The Dishrags

Three teenage girls: ages 15-16.
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia.

The Dishrags featured two incarnations that managed to produce some killer slabs of Punk Rock and Pop that even got features on the fledgling MuchMusic video station at the time.

Jade Blade

Jade Blade (whose real name I once saw on TV during an interview about Canadian Punk Rock but now forget) was the cousin of Chris Arnett, of Vancouver's first punk band, the Furies.  She hooked up with Dale Powers and a drummer named Scout.  Since they were unable to make the Ramones debut gig in Van City in 1977 (being underage, and all), they made their Vancouver debut that year by backing up Arnett's Furies. Referring to their favorite Ramone brudder, the girls called themselves, Dee Dee and The Dishrags for that inaugural performance.

                    











 June, 1978: Battle Of The Bands at The Body Shop.  Sandwiched between the Hardcore of DOA and the New Wave of Tim Ray and The AV were The Dishrags (having by now jettisoned the "Dee Dee" prefix).  They weren't part of the "official" lineup, not having contestant status.  Didn't matter.  They proved themselves that night that they belonged on the stage.

Shortly after that, the band laid down their first studio track, which was a contribution to the Vancouver Complication compilation: a document of that city's New Music scene.  "I Don't Love You" and "Bullshit" were the Dishrags songs.  "Bullshit" was the first original song the girls wrote.  However, they eventually moved away from the short, sharp blasts of fury to write more complex tunes.

Still, they became something of a sensation, in Punk Rock circles; The Clash specifically asked for them to be their openers for their Vancouver show.  Of course, the girls made the most of the situation, by playing "London's Burning" for their encore.  Joe Strummer et al were reportedly so taken aback, that they dedicated their own original to "Madames Dishrags". 

 

 Apparently, even Bo Diddley was a fan: he's reported to have invited The Dishrags down to his Miami home for "some recordin' and some partyin'."  However, the girls never took up ol' Ellas Bates on his offer, so we may never know how the Dishrags may have sounded with that Bo Diddley beat. 

Triangle Studios, Summer of '79

While the girls never made it down to Florida, they did manage to record their next disc, in the United States.  They entered Seattle, Washington's Triangle Studios in the summer of 1979 (where, years later, another trio named Nirvana also recorded their first EP).  Seattle had taken The Dishrags to heart: the girls opened for The Avengers and The Clash once more.  They started headlining gigs in their own right and eventually releasing their Past Is Past EP.

 

                         Dishrags 1977-1979

The record did well, quickly quickly selling out its initial pressing.  Constant gigging also did them some good: Scout and Dale became a crack rhythm section in the process. But all things must pass, and Dale Powers left the band.  Enter bassist Kim Henriksen and Sue MacGillivray on guitar.

                                                                                          Dishrags 1979-1980

Fresh from the just-imploded Devices -- another all-girl group making a name for itself in Vancouver -- Sue and Kim were an uneasy fit, at first. But they eventually found their footing in the lineup.  Not only were Devices songs added to the band's repertoire...Sue's new compositions made their way into set lists, as well.  Meanwhile, Jade Blade herself was writing more complex material. 

              

Songs by The Dishrags Mark II could now feature the interplay of two guitars, not to mention the vocals of four strong singers. Any reticence between two separate units was eventually quashed: their three-sets-per-night at The Calgarian -- a former Country & Western bar -- grounded the new group.

In 1980, the girls recorded the Death In The Family EP.  And there are some questions as to the origins of its release: sold as an import in North America with a white RCA England label on it.  But doing so accomplished two things: it instantly raised The Dishrags' profile, as Vancouver groups -- in the wake of The Pointed Sticks' signing to the UK's Stiff Records -- shifted from DIY to visions of a deal with a big British major label.  But more importantly, it convinced those who had never taken the band seriously to actually have a listen.  In other words: "if it's on RCA England, it must be good."

Death In The Family featured three songs, including "All The Pain", featuring the double-guitar interplay of its Television-like coda.  Reportedly, they had also recorded a cover version of The Animals' "It's My Life".  But it apparently was never mixed and is seemingly now lost to the ages.

 

However, as happens in these sort of things, personality clashes would get the best of the group.  It's not known if The Dishrags broke up immediately after or during the recording of Death In The Family.    Nonetheless, it was released posthumously (irony, anyone?).

Years later, the songs, including demos were released on a collection called Love/Hate.

You can download it below.

 

The Dishrags - Love/Hate:

1	Dishrags	I Don't Love You	1:42
2	Dishrags	Bullshit	1:07
3	Dishrags	Past Is Past	2:23
4	Dishrags	Tormented	1:06
5	Dishrags	Love Is Shit	1:18
6	Dishrags	Love/Hate	3:33
7	Dishrags	Carry On	1:23
8	Dishrags	You Fit The Picture	1:56
9	Dishrags	Sold Out	2:14
10	Dishrags	Cement	1:53
11	Dishrags	Silence	2:35
12	Dishrags	Can't Wait	1:08
13	Dishrags	Quiet Little Table	2:39
14	Dishrags	Nowhere To Hide	4:08
15	Dishrags	Death In The Family	2:29
16	Dishrags	Beware Of Dog	2:33
17	Dishrags	All The Pain	3:29
18	Dishrags	I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You	1:23
19	Dishrags	Vicious	1:58
20	Dishrags	Janie Jones	1:46
21	Dishrags	Loving Person	2:01
22	Dishrags	Friday Night Date	2:11
23	Dishrags	Cravin' A...	1:38
24	Dishrags	High Society Snob	1:32
25	Dishrags	Gang War	2:54

Crash Kills Five

First there was a Calgary band by the name of Buick McKane (evidently taking their moniker from a common misspelling of the Marc Bolan song, Buick Mackane), featuring Brian Connelly on rhythm guitar and vocals and Reid Diamond on bass.  They were joined by drummer Rob Wynne and lead guitarist Bob Keast.  Keast eventually left, with Connelly taking over full guitar duty and Scott Reed taking over vocals.  Bob Wynne was eventually replaced by Alex Koch, whose brother, Steve, was the one-time guitarist for both the Demics and the Viletones. 

After Buick McKane, Alex, Brian and Reid left for Toronto.  They hooked up with Donald Pyle on vocals and formed Crash Kills Five. But shortly before recording their EP, Brian Connelly left the band, to be replaced by Mohammed "Eddy" Nagdee (seen on the far-right in the photo below) from Toronto Punk band, The Dents (SOMEBODY PLEASE SEND ME RECORDINGS, IF ANY, OF THE DENTS!!!). 

(Photo courtesy of The Shadowy Site On A Shadowy Web)

Four years after this EP was released, Don Pyle and Reid Diamond hooked up once more with Brian Connelly, to form Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet.  Reid Diamond died of cancer, on February 17, 2001. 

Crash Kills Five: What Do You Do At Night?

1	Crash Kills Five	What Do You Do At Night?	1:57
2	Crash Kills Five	It's Always There	1:40
3	Crash Kills Five	Special School	1:54

The Government (No...Not THAT One)

I'll take this Government over any particular one we've had in the last few years.
At times funky, sometimes angular, oftentimes art-punky and always quirky, witty, sardonic and above all: clever.  By most accounts ,Toronto's The Government  became legendary among the the city's legendary booze-hops and music galleries: The Beverly Tavern, The Edge, The Crash And Burn, Larry Hideaway, and -- quite naturally, The Music Gallery.

In 1979, they recorded a live soundtrack to a full-length video  production.  They released it as Electric Eye.

Anyway, The Government was led by interdisciplinary artist Andrew J. Paterson.  He was the heart and soul of the group, serving as the band's singer, songwriter, composer and guitarist for most of their work.  

Paterson was joined by bassist Robert Stewart, guitarist Jeremiah Chechik and drummer Ed Boyd -- later to be replaced by Billy Bryans, who played on their last recording before co-founding The Parachute Club.

In 1979, Paterson et al recorded the single "Hemingway Hated Disco"/"I Only Drive My Car At Night".

Later that year, they recorded the 33 1/3 RPM EP.

They followed that one in 1980 with the excellent, Guest List LP.  Consisting of 14 songs, this was their magnum opus.

Guest List gave way to How Many Fingers?.  The Government was finally defeated (well, okay...they disbanded.  I was trying to be clever.) in 1982.

[No Cover...Click The Album Name Below]

The Government - Electric Eye (1979):

1	The Government	Greetings From The Gutter	3:22
2	The Government	Letter To Craig/It Must Be God	4:45
3	The Government	Downtown/I Only Drive My Car At Night	2:52
4	The Government	Fumigators	4:27
5	The Government	On The Prowl	4:39
6	The Government	I Don't Really Care	4:04
7	The Government	Following You	2:07
8	The Government	On The Prowl/I Feel Like A Beer	2:36
9	The Government	I'm Somebody	1:36
10	The Government	Gunshot Wound	2:56
11	The Government	Following You/It Must Be God	2:15
12	The Government	Loading Of Gun, Shootout, Escape	1:22
13	The Government	Parking Ticket	4:31
14	The Government	Greetings From The Gutter Reprise	0:50

The Government - Hemingway Hated Disco Music (1979):


1. Hemingway (Hated Disco)     1:41


2. I Only Drive My Car At Night  3:00

The Government - 33^1/3 RPM E.P. (1979):

1		Flat Tire	2:19
2		Get You Sleepin'	4:11
3		Zippers of Fire	4:00
4		Sponge	2:21

The Government - Guest List (1980):

1		(I’d Rather Be A) Real Computer	3:08
2		Basic Motel	2:10
3		Acute Angle	1:36
4		Complications	2:26
5		None Of The Above	3:10
6		White	2:39
7		Nippon Gaki	2:30
8		Information	3:00
9		Exit Line	2:14
10		Telephobia	1:51
11		I Can't Swim	2:17
12		Fire Escape	3:42
13		Jackboots	3:39
14		Thursday	1:44

The Government - How Many Fingers? (1981):

1		How Many Fingers?	7:17
2		Plaza del Pimps	3:07
3		Portrait	2:35
4		Paranoid Downtown Funk Pt. 1	2:31

John Paul Young Uses His Carboard Brains

Vocals:  John Paul Young
Bass:   Patrick Gregory; John Thomas (Replaced Gregory, 1979)
Guitar:  Vincent Carlucci
Drums:  Mickel Keena; Dave Richardson (Replaced Keena, 1979)

Toronto's Cardboard Brains formed in September of 1976.  They played the same Queen Street clubs -- The Edge, The Horseshoe Tavern, etc. -- as the Viletones, Teenage Head, The Ugly and others, defining the strip as the epicenter of a New Music movement.  But unlike the aforementioned groups, Cardboard Brains' musical output was brainier, with a "unique, King Crimson-inspired art-punk" sound: intelligent lyrics, and decidedly Post-Punk before the term even came into being.    Throughout a series of lineup changes, the one constant has been singer and group leader, John Paul Young (and possibly Vince Carlucci). 



In 1977, the band released a four-song EP called simply, 'The White EP'. 

Naturally, when they followed it up in 1979 with another four-song EP of original songs, they called it, 'The Black EP'.    The group was also immortalized in the film and record, “The Last Pogo”, that year. 


However, John Paul Young  (not to be confused with the Scottish “Love Is In The Air” JPY) seemingly wasn't satisfied.  With the official death of Toronto punk, he decided to go solo so he could produce "a more stable and reliable format" for his musical yearnings.  In 1980 he released a new set of semi-autobiographical recordings, which he called “The Life of Ermie Scub”, on which he played all the instruments.  These are the dark tales of a presumably lonely boy, an errant genius who was clearly ahead of his time and lost in his own fantasies. 


The Cardboard Brains reunited on April 26, 1981 for The Edge's brief resurrection and anniversary celebration.  Recordings from this show were released as a live album before the band split up for good. 


Patrick Gregory went on to form Woods Are Full Of Cuckoos as well as The Lawn.  Vincent Carlucci would perform in Station Twang and John Paul Young worked as an actor and has contributed to movie soundtracks.  He has since resurrected the band to coincide with the release of a “Best of” compilation, which is no longer available.  


I once had the pleasure of meeting John Paul Young, in 1998.  I was working towards a documentary on the Canadian Punk Rock scene of 1976-1979 and was doing some research when I found out he was releasing the John Paul Young And Cardboard Brains compilation, which he dedicated to his brother.  I bought it off him for $20.  (In the interests of full disclosure, I've divided up the songs into the original releases, for archival and educational/informational purposes.)


      Interesting sidenote: John Paul Young is a decendant of Brigham Young as well as Dr. Robert Goddard, the father of American rocketry.  

Cardboard Brains - The White EP (1977):

 1. I Want To Be A Yank
2. Can Stress Kill
3. Stepping Stone
4. Living Inside My Head

Cardboard Brains - The Last Pogo (1979):

1. Babies Run My World
2. Jungles

Cardboard Brains - The Black EP (1979): 

1. Caesar Drives A Fast Car
2. Out, Out, Out
3. And So I Hide
4. The Rescue Crew

THANKS TO TONE & WAVE FOR THE UPLOAD! 

John Paul Young - The Life Of Ermie Scub (1980):

1. Ermie Has Feelers
2. All The Sad Goodbyes
3. Have You Seen The Boy In The Gutter With The Broken Mind?
4. Our Time Escapes
5. Summertime!
6. Is That Why?
7. The Monster In Ed
8. The Girl Spells Grief
9. Angels With Dirty Faces
10. Boulevards Of Hope
11. Surrender To The Void




(No Cover Available -- Click On The Link Below)


Cardboard Brains - Live At The Edge (1982):

1. Ermie Has Feelers
2. Have You Seen The Boy In The Gutter With The Broken Mind

John Paul Young and Cardboard Brains (1998):

1. World Within A Dream

Battered Wives and Cigarettes

Toby Swann: Vocals, Guitars

John Gibb: Vocals, Guitars

Cleave Anderson: Drums

Jasper (aka Larry) Klassen: Vocals, Bass

Patrick Mooney: Drums (Replaced Anderson)

The Battered Wives were part of that same Queen Street scene that spawned The Viletones, Diodes, Teenage Head, The Curse, The Ugly and dozens of other bands that populated Toronto's downtown during the lava-hot summer of 1977. 

Naturally, with a moniker like "Battered Wives", they were no stranger to controversy.  Women's groups were critical of not only the band's name but their logo: a fist with a lipstick smeared across the knuckles.  The band never apologized for the name, claiming they were drunk when they chose it.

Women reportedly picketed every venue they played.  But the constant controversy and media attention became too much for Cleave Anderson (who, seemingly, has played with virtually every Toronto punk rock band from the era).  He would leave the band to join The Sharks (with Sherri Kean of "I Want You Back" fame), to be replaced by Patrick Mooney.

Eventually, they bowed to public and record company pressure, releasing their follow-up as The Wives.  They opened for Elvis Costello on the European leg of his tour.  But with no promotion for the western gigs, the group asked to be released from their deal with Bomb records.  Ready Records picked them up and even let them use the "Battered" prefix in their original name.

Ah, but all things must come to an end, or at least a whimper.  Punk rock's hedonism petered away and the band split up.  British born Toby Swann had a solo career and founded Gamma Gamma.  Jasper Klassen became a successful Nashville songwriter.  John Gibb returned to his business career.  Patrick Mooney played with several Toronto bands.  Cleave Anderson would have the most success, of course, as a member of Blue Rodeo.

Meanwhile, here's something interesting (as pointed out by Beau of It Came From Canada -- please visit his site...he's got some neat stuff there!):

Listen to "Angry Young Man" and you'll notice a mysterious resemblance to the J. Geils Band's "Freeze-Frame".  "AYM" came out in 1977/78, while "FF" was released in 1982.

Makes you wonder. 

Battered Wives (1978):

1	Battered Wives	Daredevil	2:57
2	Battered Wives	I Want It All	3:08
3	Battered Wives	Get What I Can	3:18
4	Battered Wives	Uganda Stomp	2:59
5	Battered Wives	Suicide	3:52
6	Battered Wives	Angry Young Man	2:20
7	Battered Wives	You Better Be Right	2:35
8	Battered Wives	Lovers Balls	3:42
9	Battered Wives	Everybody Loves A Loser	3:24
10	Battered Wives	Freedom Fighter	3:36
11	Battered Wives	Talkin' Shop Liftin'	4:18
12	Battered Wives	Something She's Hiding	3:04
13	Battered Wives	Best Part Of A Man	3:33
14	Battered Wives	Rocking Good Summer	2:02
15	Battered Wives	Rodeo	3:58
16	Battered Wives	Bad News	2:56

By The Way:

Thanks To Shane For The Following Upload!!!

 

This is the Wives' ultra-rare second album, Cigarettes. It's the sound of The Man winning the argument: as the band shortened their name.    Not as "Punk Rock" as their earlier material, but still great.  I'm hearing these songs for the first time and I love 'em. 

Enjoy.

Cigarettes (1979):

1	Battered Wives	Ready Or Not	3:10
2	Battered Wives	New Wave Robot	3:11
3	Battered Wives	Afraid Of The Dark	3:48
4	Battered Wives	Windy Beach	2:32
5	Battered Wives	Run For Your Life	3:33
6	Battered Wives	Hit And Run	2:49
7	Battered Wives	Plastic Princess	2:59
8	Battered Wives	(I Love) Telling You Lies	2:26
9	Battered Wives	Fantasy	2:38
10	Battered Wives	Wake Me When It's Over	2:53
11	Battered Wives	Mandy	5:13
12	Battered Wives	Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll	2:52
13	Battered Wives	Pass Out	2:59
14	Battered Wives	Love Abuse	2:53
15	Battered Wives	Factory Girls	4:11
16	Battered Wives	Classified	3:40
17	Battered Wives	Giddy	2:04

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

Uh-Oh Canada! - Vol. 1 (Fan Comp)

Here's an early Christmas gift for you:

This is a fan compilation I made, of nothing but Canadian underground rock from between 1975-1995. This is the first in a series of similar comps I'm putting together.

I've tried to put together a nice mix of different styles, from straight-ahead Punk Rock and Garage Punk, to Alt-Country, New Wave and Post-Punk, Jazz-Funk, Jangle-Pop, Space Rock, Industrial and Reggae. While many of the songs and artists might not be "definitive" of Canadian punk rock ("What...? No Teenage Head? No DOA?, etc."), during the time frame I've provided, I've tried to concentrate on some selections that might not immediately come to mind.

Rest assured, the so-called "definitives" will be included in subsequent volumes.

I know the cover is a bit cheesy and lame (trust me...it's hard to find good band photos out there without copyright -- this one's courtesy of Chris Barry and the late Bryan Damaged c/o Punk History Canada dot com). Originally I was going to call it "Uh-Oh Canaduh!"... but that was too much of a ripoff of the Oh Canaduh series of punk rock covers. I might re-change it altogether, I don't know.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers.


(VA) Uh-Oh Canada! - Vol. 1 (Fan Comp):

	1 Tankhog I Woke Up In Love This Morning 3:17 2 54-40 Walk In Line 4:20 3 222s First Studio Bomb 2:21 4 Viletones Dirty Feeling 3:04 5 Nostrils I'm Vile 2:16 6 Crash Vegas The One That Keeps Me Running 4:41 7 Red Tide My Son Is A Kuwahara 1:21 8 Cottage Industry Theme From Superstar 3:54 9 Shuffle Demons Spadina Bus 3:59 10 Ceramic Hello Sampling The Blast Furnace 4:27 11 Jr. Gone Wild Poet's Highway 4:15 12 Heimlich Maneuver Takin The A-Train For Jesus 3:27 13 Gruesomes For All I Care 3:09 14 Grievous Angels Gordie And My Old Man 3:38 15 Payola$ China Boys 3:17 16 Simply Saucer Nazi Apocalypse 3:10 17 Animal Slaves Cocoon 4:21 18 Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet Having An Average Weekend 2:37 19 Rupert Bailey and the Swingers Mississauga Evacuation 6:49 20 Moev Yeah, Whatever 5:53 21 Eastbound To Kennedy Bang 3:48 22 The Negatives Echos 4:02