The Past is Unwritten

This week’s Edmonton Jam is brought to you by The Frolics:

Pump up the jam, pump it up:

http://www.thisismyjam.com/pastisunwritten/

The Edmonton Free School
Saturday 26 May 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14 
The University of Alberta
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“The Underground Punk Network”

By following the DIY ethic, the alternative music milieu in North America created a vast network that spanned the continent and operated outside the mainstream music industry. We will examine the bands, scene participants, and institutions that turned a few scattered, fledgling communities into a viable cultural force.

Readings: 
Music Scenes, pp. 1-10
Tune in, Turn On, Go Punk, pp. 42-52.
We’ve got the Neutron Bomb, pp. 53-56. 
All Over But the Shouting, pp. 78-85
Our Band Could Be Your Life, pp. 131-133
Gimme Something Better, pp. 185-206
On the Road to Nirvana, pp. 23-30
Playlist: 
The Runaways - “Cherry Bomb” 
The Decline of Western Civilization Part 1(The Germs)
Germs - “What we do is Secret”
The Replacements - “Kids Don’t Follow”
Hüsker Dü - “Eight Miles High”
Minutemen “Ain’t no Picnic” 
Black Flag - “Six Pack” 
Bad Brains - “Banned in DC” Live at CBGB 1982
Minor Threat - “Minor Threat”
MDC - “John Wayne was a Nazi”
Butthole Surfers - “Cough Syrup”
Mission of Burma - “That’s When I Reach for my Revolver” 
The Pixies - “Hey” Live 1988 
U-MEN - “They” 
Sonic Youth - “Teenage Riot”
Fugazi - “Waiting Room”  

These days, the phrase “rock ‘n’ roll cliche,” is, well…a cliché. Rock bands party hard. Rock bands sing about partying hard. When they want to divert from songs about partying hard, they write songs about girls. And totally rocking. Escapism serves its purpose - it’s fun, and if you don’t read into it too much, you aren’t offended by the materialism, misogyny, or badly written riffs and lyrics. Cause you know, there’s fireworks and stuff.

But every once and a while, there’s a band that breaks from the mold, but is still somehow totally rocking. The Frank is a band that manages exactly that. Take their new  3 More Beers EP. From the title, you can infer three things: that it’s a sequel, they like beer, and if they like beer they MUST BE TOTALLY ROCKING! And you’d be right. However, that’s where the conventions end.

The first song, “You Will Remain” is about losing someone, but it isn’t wrapped up in the usual self-pity that’s become the rock ‘n’ roll standard. Instead, it’s full of hope and inspiration - a beautiful epitaph. The second bee…er, song, “Open Tuning Song” defies the status quo as well. Instead of the meaningless angst that gets played again and again on the radio - its lyrics are self-critical, but at the same time constructive. And rather than using the “I’m alone and nobody understands me” formula that ironically takes a self-loathing musician straight into a mansion with an electric fence - the song has a communal aspect which stresses that people need to work together to get through life’s challenges:

There’s a little bit of you in everything I do/
And a little bit of me/
There’s a little bit of light through that open door/
Just enough to read/

The last round of 3 More Beers is fittingly called “Drive Me Home.” Its got the typical rock ‘n’ roll notions of hitting the road and partying too hard, but its also playful and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Because, really, can you be totally rocking if you’re serious about it all the time? 

Order 3 More Beers here: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/3-more-beers-single/id518784103 

The Frank are playing with The Apresnos, Cloud Seeker, and Heaviside this Friday night at the Pawn Shop in Edmonton: http://www.facebook.com/events/186529631469477/

And check ‘em out online at these fine www establishments: http://www.thefrank.ca/
http://www.myspace.com/thefrankrocks
The Frank on Facebook

This week’s Edmonton Jam is brought to you by Shout Out Out Out Out:

Pump up the jam, pump it up:

http://www.thisismyjam.com/pastisunwritten/

The Edmonton Free School
Saturday 19 May 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14, The University of Alberta
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“Punk and Protest: Laws, Counterculture, Action!”

In the late-1970s and early 1980s, the Vancouver punk scene was a vibrant and diverse community. We’ll look at originators like Joey “Shithead” Keithley, his group DOA, and another local band called The Subhumans. Gerry “Useless” Hannah, The Subhuman’s bass player, was a member of the activist group Direct Action. These dissenters were arrested by the RCMP for attacks against property, which sparked a media firestorm. We’ll also discuss Vancouver participants in relation to the wider punk milieu, and the 1980s’ counterculture as a whole.

Readings:
American Hardcore, pp. 256-260.
The Philosophy of Punk, pp. 112-114.
I, Shithead, pp. 125-127.
“The Vancouver 5”
Hannah’s Maximum Rocknroll column, 1984.
Toronto Star, 15 October 1982, p. A1
Toronto Star, 15 October 1982, p. A3. 

Playlist:
Duff McKagan recalls the Pacific Northwest punk scene
The Skulls move to Toronto
Vancouver punk scene’s D.I.Y. recording history
Henry Rollins on DOA
The Stiffs – “Fuck You”
DOA - “Disco Sucks”
DOA – “World War III”
The Subhumans – “Firing Squad”
The Subhumans – “Slave to my Dick”
DOA – “Trial by Media”

Jim Nowhere is a punk rocker. If you were in a debate club, you’d have an easier time convincing someone you didn’t want to be a lawyer or a politician than poking holes in this fact. Heck, if you were a philosopher, even you would have a lot of trouble refuting how true this is.

Yep, he’s a punk. He’s got a punk rock attitude. He’s got a punk rock band. He’s even got a punk rock name. Even though you can call him a punk, you could also call him an artist, and you could call him a folk singer. What you couldn’t call him is somebody that likes fitting into neat little categories.

Labels? …Who needs ‘em?



…Click here to read more!

This week’s Edmonton Jam is brought to you by Jim Nowhere: 

Pump up the jam, pump it up:

http://www.thisismyjam.com/pastisunwritten/



http://jimnowhere.com/
http://zerocoolband.com/
http://serfx.net/

The Edmonton Free School
Saturdays 12 May 1:30PM
Location: Humanities 1-14, The University of Alberta
All-Ages, All-Welcome

“What is Punk?”

In this seminar we will trace the origins of punk and see if we can pinpoint its beginning. We will examine the basic tenet of punk, the Do-It-Yourself Ethic, and look at a foundation of the punk community: the fanzine. Ultimately, we’ll wrestle with two important questions – can punk be defined, and does punk have a history? 

Readings:
We Got the Neutron Bomb, pp. 1-5.
A Cultural Dictionary of Punk, pp. 26-27, 169-170, 234-238.
Please Kill Me, pp. 163-173.
“When did Punk start? Who Cares?”
The Philosophy of Punk, pp. 21-41.

Playlist:
The Sonics – “Strychnine”
Rocket from the Tombs – “30 Seconds Over Tokyo”
Richard Hell and the Voidoids – “Blank Generation”
The Ramones - “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” CBGB 1974
Talking Heads, “Psycho Killer” Live at CBGB, 1975
Blondie with Fred Smith - “I Love Playing With Fire - May 4, 1977”
The Saints – “I’m Stranded”
The Slits - “Vindictive (Peel Session 1977)”



Here’s a working draft of the syllabus that we’ll be reviewing during the first class. Ideas and comments are very welcome!