Vancouver, Canada (Top40 Charts/ Sudden Death Records/ Lumberjac) - Joe Shithead Keithley, Canada's punk godfather and leader of the legendary D.O.A. has gathered together some of Vancouver's best musicians for his latest project Band of Rebels.
Coming from a punk background that has influenced fans, musicians and activists for the last 30 years, Band of Rebels covers his punk roots, but it flows wildly out from there. Keithley manages to combine punk-a-billy, ska, roots punk and even a little hard funk into a gripping, confrontational, but blatantly funny look at life on our evolving ball of confusion known as earth.
When asked why he has recorded a solo album when D.O.A is still going strong, he had this to say. ?I have to stretch out and try new things; this is a different way to fight the system. Band of Rebels is like an extension of D.O.A., musically it's little different, but it's still nuts and it's still meant to cause trouble and stir shit up!?
Joe knew that this had to be a group effort, not another pretentious solo CD from yet another fucking band dude who uttered the hackneyed phrase ?I?m going solo, you see I?m a sensitive artist.? No, Shithead knew he needed a band that could really pull off stirring versions of his songs.
The Rebels started out with a trio that maybe was just as suited to causing trouble as making an album. The Great Baldini on drums (D.O.A.) Joe on guitar and vocals and Black Jacques Chirac on bass (rumored to have been mixed up in French politics).
To expand the sound (and to maybe aid in the potential takeover of western governments and banks, same thing really?) Joe lured producer and mixer CHON (D.O.A., Be Good Tanyas) into the Rebel's clandestine fold.
Joe and CHON then scanned through the most wanted list and came up with these co-conspirators. Randy Rampage-vocals and bass (D.O.A., Annhilator, SF9), Chris Gestrin-keyboards (Jim Byrnes Band), Kuba Ohms-vocals (Velvet), Sho Murray-vocals (Shocore), Kevin Kane-vocals (Grapes of Wrath), John Korsrud-trumpet (Hard Rubber Orchestra), Liam MacDonald-percussion (Bocephus King), Jesse Zubot-violin (Zubot and Dawson), Coco Love Alcorn-vocals, Adam Bartlett-vocals (Adamnation), Bill Runge-saxaphone (Hard Rubber Orchestra) and Jeremy Holmes-standup bass (Bughouse Five).
The Rebels lay the music out in a wild and compelling manner. Shithead lyrically covers a wide gamut of topics. They range from rebellion to marijuana to Armageddon to Star Trek to rip off record companies. They even belt out a late nite bar room tribute to one of the original rebels, Leadbelly (?Goodnight Irene?). Yeah, Joe and his Band of Rebels take on the system and they do it well.
Band of Rebels is out June 19th, so come and join the revolution.
D.O.A. Tour Dates:
June 6 Calgary, AB- Distillery
June 7 Lethbridge, AB- Hard Candy
June 8 High River, AB- Beef n' Brew
June 9 Ponoka, AB- P's & Q's
June 10 Innisfail, AB The Zoo
June 11 Banff, AB- Wild Bills
July 3 Hamilton, ON-The Underground
July 4 London, ON-tbc
July 5 Windsor, ON-The Roxy
July 6 Oshawa. ON- The Dungeon
July 7 Toronto, ON-The Kathedral
July 8 St. Catherines, ON-L3
