Joe Strummer Memorial Hall

Uprise! Fundraiser at the Warehouse illustrates need for an all ages venue in Calgary

Roberta McDonald
KerfMusic.com
Sept. 2006

Following the closure of the Calgary Multicultural centre — a former Mecca of all ages gigs — Uprise! Productions have been busy raising the funds necessary to open a stand alone youth centre inspired by late punk rock icon, Joe Strummer.

“Usually a city’s health is related to the number of venues available for live shows,” says Mark Bizek, local co-organizer of the Joe Strummer Memorial Society and guitarist with the Martyr Index. “Calgary is at a nexus right now, it could go one way or the other,” he adds.

Working with fellow Martyr Index member Phil Harmonix, and other supporters who volunteer their time to the project, Bizek has been striving to build awareness of the need for an all ages music inspired centre. Their vision is to establish a creative safe haven where youthful ideas are nurtured. From art projects to boxing, the centre would be a place for a variety of expressions. “It’s about community,” he says.

On Sept. 23, 2006, they came in droves to help support the fundraising effort at the Warehouse, and also for a rare chance to take in bands in a venue usually reserved for card carrying members and their guests.

With a lineup featuring Knucklehead, Act Fast!, the Pants Situation, Hot Little Rocket, the Martyr Index, and the Riviera Heist, everyone from preppy punks to posh girls lined up to catch their favourite bands. The performers all donated their talents to the cause, bringing their unique style to the stage and the young crowd responded with unbridled enthusiasm.

From the scattered mosh of Act Fast!, to the kids leaping onto the stage with the Pants Situation, the vibe was warm and fuzzy as energetic fans — unfettered by bouncers —gleefully expressed their adoration. Professional videographers moved through the throngs, capturing the night for a DVD Uprise! is going to use as a fundraising resource in the coming months. With the exception of one arm injury, the moshing was friendly, and there were no fights. Bouncers kept mostly to the sidelines, letting the kids thrash around with abandon.

As Andrew Wedderburn and Aaron Smelski two out the four members of Hot Little Rocket enthusiastically pointed out, events without age restrictions have unique charm. “My idea of success would be playing nothing but all ages shows,” says Wedderburn. “Kids love the music,” adds Smelski. “It’s so much more meaningful to them. They’re not too cool for school.”

For information on the Joe Strummer Memorial Society go to www.strummerhall.org

Joe Strummer goes back to school

Robin Graham
Beatroute Magazine
Sept. 2006

Back to school blues. Everybody gets them. It must be the sense of impending winter in the air that has everyone trying to grab on to the last bits of summer fun while they can, which is what makes back to school shows so great.

In this year’s case, with the Joe Strummer Memorial Society’s September 23rd show at the Warehouse, there will be plenty of fun around to grab on to before it’s time to hit the books. The show intends to be an audio-video recording extravaganza, and will result in a live compilation DVD, the proceeds of which will go towards the establishment of the Joe Strummer Memorial Hall.

The purpose of the Hall will be to give Calgary’s music scene a stable venue to host music events: a luxury which has been absent in the past, resulting in undesirable venues having to be used for AA shows. The Joe Strummer Memorial Society believes that the permanence of a place to hang out every weekend can improve the well-being of Calgary’s youth. In addition to concerts, the venue intends to function as a youth recreation center. It will provide the facilities for youth to start their own projects and get involved with their local community.

“We decided that we’d host a special show centered around creating a DVD of live performances of some of Calgary’s premier bands,” says Phil Cimolai, member of Uprise! Promotions. “The main reason being that we wanted to do something for the Joe Strummer Memorial Society (JSMS) that could raise awareness and funds all year long: the DVD.

“Another big reason to put this show on is we’re trying to bring back the idea of a big AA show that showcases the biggest draws from our various AA communities, punk, indie and hardcore.”

Showcasing bands from several different genres, the bill offers a diversity that doesn’t occur often enough in the midst of shows with six bands that sound exactly the same.

“We really want and need to diversify the shows in order to raise enough support for the JSMS to open their hall,” says Cimolai. “We find that shows these days are too focused on one style of music rather than showcasing a diverse lineup. Only an AA scene that is supported as a whole (not genre by genre) can possibly fund and make use of its own venue.”

Among the bands playing are headliners Knucklehead and Hot Little Rocket, as well as favorites the Riviera Heist, the Martyr Index, the Pants Situation and newcomers Surrender the South. Whether it’s one band you’re going to see, or all of them, there is something for everyone at this show.

And what better way to support the future of Calgary’s scene than becoming immortalized in a DVD? At the very least, it will be an inclusive party with some of our best local bands, while it very well may be youth creating a better community for themselves.

Give ‘em Enough Hope
Calgary Builds a Monument to Uncle Joe

Jen Clement
Nerve Magazine
May 2006

Picture - if you will - one of Calgary’s most notorious punk bands, the Martyr Index, driving home from a show three hours away, on slick as ice Alberta winter roads. Vocalist Mark Bizek, and violinist Phil Cimolai are intensely discussing the fallbacks of their side project; an all-ages music festival called Uprise. “Oh fuck, we haven’t fucking done anything! We should just cancel it!” One of them recalls yelling, when suddenly things take a turn for the worse, and their tour van begins to spin out of control. “We were doing 110 km an hour backwards into the ditch!” Says Bizek, “It was a terrible thing,” continues Cimolai, “And then the van stopped, and it was silent, and then we were like – okay, yeah, I think we should do it!” “We all could have died, I mean there are worse things than having Uprise flop!” Says Bizek, even if the festival - born over a year ago as a benefit concert for the Haymarket Collective - is anticipated to be even bigger and better this year.

“Uprise is basically a benefit concert for alternative infrastructure in Calgary,” says Bizek. Last year it helped Haymarket to open its bookstore, so who would benefit this year? “We wanted to do something that was really meaningful to the community that was participating,” says Bizek. The answer seemed obvious when the partners began to think of a venue in which to hold the festival. “What kind of infrastructure does Calgary need? Some sort of rec hall that’s an all ages centre, because that’s something that’s been floating around for years and years and years,” says Bizek. “If we’re going to do Uprise bigger this year, let’s do it for something so huge that nobody can say no.”

And so it came to pass that Uprise 2006 would be a fundraiser for the Joe Strummer Memorial Society, who would then use the funds as start-up to build the Joe Strummer Memorial Hall – an all ages rec centre and music venue for the Calgary scene.

“Joe Strummer is, I think, one of the most important figures in punk rock, especially when it comes to constructive discourse,” says Bizek. “There was a lot of punk rockers like the Sex Pistols in the ‘70s who were very influential and they were kind of radical in their outlook, but they were also nihilistic,” he says. “At that point in time [the Clash] was one of those groups that kind of gave an alternative vision to punk that said: yeah, everything’s kind of lousy but here’s something we can do.” It’s this inspiring outlook and positive energy that the Joe Strummer Memorial Society hopes will come from the building of an all ages hall. “The last concert the Mescaleros played was a benefit for striking firefighters,” notes Bizek. “They were still doing that all the way to the end. His last breath was basically breathing the spirit of punk rock.”

This benefit should do the same – but in a larger sense, it is going to breathe the spirit of music. And there is no lack of music in this city. There’s enough, in fact, to provide grounds for the scene to “splinter.” “This is one of the things we’re trying to offset with Uprise,” says Bizek. “We’re trying to provide an example of how all these bands can just get along and work together on something.” The idea is that the more people get involved in cross genre pollination, the more creative the scene will become. “Calgary is actually a strong music city, considering we’re kind of in the heart of a cultural wasteland,” Bizek continues. “We’ve got incredibly diverse music.” Indeed. Being cool with a show that offers everything from metal to polka in one night, Bizek feels, will make the scene grow stronger. If Strummer Hall becomes a place for only punk, or only hardcore, or any single genre – it’s going to die.

If everything goes to plan, Strummer Hall will be completely run by volunteers and the kids who hang out there. “We’ve never really had an all ages venue that’s been operated by the community,” says Cimolai. “That’s important.”

Bizek continues, “It’s really easy to just open up a youth organization that’s going to be run by adults for the kids, rather than something that’s going to be run by the kids themselves. We’re not interested in doing something that’s just building the same kind of infrastructure that’s around Calgary.” The festival itself is something of a revolt against the status quo. Its organizers wanted Uprise to have an uplifting feel, where people could come and see how positive a punk show could be. From meth awareness workshops, to info tables by all sorts of zines and distribution companies. “We’ve got so many people involved,” says Bizek. “Likeminded people get together and share ideas. All we needed to say was: hey we’re looking for this…”

“We’re just doing this straight out of passion,” he adds. “There is nothing we’re going to gain from this – at all. If zero people came, we would lose tons of money that we’ve poured into this event.” Bizek, Cimolai, and the rest of the Joe Strummer Memorial Society just want to get enough people out to Uprise to enable the Strummer Hall to open. “It’s more than losing money,” says Cimolai. “It’s losing faith.” “We could survive, people lose $10,000 and they get by,” Bizek continues. “But you lose faith, and that’s it. That’s all you’ve got, so we believe in this thing. We believe in punk rock, we believe in the power of music. If Uprise flops,” he adds, a little ominously, “I don’t know if I’d ever want to be involved in putting on a show again. What is that Wayne’s World idea? If you play they will come?! That Wayne’s World concert thing is a sham!” He yells.

But on the weekend of April 14th and 15th, 36 Calgary bands did play, and the kids did come. They came in droves.

Day one brought everyone from skate rockers – the Sheglank’d Shoulders, to Calgary’s sweethearts – Hot Little Rocket, and every band in between, including: Forbidden Dimension, the Von Zippers, Vail Halen, Five Star Affair, the Silent Auction, the Rocky Fortune, Your Bleeding Heart, and the Pants Situation. The center room of the Hillhurst - Sunnyside Community Centre, one of three being used for the festival, was jammed full of culture, and kids were being nicely welcomed at the door by one of the many security guards, or if they were lucky, one of the event’s organizers.

For the older kids in the crowd, a beer garden opened each day at 6 o’clock with DJs playing sets the whole night through, and cans of pilsner being sold for three dollars apiece. The adorning Calgary neighborhood was alive for 12 hours with a barrage of kids wandering in and out of the centre, viewing bands as they pleased, and hanging around outside when something disinterested them. Early in the evening, Calgary’s the Incandescence played their last set ever, and nearing the end of the day, security guards were called to the stage as kids went absolutely nuts for up and coming synth-punk super group Sudden Infant Dance Syndrome, and their sister band, the Pants Situation.

Day Two brought an even bigger crowd for a variety of punk and hardcore groups including: Alivia, Knucklehead, Bogart!, Kilbourne, Billy and the Lost Boys, Inner Surge, Rum Runner, and the Failure. The Falling Pianos continued the trend of ending their career at Uprise – and called to stage numerous members from other bands to help out. The Martyr Index played an intense, high energy set to adoring fans, which included the release of hundreds of balloons over the crowd. Finally, Calgary’s Chixdiggit took the stage, strictly playing requests from members of the crowd, and ending Uprise in a cute stage banter-let’s party manner that only KJ Jansen can deliver.

So, after adding everyone in Calgary who has a Myspace account, posting on message boards, advertising in numerous Calgary publications, as well as on the radio, and plastering the city with posters; Uprise arrived with a bill that could knock any kid – and some scene veterans, too - on their skinny girl pant wearing asses. And they did it all with the equivalent passion, style, and integrity of the man that so inspired them. If this doesn’t bring the scene together, I don’t know what will.

Rockers seek stage for all
Group raising money for all-ages venue

Theresa Tayler
Calgary Herald
Thursday, April 13, 2006

Sam Risser loves listening to punk rock music. When not playing with his band, Terror Rhythm, he enjoys few things more than a live concert. Trouble is, Risser rarely has the opportunity to see the bands he loves in Calgary — because of his age. “It can be such a pain when a band comes to town that you want to see and you find out it’s an 18-plus bar show,” says the 16-year-old student. “It would be nice to have a place especially for music that wouldn’t get shut down by police or lost due to vandalism problems.”

Risser isn’t alone. For years, teenaged music fans in Calgary have struggled with the lack of venues where they can hear live band. They’re not allowed entry into nightclubs and most community halls shy away from hosting live rock shows. Several of the venues that once supported all-ages shows have since closed. If a group of determined Clash enthusiasts has its way, however, the city will again have its own all-ages music and recreation hall; one aptly name after the late rocker who inspired their initiative.

The group of five twentysomethings call themselves the Joe Strummer Memorial Society after the politically edged Clash frontman. Their plan is to open a venue in Calgary with the purpose of hosting all-ages music events and operating as a youth recreation centre. “It seems to me every city needs a place for kids to hang out and be safe in,” said spokesman Mark Bizek. “The malls don’t like them milling about, the stores don’t like it, but we would love it — that’s what we’d be there for.”

The Strummer organization will benefit from a concert to help raise start-up funds for the project.

Uprise, as it’s known, takes place Friday and Saturday and will feature more than 30 rock bands, including a who’s who of the local music scene — Chixdiggit, Knucklehead, Hot Little Rocket, Sudden Infant Dance Syndrome and Vailhalen among others.

A sell out of the two-day event would raise upwards of $30,000 toward the goal and help prove the power of their idea, and the commitment of the local rock scene to all-ages fans.

“There’s a huge level of support from local bands, because most bands in Calgary know their roots lie in the all-ages community,” said Bizek, who is a guitarist with Calgary band Martyr Index. To show their support, all the groups involved have agreed to play for free.

“I think it would be great if there was one stable venue for kids to be at,” says Aaron Smelski, of Hot Little Rocket. “It would also be good for bands because they can gain exposure to a younger audience.

“I, personally, would rather play an all-ages show than a bar show any day because the kids are there to see the music, not drink.”

Only a few inner-city community halls now host all-ages rock shows, but even that has its drawbacks.

Greg Lamoureux, 14, says he lives too far away from most of the community halls involved.

“My parents don’t really want me going all the way up to Hillhurst by myself,” said Lamoureux, who lives in Maple Ridge. “But if there was a place downtown, I could probably get there.”

One of the problems facing previous venues that offered all-ages shows was complaints from surrounding neighbours, as well as incidents of graffiti and violence. Advocates, however, say those problems are not insurmountable, and that creating a permanent facility would help ensure safety.

“I think if young people had our own place, there might be more respect for it because it would be volunteer run by the teens,” Risser said. “Why would you trash something that’s yours to begin with?”

Vettivelu Nallainayagam, former president of the Calgary Multicultural Centre, which hosted all-ages shows out of its East Village hall before it was demolished in 2002, said he supports the idea of a permanent, all-ages venue.

“There needs to be a central spot downtown that is accessible for young people who may not have the ability to travel by car,” said Nallainayagam. “It’s going to be hard for them (The Joe Strummer Memorial Society) to find an affordable place to set up. But we have to address the fact that there is a certain segment of the Calgary population that needs affordable entertainment — we need something like this in the downtown area.”

Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Hall, in Calgary’s northwest., hosts most of Calgary’s all-ages shows. Executive director Catherine Halkett said there have been few problems.

“We’ve had really good luck with the all-ages shows because we demand a certain level of security,” said Halkett.

“Sometimes it’s parents who provide the security, and sometimes they will hire a security company — but they have to have some kind of supervision,” she said.

Halkett said because young people are usually the ones organizing the concerts, they take ownership of the event.

“These kids take it seriously and they have been very respectful on the whole,” she said.

Bizek said his board, estimating it needs at least $200,000 for a start-up budget, will begin canvassing city alderman to seek the city’s help in determining a location. The society, he said, hopes to have the facility operational within two to five years.

Ald. Ray Jones likes the idea, but said if the group wants money, it’ll have to ask the province.

“The city doesn’t fund anything like this because we just don’t have the money to do it,” said Jones. “I do think there’s a need and requirement for things in this city for kids to do, though. When I was a kid, we had a dance in this city every Friday or Saturday night at some community hall. I don’t know why this doesn’t happen anymore.”

ttayler@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2006