Continuing a very infrequent Golden Rock feature, in which we revisit those rare occasions when the Calgary underground music scene surfaced in mainstream media. Of course, James Muretich gave Calgary bands more than a fair shake in the pages of the Herald--and David Veitch did the same in the Sun--but this kind of front-of-section coverage was unusual.
From the Calgary Herald, May 24, 1987:
Rock Scene
By James Muretich
(Herald staff writer)
The local rock scene is perceived differently by everyone involved.
Often, the only tie that binds the different bands together is the fact they live and play in Calgary, since the scene features everything from spandex-clad bar bands dreaming of becoming the new Bon Jovi to groups happy when their members can end a song on the same note.
Calgary has boasted a surprising number of independent bands ever since the spirit of punk belatedly hit the city in 1978. and over the last decade, it is from these ranks that groups have risen from the underground to claim the spotlight in such clubs as the Westward Club, The National Hotel and The Beach.
Along with regular airplay on the University of Calgary’s radio station, CJSW-FM, local independent acts have never enjoyed as much exposure as they are receiving now.
They may not earn big bucks or make the news on MuchMusic, but on any given night in Calgary these are the groups that keep the banner of original rock unfurled.
The quartet is Calgary’s best-known independent group outside of the province largely due to the strength of last year’s independent cassette: Kiss Me Then Color Me Psycho. While shoddily produced and distributed, the band managed to sell 800 copies of it in Western Canada (an impressive number for an independent.)
Its music is gritty guitar-rock that fuses the ‘60s and the punk era in a frequently fiery fashion, as one might imagine from song titles such as Shatter City and Black Corvair.
Together for two years, the group’s members see themselves as keeping the rock fires burning while waiting for the next major movement to hit just as punk did.
“I think the whole independent record scene in the late ‘70s broke down a lot of barriers, but no there’s no new sounds, just new gimmicks,” says drummer Caesar Menrod.
“All we’re trying to do is come up with songs that aren’t boring until something new and exciting comes along,” adds guitarist/vocalist Aleistair Hex.
Someone should tell Color Me Psycho it could be the next exciting band.
* * *
Never A Dull Moment is one of the city’s top hardcore groups, hardcore being a relentlessly aggressive brand of rock that appears to be mega-manic to the Woodstock generation but strongly appealing to the group’s underaged following.
Unlike fellow hardcore band Beyond Possession, it hasn’t committed any of its songs to vinyl or even to cassette, but the quartet is earning a solid reputation nonetheless.
“Punk’s an attitude and we’re maybe a couple of stages beyond that,” says guitarist Dave Orr.
“Our music is hard and fast, blasted at your face and hard to ignore,” says guitarist John Hiebert.
“That’s why our following is young. The younger kids are more open to this music. The older guys who have listened to other kinds of rock find it hard to adjust (to),” says Hiebert.
“Besides, kids are more aggressive and rowdy,” says drummer Lou Lowry.
The sonic attack of Never A Dull Moment’s own songs are often tempered by interludes that range from blues-based riffs to metal a la Metallica.
The group’s musical philosophy is summed up in its name.
“Never A Dull Moment is what we try to achieve when we play. Our name is about fulfillment,” says Hiebert.
* * *
In a city dominated by driving-guitar groups, Same Difference stands out as a breath of fresh air.
The group’s original tunes are defined by subtle rhythmic interplay between guitar and bass, while the traditional drum set is ignored in favor of congas. Add to that the powerful vocals of Janine Bracewell, and Same Difference concocts a spacey yet muscular sound, a kind of Jefferson Airplane with a Latin feel.
The quartet has quickly become one of the most popular live bands in town and was recently invited by Vancouver recording act, Go Four 3, to perform with them on the West Coast.
“It’s all happened so fast for us, it’s hard to talk to people about our music because we’re still unsure about it. We’re still a basement band in our minds,” says bassist Diane Kooch.
“I think the key to our music, though, is that we don’t suppress anybody’s interests in the band. Instead of trying to conform to someone, we try to combine our styles. We sit, talk, crack open a bottle of wine and just write,” says Kooch.
And so far the group is turning out vintage music, though there are still no immediate plans to record.
* * *
The Ted Clark Five, as one might assume from the name, are playful practitioners of rock ’n’ roll. The band is renowned for giving away candies at gigs and for bringing an irreverent attitude to its good-time, upbeat rock ‘n’ roll.
“Most people don’t really dig rock anymore. We’re just trying to get people back into it. We’re against the Saddledome mega-light shows. Death to all computers! Rock is meant for thrashing about,” says singer Greg Baekeland.
“It’s scary when the kids have only been weaned on Bauhaus and the only Iggy Pop they know is from Blah Blah Blah (his last album) and none of his early stuff.”
The Ted Clark Five’s own songs travel back in time to the rock of the ’60s, with a little rhythm ‘n’ blues thrown in for good measure.
And with the crisp, often compelling guitar work of Brent Cooper – a veteran of several local groups, including the popular Cryin’ Helicopters – the group rocks with a primal appeal on its better material.
* * *
Steamin’ Mad At Dirt has two things working in its favor. One, it has a name every bit as great as the Strawberry Alarm Clock. Two, its members are knowledgeable rock buffs, with bassist Tia Travis and guitarist Leah Solomon putting their record collections to effective use on their CJSW radio shows.
However, Steamin’ Mad At Dirt also faces a major problem – finding a drummer.
“The first time we put out an ad, we got a drummer who was totally into marimbas and wanted to do The Kinks with marimba accompaniment,” says Travis.
The band is still searching for a drummer, as well as an original sound.
“It’s hard to be creative without sounding like the past these days,” says Travis.
Steamin’ Mad At Dirt is trying to find that niche by combining Travis’s and Solomon’s fondness for rockin’ bands like The Saints with guitarist Jeff Kushner’s leanings toward a more acoustic-rock sound.
If the twain meets and the band lands a drummer, it could go places. If not, there’ll always be that name to remember.
* * *
Liquid Light prays at the altar of the guitar trinity: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.
It’s songs are blues-based rockers that use “the structure of lyrics and melodies just to get to the jam,” says guitarist Skali.
And when the jam works, Liquid Light’s tunes turn into an instrumental trip that Skali refers to as “surrealistic, post-psychedlic, metaphysical boogie.”
The band blends hippie ideals and anti-nuclear sentiments to create good vibes for peace.
“We have this overall desire to promote a raised consciousness and positive animations of the. And we hope when people come see us that they’re drinking for peace,” says Skali.
Unlike some local groups that feel rock is in a state of déjà vu where nothing is new, Liquid Light holds to the belief everything is new.
In Skali’s words: “It’s new because the individuals are new. Others before us may have blazed the trail, but it’s up to us to find things they were too busy to notice the first time through,” says Skali.
Thanks to the Calgary Cassette Preservation Society for digging up this article. Does anyone have any Steamin' Mad at Dirt, Never a Dull Moment or Liquid Light (other than "I'm So Glad About Dyin'") recordings? And whatever became of Skali, anyway?
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