Thursday, May 22, 2008
Black Ships Chart High with Low ** UPDATED**
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Press (Black Ships) // Bang Bang / Montreal Mirror / Exclaim (UPDATED)
Black Ships (Updated * new)
Low
By Sam Sutherland
After a well-received CD-R release on Mon Oeil Records, Montreal’s Black Ships have unleashed a beast of an EP on the world with Low. With all the power of Tragedy’s first record or Coliseum’s Goddamage, these four songs meld brutally heavy d-beat with epically apocalyptic guitars, forging some powerfully melodic instrumental passages for vocalist Jamie Thomas to tear to shreds with his appropriately brutal screams. Finding some range in what can be a somewhat limited sonic scope, Black Ships move seamlessly from lightning-fast punk rock to sludgy metal in songs like “Lowest of the Low,” likely the strongest track here. Fans of Cursed or the aforementioned bands should flip for this. (New Romance For Kids)
Black Ships
LOW
MIRROR
by JOHNSON CUMMINS
The last release from Montreal’s brutal blasters the Black Ships, in 2006, had me running around waking the neighbours and kissing babies, but with only six songs on the EP, I was hardly satiated. If you weren’t nimble enough to pick up this slab of heaviness at the time, don’t bother trying to find it now, it’s long out of print. This week, these crusty hardcore hellions release the follow-up Low in less limited quantities, but further the frustration with only four songs this time around. In this case, though, size doesn’t matter. They destroy on all glorious 16 minutes here. Lovingly put out by local label New Romance for Kids, the Black Ships’ Refused/Entombed onslaught is out for blood. If you dig brutal hardcore or metal that isn’t afraid to fire from the gut, this is essential listening. If you weren’t hip enough to catch their record release a couple of weeks back, keep your peepers here for their upcoming show at new hotspot Black Dot.
Bang Bang
11 avril 2008
Black Ships : Low
Alexis Charlebois-Laurin
New Romance For Kids
Ayant déjà la réputation d’être un des groupes les plus loud en show de toute la scène punk/hardcore de Montréal, le groupe nous envoie son premier EP «officiel» après un CD-R sur le label Mon Œil. Un EP qui va certainement entretenir la rumeur. Se situant dans la lignée de Tragedy, From Ashes Rise, Cobra Noir, The Black Hand, la formation nous sert un bon d-beat rock et bien sale avec une touche de mélodie bien placée. En seulement quatre chansons, le groupe réussit vraiment à nous prouver de quoi il est capable et on a hâte d’entendre la suite. J’espère qu’elle ne se fera pas trop attendre et qu’il va battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud. Je suis pas trop certain mais j’ai comme une grosse impression que ce groupe est composé d’ex-plein d’affaires parce que dans le style, c’est vraiment très bon et bien exécuté. La voie caverneuse fitte à merveille, les guitares mélodiques, tout en étant sales et pesantes, ne pourrait mieux sonner et chaque coup de drum s’abat comme un coup de hache. «The lowest of the low, the cursed of the cursed, the darkest of the darkest night.» C’est-tu pas assez d-beat à votre goût comme paroles ça, mes amis? Moi j’ai adoré. (ACL)
www.myspace.com/blackships
Low
By Sam Sutherland
After a well-received CD-R release on Mon Oeil Records, Montreal’s Black Ships have unleashed a beast of an EP on the world with Low. With all the power of Tragedy’s first record or Coliseum’s Goddamage, these four songs meld brutally heavy d-beat with epically apocalyptic guitars, forging some powerfully melodic instrumental passages for vocalist Jamie Thomas to tear to shreds with his appropriately brutal screams. Finding some range in what can be a somewhat limited sonic scope, Black Ships move seamlessly from lightning-fast punk rock to sludgy metal in songs like “Lowest of the Low,” likely the strongest track here. Fans of Cursed or the aforementioned bands should flip for this. (New Romance For Kids)
Black Ships
LOW
MIRROR
by JOHNSON CUMMINS
The last release from Montreal’s brutal blasters the Black Ships, in 2006, had me running around waking the neighbours and kissing babies, but with only six songs on the EP, I was hardly satiated. If you weren’t nimble enough to pick up this slab of heaviness at the time, don’t bother trying to find it now, it’s long out of print. This week, these crusty hardcore hellions release the follow-up Low in less limited quantities, but further the frustration with only four songs this time around. In this case, though, size doesn’t matter. They destroy on all glorious 16 minutes here. Lovingly put out by local label New Romance for Kids, the Black Ships’ Refused/Entombed onslaught is out for blood. If you dig brutal hardcore or metal that isn’t afraid to fire from the gut, this is essential listening. If you weren’t hip enough to catch their record release a couple of weeks back, keep your peepers here for their upcoming show at new hotspot Black Dot.
Bang Bang
11 avril 2008
Black Ships : Low
Alexis Charlebois-Laurin
New Romance For Kids
Ayant déjà la réputation d’être un des groupes les plus loud en show de toute la scène punk/hardcore de Montréal, le groupe nous envoie son premier EP «officiel» après un CD-R sur le label Mon Œil. Un EP qui va certainement entretenir la rumeur. Se situant dans la lignée de Tragedy, From Ashes Rise, Cobra Noir, The Black Hand, la formation nous sert un bon d-beat rock et bien sale avec une touche de mélodie bien placée. En seulement quatre chansons, le groupe réussit vraiment à nous prouver de quoi il est capable et on a hâte d’entendre la suite. J’espère qu’elle ne se fera pas trop attendre et qu’il va battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud. Je suis pas trop certain mais j’ai comme une grosse impression que ce groupe est composé d’ex-plein d’affaires parce que dans le style, c’est vraiment très bon et bien exécuté. La voie caverneuse fitte à merveille, les guitares mélodiques, tout en étant sales et pesantes, ne pourrait mieux sonner et chaque coup de drum s’abat comme un coup de hache. «The lowest of the low, the cursed of the cursed, the darkest of the darkest night.» C’est-tu pas assez d-beat à votre goût comme paroles ça, mes amis? Moi j’ai adoré. (ACL)
www.myspace.com/blackships
Friday, April 11, 2008
HiFi Handgrenades Exclaim tv. pt.22
4/9/2008 While simultaneously trying to finish a new setlist for the night's show (opening for Foo Fighters and Against Me!, which probably isn't the easiest gig in the world), Detroit's HiFi Handgrenades talk about playing two shows a night and starting PA fires at at least one of them.
HiFiHandgrenades: A Real Interview
http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=120&csid2=988&fid1=30757
HiFi Handgrenades vs. Do Dump Date
http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=120&csid2=988&fid1=30720
HiFiHandgrenades: A Real Interview
http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=120&csid2=988&fid1=30757
HiFi Handgrenades vs. Do Dump Date
http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=120&csid2=988&fid1=30720
Friday, March 28, 2008
Black Ships // Junnnk Thanks
by Matt Dixon, March '08
1. Please introduce the members of Black Ships and give a brief history of the band.
Adam plays bass, Marc and jamie play guitar, Jamie also does the vocals and Taylor plays drums. Adam, Jamie and Taylor started playing together four years ago. We played in various bands together. Black Ships used to be Jamie, Adam and Taylor but went on hiatus for a bit. When we re-formed about a year ago, we added Marc as a second guitarist.
2. What does Black Ships consider worth fighting for?
Theres no much to fight for. @e're all fucked.
3. What politics and/or ethics, if any, play a role in the band, the lyrics and the way the group goes about its business?
We all are strong believers in the DIY ethic. Being able to do something yourself and then have people like it is really rewarding. Our lyrics look at the world in a dark, pissed off kind of way. The world we live in is fucked.
4. Who would you consider your current contemporaries in hardcore?
I would say for us it would have to be Cursed, Tragedy, Disfear and a lot of the bands we listen to have already broken up.
5. You seem to have a knack for seeking out and working with small DIY labels (Mon Oeil, New Romance For Kids). Is this a conscious choice and does it reflect your commitment to the DIY community?
Actually, both those labels are friends of ours. Our release was the first for Mon Oeil and they did a great job. Jason from New Romance told us that if we ever wanted to put something out again that he would be more than happy to do it. So for our second release, we went with him. Going with DIY labels isn't exactly a conscious choice, its actually more of a natural one. I couldnt picture it any other way.
6.What is your current take on the Montreal hardcore scene?
It is actually getting really good. We have a solid venue called the Black Dot which is run by our friend Dan. People always come out, have a good time and support the local and out of town bands. There was a serious lack of decent, affordable venues here so now with the Black Dot, the scene is changing. More shows are happening, more people are getting involved and all in all its really encouraging. I've also started to noticed that younger kids are coming out to the shows now, which is really cool.
7. You have gained a reputation for being "the loudest band in Montreal", what is your reaction to this and what else do you think sets Black Ships apart from other band?
We actually used to be twice as loud. It got to be really ridiculous. We used to use a lot more gear that we do now but it would be safe to say we still play pretty loud. I would like to think that we draw influences from different places. We obviously have that Eastern Canada pissed off sound that a lot of bands from our area have but we also have some Scandinavian hardcore influences as well.
8. You're about to go on tour with Louisville Kentucky hardcore outfit Lords, how did this tour come about? What made you want to tour with Lords?
It just kind of popped up. Adam's other, now defunct, band, Cobra Noir, did some dates with them last year. One day I noticed that Lords were going to be coming up here, so I got on my horse and found out who was doing the tour and got in touch and the rest is history.
9. I noticed that for the upcoming tour you'll be playing a mix of house shows, clubs, and bars. What is your ideal show situation?
Obviously, house shows rule. They're always a party and you're often treated really well. That would be the ideal but we've had our fair share of house shows getting shut down by the cops, which totally blows every time it happens. It would be safe to say that the most ideal show would be at a rad, small DIY venue which had ample room to store gear, held about a 100 people and had 4 bands on the bill. Sometimes even 3 is just the right amount.
10. Any interesting road/tour stories?
Lots. We hit a bird in New York State while listening to "Freebird" on the radio, we played in a barn in Portland, Maine, we always look for roller coasters to ride and buffets to eat at. We've got a whole wack of other stories involving alcohol and other various substances that probably wouldnt be suitable for this kind of thing.
11. People seem to be unanimous in their calls for more Black Ships. Is there a full length record on the horizon? What's up next for the band?
We are currently in the process of writing songs in hopes of releasing a full length record at the end of the summer/fall. We then plan on touring a whole lot. We would ideally like to go to Europe and maybe stay there forever so Jamie can hang out with Skit System.
12. How can people contact you?
They can find us at myspace.com/blackships but our email is blackshipsarecoming@hotmail.com. My address is also 208 Frontenac, Pincourt, Quebec, J7V 3V2. Letters are always nice and I promise I'll write you back.
13. Final words?
Thanks a lot for asking us to do this and we'll see you at the show on the 25th, its going to rip. DIY or die. Thumbs up!
1. Please introduce the members of Black Ships and give a brief history of the band.
Adam plays bass, Marc and jamie play guitar, Jamie also does the vocals and Taylor plays drums. Adam, Jamie and Taylor started playing together four years ago. We played in various bands together. Black Ships used to be Jamie, Adam and Taylor but went on hiatus for a bit. When we re-formed about a year ago, we added Marc as a second guitarist.
2. What does Black Ships consider worth fighting for?
Theres no much to fight for. @e're all fucked.
3. What politics and/or ethics, if any, play a role in the band, the lyrics and the way the group goes about its business?
We all are strong believers in the DIY ethic. Being able to do something yourself and then have people like it is really rewarding. Our lyrics look at the world in a dark, pissed off kind of way. The world we live in is fucked.
4. Who would you consider your current contemporaries in hardcore?
I would say for us it would have to be Cursed, Tragedy, Disfear and a lot of the bands we listen to have already broken up.
5. You seem to have a knack for seeking out and working with small DIY labels (Mon Oeil, New Romance For Kids). Is this a conscious choice and does it reflect your commitment to the DIY community?
Actually, both those labels are friends of ours. Our release was the first for Mon Oeil and they did a great job. Jason from New Romance told us that if we ever wanted to put something out again that he would be more than happy to do it. So for our second release, we went with him. Going with DIY labels isn't exactly a conscious choice, its actually more of a natural one. I couldnt picture it any other way.
6.What is your current take on the Montreal hardcore scene?
It is actually getting really good. We have a solid venue called the Black Dot which is run by our friend Dan. People always come out, have a good time and support the local and out of town bands. There was a serious lack of decent, affordable venues here so now with the Black Dot, the scene is changing. More shows are happening, more people are getting involved and all in all its really encouraging. I've also started to noticed that younger kids are coming out to the shows now, which is really cool.
7. You have gained a reputation for being "the loudest band in Montreal", what is your reaction to this and what else do you think sets Black Ships apart from other band?
We actually used to be twice as loud. It got to be really ridiculous. We used to use a lot more gear that we do now but it would be safe to say we still play pretty loud. I would like to think that we draw influences from different places. We obviously have that Eastern Canada pissed off sound that a lot of bands from our area have but we also have some Scandinavian hardcore influences as well.
8. You're about to go on tour with Louisville Kentucky hardcore outfit Lords, how did this tour come about? What made you want to tour with Lords?
It just kind of popped up. Adam's other, now defunct, band, Cobra Noir, did some dates with them last year. One day I noticed that Lords were going to be coming up here, so I got on my horse and found out who was doing the tour and got in touch and the rest is history.
9. I noticed that for the upcoming tour you'll be playing a mix of house shows, clubs, and bars. What is your ideal show situation?
Obviously, house shows rule. They're always a party and you're often treated really well. That would be the ideal but we've had our fair share of house shows getting shut down by the cops, which totally blows every time it happens. It would be safe to say that the most ideal show would be at a rad, small DIY venue which had ample room to store gear, held about a 100 people and had 4 bands on the bill. Sometimes even 3 is just the right amount.
10. Any interesting road/tour stories?
Lots. We hit a bird in New York State while listening to "Freebird" on the radio, we played in a barn in Portland, Maine, we always look for roller coasters to ride and buffets to eat at. We've got a whole wack of other stories involving alcohol and other various substances that probably wouldnt be suitable for this kind of thing.
11. People seem to be unanimous in their calls for more Black Ships. Is there a full length record on the horizon? What's up next for the band?
We are currently in the process of writing songs in hopes of releasing a full length record at the end of the summer/fall. We then plan on touring a whole lot. We would ideally like to go to Europe and maybe stay there forever so Jamie can hang out with Skit System.
12. How can people contact you?
They can find us at myspace.com/blackships but our email is blackshipsarecoming@hotmail.com. My address is also 208 Frontenac, Pincourt, Quebec, J7V 3V2. Letters are always nice and I promise I'll write you back.
13. Final words?
Thanks a lot for asking us to do this and we'll see you at the show on the 25th, its going to rip. DIY or die. Thumbs up!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
VINYLS
keep checking back for some news on our vinyl series i.e Yesterday's Ring, Black Ships, Jail Weddings.
discord cracks into the top 200 (feb) on earshot
190 Steve Dawson * Waiting For The Lights To Come Up Black Hen
191 The Discord Of A Forgotten Sketch * Improv Sessions New Romance For Kids
192 Various Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino Vanguard
193 Trophy Wives * Trophy Wives Independent
194 Feu Therese * Ca Va Cogner Constellation
195 Tannis Slimmon * Lucky Blue DROG
196 Hot Springs Volcano Aquarius
197 Liam Finn I'll Be Lightning Yep Roc
198 The Whigs Mission Control ATO
199 Various * Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young Universal
200 Catherine Maclellan * Church Bell Blues True North
191 The Discord Of A Forgotten Sketch * Improv Sessions New Romance For Kids
192 Various Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino Vanguard
193 Trophy Wives * Trophy Wives Independent
194 Feu Therese * Ca Va Cogner Constellation
195 Tannis Slimmon * Lucky Blue DROG
196 Hot Springs Volcano Aquarius
197 Liam Finn I'll Be Lightning Yep Roc
198 The Whigs Mission Control ATO
199 Various * Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young Universal
200 Catherine Maclellan * Church Bell Blues True North
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
BLACK SHIPS OUT FEB 26
The new black ships rec will be out feb 26. the band will be playing some shows... it will look like this, but some dates can change ... the show with GALLOWS will kill!!!
06/02/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques w/ Cancer Bats, Gallows
09/02/2008 – St-Hyacinthe, QC @ Le Trash
29/02/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Black Dot
14/03/2008 – Allston, MA @ Wadzilla Mansion
15/03/2008 – Colchester, VT @ Wasted City
22/04/2008 – Trois-Rivieres, QC @ TBA w/ Lords
23/04/2008 – Quebec City, QC @ D’Agobert w/ Lords
24/04/2008 – Fredericton, NB @ Nicky Zee’s w/ Lords
25/04/2008 – Charlottown, PEI @ (early) 555 Queen St. N. w/ Lords
25/04/2008 – Charlottown, PEI @ Baba’s (late)
26/04/2008 – Halifax, NS @ the Pavilion (early) w/ Lords
26/04/2008 – Halifax, NS @ Gus’ Pub (late) w/ Lords
27/04/2008 – Sydney, NS @ TBA w/ Lords
28/04/2008 – Moncton, NB @ TBA w/ Lords
29/04/2008 – Rimouski, QC @ TBA w/ Lords
30/04/2008 – Sherbrooke, QC @ Bar le Magog w/ Lords
01/05/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Black Dot w/ Lords
06/02/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques w/ Cancer Bats, Gallows
09/02/2008 – St-Hyacinthe, QC @ Le Trash
29/02/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Black Dot
14/03/2008 – Allston, MA @ Wadzilla Mansion
15/03/2008 – Colchester, VT @ Wasted City
22/04/2008 – Trois-Rivieres, QC @ TBA w/ Lords
23/04/2008 – Quebec City, QC @ D’Agobert w/ Lords
24/04/2008 – Fredericton, NB @ Nicky Zee’s w/ Lords
25/04/2008 – Charlottown, PEI @ (early) 555 Queen St. N. w/ Lords
25/04/2008 – Charlottown, PEI @ Baba’s (late)
26/04/2008 – Halifax, NS @ the Pavilion (early) w/ Lords
26/04/2008 – Halifax, NS @ Gus’ Pub (late) w/ Lords
27/04/2008 – Sydney, NS @ TBA w/ Lords
28/04/2008 – Moncton, NB @ TBA w/ Lords
29/04/2008 – Rimouski, QC @ TBA w/ Lords
30/04/2008 – Sherbrooke, QC @ Bar le Magog w/ Lords
01/05/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Black Dot w/ Lords
More Improv Session reviews
NIGHTLIFE MONTREAL
The Discord of a Forgotten Sketch – Improv Session (New Romance for Kids)
noise-punk
The title of this new record says it all: a straight-off-the-floor, live, improvised spazz jam taping, bound to both confuse long-time fans of this Montreal boho-punk quartet and surely excite the curious and/or uninitiated. Improv Session throws any preconceptions to the wind, speeding full barrel into free-jazzbo yelp territory, dub attack grooves, underground rock shout heaviness, tilted rhythms, space noodlings and guitar tweeting calls. This is a brave and bold move by these local scene veterans that will hopefully inspire and push contemporaries into new creative realms, regardless of public sentiment. (SG) 3.7/5
EXCLAIM
The Discord of a Forgotten Sketch
Improv Session
By Sam Sutherland
Montreal’s spastic noisemakers the Discord of a Forgotten Sketch are getting weirder. While their debut was a Daughters-inspired blast of mathematic screamo, their second full-length was a strange mix of jazz breaks, animalistic vocal acrobatics and a good dose of extreme sonic heaviness. The even more far-out Improv Session is just what the name implies: a long single take of the band letting free their most chromatic tendencies. Comparable to Black Flag's instrumental experimentation with twelve-tone technique, this is aggressive music at its most avant-garde, pushing the boundaries of what kids in camo shorts and flat brim hats are willing to tolerate. The result, however, is compelling. At the hands of more indulgent musicians, this could have turned out very differently, but the band know how to craft a compelling piece of music, filling each movement here with equals parts jazz, grind and all-out noise. (New Romance For Kids)
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
BLACK SHIPS / "LOW" - EP / Track listing, layout and MP3
Black Ships / "LOW" / EP / OUT IN FEB. 2008
These Nigths in These Places
Expropriation
Iron Lung, Heart of Gold
Lowest of the Low
TRACK AVAIL AT:
http://www.myspace.com/newromanceforkidsrecords
BLACK SHIPS / Tour (with CD in hand)
01/01/2008 – London, ON @ The Whippet Lounge
02/01/2008 – Niagara Falls, ON @ Bad Vuqum Cafe
03/01/2008 – Toronto, ON @ Teranga Restaurant
04/01/2008 – Guelph, ON @ The Shadow
05/01/2008 – Sudbury, ON @ Jubilee Center
06/01/2008 – Ottawa, ON @ End Hits
26/01/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Black Dot
06/02/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques w/ Cancer Bats, This Is Hell
+ more dates to come for April
These Nigths in These Places
Expropriation
Iron Lung, Heart of Gold
Lowest of the Low
TRACK AVAIL AT:
http://www.myspace.com/newromanceforkidsrecords
BLACK SHIPS / Tour (with CD in hand)
01/01/2008 – London, ON @ The Whippet Lounge
02/01/2008 – Niagara Falls, ON @ Bad Vuqum Cafe
03/01/2008 – Toronto, ON @ Teranga Restaurant
04/01/2008 – Guelph, ON @ The Shadow
05/01/2008 – Sudbury, ON @ Jubilee Center
06/01/2008 – Ottawa, ON @ End Hits
26/01/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Black Dot
06/02/2008 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Electriques w/ Cancer Bats, This Is Hell
+ more dates to come for April
Thursday, December 6, 2007
NOW Toronto / Improv Session
NOW TORONTO
Discs
Discs
critic pick
THE DISCORD OF A FORGOTTEN SKETCH Improv Session (New Romance for Kids) Rating: NNNN 
When you consider that most jazzy-metal spazzcore outfits tend to rely on bursts of violence and chaos rooted in precision and infinitely concrete structure, a band as talented and adept as Montreal's TDOAFS approaches from a completely improvised direction.
Recorded during a four-hour live session, this is a distinctively more sprawling offering than the band's past work. Broken up into nine parts, the free-form songs deviate from past explosive stop-start assaults and occasionally build up from sparse noise and discombobulating rhythms into panicky crescendos. Very little drags on unnecessarily, as is often the case with the self-serving and, well, masturbatory motivations behind improvisation. The end result is both a fine experiment as well as a neat compendium from an already versatile group.
Evan Davies
NOW | DECEMBER 6 - 12, 2007 | VOL. 27 NO. 14
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