Toronto was at the forefront of punk rock music in Canada, alongside New York City in the United States and London in the United Kingdom. While many of the bands may not have gained international acclaim as several in New York and London did, it was still a force to be reckoned with. Although many individuals who rocked out during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s may have gone on to pursue other avenues, there are still many around living and breathing that rock n roll spirit of punk music.

On Friday March 15th, a few members of that original Toronto punk scene took the stage at the monthly alternative party called STAIN. Sluts on 45, Freedom 85, and Sid’s Kids will perform along with cameo appearances by members of Zro4, The Existers, Arson, and more. Lynne Rafter will provide the interludes, and there will also be screenings of current and vintage videos between acts, courtesy of Punks and Rockers. Punk Ass Piercings Ink will once again be showcasing their tattoo, piercing, and jewelry ware, while DJ Triple-X and DJ Jinx make sure things keep rocking. Oi! Oi! Oi!

Punk Globe Magazine Toronto correspondent Bryen Dunn caught up with a few of those involved to get their opinion on punk rock then and now with these five rapid fire questions.

What (or who) do you think is the true spirit of punk rock, and why?

(Who) Iggy Pop for surviving more than 40 years and still kickin' it! (What) The attitude that gives us the option to challenge and change and create outside the boundaries!

The true spirit of Punk Rock can be found where the energy and fun of rock n roll join forces with art embracing the ambiguity and contradictions of life.

Punk means: No validation required! I think the true spirit of punk rock is to not get stuck in the past, and to not take yourself too fuckin seriously!

Do everything yourself! Anti-establishment. Freedom!

Name your personal top five Toronto punk bands from the 70’s/80’s era, and why?

Viletones. Curse, Diodes, "B" Girls, Battered Wives/ The Ugly

The Ugly for their honest and raw sound, never letting up and setting the bar. The Demics for the classic "New York City" and many great shared gigs.The Curse for their outrageous shows and personalities, Teenage Head, Frankie never gave a fuck and just played. ARSON for their intensity, insanity and being there and still surviving since 1977 (I'm slightly prejudiced!)

Zro4 cuz it’s my Band, Teenage Head for the Bromance like no other, The Ugly was the 1st Toronto Punk Band I ever saw, which was at their rehearsal, The Curse and the BGirls cuz them are my goils. Okay now comes trouble The “Original” Viletones, Killer 4some with a great stage presence, no one had the playing experience of Motor, Chris and Freddy.

Forgotten Rebels (Hamilton – Toronto’s twin city), Bunchofuckingoofs, Problem Children (Dunnville / Hamilton), The Ugly, Random Killing

Name your top five Toronto punk clubs from the 70’s/80’s, and why?

The Turning Point, the place where we all started, cheap beer, wild parties, many great shows!The Horseshoe, playing there, you knew you arrived. Played there with The Dead Boys in '78, great times, amazing place to hang. The Rock Palace, many a night, many a show, many a beer, nice stage, great crowds. Crash and Burn, the beginning scene, too short lived but great fun. David's, reminds me of a great Ugly show on New Year’s Eve, the club burned down later that night.

Larry’s Hideaway. The Apocalypse Club, Fort Goof, El Mocambo (downstairs), Lee’s Palace

You know, bottom line, it really came down to who was playing where, and if I was on the guest lists ;) ;) The Horseshoe Gary’s had great shows there. It should have never ended. It was a good place to see bands. Brutal Brawls. Turning Point, just when you thought it was over… Joe and Anna! Memories, Turf Wars. First Zro4 Gig was there. Morrisey, 3 things: cheap beer, Concert Hall and of course Cheap Beer, say no more! Upper Lip, Central. Home to the Secrets, the Ugly and Johnny Lovesin 4 a while. Epic Battle over nothing, Blake Street Boys saved my ass. Oh ya! of course Larry’s Hideaway cuz it was Larry’s and The Issy cuz Joe Freid was a really nice guy. Honorable mentions the Elmo (bouncers were jerks) and the Edge where I was usually barred, etc,

Beverly Tavern, Crash and Burn, Club David’s, The Edge, Turning Point

What one defining moment destined you to being a punk for life?

Ramones concert at the New Yorker Theater Sept. 1976

I loved Glam rock Big Time but I guess the defining “Live” punk moment for me was probably when I saw Blondie, and Iggy on the Idiot Tour with Bowie March 14th 1977 at Seneca College. Then again before that hearing Iggy, The Dolls, TRex, The Ramones, the Dead Boys and Richard Hell for the first time had pretty well sealed the deal for me!

The day that I started working at Larry’s Hideaway as a waitress.

Having to survive alone as an underground music junkie teenager on the streets of Montreal and witnessing the Velvets, Stones, MC5, and many other '60's garage bands; playing drums in a couple of local bands; anything for the chance to play the music I loved

Name five bands today that are carrying on the spirit of yesterday.

Iggy and The Stooges, Green Day. Fucked Up, OFF, ARSON

Frostbacks, Terminals. Laid to Rest, Born Wrong, The Fallout (Sluts on 45)

Fucked Up for one and much of what I've seen at Parts and Labour which Mark Pesci has brought.

Ummmm I’ll get back to you on that…

Now Here are bio's on all The people that were interviewed for this interview.

Cleave played his first gig in June 1968 at a grade 8 graduation party in Etobicoke where he grew up. He played in several cover bands in the early '70's and briefly did the Northern Ontario circuit. In '75 he played at the Bermuda Tavern on Yonge St. playing the music for the topless go go girls in the days before strip clubs.

When the punk rock movement got it's start in 1977 Cleave joined the notorious Battered Wives and was active in the scene doing gigs with the Forgotten Rebels among others including seminal punk rock group Tyranna.

In the early '80's after leaving the Wives he did stints with blues guitarists David Wilcox and Colin Linden while playing with Sherry Kean and the Sharks. Also did gigs with Handsome Ned who originated the Alternative Country scene in Toronto.

In 1984 Cleave helped found Blue Rodeo. He played with them until '89.

In the '90's played and recorded with many singer/songwriters while playing rock with Screamin' Sam and joining John Borra Band in '97 and continues in the present. More recently the Screwed along with Sid's Kids has been working to help keep the punk spirit of '77 from being forgotten. Sid's Kids comprise of Cleave, Marcel LaFleur, John Sutton and various singers.

In 1978, Zero recruited disbanded members from the Ugly, Blue Peter, Viletones, the Wads and Dick Duck and the Dorks to form Zro4 along with her partner in crime Tony Brighton. To appease their stormy 5 years relationship, Zero and Tony immersed themselves in creating and promoting Zro4. They performed mostly originals and refused to comply with the demands of union gigs, therefore, they played venues that allowed bands freedom to be original. The decade ended abruptly with the band caught in the crossfire of venue supremacy politics. As a result, sadly, Zro4 performed only a handful of gigs in the 80's. They did, however, record a number of original tracks that never saw the light of day. Following the death of Marc Gamage, Zro4, without Tony Brighton for the first time, played the Benefit Concert for Steve Goof of the Bunchofuckingoofs following his arrest for defacing public property. Tony Brighton died in 1990, Zero would find out in 2003. In 2005, Marc Coulavin, after locating Zero, recommended Zro4 for the compilation "Punk History Canada, Only In Canada EH! 77-81". In 2007, long time friend Gary Topp offered Zero a spot at the Mamapalouza event at Jeff Healey's Road House. After 20 years, she was reunited with Chick Parker , his first time playing in more than 10 years and what turned out to be his last performance. Chick died of heart failure in the fall of 2010. Cleave Anderson has staged several opportunities for Zero to perform over the last few years and has been instrumental in fanning the Zro4 flame. Stephen Perry of EqualizingXdistort has given Zro4 an opportunity to be heard and has been encouraging the release of previously recorded material. In 2012, out of the blue, Tony Brighton made contact, he's is alive and well... Is a reunion a possibility??? Stay Tuned!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA8uUcjSX9g&feature=youtu.be
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zro4/11320932068
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152559218765249

Sluts on 45 (2010-current)
http://www.reverbnation.com/slutson45
Arson (2010-11)
Scramjet (2007-10)
Outbred Inlaws (2008-10)
The Terrorists (2004)
Spotty Botty (1998-2000)
The Excretions (1997-99)
Shitloadsofuckall (1997)
Dear Departed (1992-96)

Marcel LaFleur and John Sutton are also members of ARSON along with David Quinton (Mods, Dead Boys, Stiv Bators) on drums. Marcel and I formed the original ARSON in 1977.

In 1977, at the height of the punk rock pandemic that was effortlessly engulfing the globe, vocalist and composer Rude van Steenes fortuitously joined forces with guitarist Marcel La Fleur to begin a musical friendship that has spanned more than three and a half decades and spawned the incendiary band ARSON.

Ask anyone who’s ever heard them live and they’ll tell you that ARSON sonically sutures the Detroit destruction of the Stooges and MC5; the New York noise of the Velvet Underground and New York Dolls; and the British brainpower of the Stranglers and Clash. I could go on, so I will.

ARSON has independently toured all across North America and played countless concerts in a myriad of notorious rock ’n’ roll breeding grounds like New York, Detroit, and Chicago while sharing stages with—and stealing spotlights from—such influential legendary luminaries as the Dead Boys, Misfits, Suicide, Troggs, Destroy All Monsters, John Otway, and Ollie Halsall.

ARSON’s first self-produced and self-financed single “Livin’ With The White Folks” b/w “Coho Coho” was pressed in a limited edition of a thousand copies, all of which promptly sold out in a mere six days.

ARSON recorded the Animals standard "We’ve Gotta Get Out Of This Place" for the Chameleon Records compilation No Pedestrians. After hearing it, the music critic for Shades magazine was so impressed that he had to confess: “ARSON’s recorded the best version of this song that I’ve ever heard in my life."

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However, by 1980 disco had already begun its slow maturation into all forms of hybrid dance music. Punk, meanwhile, proved to be far too raw and radical for mainstream tastes after all. Accordingly, it was immediately castrated by the major record conglomerates who called their new neutered version new wave.

ARSON found itself releasing records into a rapidly changing marketplace where their kind of music was floundering as a viable commodity. Everyone was feeling the effects as rock music underwent yet another transformation. It was during these turbulent times that ARSON elected to go on hiatus—a welcome respite which also allowed the band the opportunity to lay back and assess the situation.

During this extended evaluation, author Frank Manley published his essential reference book Smash The State: A Discography Of Canadian Punk 1977-92 which featured a four song EP that included ARSON’s recording of “Coho Coho.” Then a companion album titled Smash The State: A Compilation Of Canadian Punk Rock 1979-81 was released featuring three ARSON tracks: their above-noted debut single and the previously unreleased song “Pretty Girls.”

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Meanwhile, van Steenes and La Fleur continued to douse ARSON’s smoldering ashes with new songs until the time was right to finally tap their past and craft a contemporary sound containing the unflinching fury of their earlier incarnation.

Aided and abetted by John P. Sutton (Weakerthans) on bass and David Quinton (Mods, Jitters, Dead Boys, Stiv Bators) on drums, ARSON recorded an in depth profile for Toronto radio station CIUT which featuring two hours of music and interviews that took listeners on a wild ride through the band’s storied history. Even better, eleven new tracks were recorded live in the studio, all of which can be heard on the CIUT website.

Recent concerts at the Bovine Sex Club, Velvet Underground, The Sister, El Mocambo, Cameron House, Horseshoe, Lee's Palace, etc., have garnered a whole new generation of rave reviews such as this one from rave-and-roll.com which succinctly states: “It’s lucky for fans of the original punk and post-punk scene that ARSON has risen from embers that never stopped glowing!”

That not hyperbole, that’s a fact—and you can take it from me because I actually was there back in 1977 at the height of the punk rock heyday.

So who you gonna believe: me or your own ears?

JEFFREY MORGAN is the authorized biographer of both Alice Cooper and The Stooges. He has been the de facto Canadian Editor of CREEM: America’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll Magazine ever since Lester Bangs personally invited him to write for the legendary music publication in 1974. His award-winning column Jeffrey Morgan’s Media Blackout can be read exclusively at:www.jeffreymorgan.info

Links
http://www.arson-rock.com
http://www.facebook.com/arson.music
http://www.myspace.com/arson1977
http://www.reverbnation.com/arsonmusic

STAIN: Friday March 15th
Velvet Underground, 510 Queen St W, 416-504-6688
Doors 930pm - 7 Buxxx cover - This is a 19+ licensed event

Facebook Event Page - https://www.facebook.com/events/597445040269121/

Colin Brunton has just released his followed up to the excellent punk rock documentary The Last Pogo, Cleaverly titled The Last Pogo Jumps Again. It looks at the scene 30 years ago, bringing viewers up to present on those punk pioneers we still pay great homage to.

Catch the world release at Canadian Music Week on Saturday March 23rd at 1230pm -
http://cmw.net/media/press-room/line-up-announced-for-canadian-music-week-film-fest/

More information on The Last Pogo Jumps Again can be found here - www.thelastpogo.net