Acrpost: A Project of the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres

Event Description

THE DANZIG SHOW WITH PENNYWISE AND CANCER BATS ON JULY 27 IS BEING MOVED (from the QE Theatre) TO THE COMMODORE BALLROOM AND WILL NOW BE A 19+ SHOW.

PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED TICKETS WILL BE HONOURED AS GENERAL ADMISSION AT THE NEW VENUE. TICKETHOLDERS UNDER THE AGE OF 19 ARE ELIGIBLE FOR REFUNDS AT THEIR POINT OF PURCHASE UNTIL JULY 20.

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Danzig:
When Danzig, the band, grew out of the Misfits/Samhain lineage in 1987, leader Glenn Danzig went into the new project with even grander ambitions and a long-term design. His vision included a seven-album arc, each one meant to, in Glenn’s own words, “stand the test of time.” There is no doubt that Danzig, the man and the band, have done
just that.

Long into the future we will all be gone, but certain marks we make can live on. Decades beyond this one, Danzig’s music will be heralded by people of various musical interests; it will find a permanent place in the lives of those who need the escape and solace of his vast musical catalog. It has already achieved that in the here and now. His is powerful music that has built an enduring legacy. It is music made by a ferociously independent seeker of knowledge for people who, as Glenn himself puts it, “are not 9-to-5 mutant-people-friendly.”

Between 1977 and 1987, the Misfits’ horror-punk morphed into the darker, occult-steeped Samhain. When producer and record mogul Rick Rubin showed interest in signing Samhain to his DefJam label and producing their first record, the band yet again evolved, and Danzig was born.

1988’s Danzig debut stripped away the creepy dissonance of Samhain and replaced it with a focused sensibility. It rocked hard and aimed for the gut; it was primal and memorable, a straightforward howl of sinister rock and roll played by a band of four who locked tight in their vision and looked unified in their presentation. With some inspired pieces of work to follow, including the epic III: How the Gods Kill and the controversial sharp left turn of 5: Blackacidevil, Danzig proved unwavering in his conviction. In 1993, special EP release, Thrall – Demonsweatlive, provided the band with its first Billboard-charting hit. The EP’s live version of debut album track, “Mother,” caught fire at radio, as did the accompanying video clip, and its success found the public at large finally catching up with the unique Danzig vision. By 2002, Danzig had completed the seven-album concept with the visceral 7:77 - I Luciferi.

But the completion of this seven album arc was not the end for Danzig, merely a new beginning. Two years later, Circle of Snakes found a band revitalized by its new creative freedom, not having to adhere to a multi-album concept. Sharper, heavier, and more metallic than ever, Circle of Snakes capitalized on the ever-growing legacy that Danzig had, rather unwittingly, been cultivating since the Misfits’ formation 27 before it. As the man humbly says, “I just record what really makes me excited, and hopefully that excitement translates to other people.”

And if his fans are legion, his influence might be called immeasurable. Anyone playing rock or metal of a dark, gothic, and/or occult variety owes a debt to Danzig’s deep discography. Cover songs of Misfits, Samhain and Danzig tracks have appeared on records and in stage performances by bands the world over. And when members of bands like My Chemical Romance, AFI, Dimmu Borgir, Marduk and even Metallica invoke the Danzig name, it is with utmost reverence. This is not to mention Danzig’s songwriting collaborations with legendary names like Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison; his appearances on soundtracks for 1987 movie Less Than Zero and 2009’s Golden Globe-winning The Hangover; or the success of the first Black Aria album, which debuted at the coveted #1 position on the Billboard classical chart in 1992. Safe to say the modern rock and metal landscape would look quite different today had young Glenn Danzig had chosen another profession those many years ago.


Pennywise:
If you think you know Pennywise, think again. Though the band has made a name for themselves over the past 26 years as a politically minded, melodic hardcore act who have sold millions of albums. They have become one of the most successful independent acts of all time, however they weren’t always this way. In fact the group got their start playing backyard parties in their hometown of Hermosa Beach, California, without having any aspirations other than playing as many songs as they could before the police showed up. This side of the band has never been captured until now and Yesterdays sees the band putting some of their nascent material in proper recorded form for the first time ever.

Not only is this the perfect way to welcome the band’s original vocalist Jim Lindberg back into the fold but Yesterdays is also in many ways a homage to Pennywise’s original bassist Jason Thirsk who wrote a bulk of the lyrics and music to these songs in the late 80s (Thirsk subsequently passed away in 1996). “Jason was the emotional core of Pennywise and his songwriting was very much about PMA (positive mental attitude) and that’s really what initially drew me to the band and where we started out,” Lindberg explains. “The punk scene had became really cynical and confused in the late eighties and it seemed like the only bands that were doing anything inspiring were the one’s singing about positivity and unity and heading in a new direction.”

“Losing Jason was a terrible tragedy for all of us and he was such a big part of the Pennywise spirit, so us going back and recording these songs was a huge inspiration because it reminded of us of where we were when we started and why people responded to the band in such a powerful way,” Lindberg summarizes. “These songs are Pennywise in our purest form and it’s really as much of a gift to us as it is to our fans, many of whom have been waiting for real recordings of these tracks for years. It marks a new chapter for the band while still staying true to the way we started twenty six years ago.”