(VA) A Touch Of Fringe: The Compilation

As regular visitors to my blog will attest, I try not to be a one-trick pony.  That is to say, that while I have posted a helluva lot of Canadian punk rock from the 70s, I try to keep things diverse.  As you'll also recognize, I try to post items that are no longer available. 

Case in point, this extremely rare release by the now-defunct, Fringe Records ("Fringe Product"):

A Touch Of Fringe brings together some of Canada's finest proponents of aggressive music.  You've got yer Dayglo Abortions, your Bunchoffuckingoofs, Razor, Slaughter, Sacrifice and so much more.  The genres on this disk run the gamut from Industrial, to Speed/Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Punk, Techno and Crossover.

Fringe Product was the brainchild of one Ben Hoffman, who also used to be the man behind The Record Peddler store and Record Peddler Distribution.  From the late 70s to 2000, Fringe was one of Canada's most important punk rock and heavy metal labels, if not THE most. 

(If you were of a certain age in 1988, you may remember that Fringe and Record Peddler were brought up on obscenity charges: a police officer from Nepean, Ontario instigated a criminal investigation of the Dayglo Abortions, after his daughter brought home a copy of Here Today, Guano Tomorrow.  The cover shows a picture of a hamster eating from a box of chocolates on nice satin sheets, along with a glass of wine. A gun points at the hamster.  The back cover, on the other hand, shows a depiction of the resultant carnage.  For the record -- if you'll excuse the pun -- a jury cleared the companies of all charges in 1990.)  


Anyway, click on the album cover to download a copy of 1993's extremely rare A Touch Of Fringe.

(VA) A Touch Of Fringe - The Compilation (1993):

1	Death and Horror Inc.	Pain and Courage	3:44
2	Sacrifice	Storm In The Silence	4:09
3	Disciples Of Power	Nature's Fury	5:31
4	Dayglo Abortions	Here Today Guano Tomorrow	4:55
5	Razor	Sucker For Punishment	4:03
6	Splatterpunk	Inner Sanctum	3:45
7	Dogs With Jobs	Stone Cold Killer	5:05
8	Bunchofuckingoofs	Coke The Real Thing For Real Assholes	2:26
9	Northern Vultures	Clean Up Verdun	4:19
10	Slaughter	F.O.D.	3:56
11	Mad	Special Olympics	1:44
12	Sacrifice	Re-Animation	3:51
13	Death and Horror Inc.	Climbing	4:43
14	Disciples Of Power	Crisis	3:55
15	Razor	Shotgun Justice	3:16
16	Dogs With Jobs	Dogs With Jobs	2:52
17	Sacrifice	Sacrifice	3:09

Dangerously Americanized Canadians

I wish I could tell you more about this band.  What I know is they're from Winterpeg (Winnipeg), Manitoba.

This record was reportedly pressed in 1989, but apparently it took three years to print the sleeve.  Rarely lasting more than 1:30, Face Tomorrow is full of short, sharp shots of hardcore fury.  Not entirely my bag...but then again: I do this more as a history lesson and for archival purposes. 

I originally found this EP on a collection called We Can't Help It, We're From Winnipeg.  With 32 songs, it was too large to clean up.  So I've separated this into the original EP from DAC.  I'll try to get you the rest of WCHI,WFW once I get some more time.

Here's a review from a 1989 issue of Maximum Rock N Roll:

Dangerously Americanized Canadians - Face Tomorrow (1989):

1	DAC	Together	1:39
2	DAC	Lyuberites	1:46
3	DAC	Evil Co.	1:28
4	DAC	Bench Warmer	1:11
5	DAC	Youth Uprising	1:37
6	DAC	Sheet People	0:34
7	DAC	Material Fool	1:14
8	DAC	Southern Comfort	1:23
9	DAC	Born Again	1:27

The Nils & The Sad, Sad Story Of Alex Soria

AT THE REQUEST OF CARLOS SORIA AND NILS MANAGER NIKO STASH, I'M REMOVING THE LINKS FROM THIS POST.  PLEASE VISIT THEM AT http://vampirefreaks.com/The_Nils. 

Alex Soria was just twelve years old, when he started The Nils in Montreal with his older brother Carlos, in 1978. In 1983 one of their songs appears on the BYO compilation, Something To Believe In. In 1984, two more songs appear on the Primitive Air Raid: Montreal comp.

By 1985, they record their first EP, Sell Out Young. Paisley comes out the following year. In 1987, they release their debut LP.



By the end of the decade, The Nils will have been at the forefront of a revolution in pop-punk that included contemporaries like The Replacements and Hüsker Dü, whose leader Bob Mould would become a charter member of their fan club.



















Often cited as "Canada's Paul Westerberg", Alex Soria was a gifted songwriter. But his talents never got the proper exposure because they were signed to Rock Hotel, a division of Profile Records (of Run-DMC fame). Profile was reportedly making loads of money; Rock Hotel was designed to lose it. RH head Chris Williamson bought The Nils equipment and told them they'd be opening for various bands. Nothing materialized. Williamson is later described as a "dickhead" by people who were involved in the project.

Carlos Soria later reminisces that people told them not to sign with Rock Hotel. But they'd already been playing for ten years and this was the only offer they got.

Still, once the record comes out, there is a buzz about the band. They tour the U.S. East and West Coasts, earning influential fans along the way (including the aforementioned Hüsker Dü, Paul Westerberg and Soul Asylum in Minneapolis). Things are looking up. But not for long.

The Nils return home. During one concert, Chris Williamson shows up. Rock Hotel had checked out: the company went out of business. Williamson is there to reclaim them equipment he bought for them. This is the beginning of the downward spiral of Alex Soria.

Carlos would accept an offer to play with MIA in California, leaving the younger Soria in Montreal. Alex eventually strikes a relationship with an older woman named Karen, who was once the girlfriend of Dave Rosenberg of The Chromosomes. Karen and Rosenberg were both junkies: it would only be a matter of time before Alex joins that dubious crowd.

Karen mothers him for ten years. But when she splits, Alex Soria becomes more aimless: He sinks deeper into his heroin habit.

Upon Carlos' return, the elder brother would also strike up a heroin habit, purportedly to be closer to Alex. The sense of guilt Alex feels for this, is reported to be great: he spirals even further.

The brothers do try to make a Nils comeback: they form another lineup with Alex McSweeney on drums. But by 1995, there's nothing left. Carlos becomes a mess. Eventually Alex moves in with his friend Eric Kearns. Kearns urges Alex to form another band.

By late 1996, Alex breaks up with Karen. He eventually cleans himself up, and forms Chino, without his brother. The band spends $2,500 to record the Mala Leche EP. Carlos, too, kicks his babit. As awkward as it was for both of them, Carlos roadies for his brother and Chino.

Alex has many great songs in his head...but all he hears are shitty bands on the radio. But he never speaks of his frustration. However big brother Carlos speaks up for him, telling anyone who would listen that Alex should be on the airwaves with the best of them. By 1998, Alex is straight and has Chino going: he's happy and energetic.

But things don't always go as planned. Chino can't get off the ground. The band goes nowhere, thanks to the same old story: no tour and poor distribution. More frustration and heartbreak for Alex.

Fast-forward to 2004. Carlos and Alex have spent the last few years reportedly packing kosher products. Life is difficult for Alex: he has just come out of detox, but is feeling pressure that his family knows about his drug addiction. Then one day, he and Carlos go to work, only to find out that the company has shut down. They lose their jobs, and they lose their pay.

On December 13th, Alex and his girlfriend Debbie get into a terrible fight. One of his neighbours calls 911. These would be the last two hours of his life.

Alex leaves for some time alone. He reportedly enters a nearby restaurant and goes into the restroom, "doing what, I'm not sure," according to one-time roadie, Bill Moser.

When he returns to the apartment, he sees police at his door. He freaks out. Alex heads towards the train tracks.

It's not known if he was high at the time, but it's clear that Alex Soria was not of sound mind when he goes to the tracks.

Apparently, he gives the conductor of an oncoming train a salute. He then throws himself into the path of that train. Alex Soria was only 39 years old.

A couple of years later, Woody Whelan of Mag Wheel records and a friend of the band, compiled practically all the recordings The Nils put out, including EP tracks, demos and live recordings of a Boston tour. Please take a listen to Green Fields In Daylight and give Alex Soria the appreciation which he never received during his sad, tragic life.


As a bonus, I'm also including their 10-song LP, released in 1987. It has many of the same songs as the ones listed above, but with different mixes plus one song which didn't appear on GFID.



The Nils -- Green Fields In Daylight:

1	The Nils	Call Of The Wild	2:17
2	The Nils	Slip Away	2:07
3	The Nils	Scratches And Needles	2:45
4	The Nils	In Betweens	2:42
5	The Nils	Fountains	1:44
6	The Nils	Daylight	2:26
7	The Nils	Freedom	2:31
8	The Nils	I Am The Wolf	3:21
9	The Nils	Tuesday High	2:12
10	The Nils	Up Turns To Down	1:51
11	The Nils	Glory Daze	2:44
12	The Nils	Freedom Come, Freedom Go (Live)	3:02
13	The Nils	Truce	2:04
14	The Nils	Bandito Callin	4:34
15	The Nils	Sweet Dreams	4:48
16	The Nils	Wicked Politician	4:51
17	The Nils	Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hands	1:52
18	The Nils	Young Man In Transit	3:09
19	The Nils	River Of Sadness	3:52
20	The Nils	If Heaven Lies	3:41
21	The Nils	Red Balloon	2:47
22	The Nils	When Love Puts On A Sad Face	3:53
23	The Nils	Pop Goes The World	1:24
24	The Nils	In An Instant	1:37
25	The Nils	The Back Flow	2:14
26	The Nils	Scratches And Needles	2:49
27	The Nils	The Gathering	1:50
28	The Nils	Give Me Time	1:56
29	The Nils	Radio Interview	1:04

The Nils -- The Nils:

1	The Nils	River of Sadness	3:57
2	The Nils	Truce	1:45
3	The Nils	If Heaven Lies	3:37
4	The Nils	When the Love Puts on a Sad Face	3:50
5	The Nils	Wicked Politician	4:40
6	The Nils	Bandito Callin'	5:01
7	The Nils	In Betweens	3:36
8	The Nils	But for Now	3:10
9	The Nils	Young Man in Transit	3:12
10	The Nils	Daylight	2:34

Slow

Ex-Slow Members In Copyright (The Band): Christian Thorvaldson & Tom Anselmi

At the risk of turning this blog into what my previous one started to become ("All Canadian Punk Hits All Time!!!") I'm still going to provide you with some of the lesser-known lights of Canuck Punk Rock.

And then there's Slow.

I must admit, when they were in their heyday (!) I had neither heard them, nor heard of them ('cause I was into mid-80s Hard Rock and Q107 Classic Shlock -- okay...I still like that stuff).

Anyway, my first reference to Slow came when I was doing internet research on the Canadian Punk Rock scene for a possible documentary. I stumbled upon an online version of one of Chart Magazine's Greatest Canadian Something Or The Other lists for 1996. Slow's I Broke The Circle EP was listed as 17th best Canadian album of all time, in a reader poll. The single "Have Not Been The Same" was named 10th greatest song.

"Slow?" I thought; "What an awful name for a group. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the descriptor given along the entry for "Have Not Been The Same" (it's offline now, so I can no longer refer to it). Still, I found the song when I purchased a copy of the great Last Call compilation.

So not having ever seen the band live or ever met members of the group, I have to rely on my own journalistic research skills to suss out some form of condensed biography here. As such, if my sources lead me astray, I apologize. Any corrections/additions to the story can be left in the Comments section. Okay...here goes:

Semi-legendary and utterly destructive, Slow's claim to dubious fame took place at Expo '86 in Vancouver, British Columbia (more on that later). The group consisted of vocalist Tom Anselmi, guitarists Ziggy Sigmund and Christian Thorvaldson, bassist Stephen Hamm and drummer Terry Russell.

Hamm and Russell reportedly had been in a punk band called Chuck & The Fucks. They are said to have played an elementary school concert (reportedly, at Queen Mary Elementary), where many of the teachers forced the children to leave. Of course, that leads one to wonder why an elementary school would book a band called "Chuck & The Fucks", but hey...

Anyway, apparently the rest of the band were previously in an outfit called Sisu (correct me if I'm wrong about this). The two factions got together and formed Slow, which produced the single, "I Broke The Circle", b/w "Black Is Black" in 1985, which you can download by clicking on the image below.

Slow:I Broke The Circle7" (1985):

1. I Broke The Circle
2. Black Is Black

Later that year, they would release a Zulu Records-commissioned Christmas single. It's pretty catchy. You'd rather listen to this than any other X-Mas muzak shit you hear ad nauseum.

Slow: Xmas Single (1985):

Santa Claus Is Back In Town

In 1986, they would release their magnum opus, the legendary Against The Glass; a 6-song EP.

This is the recording they would tour the Pacific Northwest with. It should be noted that the band did this during the mid-to-late-80’s:

They toured Seattle wearing lumberjack shirts and played grungey, 70’s-influenced hard rock infused with punk. S0und familiar? Yes, these guys were the original inspiration for the Seattle Grunge movement of the early 90’s. I once read a story, where Art Bergmann of the K-Tels/Young Canadians (?) was once approached by an American record guy about checking out a new group called Mudhoney. The guy was so excited about this great, brand new music and wanted to know what Bergmann thought about them. Bergmann dismissed the band as poseurs. “So what? We’ve got a group in Vancouver named Slow who are the real thing.” (Or something to that effect, I’m not actually quoting — just typing from memory).

If you should be deserted on a desert island and had to choose just one record to take with you, it probably should be this one.

Click on the image below and understand why.


Slow: Against The Glass EP (1986):

1. Have Not Been The Same
2. Against The Glass
3. Bad Man
4. In Deep
5. Looking For Something Clean
6. Out Of The Cold

Of course, Slow are most famous for a controversial incident which both marred the Expo 86 festivities and effectively ended the band's career. On the opening night of the Festival of Independent Recording Artists, several people who were not attending the concert wandered into the pavilion, witnessed the band's outrageous live show, and rushed out to complain to Expo management. The officials turned off the power, ending the band's set. Hamm expressed his displeasure by mooning the audience, and Anselmi quickly followed suit, also exposing himself frontally.

The band were subsequently detained by the Vancouver police, who considered charging them with indecent exposure. Expo officials initially cancelled the evening's concert, citing security concerns.

Some of the fans in attendance got onstage and refused to leave the venue, others began to riot, and yet another group stormed BCTV's onsite studios, where they protested the concert's cancellation so loudly and persistently that the station had to pull its 11:00 p.m. newscast.

The following day, Expo announced the cancellation of the whole concert festival.

The band subsequently split up. Anselmi and Thorvaldson formed the band © (also known as "Circle-C" and later, Copyright), while Hamm and Russell launched Tankhog.

BTW: This Tom Anselmi is not the same man who was (is) involved with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

In effect: the two Tom Anselmies Have Not Been The Same.

In 2000, three music journalists usurped the title of Slow's most infamous song (rather aptly) for their tome on the Canadian underground scene between 1978-1986.

Do yourself a favour: go get a copy.

BTW 2: Slow's first single was titled, "I Broke The Circle".

Members of the band later formed "Circle-C".

The Letter "C" is a broken circle.


Coincidence...?

The Ugly

Unlike their peers in New York and London, punk bands from Toronto never signed with major record companies (with the exception of The Diodes) . Many of these bands had to record their own songs, either through booking a recording studio or through cheap ass direct microphone-to-tape. The Ugly were one such band.

Sam Ferrare (aka Sam Ugly) and Tony Vincent (aka Tony Torcher or possibly Torture) got together as teens in a group called The Markeys, playing the British sounds of The Yardbirds, Kinks, Animals, Who and the Stones. After hearing the first LP by The Ramones, their new direction becomes clear. They enlist longtime accomplice Michael Mulroney (aka Mike Nightmare). Markeys guitarist Brian Vadders refuses to cut his hippy hair, so they kick him out and bring in Mike’s brother Raymi (aka Ray Gunner).

Unfortunately, when Vadders is replaced, he conveniently forgets to tell the rest of the group that his PA system was leased. They try to borrow it for a while, until Vadders decides to stop payment. The cops come by, take away the equipment and the group lands in jail. It would be their first of many scrapes with the law, leading the gang to describe their music, not as Punk Rock, but as “Hoodlum Rock” (WKRP In Cincinatti alert: You may remember an episode where a British band came to Cinci and the radio station was promoting them. The band said they were not “punk rock”, they were “hoodlum rock”. I wonder who had the nomenclature first). Nonetheless, Mike found Vadders a week a later and punched his lights out.

But it wasn’t just that they were loudest, crassest and most obnoxious band on the Toronto underground scene. They really were rough characters who played tough punk rock (although they were capable of playing sweet, forlorn rock ‘n’ roll. Witness “Stranded In The Laneway (Of Love)” below — although I’m not sure it’s with the original lineup). And because they were always in trouble with the law (Sam says one of the biggest problems with the development of The Ugly was that one of them was always in jail), they were forced to play out-of-the-way joints so the cops had trouble finding them. And Mike Nightmare would wear a disguise. Sometimes, those disguises would consist of a full-face black leather mask, other times, his trademark oversized yellow sunglasses, so authorities wouldn’t be able to identify him.

"Yes, the band really ARE ugly." -Creem, 1978

Anyway, to cut a short story short (read more in the excellent liner notes to The Ugly’s equally excellent retrospective, Disorder ), their last show with the original lineup takes place at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern, where they open for The Cramps. The last song they ever play is “Lust For Life”. When they finish, Raymi pushes over his Marshal Amp and smashes his guitar. He shakes hands with the band and splits.

The Ugly is over.

Mike Nightmare passed away sometime in 1997 or ‘98 (I don’t remember which), during one of his many stints in jail.

The Ugly reformed for their first show in almost thirty years at Toronto's Bovine Sex Club on Saturday July 12th., with all the original band members, save for Greg Dick who's fronting the band.

Download The Ugly Here.