Radio - Thursday, February 25th, 2021

We put together a special one hour show looking at black artists within punk and punk influenced by black culture. This show is available for download here. 

We started one of the first all black punk band from Detroit made up of three brothers - David, Dannis, and Bobby Hackney. They self-released a single in 1976 on their own label Tryangle Records and were re-discovered in 2009 at a reunion show.  

U.S. scene
DEATH - Freakin' Out (Tryangle)
PURE HELL - Noise Addiction (Welfare / Puke 'n Vomit)
BAD BRAINS - Pay to Cum (Roir)

U.K. scene
X-RAY SPEX - Identity (EMI)
THE CLASH - Police and Thieves (Epic / CBS)
THE RUTS - Jah War (Virgin)

THE STRANGLERS - Peaches (United Artists)
THE SLITS - Typical Girls (Island)
BONA RAYS - Getaway Blues (Flashback)

Ska revival (post punk)
THE ENGLISH BEAT - Whine & Grind / Stand Down Margaret (Go-Feet)
THE SPECIALS - 10 Commandments (Island)

Canadian scene
D.O.A. - War in the East (Alternative Tentacles / Fringe Product)
THE 20TH CENTURY REBELS - Unemployed Expert (Rebelution)
THE YOUNG LIONS - Law Breaker (Unreleased)
L’ETRANGER - Goliath (Sensible Record Company)

Radio - Sunday, April 30th, 2017

Tonight's show features the best new releases from April, a feature on Toronto's post punk origins courtesy of Nick Smash, and a demo feature by Ottawa's Durs Coeurs. Download a copy of tonight's show here.

LAST DAYS - Torn In Two Parts (Blame the Victim)

BURNOUT - Survivors of Suicide (T Live a Lie / Blast House)
LACE - Youth Hinge (Iron Lung)
DROPDEAD - The Final Chapter (Armageddon)
HVAC – T&S (Self-Released)
KORROSIVE – Maniac (Distort Reality)
WARSICK - Fight to Break Control (Unreleased)

Y2K - Sickle Swings (Self-Released)
GOVERNMENT FLU - Misplaced Anger (Refuse)
AGENT - Endless Disposal (Ciabatta Brain)
S-21 - Year Zero (World Gone Mad)
NOSFERATU - Spectator  (Self-Released)

HEADSPLITTERS - Severed Hand (Self-Released)
HELLO BASTARDS - If Not You, Who? If Not Now, When?(Refuse)
SCRAPS - Wrapped Up (Be Yourself)
RENDER USELESS - Desperation Days (Slow to Burn)

Top 10 - April 2017
URANIUM CLUB - That Clown's Got A Gun (Static Shock)
HAISTELIJAT - Plenta Kohounaa (Nuuhkaja / Joteskii Groteskii)
PIERRE & BASTIEN - Sympa (SDZ)
HUMMINGBIRD OF DEATH - You Had Better Enjoy Treating People Like Shit While You Can (To Live a Lie / Riotous Outburst)
BEARTRAP – Kneel (To Live a Lie / Riotous Outburst)
THE UNKNOWN THREAT - No Escape (Self-Released)
ACCIDENTE – Complicidad (Pfia)
CAREER SUICIDE - Row on Row (Deranged)
VIIMEINEN KOLANNA – Tie (Self-Released)
ABNORMI - Sota on Helvetti (Self-Released)
CONCEALED BLADE - Blame Game (Beach Impediment)
CORRECTIVE MEASURE - No Acceptance (Refuse)

Nick Smash, of Smash It Up zine and Alone and Gone, put together a look at Toronto's post-punk origins through a series of hard to find compilations and cassette releases, which is timely given how much of the current scene is influenced by early new wave and general outsider punk. Here is a closer look at some of what Toronto had to offer. Thanks to Aldo Erdic for his production work on this. 

BREEDING GROUND – Mind the Gap (Self-Released)
WOODS ARE FULL OF CUCKOOS – Awesome Penguins (Self-Released)
DAVE HOWARD SINGERS – When Will It End (DHS)
KINETIC IDEALS – Deadman's Cadence (Self-Released)
FIFTH COLUMN - Hit the Dirt (Urban Scorch Compilation)
THE PARTY'S OVER – Half Life Curve (Urban Scorch Compilation)
THE STURM GROUP – Upon a Nerve (Green Fuse)
RENT BOYS INC. - High Meat (Self-Released)
L'ETRANGER – Light in the Morning (Sounds from the Streets)
BLOODFIRE – Natty Dub (Self-Released)
JAMES GRAY – Come out of your Shell (Nervous Recordings)
THE VITAL SINES - Rhythm of Dark (Self-Released)
UGLY MODELS – Not for Me (Smash Tapes)

Tonight's demo feature is from a band from Ottawa. This was recorded in 2014. You can download the demo from bandcamp. The band is playing at Varning.

DURS COEURS – Piege (Self-Released)
DURS COEURS – J'en Al Vu Assez (Self-Released)
DURS COEURS – Les Memes Histoires (Self-Released)
DURS COEURS – Coeurs Durs (Self-Released)

Zine - EXD - Volume 12, Issue 4

Start Dancing was an all ages punk dance organized by kids in the scene. Vera Bigall and Paul Dakota were the main organizers. Gerry Doyle provided the sound system, Dan Hughes provided the music, and Mark Sanders did security. Andy Ford would help lug the equipment down to the space whatever it would be. Sometimes it was a Legion Hall, other times it was a church basement or a synagogue. Start Dancing was like a high school dance but for punk rockers and mods. They happened between 1981 and 1985 every Friday night and soon they added bands to the mix. When i think back upon it now I think that Start Dancing had something to do with why Toronto has a propensity towards all ages shows. be a reason for why Toronto has always had such a strong all ages scene. They were a lifeline for a kid like me who didn't know how to get fake ID but still wanted to meet kids like me. One of my main recollections was the way that people brought records and put them on this portable turntable. It was a great way to turn people onto your new singles without everyone having to go out and buy the single. Money was tight. It was like a community jukebox. Thanks to Mark Sanders for agreeing to get everyone together with exception of Paul Dakota. This interview originally ran on the radio show, but I really wanted more people to know about this special part of Toronto's punk past. You can download a PDF of the zine here.
http://archive.org/download/Volume12-Issue4/Volume12-issue4-small.pdf

Radio - Sunday, October 30, 2011

Click for download


Vera Bickle, Gerry Doyle, Mark Sanders, and Dan Hughes were interviewed on October 16th about a weekly event that they organized called Start Dancing. This was a unique all ages punk event that had DJs and bands playing. They took place in halls, curling clubs, church basements and other unlikely community spaces that they could find around the city. Four years of these events entrenched the spirit of an all ages scene in the early hardcore era. These events allowed for various levels of alternative scenes that include mods, skins, punks, new romantics and others. It was one of my first exposures to the local scene and in hindsight it had a big impact on my life.


L’ETRANGER - Barricades (Sensible Record Company)
Interview – Start Dancing
PURPLE HEARTS - What am I gonna do (Captain Mod)
Interview – Start Dancing
YOUTH YOUTH YOUTH - Apathy (Fringe)
Interview – Start Dancing
SHAM 69 - If the kids are united (Captain Oi!)
Interview – Start Dancing
THE ENGLISH BEAT - Mirror in the bathroom (Sire)
Interview – Start Dancing
THE CLASH - White man in Hammersmith Palais (CBS)
Interview – Start Dancing
THE YOUNG LIONS - We wanna riot (Schizophenic)
Interview – Start Dancing
MARK MALIBU AND THE WASAGAS - Wasaga run (Self-released)
Interview – Start Dancing
COCKNEY REJECTS - East End (Captain Oi!)

Radio - Sunday April 11, 2010

Click for download


SEX PISTOLS – God Save the Queen (Warner Brothers)

BUZZCOCKS – Raison D’etre (IRS)
THE CLASH – What’s My Name (CBS)
THE SCREWED – Sonic Reducer (Self-Released)

BLACK FLAG – Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie (SST)
GERMS – Lexicon Devil (Slash)
CIRCLE JERKS – Red Tape (Frontier)

GARY GOES TO HOLLYWOOD – Baby Doll (Pop the Balloon)
SONS OF ISHMAEL – Break Free (Self-Released)
L’ETRANGER – Barricades (Sensible)
NEGATIVE GAIN – We Believe (Self-Released)

THE CHORDS – Now It’s Gone (Polydor)
NEW TOWN ANIMALS – Baby You’re the Reason (Zaxxon Virile Action)
SUDDEN IMPACT – Steamy Loafs (Marquee)

CITY SWEETHEARTS – War in My Head (P Trash)
PORCELAIN FOREHEAD – Will Amerika? (No Exit)
RUINER – Bottom Line: Fuck You (Bridge 9)

VEINS – Utter Defeat (Self-Released)
BAD CHOICE – Get Together (Self-Released)
CEREMONY – Kersed (Malfunction)

SCHOOL JERKS – Guestlist (Cowabunga)
HYPE – Burned (Fringe)
CONDEMNED TO DEATH – D-Day

THE VAPIDS – 9/18 Ft. Lee VA 1952 (Self-Released)
HAYMAKER – City That Always Burns (Deranged)
GUNNER HANSEN – Hammered (CIUT)
RAH – Reality Check (CIUT)

SNAKEPIT – Hogtown Blues (Self-Released)
SNAKEPIT – Kill John Mayer (Self-Released)
SNAKEPIT – Collapse (Self-Released)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

click here for a MP3 version

We spoke with Andrew Cash, the guitarist and lead singer from L'Etranger. He spoke to us about their beginnings in Scarborough, namely through Neil McNeil school. He spoke to us about how the Mods and the Young Lions were local influences and bands like the Clash who were hugely important, which I think is obvious when you watch videos of Andrew play his guitar. He embodies Mick Jones and L'Etranger embody the sound and call to action through the bands lyrics and practises. We tried to fill in a history of the band through shows and releases and talked briefly about lyrics, tours, and how they funded "Innocent Hands". It was so great to hear someone begin to tell the story of L'Etranger, a band that I so admire. You can download an MP3 file of the show and below is a track listing for what was played during the show.

L'ETRANGER - Trail of Tears (Ground Zero)
Interview with Andrew Cash from L’Etranger
the CLASH - White Man in Hammersmith Palais (CBS )
Interview with Andrew Cash from L’Etranger
THE YOUNG LIONS - Things are Gonna Change (Schizophrenic)
Interview with Andrew Cash from L’Etranger
L'ETRANGER - Barricades (Ground Zero)
Interview with Andrew Cash from L’Etranger
L'ETRANGER – Today’s Papers (Ground Zero)
Interview with Andrew Cash from L’Etranger
L'ETRANGER - Wrestling with the nice stuff (Ground Zero)

Sunday, August 30, 2009

click here for a mp3 download.

SLICES - Migraines (Home Invasion)

MAD COWBOYS - Music! No Borders (Self-Released)

B LINES - Crazy Glue (Nominal)

GENERATION X - One Hundred Punks (Chrysalis)

L’ETRANGER - Barricades (Ground Zero)

STATUES - Click (Shooting at Decoys)

URBAN BLIGHT - Blight Makes Right (Slasher)

RAH - Keep Walking (Chez Ogilvie)

PLUTOCRACY - Class Tension (625 Productions)

OMEGAS - Secret Signals (Self-Released)

OFFSIDES - Taking It (Thunderized)

RUM RUNNER - What’s the Music Mean to You (Stumble)

EMERGENCY! - Kill Downtown (Self-Released)

PVC - Sick of You (Incognito)

EMERGENCY - Won’t Tell You Again (Step 1)

RIOT 99 - Start a Riot (Riot Records)

MAD MEN - Polish (Dischord)

FUCKED UP - David Comes to Life (Deranged)

FAILURES - I’ve Done Unspecified Things, Again (Self-Released)

EXTORTION - Curb Craw (Deep Six)

THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Death to Spies (20 Buck Spin)

GO! - Escape from NY (King Fish)

LOW VISION - World is Pain (625 Productions)

SHUT EYES - Lurk (Self-Released)

THIS ROUTINE IS HELL - This Routine is Hell (Akashic)

TWIN KILLING - Best of Us (Akashic)

DIRTBOMBS - Don’t Break My Heart (In the Red)

DEAD KENNEDYS - Too Drunk To Fuck (Alternative Tentacles)

DEAD END - Death Game (Self-Released)

COMPANY OF HEROES - Ragnaroar (Self-Released)

COMBATWOUNDEDVETERAN - Comes in Red, Orange and Fuck You (No Idea)

AMPERE - Regulator (Youth Attack)

A.N.S. - Sakte Zombies Must Shred (Cowabunga)

A-FRAMES - Experiment (Sub Pop)

THE INSULTS - Too Late (Punks before Profits)

STARK RAVING MAD - Are You Sleeping / Take a Stand (Nuclear Blast)

NYC MAYHEM - We Stand

DRI - Balance of Terror (R Radical)

CAPITALIST ALIENATION - Norms (Crust ‘n core)

SPG - Destroy (American Waste)

URBAN BLIGHT - What Can Be Done (Slasher)

EATING GLASS - to the Vultures (High Anxiety)

WITCH HUNT - Super Death (Alternative Tentacles)

PROJECT HOPELESS - Name Them Frame Them (Not Enough)

DEEP SLEEP - Into My Brain (Grave Mistake)

DESTINO FINAL - Libertino II (La Vida es un Mus)

Zine - Nerve #30

Issues 30 of Nerve Magazine has David Lee Roth on the cover. Unusual for Nerve but I think this was the time when he was leaving Van Halen to become a solo artist and was wearing flash dance clothes to fane like a new waver. Aside from a feature on David lee Roth, this issue also contains a piece on Fishbone, the Brunswick House, the Pig Paper, the New Jazz fest, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Hunters & Collectors, Woodentops, SST Records, and a column by Dave Bidini about L'Etranger and Vital Sines.

L'Etranger "Sticks and Stones" 12"

This was L'Etranger's second release. It was recorded in May 1986 at E-Norm-Us Studios. The songs on here are:

1. Time and Place

2. Trail of Tears

3. Wrestling with the Nice Stuff

4. Sticks and Stones

L'Etranger "Goliath" video

L'etranger "Running Out of Funtown" 12"

Video interview - L'Etranger on New Music

Daniel Ritcheler of New Music did an interview with L'Etranger on their front porch. Thanks to Chalrie Angus for sharing this link.

L'Etranger "One People" video

This is a video I used to watch on City Limits.

Flyer - Tuesday, August 23, 1983

Flyer - Friday, March 4th - Saturday, March 5th, 1983

Flyer - Tuesday, January 11th - Friday January 14th 1983

CKLN, the station at Ryerson does co-presents this great showcase of the local indie and punk scene in the early 80's.

L'Etranger "Innocent Hands" 12"

L'Etranger self-released a 12" in 1982 called "Innocent Hands". Their label was called Ground Zero Records. The folks in the band were Andrew Cash on guitar and vocals, Peter Duffin on drums and vocals, and Chuck Angus on bass and vocals. No Cause for a Concern reviewed the 12" very favourably. The songs on the 12" were:

1. Today's Papers

2. Took What Didn't Belong

3. Not Seeing Us

4. Goliath

5. Barricades

6. Taken Away

Flyer - Saturday, November 6th, 1982

Flyer - Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16, 1982

Flyer - Thursday, August 5th, 1982