Remembering Roehrs - RIP

Maximum Rock and Roll magazine’s website posted a solemn comment on March 17 reporting long-time columnist, Bruce Roehrs, “passed away peacefully in his home.”

Maximum Rock and Roll is one of the longest running punk-zines, starting in 1977, and quite possibly the most reputable when it comes to coverage. It’s like this: if your band gets mentioned in Max RNR, you wear the mark of underground acknowledgement. Providing publicity for thousands of new hardcore bands over the last thirty years, Roehrs is Archbishop of Max RNR blessings.

Roehrs wasn’t a journalist, but he was educated. He attended the University of Miami in the 60s, where he developed a love for old school garage rock. Through the 70s he worked a number of blue-collar jobs, eventually ending up in San Francisco. By the end of the decade, he couldn’t stay away from the nightly DIY scene showcasing the new punk bands. This is where he met Max RNR founder Tim Yohannen, who recognized Roehrs from being at a bunch of shows, and recruited him to write reviews for his young zine.

In essence, Roehrs had a knack for recognizing great hardcore. He loved groups that did away with filler – like, now legendary bands, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and Agnostic Front. The faster, louder, and more aggressive the better for Roehrs, and that is what he found in the budding early 80s hardcore scenes across the Western US. Publicizing the new style of rock, which was scaring most of the listening public, became Roehrs’s vocation. The spirit of hardcore was embedded into Roehr’s writing. His articles were often laden with four-letter words, and always ended with a now retired tagline, “See you at the bar.”

In one of his last articles, he reviewed Agnostic Front’s 1983 EP “Victim In Pain” that was recently re-released on Bridge 9 Records. His love for the band bleeds through the write-up: “‘Blind Justice’ has one of the best breakdowns ever committed to hardcore vinyl” he claims, a sentiment that I truly have thrown around in my head ever since I heard the tune. I am sure his passion was mirrored in many of the opinions of his readers. Check out the entire review at Bridge 9’s blog.

The passion Roehrs had for the new punk and hardcore of the 80s, 90s, and today led to many of his favourite bands boosting in popularity due to his praiseful penmanship. He was a lover of the first wave punk bands like Motorhead, Cock Sparrer and UK Subs, and then the ensuing wrath of American hardcore that got its start where he was writing in the San Francisco Bay/Los Angeles areas, and spreading all the way up the West Coast, even to Vancouver where DOA made Canadian hardcore a reality in the late 70s. He also used him column to promote the underdogs. For example, his praise of AntiSeen in the late 80s in his Max RNR column helped create a following for the now renowned band. Jeff Clayton, AntiSeen’s lead singer, posted “We’ll never forget you brother .… RIP” on the “Never Forget Bruce Roehrs” Facebook group page.

The legendary punk writer will undoubtedly be missed by many people involved with punk and hardcore music. Rest in peace to a visionary, and an inspiration.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian printed Roehrs’s obituary on March 24.
Join the “Never Forget Bruce Roehrs” Facebook Group.

With sources from the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and maximumrockandroll.com.

Originallu published by campusintel.com

NativeLit 101

I am about half-way through my NativeLit research project for my final Honours course before graduating this spring, and have found a plethora of interesting reading to share with you. Be warned - I am not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about it.

NativeLit is possibly the hottest literary genre in Canada right now. There are many reasons for this: it’s a relatively new genre in the scope of CanLit, making its debut, arguably, between 25 and 40 years ago. Another reason people are chattering about NativeLit is the controversial discourse: This isn’t a fluff genre, there are real social topics coming to a head in Canadian politics - like land claims, residential school abuse, racism, and stereotyping - being represented in the new NativeLit of our country. So, I am passing on a brief who’s-who on the genre so you can get started on reading some excellent texts.

Phase One: The Old-School

Around the early 18th century, in the earliest days of Canada’s formation, there were some interesting texts being written in the New World by the colonisers. A lot of travel-logs, frontier novels, and general creative fiction obsessed with the colonisation of North America. As a reference point, early Canadian writing gives a glimpse of how the colonisers perceived North America. However, it does not tell the whole story. Before the mid 20th century, there were no Native authors in Canada being published. The vision of Canada represented in literature was biased - and out of this vision comes a clear stereotypical Native archetype in literature that was recycled in nearly all texts concerned with Native topics.

Essentially, the Native was used as an objective tool: The Native character is flat, one-sided, and almost always represents the Other compared to the coloniser. They are one with nature, uncivilised, the “noble savage.” This may not sound too ignorant at first, but think about what is not conveyed about Native peoples at the time. Topics like assimilation, dying cultures and languages, unfair land treaties, and the industrialisation of a previously unhindered land mass. The writing of the colonisers paid no attention to these themes.

Look up John Richardson’s Wacousta, a frontier story written in 1832 about the first encounters between Natives and Colonisers, and which also happens to be the first published Canadian novel. Also, the poetry and legacy of Duncan Campbell Scott from the early 1900s offers examples of the flat Native archetype. Campbell Scott actually was head of Indian Affairs during the early 20th century, and worked to outlaw traditional Native dance ceremonies, on a loosely based argument that they wasted time and produced no good. American literature during the time also produced biased images of the Native, like in some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories, for example.

1972: A National Recognition of CanLit, and the Dawn of NativeLit

In 1972, Margaret Atwood published Survial: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature with help of a small publishing company, Anansi. The book was firstly intended to generate revenue for the young author, and also provide Canadian teachers with a guide on how to go about teaching CanLit. Up until this point, there was little recognition in Canada, or globally, of an actual Canadian literature scene. Miraculously, the book sold over 30,000 copies in its first year. People started to recognize Canada’s own literary genre, and the unique Canadian themes it projected.

In Survival, Atwood broke ground by addressing the problem of Native representation in CanLit up to that time. The chapter, entitled “First Nation,” acted as a battle-cry for the need of real, positive, Native themes to be recognized within CanLit. Thank Atwood, because almost instantly Canada was reading literature written by Natives authors and Native activists alike, writing about the opposite of what the colonisers saw: the negative effects of colonisation. Before long, post-colonial literature in Canada had a sore thumb for all to see, the genre of NativeLit.

After the ‘70s, Until Today

NativeLit is established, recognized, and in full force. First on the scene were the unrecognized Native writers of the past: Margaret Laurence, Pauline Johnson, and Maria Campbell, for example, were pulled out of CanLit’s camouflaging woodwork for all to hail as forgotten prominent authors. Thomas King also got his start in the early ‘80s, a man who is now considered new NativeLit’s forerunner. King is still a proficient novelist. Check out a book entitled The Native in Literature, a compilation of essays that were presented at the University of Lethbridge Native in Literature conference in 1984, for which King provides the introduction. King’s most famous work is Green Grass, Running Water, which takes an honest look at the state of North American Native culture in the ‘90s.

Also getting started in the ‘80s was Canadian playwright/author Tomson Highway whose first play, The Rez Sisters, first staged in 1987, made huge waves in the CanLit scene. He is still writing new plays in his residential school themed series, and has a new novel, Kiss of The Snow Queen, largely about the same topic. You also may have seen some of Highway's tragi-comedies that were adapted to the big screen.

I won’t be able to list off all of the new NativeLit authors, but here are some great ones to consider checking out: Joseph Boyden, who has written two novels, Three Day Road, and Through Black Spruce, which are excellent reworkings of the original Native archetype in CanLit. Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach is also great. Not only is it a suspenseful read, it addresses many current Native themes like residential schooling and stereotyping. Also, I praise Beatrice Culleton’s novel In Search of April Raintree, which addresses, among other issues, the niche problem of inner city violence on Native women.

So there you have it. Now all you have to do is read, and remember how NativeLit came to be.

Originally published at campusintel.com

Why We Drink Green Beer Once A Year

March 17 is Saint Patrick’s Day, international holiday for university and college students, and all true partiers, reserved for the celebration of green beer. Well, that is what most people would say the holiday’s purpose is. In fact, Saint Patrick’s Day is a 1,500 year old Irish religious holiday commemorating the country’s most foundational figurehead. So, here’s the history lesson on why we sporadically dye everything green every March 17.

Legend has it, Saint Patrick was born into a prominent Roman-British family during the 5th century, A.D., in Britain. His father and grandfather were church deacons, a vocation Patrick would eventually pursue himself. Then, when he was 16, the young saint to be was kidnapped and smuggled to Ireland in order to be sold as a slave.

The young captive was eventually met with a message from God. Instructed to flee to the Eastern coast of Ireland, board a ship, and return to Britain, Saint Patrick followed the divine orders. He successfully returned to Britain, and studied with the priesthood, eventually being ordained. In 432 A.D. he was called back to Ireland in order to help convert aristocracy and peasants alike to Christianity.

Saint Patrick's return to Ireland is when all the folklore originates. For example, the shamrock was conceptualized as a symbol of Irish nationalism due to Saint Patrick’s teaching strategies. He would use the shamrock, or three-leafed clover, as a visual representation of the Holy Trinity - the three leaves of the shamrock are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The shamrock is now a symbol of Irish Christianity and Saint Patrick, and its green colour has been adopted as a marker of Saint Patrick’s work.

The shamrock symbol later inspired the original Irish folk tune “The Wearing of the Green,” anonymously written during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. And rebels who wore a shamrock in their caubeens during this era were representing their support for Irish Republicanism, at risk of being hung for doing so.

Following Saint Patrick’s death on March 17, 461, the date was recognized as a feast day during the Christian season of Lent. Soon it would be recognized as a Holy day of obligation, eventually becoming celebrated as a one-day break from fasting during Lent. Indulging in feasting and drinking ale, original Irish beer, became common festivities on Saint Patrick‘s Day.

It is also widely believed that Saint Patrick could party with the best of ‘em. Apparently, he could consume over six pints of beer and still be able to beat out any Englishman in a game of darts. That’s my kind of saint.

In 1903, March 17 was originally recognized as a National Holiday in Ireland. In the 1990s, the Irish government utilized the fun spirit of the holiday to market tourism. Now it is commonplace for everyone worldwide to be Irish for one day of the year, an excellent way to create awareness about the country. The biggest Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations are in Dublin, and also in the Irish city of Downpatrick, where the Saint is rumoured to be buried. In these cities, the festivities last all week, resembling an Irish version of Mardis Gras.

Originally published by campusintel.com

Catholic Abuse Controversy Grows With Link To Pope

Photo Source: Vatican.va

The Catholic Church is once again being publicly scrutinized with news surfacimg this week of paedophilic acts that are personally connected to Pope Benedict XVI. Der Spiegel, a German newspaper, reported this week that in 1980 a priest in Munich was secretly transferred within the Archdiocese after an 11 year old boy came forward with abuse allegations. In an interview with NPR.org, Der Spiegel reporter Peter Wensierski said that after the priest’s transfer, he continued to work with children, and it was recorded that he was accused numerous more times of child sexual abuse. The priest was sentenced to a prison term for the abusive acts after 1986, but upon his release the Catholic Church of Munich reassigned him roles that involved him working around children, and has maintained positions that require interaction with children until today, Wensierski says.

If not scandalous enough, the story has another punchy side to it: Pope Benedict XVI was the Archbishop of Munich in 1980 when the accused priest was transferred. The Vatican is saying that one of the Pope’s subordinates at the time handled the secret transfer of the priest, but Wensierski says there is record of Pope Benedict’s direct reign over the situation. Not surprisingly, the Vatican is sticking to its story that the current head of the Roman Catholic Church is completely uninvolved with the sketchy personnel shuffle, or any involvement in covering up sexual abuse.

The news comes on the cusp of another sex abuse scandal within the German Catholic Church. Over the past 2 months, more than 600 students within Germany’s Catholic school board system have come forward with allegations of sex abuse committed on them by Catholic priests, Wensierski told NPR.

The German Archdiocese allegations are the latest in a legacy of sexual abuse allegations on the Catholic Church worldwide. Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Canada, The US, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines have all been met with scandalous allegations of sex abuse committed by priests.

In Canada alone, the Catholic Church has been under scrutiny since the 1950s. Thousands of Aboriginal people who were sent to Christian residential schools have come forward with stories of sexual abuse being acted out in these institutions, with litigations continually being held regarding the issue. Other sites of abuse include the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland, whose accused priests were found guilty by the Supreme Court of sexual abuse on children.

Originally published at campusintel.com

Lost Photos of Punk Greats On Display

The Steamwhistle Brewery, located at 255 Bremner Boulevard, Toronto, is hosting an art exhibit brandishing photographs depicting some of rock’s biggest icons this March. The brewing house turned art gallery event, which is free, is displaying, for the first time in large-scale public view, a series of photographs taken at rock and roll shows in Toronto between 1979 and 1981. Included are shots of The Clash at their first performance in Toronto in 1979, and Bob Marley’s last Toronto concert.

The photos are a result of a pair of young punks’ do-it-yourself photojournalist tactics inspired by the early punk rock movement, around 1979. Nick and Simon White, brothers who grew up in Toronto, saw most of the shows that later went down in history as part of the beginnings of the new musical era. They got the idea to photograph these early performances, possibly foreseeing the nostalgic element they would later provide.

The mostly black and white photographs depict a youthful who’s who of 70s and early 80s rock: The Ramones, The Clash, Peter Tosh, The Specials, and U2 with a young Bono are among the legendary acts captured in the photos. Other rare performances like The Talking Heads, Johnny Rotten performing with post-Pistols band Public Image Ltd., and The Specials were also captured by the brothers.

For the past 30 years, the photos have been tucked away, and nearly forgotten about, by the brothers. They stopped photo-documenting the music scene when it became harder for them to obtain press passes for concerts. In the earlier days, they were just seeing shows and taking pictures from the crowd. They started a fanzine, Smash It Up, where many of the photos were printed. But the zine went out of production when the 70s underground went mainstream and being punk no longer meant being free to publicize your favourite bands.

Now, the White brothers’ extensive work is on display for all to appreciate. The event is free, on for all of March at The Steamwhistle Brewery in Toronto, and, I’m sure, pints will be on hand to help commemorate the wild moments. If you can't make it in person, visit the CBC online gallery of the photos here: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/slideshows/PunkTorontoSlideshow2/project/

Originally published at campusintel.com

Riots in Greece After New Budget Laid Out

Photo Source: Time-CNN

Violence erupted in the streets of Athens this week by protestors opposed to Greece’s new budget plan for 2010. The riot squad and ample police support were relied on during the riot, which resulted in tear gas and violent measures on part of the police in order to calm rioters. Minimal arrests were made in comparison to the amount of protestors, which numbered in the thousands.

The protests, and ensuing riots, were sparked by the Greek government’s announcement of a 4.8 billion euro austerity measure. The plan includes a freeze in pensions, cuts to government salaries, heightened taxes on luxuries like alcohol and tobacco, and a sales tax hike from 19 to 21 per cent. The Greek government’s move comes in a strategic political framework attempting to show European Union partners that it can avoid bankruptcy.

The controversial budget is in response to the world economic crisis, that has left many European Union nations in bleak financial state. Instead of claiming bankruptcy and relying solely on international support from the World Bank and IMF, the government of Greece sees financial stability available through tax hikes, expenditure cuts, and limited IMF support. The government has not ruled out accepting loans from IMF, but for now is trying a sovereign approach. Analysts see this as a motivated political move: Leaving the IMF out of Greece’s problems, for now, shows the stability of the European Union, dissolving any thought that it is doomed financially.

Whether or not this tactic of the Greek government will be a positive move in the long run will have to be judged later. For now, the general working public of Greece is outraged at the decision. Outlandish tax hikes that target popular demographics, and cuts to pensions, means a reassessment of living conditions for the majority of citizens.

Originally published at campusintel.com

Fucked Up And Friends Dazzle Opera House - Show Review

Baltimore hardcore band Give opened the show at the Opera House Friday night, and set somewhat of a heavy tone for the night. Sadly, I only caught the last two songs of their set, and I really wish I could have seen more. The thunderous, bass-laden drums that continuously keeps rolling on through both fast parts and slow breakdowns initially captivated me. Their uniqueness kept my attention. Give is definitely a hardcore band, complete with tell-tale aggressive heaviness. This gets mixed, though, with a lighter guitar sound. There isn’t too much distortion, making it easy to follow the rhythm. Comparing the guitar style to a similar band would not be easy. And, when a band can heed me from b-lining to the bar as soon as I get into a show, which Give did, they usually stick around in my playlist for good.

The D’urbervilles, who took the stage after Give, are also great at keeping your attention. Their new-age brand of rock-pop beamed through the Opera House. Their sound is somewhere between Joy Division and the Weakerthans, and much in common with most dance-rock indie bands. However, they strike their own pose. They have some very technical, high-tempo, yet sometimes hard to follow, drum beats. Two synthesizers, looked after by guitarist/lead singer John O’Regan and lead guitarist Tim Bruton, work together well with the clean, palm-muted, not too overpowering guitar lines. There were highs and lows to this set – when at their best, the D’urbervilles can trigger sporadic, arm-throwing dance moves in any wallflower, like they did for O’Regan.

After the D’urbervilles, Kurt Vile played a captivating six-song set that I, once again, was very drawn into. He opened with “Overnite Religion” accompanied by a second guitarist/percussionist, who laid down the tambourine and maraca lines of the song. The trippy folk-rock made up of loop-dubs, looped drum beats, and guitar, set an intimate vibe throughout the Opera House before Fucked Up went on. At times I felt like it was just Kurt and I alone in a room, and when I would come back to my senses, I would look around and confirm that everyone else was also entranced by him. The third song was drummed by Jonah from Fucked Up, which added a refreshing crack to the low-key stoner rock. In total, the Kurt Vile set felt almost like a healing process, a cool rejuvenator before Fucked Up tore the place apart.

Tore it apart they did. Fucked Up started their set with drummer Jonah’s mother playing the flute line from “Year of the Rat,” and then dove into “Son the Father,” off their Polaris Prize winning album “The Chemistry of Common Life,” and staple opener for recent shows. They moved smoothly into “David Comes To Life,” with a tweaked breakdown in the middle, differing from the studio version of the tune. By mid-set, lead singer Damian Pink Eyes Abraham lit things up and tore his t-shirt off, as usual. For the next song, Damian sang while pulling an impressively long microphone cable around the entire Opera House floor, a perfect way to engage the crowd. Near the end of the set, while playing “Crusades,” a fan who grabbed the mic from Damian and started singing was attacked by another audience member, the attacker was swiftly removed from the event. After a quick break, the debacle was sorted out. The band just picked up where they left off, and finished the song with the final chorus. The performance was full of Fucked Up classics, including a thrashing rendition of “Two Snakes” off the band’s debut LP, “Hidden World.” The sextet played well together, in sync at all times, while frequently switching and changing parts of many songs. A tight set, that was undoubtedly planned and polished, from one of Toronto’s hottest bands.

Originally published at campusintel.com

Can I Borrow You?

We all know what a library is: You register and get a Library Card, then you may borrow books and other multimedia for free. If you are late in returning the books, you are charged a small fee. Students herd there for research assistance from librarians. Cheapskates are prominent in the newspaper sections, trying to save a quarter. And, most importantly, you must be quiet at the library.

Now, this last library component is untrue. A new trend in free information acquisition has surfaced: The Human Library. Conceptualized in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark, in cooperation with youth action group Stop The Violence, the idea was simply to educate people about diversity. The books (people) are members of minority groups in society, ones that are often met with prejudice. From police officers to politicians to prostitutes – each Human Book tells his or her story and answers any questions the borrower has. In effect, the Human Books are an attempt to slash prejudice on stereotyped lifestyles through education.

Since 2000, the Human Library has globalised. There are Human Library events held all over the world. There is even one being promoted by Atira Women’s Resource Society in Vancouver, which will be running for the duration of the Olympic Games in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In fact, there are almost daily Human Library events being held around the world in schools, community centres, and other public institutions as a global front to promote diversity and educate people about prejudism. A full list of events is available at http://human-library.org, along with the history and objectives of the organisation.

I think this is an amazing story. This is one way that we can work towards ending the stereotypes and hatefeul tendencies that are still woven into all cultures, somehow or another. If the popularity of the Human Library grows, maybe our children will be able to pull themselves out of humanity’s odd predisposition to ignorance, stereotyping, and judgment. We all know the idiom you can’t judge a book by its cover. Well, the Human Library has ironically put the sentiment behind this phrase into action.

Originally published at campusintel.com