Western Canada's first punk band, The Furies, formed in early 1977 and broke up by the fall of 1977.
In the mid-seventies, a stagnant music scene afflicted Vancouver and the Western world in general. Music sucked. Musicians sucked. The potential of the sixties’ cultural revolution became a complacent “seventies” manipulated by big business. Music was big business. Things could be different. By doing what needed to be done we could change the way music was being made and thus, change the world. In the spring of 1977 Chris Arnett (guitar, vocals) joined high school friend Malcolm Hasman (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Walker, from Alberta, to form the Furies
The Furies played their first gig in May 1977 at an opening for artist Richard Hambleton (Dick Trace-it) at Pumps, an art/performance/living space on Powell Street in Gastown. The Vancouver nightclub/music establishment was not receptive to the sound and it was difficult to find gigs. The Furies played Battle of the Bands competitions at the Blue Horizon Hotel on Robson Street, East Vancouver house parties, appeared on the Vancouver Show and, in June 1977, made a two-song demo at North Vancouver’s Ocean Sounds, the first “punk” recording in Western Canada.
On July 30, with the help of many friends, the Furies headlined a “Punk Rock Saturday Night” at the Japanese Hall on Alexander Street in the Downtown East Side. 400 showed up. The all-female Dishrags, three 16 year olds from Vancouver Island, opened the show.
In August, Malcolm was replaced by Jim’s friend, John Werner, in time for a gig at Seattle’s Odd Fellow’s Hall in mid-August. A televised appearance at the Pacific National Exhibition followed and, on September 3, the Furies headlined another packed show at the Japanese Hall, with Seattle’s Lewd and Burnaby’s Skulls, replacing a cancelled Seattle act, the Feelings, to open the show.
The Furies broke up September 11, 1977 and the local scene floundered. Jim and John moved to the UK where Jim was recruited by Public Image Ltd. for their first album (check out PIL's 1978 "Public Image" video), and then eventually joined John in The Pack. (check out vintage 1978 Pack videos "King of Kings" and "Tyburn").
Now we're back, baby...
A song without music
A sword in the senses,
A storm in the heart
And a fire in the brain
A clamour of Furies
To paralyse reason.
A tune full of terror
A drought in the soul.
etc, etc Party on!
In Feb 2007 we re-united for a show at Richards on Richards with original songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Chris Arnett, original bass player John Werner, and long-time local drummer Taylor Little. It was fun! So The Furies plan to play some more rocking shows. We've also just released our first CD - THE FURIES - 10 tracks from the past, 2 from the present. Recorded in a day, mixed in a day, mastered in a day. Available from JEM Gallery, Zulu Records, Noize to Go, Red Cat Records, Bonerattle Music as well as online through Scratch Records, ITunes and CD Baby. Stay tuned.... or untuned,as the case may be.
Two CD Reviews of THE FURIES "In a way, this disc is the long out-of-print missing link in the history of West Coast punk rock. It’s also one of the freshest true punk albums to come around in quite awhile. The Furies played Vancouver’s first punk gig on July 30, 1977. The trio nixed it all on 9/11/77. Re-formed, the trio of Chris Arnett (guitar/vox), John Werner (bass/vox) and Bughouse Five drummer Taylor Little, rip through a dozen tracks of swaggering, snotty, neoStooges thrash that’s 30 years old and mop the floor with all of what passes for “punk” now. Play it loud and often." The Province - Stuart Derdeyn (16 Aug 2007) "You get the feeling the Furies would respond to the criticism that they're all meat and potatoes by handing you a BIGGER plate of potatoes and telling you to shut the fuck up. Vancouver history aside, the songs on their new disc, with its blustering guitar-driven pelvic/phallic thrust, spazzing, spurting solos, and dead-panned lyrics of horny teen angst, coulda been written and recorded over a single beer-and pot fueled weekend in a garage in 1967 by much younger men. The rhymes are obvious ("Remember Vietnam/tell Uncle Sam") and the songs are more, um, "ruthlessly primitive" than they are original,and are more or less musically interfuckingchangeable. But that's cool: it takes fairly large balls to offer something this stripped down and do it credibly, and the Furies manage with enthusiasm and sperm to spare. If you don't dig it, either you don't really like rock music in the first place,or you take it wayyy too fuckin' seriously. Which I do, kinda, but in this case, the Furies win." The Nerve Magazine - Alan MacInnis (September 2007)
GO TO OUR MYSPACE BLOG TO READ MORE REVIEWS OF THE FURIES
PURCHASE A FURIES CD FROM THE FOLLOWING:
LOCAL SHOPS:
JEM Gallery, Zulu Records, Noize to Go, Red Cat Records, Bonerattle Music
ONLINE PURCHASES:
THE FURIES PLAY HARDSTOCK - FRIDAY APRIL 25TH, 2008
MONGREL ZINE #7 IS OUT NOW
The new Halloween issue of Mongrel Zine is full of spooky delights!
Haunted George schools us on Halloween sound effects and his
Garagepunk podcast Haunted Shack Theatre, King Louie charms us with
tales of stealin’ Lil Wayne’s wardrobe girl and drinking with Fats
Domino, Vancouver’s newest garage band Indian Wars find the best
skateparks, Inservibles tell us about Mexico City’s best tacos from
what is a shitty mechanics workshop during the day and taco stand by
night, a rare interview with the late Billy Van from The Hilarious
House of Frightenstein, vintage Halloween collector Mark Ledenbach,
plus Box Elders, The TVees, Hard Feelings, HYPSTRZ, The Orpheans,
Corpusse, Telekrimen, and tonnes more…
This issue includes Mongrel Zine Vol. 4 CD Comp with 28 tracks
including Bloodshot Bill’s “In the Graveyard…!” written especially for
this Halloween issue of Mongrel Zine!
Let's party buddy! What's your schedule like. Are both of you in Vancouver? Who's looking after your place on the island? Don't you have animals and shit to feed.
Interviews with Demon’s
Claws, Red Mass, The Black Lips, Dead Ghosts, artist TrUdE, The Sunday
Sinners, Bloodshot Bill, Manic Attracts, Nardwuar the Human Serviette,
Gerard Van Herk (Deja Voodoo), Teenage Hookers, Petroleum By-Product,
Simply Saucer plus other lubricants like a tribute to the late Sky
Saxon, Mike Sniper (Blank Dogs), reviews, and a 25-track CD Comp of
the best new garage, punk, and rocknroll!
I can't wait to come hang out...July and August are the perfect months to get over there...we'll pick a weekend and get back to you...miss you man, glad to hear your busy making music and loving life.
Oyster bar my ass. Jim sold the pub eh, that's good for him. Maybe when I'm there we can chicken bomb the oyster bar...Have you ever heard about the chicken bomb?
I just started work on my new album last week...it's gonna be awesome!! Love and rage buddy, joey
Bummer dude..Moby' got sold and our gig is canceled on the 6th of next month there. I was so looking forward to coming over and hanging out...that would have been great...miss you..joe
Interviews with King Khan, The Spits, Pierced Arrows, The Dead Moon Story, Skip Jensen, Ratas del Vaticano, Chuck Violence, B-Lines, Rupert Bottenberg, CM Ruiz, The Speaking Tongues, plus an article on Stef Petticoat and a tribute to the late Cramps frontman Lux Interior. Also: Gary Pig Gold, Kirsten Easthope, an exclusive introduction by Bobby Beaton, reviews, more!
Come check out the new hit single by Wayne Lambert - Crazy 4 U. Taken from his debut solo album, Songs Of Love And War, its a passionate song destined to become a classic.
Fuck yeah, I'll be going to the island for a while sometime in January or February hopefully to record with Corwin..we'll have to make the trip over and see ya's! enjoy the dinners and drinking today, lotsa love. joe
Online Now!
