	3:29
12	Subhumans	Out Of Line	1:36
13	Metros	In With The Crowd	2:22
14	The Singing Cowboys	Midnight Cowboy	3:41

You Mooks Asked For It...

After the demise of The Nils in 1994, Alex Soria tried to make a comeback on the solo/acoustic circuit. He didn't like it.

Four years later, he hooked up with Nils friend Eric Kearns and other members of fellow-Montreal band, Grain Elevator Number 5 for various jam sessions. These encounters eventually led to Soria writing new songs and taking over the job of vocals.

This new collective would be named Chino, though I don't know why. Nonetheless, the newly-christened Chino released a six-song CD EP entitled Mala Leche (Spanish: "Bad Milk") in 1999. They play with Nada Surf, Mike Watt, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, among others. Although they never really toured much, they still managed to play gigs in Montreal and Toronto, also playing dates in Quebec City, New York, Boston and Ottawa.

Building upon the sounds of Soria's original band, The Nils, Chino adds other instruments -- namely mandoling and keyboards -- which, rather than detracting, add to the quality of the songs.

And just like The Nils, you do hear elements of Hüsker Dü, The Replacements and old-school Soul Asylum.

But unfortunately, Chino never achieved the level of fame Alex Soria hoped for. Read my post about The Nils to find out how that turned out.

In all honesty, I actually prefer The Nils, but this is an example of where Soria might have taken his muse.

Chino - Mala Leche (1999):

1	Chino	Uno Mas	3:38
2	Chino	When You're Not Around	2:38
3	Chino	Worlds Apart	3:17
4	Chino	Mustard Sally	3:34
5	Chino	Misbehavin'	2:04
6	Chino	Nine Yards	4:20