Condominium, Born Bad, the Sweet Nothings - May 3, 2008

Minneapolis is still a punk mecca. The only thing is that most punks don't go to shows... ever? There is a great scene developing though. It's small but yielding great bands like QUESTION, THE AGENDA and now CONDOMINIUM. Winnipeg was fortunate enough to have CONDOMINIUM come up and play UNDER PRESSURE's US tour sendoff show on May 3rd at Ragpickers. Ragpickers, along with the Rocker (both located in Winnipeg's historic Exchange District) has to be my favorite all-ages venue. That's kind of a redundant statement to make because a good all-ages show will always win over any bar show in my book. Anyhow, the bands were great and I hope this Winnipeg/Minneapolis exchange will continue.


THE SWEET NOTHINGS @ Ragpickers in Winnipeg, Canada


BORN BAD


CONDOMINIUM

Rip It Up Fest - April 12, 2008

Rip It Up fest... It ended up being the source of much confusion, controversy and messageboard entertainment the last few months. What was initially planned out to be a convergence of some of North America's finest short, fast and loud bands. There were a lot of misunderstandings and cancellations... What resulted was a single show that ended up being a lot of fun. The bands that ended up playing were (in order): MIND CONTROL, UNDER PRESSURE, BORN BAD, DR BENWAY (BC), THE AGENDA (MN) and THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT HEROES (AB).

Quick rundown: MIND CONTROL were new and played a competent set with a VOID cover (I think?!). UNDER PRESSURE started off okay but then blew some nasty chunks after Mike's amp stopped working. BORN BAD's set was ridiculous was it should have been. DR BENWAY played nondescript melodic crusty stuff and weren't something I could get into. THE AGENDA were sloppy, noisy and terrific. THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT HEROES played melodic sing-along punk really well but weren't my cup of tea at all. Their singer had a ridiculous amount of energy but his antics were kind of cheesy. Seem like really nice guys though and there were folks there who were into them.


Upon arriving at the venue (the Graffiti Gallery on Higgins) I immediately noticed some punks hanging out in an adjacent lot. We were entertained briefly by the junkyard of office equipment.






Da punx hanging outside the Graffiti Gallery.


Cam and I caught up with Tim and Charlie from Minneapolis punk band, THE AGENDA. Unfortunately, most of the out-of-town bands canceled their appearances at the fest but thankfully they were able to make it down.


BORN BAD @ the Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg, Canada


When Matt (the soundguy) wasn't handling the levels and broken gear, he was nursing this bad boy. Shit...


THE AGENDA @ the Graffiti Gallery in Winnipeg, Canada






DEAD DOGS @ the Lipton house in Winnipeg, Canada

After the show James hooked me up with THE AGENDA's ride to an after show at the Lipton house. I'm glad I was clued in and ended up attending because it was a lot of fun. DEAD DOGS started playing as soon as Paul, Cam and myself got back from an organic munchies raid.


THE AGENDA @ the Lipton house in Winnipeg, Canada

MODERN PROBLEMS played after DEAD DOGS with an altered lineup. Not sure if it was temporary or permanent. Unfortunately, I didn't get any good shots of MODERN PROBLEMS. Steve was quite lively throughout the set and cannot fault him for not putting on a performance.


THE AGENDA were great at the fest but were even better the second time around. Singer Tim has a great explosive energy; you don't know what is going to happen next other than that it will probably end with him plowing into you. They kicked off their basement show performance with a cover of "Manimal" by THE GERMS and it was all uphill from there.





The rest of Jason Penner's photographs from these shows can be viewed here.

the Untrained Eyes, the Sweet Nothings, Tight Genes, Tony Two-Fist & the Terribles - January 26, 2008

Great show. There was a rural Manitoba band that opened things up. I wasn't into them much but they did have a fairly authentic-sounding So-Cal influence, and covered "Bloodstains" which was alright. I was expecting a spectacle with TONY TWO-FIST & THE TERRIBLES and was not disappointed. But instead of just drunken lunacy, I was given even more. Picture a happy-go-lucky GG Allin attempting to play covers mostly straying to the tuneful and post-punk side of things. The most retarded and amazing rendition of "12XU" that I've ever heard. Ditto for "Whips & Furs". It took me a while to figure that one out, but when I did I was floored. What the fuck?! Seeing Tony shake his fist to the beat, attempting to remember the lyrics before settling once again into the relief of the familiar chorus, then telling the laughing audience to fuck off was brilliant. TIGHT GENES went on next. I had only heard their early demo recordings and heard that they had been pretty sloppy live. They were tight with the new lineup although I didn't hear live what I had heard in the demos; a bit of a REAL KIDS influence. I'll check 'em out again when they next play out. THE SWEET NOTHINGS went on next and floored me. Winnipeg's scene had been lacking in one particular area ever since the demise of Jill Clapham's previous band, THE DETENTIONS. Now paired with a new and rock solid backing band, she completes the total package of superbly delivered pop rock'n'roll. Wow, the range and power of her voice effortlessly pulled off BUZZCOCKS and DICKIES covers. They're working on releases already and I can't wait to hear them. One of Winnipeg's best kept secrets, THE UNTRAINED EYES, closed the night. There had been delays earlier with a malfunctioning PA amp, which left the band with only enough time to play four songs. Then there was a fight that broke out and spilled outside, which caused me to miss about a song-and-a-half. Bummer. THE UNTRAINED EYES are also working on a recorded document; they were supposed to record the weekend of the show before instead committing to playing out. Overall, a fantastic night presenting a nice array of bands in the more garage-y end of the local underground spectrum.


Tony Two-Fist & the Terribles @ the Label Gallery in Winnipeg, Canada




Tight Genes


the Sweet Nothings




the Untrained Eyes

the Mouth Boat and Slattern - December 30, 2007

Hanging out with Trish and Jesse between bands.


Slattern @ the Label Gallery in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada




Trish providing visuals for the Mouth Boat @ the Label Gallery in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada