Propagandhi

Wikipedia:

Propagandhi is a Canadian punk band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

While their earlier work draws from the punk rock and skate punk tradition, recent Propagandhi records have moved towards a heavier and more technical heavy metal-influenced sound. Both in their lyrics and hands-on activism, the band's members champion various radical left wing causes and veganism, and have taken an active stance against human rights violations, sexism, racism, homophobia, imperialism, capitalism and organized religion.

History

Formation, first two records (1986–1997)

In 1986, Samolesky and Hannah recruited original bassist Scott Hopper via a "progressive thrash band looking for bass player" flyer they posted in a local record shop. Hopper was replaced around the turn of the decade by Mike Braumeister, marking the first lineup to perform live. After several demos and larger shows (including one with Fugazi) made a name for the band, Braumeister moved to Vancouver, and John K. Samson became the band's third bassist.

In 1992, Propagandhi played a show with California punk rock band NOFX and included in their set a cover version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me". Impressed by their performance, Fat Mike signed them to his independent record label Fat Wreck Chords. The band later accompanied him to Los Angeles, where they recorded their debut album How to Clean Everything, released in 1993. The band spent the next three years touring and enjoying the popularity provided by the explosion of the punk rock revival in the mid-1990s.

In 1996, they recorded and released their second album, Less Talk, More Rock, also on Fat Wreck Chords. The title was satirical, as Propagandhi is well known for lengthy political speeches and rants during live performances. The album was, if anything, more out-spoken than its predecessor, with song titles including "Apparently, I'm a 'P.C. Fascist' (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)", "Nailing Descartes to the Wall/(Liquid) Meat Is Still Murder", and "... And We Thought Nation-States Were a Bad Idea". Ramsey Kanaan, founder of the anarchist publishing company AK Press, appears on "A Public Dis-Service Announcement from Shell" as the voice of the petroleum multinational. Partial proceeds of the album were donated to AK and other activist groups.

Change of bassist; Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (1997–2005)

After Less Talk, More Rock was released, Samson left the band, later forming The Weakerthans. Hannah and Samolesky founded the record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records (which released The Weakerthans' first album). The label name is a reference to the band members' dislike for the G7. The label's economic structure is based upon the one proposed in Robin Hahnel and Michael Albert's Parecon. It was started using their advance on royalties from Fat Wreck Chords.

Todd Kowalski, formerly of the bands I Spy and Swallowing Shit, filled the vacancy left by Samson as Propagandhi's bassist. The band released a collection of demos, alternate takes, covers and live songs called Where Quantity Is Job #1.

In 2001, Propagandhi released their third album, Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes. The album was considered by some to be a major departure from their previous works. The song titles and lyrics of Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes furthered the sphere of their political views, bolstered by the addition of Todd's aggressive song-writing and an increased density of guitar lines. The album includes enhanced content, with political videos and essays concerning such topics as COINTELPRO and the Black Panther Party.

Potemkin City Limits (2005–2006)

Propagandhi released the album Potemkin City Limits on October 18, 2005. Like Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes, the album features multimedia content, with a number of Adobe PDF files on topics such as Parecon and veganism, and links to websites of organizations that Propagandhi support. However, it does not include any videos, as the former did. The album's opening track, "A Speculative Fiction", won the 2006 ECHO songwriting award (by online vote). Propagandhi pledged to use the $5000 prize to make donations to the Haiti Action Network and The Welcome Place (an organization in Winnipeg which they'd previously done volunteer work for), which helps refugees start new lives in Manitoba.

Hannah adopted a pseudonym in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the release of Potemkin City Limits, causing confusion among some fans, reviewers, and commentators. In September 2005, G7 Welcoming Committee Records announced that Hannah had left the band in 2003, and that the remaining members had found a replacement in Glen Lambert, formerly of the Portage Terriers. This claim was quickly revealed to be untrue through a multitude of sources.

Becoming a four-piece (2006–2008)

Without admitting to the joke, Propagandhi announced on August 14, 2006 that "Glen Lambert" had been dismissed and would be replaced by "former" member Chris Hannah, who was to be joined by David Guillas, making the band a four-piece for the first time. Guillas, nicknamed "The Beaver", is a former member of two Winnipeg-based rock outfits, Giant Sons and Rough Music. Hannah had previously stated that he had been a fan of, and influenced by, Guillas' work in Giant Sons. Some biographies and websites still erroneously state that "Glen Lambert" did take Hannah's place in the band for a period of time.

In 2007, the band released a DVD entitled Live from Occupied Territory, which features a recording of their set at The Zoo in Winnipeg on July 19, 2003. Proceeds of the DVD benefit the Grassy Narrows blockade and the Middle East Children's Alliance. Included on the DVD are two full-length documentaries: Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, and As Long as the Rivers Flow.

Supporting Caste, recent activity (2008–present)

On 5 September 2008, Hannah stated on the band's website that "to [his] ears the new record seems like it will resemble a nuclear-powered space-age composite of Potemkin City Limits, Less Talk More Rock, Giant Son’s Anthology and a carefully measured dose of Today’s Empires Tomorrow’s Ashes". On 13 November 2008, Kowalski stated on the band's website that the new record was completed and that touring would commence in February 2009. On 13 January 2009, Propagandhi announced that the album was entitled Supporting Caste and would be released on 10 March 2009.

The band created a page giving fans an option to receive two high-quality songs from the album before its release, by donating $1–$10 to one of three activist organizations supported by them. The page also linked to various pre-orders of the album. On March 3, a week before its release, Supporting Caste was streamed in its entirety on the band's MySpace profile.

Hannah stated in an interview that a new album may arrive quicker than any previous, possibly in as little as two years. In another interview he furthered this possibility by stating the band's desire to begin recording again in 2010.

On 6 April 2010, the band released a digital EP entitled The Recovered EP, which features old recordings from the How To Clean Everything and Less Talk, More Rock eras, remastered and with some new parts recorded by Hannah. In August of that year, it was announced that they would be releasing a split 7" (of covers) with Sacrifice, who are one of their collective favorite bands.

On 24 June 2011, the band posted a video on their Facebook page of them performing a brand new, untitled song from their forthcoming album. Todd has also stated on their website that they hope to be in the studio recording their new record by September.

In late July 2011, the band announced that work had begun on a transcription of their latest album Supporting Caste for guitar and bass tablature, with the members collaborating with their friends and fellow musicians from Sheet Happens Publishing/Protest the Hero. The book was released internationally on the 1st of February, 2012.

Members