Music scenes: By the time you’ve found them, they’re usually over. “You had to be there, man,” is their mantra. They live, die and burn out (better than fading away) by word of mouth, to such a degree that the bands, venues, labels and even the fans come second to the buzz. Is Canada any different? DailyXY’s blog miniseries will examine the great Canadian music scenes of the last five decades.

Part 5: VANCOUVER (1978-1984)

“Biafra and Rollins have more notoriety as individuals, but Vancouver punk sound had a much bigger over all impact on the music business.”
—Ray Fulber, manager/musician

You hear the sounds of Vancouver punk on the radio to this day, except the songs are new and none of the bands are from Vancouver.

According to former Van city manager/musician Ray Fulber, whether it’s accidental or unattributed, it’s there: a Tony “Baloney” Walker feel in a Green Day song, or the influence of legendary producer Bob Rock, who prior to working with bands like Aerosmith and Metallica, recorded and produced up–and–coming Vancouver punk bands in the late 70s.

So, let’s go back.

While there may not be a distinguishable “Vancouver sound,” there are certainly major contributions to then–emerging genres. Hardcore (before it had a name) was represented by the alleged authors of the term, D.O.A., who coexisted with the new wave camp: Pointed Sticks, The Modernettes, and to a certain extent, the ever-artsy U–J3RK5. Lesser–known, but equally relevant acts included bands like Active Dog, the Braineaters (later I, Braineater) and the all-female group the Dishrags. The list goes on, but the reality is Vancouver punk artists tend to have short careers and an even smaller desire to revisit their glory days.

What speaks loudest in the public’s memory then are bands like D.O.A., whose career has spanned over three decades, and Pointed Sticks, who made such an impact with their debut EP and album that people forget their career only lasted two years (save a recent reunion). Career paths aside, the two are musically at odds, as much as you could be in the same genre. High school friends D.O.A. kicked off a career–long rife with authority in 1978, detailed in their many anti-police anthems like “Royal Police” and “Smash the State,” perhaps best known for the lyrics “Kill Pierre Trudeau.” Their politically charged social commentary mixed with a play–anywhere–and–destroy–it mindset — be it in a basement, Stanley Park, or infamous venues like the Japanese Hall and the Smiling Buddha — made them champions of punk’s DIY and anti–authoritarian principles. When they released Hardcore 81’, they gave their own sound a name. After travelling up and down the West Coast through the cities and gigging with the bands that became synonymous with hardcore like Black Flag (L.A.), the Dead Kennedys (San Francisco), and Bad Brains and Minor Threat (D.C.), the rest was history.

But fame and infamy are very different things, Vancouver in the late ’70s was riddled with the latter as well. The Subhumans, known for their often-covered protest song “Fuck You,” are also known by their original bass player Gerry Hannah’s involvement with Direct Action, a Canadian anarchist group in the early ’80s. After being arrested for a series of bombings in Vancouver and Toronto — the most violent injuring 10 — the group became known in the media as the Squamish Five.

Another subject of intrigue is Art Bergmann: a crass visionary who’s continued to refine his abilities through his career. In the early days, he served as the lead singer of the Young Canadians (formerly K-Tels), who are best known for “Hawaii,” a Canadian punk staple to this day (which Bergmann would go on to refuse to play), and released three EPs but no full-length album in their year-and-a-half career. Bergmann later formed a new band, Poisoned, and eventually released several genre-spanning solo albums. However, he largely gave up performing live, and sightings of him outside his home in rural Alberta are rare.

At its birth, punk was infectious. It flew over the Atlantic, crawled up from the Bowery, and travelled up and down the West Coast. Thinking of the different punk scenes as as separate misses the point — they needed each other. And as much as Vancouver needed London, D.C., L.A., and San Francisco needed Vancouver.

“Vancouver punk was very connected to British punk. I remember the Clash coming to Vancouver and playing soccer with the Vancouver punks. The Smiling Budda was very connected with Seattle and the rest of the West Coast down to San Francisco and L.A. You could just put your gear in a van and drive down.”
—Ray Fulber, manager/musician

The DailyXY SoundScenes Playlist: Vancouver
(Suggested alphabetically, by artist)
D.O.A., “Disco Sucks”
Pointed Sticks, “Out of Luck”
The Subhumans, “Oh Canaduh”
UJ3RK5, “Work for Police”
Young Canadians, “Hawaii”

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Image courtesy of Slightlynorth.