Punk Rock

EMQ’s with CANAVAR

EMQ’s with CANAVAR

Hi everyone. Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with UK based Punk Rock band, Canavar. Huge thanks to them all for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Rowan- bass
Toby – drums
Jack – lead guitar
Dek – guitar and lead vocals

We met through skateboarding around 2010 and then formed a Rock band through our love of music and skateboarding. We became The Bitter-Town Hounds, all the way up until 2018, in that time we played many shows with awesome bands and also hit the states to record our first album with punk legend Dan Wleklinski. As Canavar we have toured parts of the US, recorded with Dan twice and played a crap load of great punk rock shows.

How did you come up with your band name?

Dek was playing some army game on the PlayStation and there was a tank called the ‘Canavar’ which means monster, we thought that sounds pretty cool. The reason we agreed on the name and changed to it in the first place, was because we wanted something short and snappy, Canavar worked great … up until people mistake it for cavenar, caviar etc., ha ha!

Where are you from and what is the Metal & Rock scene like there?

Gosport massive! Nothing here… but a little trip over to Southampton and the firehouse is booming with metalheads, we love it.

What is your latest release?

Our self-tilted debut album, which is available on everything basically! Go check it out.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Metallica, Rise Against, Slayer, Pearl Jam … the list goes on!

What first got you into music?

For me (Toby) and Rowan, our parents for sure! My dad always quizzed us on who plays the song on the radio, took a while to ever get it right! For Dek Green Day appeared and the fact he hated his own parents music taste.. ha ha!. Tony Hawk’s pro skater soundtrack got Jack itchy fingers.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?

Well Metallica of course … or Eddie Vedder.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

One of the original Monsters Of Rock obviously… because it always had a badass line up!

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

Gift? Fans? What are those?
Probably a bra.. but Dek gave it back at the end of the song..

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Come to our gigs, tell your friends!

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy were awesome.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

It’s a great creative outlet, also so fun going crazy on stage… we hate buying guitar strings!

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

That musicians got paid fairly for online streams etc.! Also that more shows were zero waste and touring bands had the ability to be more eco-friendly on the road, maybe take a note out of Jack Johnson’s book.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

“…And Justice For All!” It’s always blasting on the road!

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?

That’s a tough question… I’d say physical copies are amazing because you have something to go through and look at, but downloads are also amazing (if paid for properly) because you can have so many choices in such an instant!

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

Fort Wayne, Indiana! 88 Fingers Louie played an amazing set straight after us! We had the most fun on stage we ever had and the energy bounced straight off us onto the crowd. We also met some interesting characters to say the least!

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Surfing… but probably even more

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Jesus, Dan Wleklinski, Gandalf, Ozzy, Kyle Pilkington

What’s next for the band?

Releasing our new album Living After! And playing tons of shows!

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

Mainly YouTube and Facebook, with a little Instagram!

Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?

You’ve now ruined our dinner with debate… thanks for that!

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Nice to chat!! Dek is still going on about Jaffa CAKES… so sorry we are going to have to call it one, talk soon!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

EMQ’s with THE MAN FROM ALPHABET

EMQ’s with THE MAN FROM ALPHABET

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQ’s interview, this time with USA Punk Rockers, The Man From Alphabet. Huge thanks to their Bass player, Dustin Treinen, for taking part.

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

Dustin Treinen – Bass

I have been wanting to cover “Killer Klowns from Outer Space” for several years, so I finally decided to spearhead this project with a few of my music friends. This whole lockdown thing felt like a good time to make it happen. I just hit up the guys I felt would be best for this song and then we made it happen. I view The Man From Alphabet more as a music collective than a band. The line-up on this latest single will be heavily involved, but the line-up for various singles and EP’s will vary.

How did you come up with your band name?

While reading Malcom Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point”, I learned of a Sesame Street character that was a focus group failure. This character was used in the very first advertisement for Sesame Street in the back of a Batman comic, but when this character was introduced to kids in a focus group, they found him strange and confusing. That character was named The Man From Alphabet. The name itself is even confusing, it’s a person from an intangible object.

What country are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

USA – The rock and metal scene is pretty big here.

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single or Video)

“Killer Klowns from Outer Space”- A cover song originally done by LA punk rock legends, The Dickies, as the theme song for the 80’s cult classic movie.

Who have been your greatest influences?

Primus, Nirvana, Metallica, Pantera, Mogwai, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, and Norma Jean.

What first got you into music?

I began playing bass when I was 14. I had friends who played drums and guitar, and while I liked the idea of playing guitar, I realized there weren’t a lot of bass players out there, so I figured if I could get really good at bass, I would be in higher demand among bands. Hearing Primus for the first time around that time was really inspirational too, since the band is completely bass driven.

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

Dave Grohl. He’s played in three of my favourite rock bands, has the best drumming style, and he seems like a great guy to hang with, so I’m confident we’d get along well and write some really cool music together.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Maybe the Reading & Leeds festival in England. I’ve always wanted to play in Europe and still haven’t had the opportunity to do so.

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

A very bad drawing of myself!

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Find what makes you happy and do it.

If you could bring one Metal/Rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

Nirvana – I’d love to see what they would have evolved into

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

I just love to play bass alongside other musicians. When I really gel with someone musically, I feel a connection to them.

I hate all the administrative work because it’s so consuming.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

That musicians could actually make good money from streaming.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

Smashing Pumpkins – “Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

I’d love to get into collecting vinyl. I love the giant album artwork and the sound quality of vinyl records, but I’m a sucker for convenience so I’m a downloads/streaming guy.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

That’s a tough one. At this point in my career, I’ve played around a thousand shows. One of my most memorable and lifechanging shows was when I filled in for a band called Lonely Estates, when they opened for Blondie. This was back when I still lived in Nebraska. At that point I had never played in a band that I wasn’t a member of, but I played the biggest show of my life as a fill-in and it felt great. I played the songs perfectly and it inspired me to move to LA to give myself a chance to pursue music as a career.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

Voice acting for animation

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

Conan O’Brien, Weird Al, Dave Grohl, Larry David, and Les Claypool.

What’s next for the band?

We will be releasing some originals, as well as some more remakes of some of my nostalgic favourites, so stay tuned!

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

Mostly Instagram, but also Facebook and TikTok

Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?

I had to Google this because I hadn’t heard of them. They don’t even look familiar to me so I’m guessing we don’t have them in the states. That being said, I don’t believe I have enough knowledge of Jaffa Cakes to be able to have an opinion on this.

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Our debut video has gained a great deal of traction on YouTube, so thank you all for enjoying it!

D.O.A Live at The Rickshaw Theatre, Canada – 20.11.2021

D.O.A Live
The Rickshaw Theatre, Canada
20.11.2021
Photography by Arturs Fiests

D.O.A. are Vancouver’s legendary Punk Kings, who helped spread punk rock counterculture around the world. The band’s sound and philosophy has been held together by Canada’s Godfather of punk Joey “Shithead” Keithley’s songwriting, singing, and guitar playing. November 20, 2021 Vancouver’s very own fathers of hardcore punk D.O.A. returned to the Rickshaw Theatre to celebrate the 40th anniversary of ‘Hardcore 81’ record.

Disclaimer: This photo album is solely the property of Arturs Feists. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of these images, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

The Goners – Good Mourning

The Goners – Good Mourning
RidingEasy Records
Release Date: 13/03/2020
Running Time: 41:37
Review by Alun Jones
8.5/10

This little beauty threw off it’s shackles and ran for the hills, almost without me noticing. I’m blaming the societal breakdown caused by Corona virus, obviously not an oversight on my part. No, sir. “Good Mourning” – the debut album from The Goners – was released back in March 2020; just before the world turned into a 1970’s Charlton Heston dystopian sci-fi movie.

The Goners are comprised of Nate Gone – formerly of Salem’s Pot – on vocals, with four dudes from Swedish rock band Yvonne. “Good Mourning” is a throw-back to zoned-out good times and bizarro occult rock, with absolutely no regret the morning after.

First song ‘Are You Gone Yet’ sets the pace nicely: fuzzy 60’s garage rock with a proto metal ferocity. With the next track, ‘High, Low And Never In Between’, the Goners throw in more of their other specialty – 70’s doom with groovy, care-free freak outs.

Wonderfully out of time, this retro feast also sounds totally now. You can throw this on your portable music system and liven up any social gathering (so long as you stay far enough apart). Press play and jump around all crazy-style to ‘Evil (Is Not Enough)’ and ‘The Little Blue’ – this is Black Sabbath if they were a Stones cover band.

Plus – and this seals the deal – a couple of fine, desert bleached songs in ‘Good Ol’ Death’ and ‘Dead In The Saddle’ that rattle with a dread atmosphere. Absolutely essential for your next David Lynch/rockabilly/goth themed horror party.

“Good Mourning” by The Goners, then: if you’re a werewolf biker trapped in a cursed world you never made, but like to let your scraggy hair down with chicks from a Russ Meyer movie – this is for you. Great cover art, too.

I’ve thought I was a goner myself, on a few occasions: most of them involving my old mucker Ozzy Osbourne. One time, we were drinking in a golf club in LA and got thrown out, as you can imagine. So, Ozzy decided to go for a joyride in a golf buggy, with me on shotgun. He was flooring it, but we were only going at a jogging pace, so the golfers soon caught us up and were ready to brain us with their hitty-stick things.

All of a sudden, Oz drove the buggy over a hill and we toppled into a sand dune (bunker?). We were lucky we were thrown clear and the buggy just managed to avoid crushing the pair of us. The golfers took pity and consoled us with a nice brandy in the clubhouse. Till the cops turned up, and dragged Ozzy and me off to jail. The whole time, we were both wearing Sharon’s dresses.

TRACKLISTING:
01. Are You Gone Yet
02. High, Low and Never In Between
03. World Of Decay
04. Evil (Is Not Enough)
05. Good Ol’ Death
06. The Sickening
07. Down and Out
08. You Better Run
09. The Little Blue
10 Dead In The Saddle (Dead Moon)

LINE-UP:
Nate Gone
Mick Dagger
Vic Odin
Timo Tinto
Grave Dave

LINKS:
www.thegonestgoners.bandcamp.com/
www.facebook.com/thegonestgoners/
www.instagram.com/thegonestgoners/
www.open.spotify.com/artist/6Sm7cJ4MVMohAkynq7uEhS
www.ridingeasyrecs.com/

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Alun Jones and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Lucifer Star Machine – The Devil’s Breath

Lucifer Star Machine – The Devil’s Breath
The Sign Records
Release Date: 03/04/2020
Running Time: 42:42
Review by Dark Juan
Rating 8/10

It is evening at Dark Juan Terrace, Mrs. Dark Juan is making facemasks upstairs in her eyrie and I have the pleasure of the company of Number Two Furry Son Sir Igor Egbert Bryan Clown-Shoe Cleavage-Hoover while I write this. When I say pleasure, I use the term loosely as he is variously shouting at me for my beer or trying to steal my crisp butty, the thieving little hellhound bastard. I have trained him well. He has been exiled from the eyrie because he is such an unutterable tiny terror. He honestly bullies a dog four times his weight. He has now left the room and I am instead blessed with the anal artistry of Number Three Furry Son Hodgson Biological-Weapon. He has just dropped a fartbomb of such stupendous filth that even he has left the room in disgust. Do you see what I have to endure in order to bring you such factual and splendid record reviews, dear children of the dark? I will attempt to stave off oxygen starvation and the possibility of being poisoned in order to bring you the benefit of my wisdom regarding Lucifer Star Machine’s latest opus “The Devil’s Breath”…

I don’t mind telling you, Novichok has nothing on that dog’s arse. I had to leave the room for a good ten minutes. Not a problem because I needed to get another beer.

Lucifer Star Machine are a German punk n roll band formed initially (and somewhat confusingly) in London, however they now reside in Hamburg and now have an all German line-up. With stage names. Dark Juan likes stage names. But theirs aren’t as good as his. He thinks…

Yeah, enough of the nonsense. What do Lucifer Star Machine sound like? The blurb the PR company very kindly sent says, “The Devil’s Breath is a high-energy mixture of classic rock, punk, a touch of metal, and a hint of 1950’s Rock’n’Roll…”

They are nearly right – there’s little to no metal on display here. It’s rock and roll and punk fused. And it’s pretty damned good. Imagine The Offspring and “Earth A.D.” era Misfits meeting Nekromantix and having a bloody good piss up together and then forming a band and you have a rough idea of what this bunch of German miscreants sound like. You’re fortunate – I have decided to forgo the usual nauseating sadomasochistic sexual metaphor I normally employ. It’s been a trying day. Frankly any album that starts with the words “Catholic Church sex abuse scandal” has already earned a million goodwill points considering my virulently anti-church stance (no matter how much fun it is deflowering virgin Christian girls upon the sacred altar in front of a packed house of increasingly shocked parishioners while the priest weeps quietly in the corner and I shout “Hail Satan!” at the moment of completion. Thus, another goth girl is created and the Church loses another sheep from the flock…) and sets the tone for a record that, although done before by the likes of the Hellacopters et al, has a certain charm all its own.

Opening cut ‘The Void’ crashes into the lugholes like a six foot, and ridiculously friendly pink mohicaned punk who’s pissed up at half ten in the morning and has staggered by accident into your venue of choice. This is good time music. Music you drink to and dance and do stupid things to. The kind of music that inspires Jackass style madness off your garden chair involving you, Smudgy the cat, the paddling pool and five very drunk friends. And a trip to hospital. And every song is like that. Speedy, fun, entertaining and well produced and accessible. Some punk can be samey and difficult to listen to and LSM are not like that. It does make it hard to pick standout songs from the record because it is an album that rewards you listening to it as a complete body of work rather than a song here and there. Lucifer Star Machine are the soundtrack to your stupidest ideas and they are to be commended for that. Every song is pretty much three chord punk madness, but played with a sense of fun and enjoyment you seldom hear on a record until you get to the last track which is the title track. Where Lucifer Star Machine delve perilously close to Green Day style chart bothering with acoustic guitar but thankfully with a suitably satanic lyrical content to save it from my righteous fury. That was a close one, meine herren!

Dark Juan officially recommends Lucifer Star Machine to your attention. If you like something less heavy occasionally then you’ll probably love it. If you’re a snotty purist, go fuck yourself. With a JCB or something. Make it count.

The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (Das Patentierte Dunkle Juan Blutspritzer Bewertungssystem) awards Lucifer Star Machine 8/10 for a jolly hockey sticks, fun record that will be best enjoyed fucking hammered on a beach with ladies all around you. Of course, Dark Juan would do this while in the black desert in Iceland with Nordic hotties everywhere. Just saying…

TRACKLISTING:
01. The Void
02. Dwell In Misery
03. Cruel Hearts
04. Baby, When You Cry
05. The Night Is Young
06. Eat Dust
07. A Touch Of Death
08. El Camino Real
09. Pretender
10. Evil Blood
11. Midnight Crawler
12. Your Love Remains
13. Devil’s Breath

LINE-UP:
Tor Abyss – Throat
Mickey Necro – Guitars
Marshall Speed – Guitars
Benny Zin – Bass
Jay Impact – Drums

LINKS:
www.luciferstarmachine.com/
www.facebook.com/luciferstarmachine/
www.instagram.com/lucifer_star_machine/
www.spotify.com/artist/0OadEGpCQGopnStMsULCig
www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ0btWSJQ5kJE3RMn8yDyYA

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of ‘Dark Juan’ and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.

Hembree And The Satan Sisters – F.Y.F

Hembree And The Satan Sisters – F.Y.F
Rusty Knuckles Music
Release Date: 20/09/2019
Running Time: 15:00
Reviewed By Dark Juan
2/10

It is Monday evening at Dark Juan Terrace, and I have just finished a one hundred hour working week. My gospel and my litany of hatred won’t preach itself, you know. But here I am writing to you, my good people, because I am nothing if not generous with my time and my energies in sharing the One True Path of extreme music with you, my beloved brethren. This review is being brought to you by Camden Hells lager, a withering and rapidly increasing dislike of the human race at large and a violent reaction to the stupidity of large sections of society. Also, I’m listening to a punk rock record. So, in the timeless fashion of snot-nosed 70s punkers, modern day crust punk and anyone who is still interested in Crass and The Anti – Nowhere League I’m going to condense all this simmering hatred into two politically aware and savvy sentences:
Fuck Boris Johnson and his fucking crew of rapacious rich boy capitalist cunts. If you’re working class and vote Tory, you’re a fucking class traitor, mate.
Because that was what British punk was all about innit? All about raging against the machine, socially aware rage dressed up in fake, barely coherent and frequently explicit three chord, two-minute blasts masquerading as songs.
Hembree And The Satan Sisters are like that, musically at least. This Atlanta, Georgia crew have taken the three chord punk blueprint and have run with it. And then run with it some more. And then kept running until they came to some colossal and immovable obstacle (like Boris motherfucking Johnson) and then turned around and ran all the back. Ground breaking music this ain’t. It’s a well produced 1970s Oi! record. It’s all style and very little original substance, with an even more childish reliance than my own on swearing to make their point. To that end, I was not entertained. In fact, I have been extremely disappointed. Hang on…..
My apologies. Igor the Evil One decided he wanted to fight. I had to best the little beast lest he got an overwhelming sense of his own importance. It was what was necessary to avoid being shouted at for several hours…..
Yes, lowest common denominator three chord punk aimed at rebellious 15 year olds angry at their own parents, with no political or social commentary – the things that made punk RELEVANT in the first place. Instead the entire record is just a general middle finger to basically everyone and everything. Even my hatred is narrow and targeted and just shouting “Fuck you and fuck everyone else as well!” does not a rebellious attitude make. In anything it’s a bit pathetic. Marks lost for making me think you don’t have access to a thesaurus, Hembree…
The band’s sound – have I said that they are a three chord punk band yet? They sound like a less raw Black Flag mixed with the glossy shine of latter day Misfits, both bands that I have a lot of time for. However, it’s dated as fuck, man, and trying to weld some sort of emo-tinged outward hatred of everything to a classic sound done a million times before doesn’t really work. It doesn’t have the teenaged, snot nosed confidence of the Ramones, nor the absolute sonic rage of crust punkers such as Hellbastard or Lazarus Blackstar and it just sounds like a middle-aged man shouting for no good reason. And that’s sad. That’s why this record leaves me utterly cold.
I can’t recommend a single song on the album. From the opening rant (entitled “The Longhaired Weirdo Speaks!”) to the closing spoken word nonsense it’s all generic and a bit dull although “Dancin’ At Your Suicide” has an odd 50s rock ‘n’ roll vibe very reminiscent of the Misfits’ “Saturday Night”.
I’m not writing any more on this band because it’s a waste of your and my time. It has even robbed me of my trademark humour. It’s not truly fucking awful like Warrior Soul’s last two records, but it has no redeeming qualities either. I’m bored.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System just can’t be arsed. 2/10.

Track list
The Longhaired Weirdo Speaks! (I wish he wouldn’t. He has nothing to say.)
Fuck Your Religion And Fuck Your Politics (Yeah, man, fuck yours too. Political discourse in action.)
A Devil’s Warning (You boys aren’t devils. I serve the devil. You ain’t him. You don’t have any horns. Or the kind of withering sarcasm Old Nick does so well.)
Say It To My Face (OK, your band is a bit crap, mate.)
Nothing To Prove (Fucking good job really.)
Rape This Land (Generally you need a blitzkrieg or at least a strong armoured thrust to do this. I don’t think the band have a panzer regiment complete with combat pioneers and panzer grenadiers to hand…)
Dancin’ At Your Suicide (Suicide is no fucking joke, lads. No fucking joke at all.)
Who’s Laughin’ Now (Not me. Also, Dancing and laughing have a letter G at the end of them. I hate it when bands do this gettin’ rid of the G at the end of words. It boils my piss nearly as much as a Warrior Soul album. This is not a criticism of Hembree And The Satan Sisters. This is Dark Juan focusing his righteous fury in the direction of idiots.)
The Longhaired Weirdo Speaks Again! (Do shut up, dear boy.)
Hembree And The Satan Sisters are:
Zachery M. Hembree- Lead Vocals
Ash Miltiades- Lead and Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
KD/DC-Rhythm Guitar
Charley Ferlito-Bass/Backing Vocals
Parker Bradshaw-Drums
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/HembreeandTheSatanSisters/

Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.