Venal i.v. broke up some time ago. This page serves as a look back at what we did and the good times we had, and to give you myspacers access to some of our music. To hear more great chart-toppers, our releases are still available from Poisoned Candy Records. Visit our official site at www.poisonedcandy.com/venaliv.html. Please don’t write us asking to help book your band a show because we don’t live in Missoula anymore.
xGARDEN CITY STRAIGHT EDGEx
Just to cure some delusions people seem to have about straight edge and where we stand with it. We are not elitist or militant. We oppose the idea of prohibition. We do not think ourselves better than people who drink and we aren’t going to break your hands for smoking. We oppose homophobia and racism (two subjects that have nothing to do with straight edge but have been pinned to it by dramatic dumbfucks). Garden city straight edge is not a gang of hardliners. We don’t hate people for their habits; we are just concerned and refuse to remain silent about it. And we are sick and tired of hearing about date rape and seeing drunken jocks starting shit with people for no reason. Straight Edge is, in our definition, a basic ground for bettering yourself, with the main principles being abstinence from drugs (including alcohol & tobacco) and not basing a meaningful relationship on empty fucking. We do not oppose the act of sex, as some say is a requirement for being straight edge (we realize that fucking is a natural instinct and every human should have the right to it), but rather we oppose one night stands and prefer to treat people like they are much more than a mere fuck. As far as the vegan slant goes, we support it but are not 100% vegan. Also I think it’s imperative that you know we are not out to tell people how to live. We make our own rules and so do you. Everyone should set their own standards, but more importantly, they should think before they act on them.
-matt svendsen
YES, WE ARE STILL STRAIGHT EDGE AND WE ARE STILL JERKS ABOUT IT!!
In the past years we played lots of fun shows, met lots of cool people, and hopefully did what we set out to do: help the punks and the drug free youth feel a little less alone. We were disgusted with all the egotestical-alcoholic-fratfucks and their bigot attitudes. I’d like to think we built up some more respect for straight edge here and the understanding that G.C.S.E. is not a stupid gang of hardliners (never take your punk/ S.E./ crust/ emo/ skin/ etc. cenomination too seriously) and also the realization that no one is better than anyone else. Unfortunately we could not afford marriage counseling and therefore perished. After a good break we reformed as a two piece, and the fun continued. The resurrection was for the sake of counter-cultural political hardcore in the Montana community. We’ve seen around us the punk scene falling into the self destructive trap of another ‘subculture’ - loosing any and all revolutionary counter cultural elements. It is beyond essential that the hardcore community does not follow in this path. We as radicals involved in H.C. must not forget what defines us as a movement: our energy, our D.I.Y. ethics, our politics, and how we seek to make effective change in the world around us - and equally in ourselves. As Proudhon said, ‘A revolution is our act of sovereign justice, in the order of moral facts, springing out of the necessity of things, and in consequence carrying with it it’s own justification.’ Our movement, our revolution will push on uncompromised, fueled by our passion which shall never dry up. We received criticism for playing in bars 18+ shows. As much as we disagree with age discrimination, the bar crowd was in a sense our “target audience” as we wanted to show them a straight edge lifestyle is not arrogant or discriminatory and that we don’t think ourselves superior, and more importantly to show people that you don’t have to be fucked up, just as you shouldn’t have to be a certain age to enjoy fast music! Just like the Casualties said: ‘Can’t you understand we have different causes and beliefs, can’t you understand we are here for the same thing!’ I doubt they were just referring to alcohol.
(Anarquista Feminista!!)
