Have A Cookie With Urban Vietcong

For one night only!

Yes, we’re bringing back the famous anti-fa cookies!

Vegan chocolate chip with chocolate chip icing.  Made by the punk rock pattisiers at  Hamilton’s The Hearty Hooligan . Best damn cookies we ever ate. No lie.

They’ll be available at the Hamilton stop of Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 … Urban Vietcong, Reckless Upstarts, Barbed Wire Braces and Bring The War Home … Thursday, October 10th at This Ain’t Hollywood.

Bring your appetite!

Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019

UPDATE: Urban Vietcong will be making a couple of stops in Germany prior to their arrival on these shores …

First up is Postsdam on September 20th where they’ll be playing a solidarity concert for people in that city who have been affected by state repression.

Solikonzert Mit Urban Vietcong

Then, on September 21st, the band is in Kiel for Fire And Flame’s fifth annual “International Convention Of Revolutionary Solidarity And Antifascist Counterculture”

The Workers Have No Fatherland — Fire And Flames Festival 2019

In conjunction with comrades from RASH CDMX (Mexico City), RASH GDL (Guadalajara) and Dure Realitie (Montreal) we are just so incredibly chuffed to be bringing Urban Vietcong over from Livorno, Italy for a few shows in Mexico / Ontario / Quebec … look for a couple of shows in Mexico ( October 4th and October 5th ), 4 or so shows in Ontario and a show or 2 in Quebec … the band will be playing for sure at Revolution Fest VII in Montreal on Saturday, October 12th …

Stay tuned for more info!  Stay tuned for more dates!

The people are  on the march and must have songs to sing!

Siamo tutti Vietcong!

We’ll add show info below as it becomes available … here’s what we have so far …

Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour – Guadalajara – October 4th

Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour – Mexico City – October 5th

Here’s some promo for the Mexico shows happening October 4th and October 5th!

And, here is some info about the 3 shows in Ontario and the show in Quebec …

Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive – Toronto – October 8th

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Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 – Hamilton – October 10th

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Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 – Waterloo – October 11

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Revolution Fest VII – 2019 – Montreal

And, here are a few tunes from a few of the bands playing the Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 … a work in progress …

Afterboltxebike Cassette – Out Now!


As previously noted, we’ve been awaiting the arrival of the Afterboltxebike cassettes … well, the wait is over … tapes are in hand and we’re stoked! 8 tracks of anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-fascist punk rock …

Here’s a review of the cassette from Razorcake:

“Anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, and one hundred percent communist punk from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The cover shows the band sitting in front of a table spread out with several classic punk records including Black Flag, Bad Religion, Operation Ivy, and Sick Of It All but their sound is more of the vein of street punk and at their toughest reminiscent of early Fucked Up. The lyrics are all in Spanish and are what you would expect from an anti-authoritarian band with subjects such as killing fascists, living in an exhausting working class society, and the importance of reading (“read to study, read to learn, read to liberate!”) As part of the proletariat, I identify with much of what they’re pissed about, particularly the lyrics in “No Pasaran”: “I’m sick of waking up at 4AM day after day, not to go running, not to eat, not even to watch TV… moonlighting not for fun but for necessity…” That’s me! Good stuff! –Juan Espinosa (Rebel Time)”

First came across this band ( from Monterrey, Mexico ) a couple of years ago … they’d released a couple of tunes via Youtube in 2016 and I serendipitously chanced upon them. Then got to chatting with Diego (the singer / guitarist) and the rest is history.

We were more than happy to host their 2018 8-song demo on our bandcamp page, and we’re happy to have been able to help ( in collaboration with Incendiario Zine ) to turn the demo into a re-mixed, re-mastered cassette.

The first song I ever heard from the band, « Pavlichenko » tells the story of famed Soviet sniper/nazi-hunter Liudmyla Mykhailivna Pavlychenko. In telling her story, Afterboltxebike also remind us that, in the struggle against fascism, we need to, figuratively and literally, constantly ‘adjust our sights and reload our weapons.’ The songs ends appropriately with a soundbite from Woody Guthrie’s song « Miss Pavilichenko » … « Fell by your gun, yes, Fell by your gun, For more than three hundred Nazis fell by your gun. »

The second song I heard, « De Que Lado Estas? » asks the simple, yet essential and all-important question, ‘Which Side Are You On?’ For Afterboltxebike, the answer (and the way / the path) is clear, you’re either with the bosses or with the oppressed and this band is on the side of the workers/the proletariat/the exploited. Afterboltxebike knows that class struggle is the motor of history.

United Rebels Distro

We are happy to announce that, as of May 2019, Rebel Time Records has partnered with Toronto’s  United Rebels distro. They’ll be stocking most, if not all, of our releases!

United Rebels is a Toronto based online shop and worker run co-op specializing in punk rock.

They’ve got a great selection of music, clothing, pins, flags, studs, spikes and more. Basically, it’s your one-stop punk rock shop!

We highly recommend ordering your Rebel Time Records releases from United Rebel. Timely and efficient service is guaranteed…

Plus, the prices are right and supporting your local d.i.y purveyors of punk rock is the only way to go!

 

The Fallout – “Dismantlement (Still)” – Out Now

In 2007, The Fallout released “Dismantlement” on Insurgence Records. In 2019 the band has re-mixed, re-mastered and re-released the album as “Dismantlement (Still)”. It’s coming to you via The Fallout, Red Menace Records and Rebel Time Records.

The album is available at the band’s Bandcamp page as a free/pay-what-you-want download. Bonus track this time around is a cover of Operation Ivy’s “The Crowd.”

And, don’t forget to check out The Fallout’s new 4-song 7-inch “Raise Your Flag And Other Anthems” out now on Rebel Time Records!

Dig in!

A few reviews of the original release:

The Fallout – Dismantlement
Another gem of a release from Insurgence, this time from Canada’s The Fallout who provide you with upbeat, punk-as-fuck, politically charged music. The Fallout’s sound reminds me a lot of early bands such as The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, but without copying ‘em, as they do have their own distinctive sound…and it’s catchy rebel-rousing stuff! They’re socially aware and the lyrics go straight to the point of the matter. This is a great listen and I would advise one and all to check it out…pronto! (Oi! Warning, Number 6)

The Fallout – Dismantlement
These politically-aware Canadians have a mind for intelligent insight and an ear for a wickedly catchy tune. There’s much about this band that reminds me of the early efforts of Stiff Little Fingers, but brought right up-to-date. It’s familiar, like my favourite underwear, but it’s fresh (insert punchline here). The Fallout make you wanna get up, dance and then go and do nasty but well-deserved things to animal abusers / fascists / cops while happily humming one of their delightful ditties. (Old Punks Never Die)

The Fallout – Dismantlement
This is the first time I’ve sat down and really listened to this band and what I hear I really like. ‘Dismantlement’ contains 13 politically charged songs that will have you pogoing around your room as soon as your hear the first number ‘Compassion Over Killing’. From then on this album just comes at you like a smack in the face with a baseall bat. Yep this band takes no prisoners and with terrific songs like ‘Riot Boys’, ‘Meat Market’, ‘Change The World Today’ and ‘The End Of The War Years’ I promise you’ll be won over. If only more politically aware bands were this good then maybe this world wouldn’t be in such a mess. This is Punk Rock at it’s best and not only do you get a superb album you get a a top production too. The Fallout Rock – It’s as simple as that! 9.5/10 (Street Voice)

Afterboltxebike Interview from OjoXOjo Zine

First came across this band ( from Monterrey, Mexico ) a couple of years ago … they’d released a couple of tunes via Youtube in 2016 and I serendipitously chanced upon them. Then got to chatting with Diego (the singer / guitarist) and the rest is history.

We were more than happy to host their 2018 8-song demo on our bandcamp page, and we’re happy to be working with the band to turn the demo into a cassette…

The first song I ever heard from the band, « Pavlichenko » tells the story of famed Soviet sniper/nazi-hunter Liudmyla Mykhailivna Pavlychenko. In telling her story, Afterboltxebike also remind us that, in the struggle against fascism, we need to, figuratively and literally, constantly ‘adjust our sights and reload our weapons.’ The songs ends appropriately with a soundbite from Woody Guthrie’s song « Miss Pavilichenko » … « Fell by your gun, yes, Fell by your gun, For more than three hundred Nazis fell by your gun. »

The second song I heard, « De Que Lado Estas? » asks the simple, yet essential and all-important question, ‘Which Side Are You On?’ For Afterboltxebike, the answer (and the way / the path) is clear, you’re either with the bosses or with the oppressed and this band is on the side of the workers/the proletariat/the exploited. Afterboltxebike knows that class struggle is the motor of history.

Anyhoo … what follows below is a ( bit of a rough) translation of an interview that Diego just did with  zine, No. 1, March 2019 out of Mexico City and done up by RASH-CDMX, dig it:

Afterboltxebike released their debut demo in mid-2018, and, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised while listening to this. Anti-fascist and anti-capitalist sounds, committed lyrics and a far-from-usual attitude.

Diego (guitar/vox) accepted our request for a small interview for the first issue of OjoXOjo. Support your scene!

 

Who are you?

We’re just people who seek to convey our ideas, opinions, hatred and admiration through music.

How did the band start?

It started with the idea of making political music and, after several rehearsals of songs that had been previously written, we started to write and we got some new ones. We started playing in Monterrey, we’ve organized several gigs with local groups and U.S. groups like Odd Man Out and No Time. In mid-2018 we played Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Afterboltxebike?

It is a clear and obvious reference to Kortatu ( political ska punk band from the Basque country. One of their songs is titled ” After-Boltxebike” ) but also a political statement about what we express in our songs, so that we can hardly be confused with a dodgy or right-wing group.

Musical influences?

Very varied, starting with Kortatu, Negative Approach, Opcio K95, Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Specials, Banda Bassoti, Nuclei Terco, and, something funny is that we all like Nirvana, and we almost always play a couple of covers, though one is really by The Vaselines.

How would you describe your music?

We don’t really have a definition of our music, we’ll leave that to those who listen to us, however, it is a mixture of punk, hardcore and oi!

But, more than just a ‘genre,’ we want to show our hatred of capitalism, against the repressive bad government, against the bosses, and this is expressed in a musical way.

So, you would consider the band to be political?

Definately yes. Afterboltxebike would have no reason to exist if it were not a band with political lyrics.

Communistas Unidos?

It is an organization that was born a few years ago because of the need to have a stronghold of struggle. Only one of the militants of Afterboltxebike is a member of this organization.

What is the scene like in Monterrey?

Very varied when it comes to bands and that’s a good thing. The bad thing is not many people always come out, possibly because of the insecurity that keeps hitting in Monterrey.

Greyzone?

Redzone, blackzone, antifa zone.

Projects?

We hope to very soon release a cassette that will be released with the help of Randy and Rebel Time Records out of Canada.

Anything to add?

Thanks very much for the interview.

As Afterboltxebike, through our music we seek to fight against capitalism and fascism. However, we know that this is not enough and that there is much to be done.  At some of our shows we distribute pamphlets which talk about fascism and anti-fascism, and we also produce a fanzine called Incendiario! as another way of getting the message out.


There is much to be done, not only among the people who go to shows, but in general. There is a class struggle out there that the bourgeoisie is winning because we who are organized as part of the anti-capitalist left are few. We need to be more and better organized, so as not to just be able to defend ourselves, but so that we can take the attack against the Right everywhere we can.

Bring The War Home: The Interview

Bring The War Home … first came across this newish Hamilton band when one of the members got in touch about possibly playing one of our Punk Rock Matinees.

Right off the bat, I was, as a student of US left-radical politics, intrigued by the name, which I assumed alluded to the October 1969 SDS / Weatherman “Days Of Rage” demonstrations in Chicago. A good start!

A quick review of the Bring The War Home facebook page revealed a band both serious and self-deprecating. A good mix!

The ended up playing a Punk Rock Matinee (video below) and blew people away.  More than one person commented on how good they sounded, considering it was their first show.

So, stoked to have Bring The War Home playing a couple of the Spring Offensive 2019 dates … catch them in Toronto at See-Scape on March 22nd and in Hamilton at This Ain’t Hollywood on March 24th …

So, “the best revolutionary agit-punk band you never asked for” … well, dammit, we’re asking … what is Bring The War Home ??

Basically we (Martin, Dael, and Gross Biff) started a band to play fundraiser shows for Hamilton Against Fascism (HAF) last spring and had more fun than we expected, so we kept doing it.

It was initially just Martin and Gross Biff, but we met Dael when they punched Martin in the face. He deserved it so we knew it was a good fit.

We set out to be a pop-punk/skate punk band but it usually comes out a little heavier than that. Think of us as a smart person’s Green Day and a stupid person’s Propagandhi but with less raw talent than either.

I get a feeling the band members are all pretty active politically … band interests, according to FB, include revolution, communism, socialism, working class, peoples’ war … how’s that coming along? Keeping you all busy?

Cop Question. But seriously, capitalism is going to pieces all around us. Wages are stagnant, the standard of living for the working class is dropping, fascism is resurgent, and we’re being thrown into one imperialist war after another. So yeah, we’ve been pretty busy. This is probably the best time in the last half a century to be a communist, people are receptive to it in a way they haven’t been in a long time. Specifically, we’re involved with Hamilton Against Fascism, and some of us are supporters of the Revolutionary Communist Party. We’re also active in our union locals. Wherever there’s a fight, we try to be there.


An EP is in the works! Tell all!

Yeah, we’re pretty excited about it. It’ll be the five songs that best represent what we’re about as a band: anti-fascism, working class struggle, and revolution.

It’s self-titled, comes out March 20th, and will be available on Bandcamp, Spotify, and CD.

Musically, what’s on your turntables, in your tape-decks?

Martin: Currently I’ve been really digging War on Women, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Direct Hit, No Use for a Name, The Last Gang, Negro Terror, and Material Support. I really liked Spanner’s most recent release, “We Won’t be Stopped”. I’m excited about the upcoming albums from Masked Intruder, PUP, and Bad Religion. And always returning to bands like Propagandhi, Anti-Flag, and Strike Anywhere.

Dael: If I were being honest, I’d tell you I was listening to nothing but ABBA and Cardi B all week. That said, I’m also the band Emo. I like Soccer Mommy, Pity Sex, and Makeshift Shelters.

Gross Biff: I was only allowed to listen to Christian Rock growing up, so my adult life has been spent making up for lost time with 90s alt-rock and 3rd wave ska. So you’ll pretty much always catch me listening to Streetlight Manifesto (yes, they’re ska. Yes, I’ll argue with you on the internet about it). I treat every track like it’s an audition for Our Lady Peace, which I feel like is a better fit now that I have to wear glasses.

And, the obligatory, interview-ending question: what’s ahead for Bring The War Home?

We’ll be playing a bunch of shows in Ontario to promote the EP, including with the Spring Offensive in Toronto and Hamilton. After that, it’ll be back on the grind writing new music for our debut LP, hopefully within the next year. Then, it’ll either be The Revolution or the death of the planet so wish us luck.

Here’s the band’s debut gig … October 21st, 2018 at This Ain’t Hollywood …

 

Interview With Mike From Reckless Upstarts and Rough Cuts

We’re stoked to have Reckless Upstarts (out of Windsor) playing Spring Offensive 2019 on the Sunday. We’re equally stoked to have Rough Cuts (out of Toronto) making their debut on the Friday. Both bands feature the dulcet tones / vocal stylings of Mike. Without further ado, here’s a bit of a back-and-forth with Mike regarding these two outfits…

Image may contain: textFor those who might not be familiar with the Reckless Upstarts, how about a bit of a history?

Reckless Upstarts started as a hobby project between myself and Curtis. I had met Curtis at a feminist rally I was attending in 2013, we started talking about music, had a few too many whiskies, and the rest is history. The band had a relatively slow start, and didn’t really start gaining momentum until around 2016 or 2017 when Matt joined the band as a second guitarist. We’ve cycled through a few drummers as well… Corey is our fourth drummer and is hands-down the most talented one in the band. In the last couple years we’ve put out a couple EPs, done some touring, shared the stage with some of our heroes, and made tons of new friends in the process.

You’ve also started a new band in Toronto, right? What is going on there?

I moved back to Toronto in August 2018 for work, which was bitter sweet for me. On the one hand, Toronto is where I grew up so it was familiar and exciting to be returning. On the other hand, Windsor has a special spot in my heart. The people in that city are some of the most genuine, down-to-earth, hardworking individuals I have ever met. Windsor was, and always will be, a main reason why Reckless Upstarts exists.

That being said, I don’t get to practice with the guys in Reckless Upstarts as much as I would like now that I’m in Toronto, and I needed a new outlet. Rough Cuts came about pretty organically after reconnecting with some friends. It features Zack from Dirty Work on guitar, Scott, ex-Dirty Work and Bare Bones on Bass, and Andrew, ex-Bare Bones on drums. We felt Toronto was in need of a proper Oi! band, so here we are.

Reckless Upstarts were recently part of an excellent split 7″ with Streetlight Saints on Insurgence Records, how’d that come about?

Steve, from Insurgence, contacted us one day saying that he liked what he was hearing and there was the opportunity to work together. He mentioned doing a split 7”, and we found Streetlight Saints from Calgary to hop onboard with us. I think there’s a lot of similarities between our bands in terms of what we write about and what our values are, so it was a pretty natural fit. The timing for this release was perfect as well. Both bands were lined up to play the 2018 Montreal Oi! fest, so we were able to do a mini-tour and promote the release. Working with Insurgence has been a great fit for us and we’re proud to be a part of that family.

You’ve got a track called “$78 Million” on the “Never Alone A Benefit Album For the International Antifascist Defence Fund” … clearly no fence-sitting here …

Politics are such a sensitive subject, and even more so in the skinhead scene, but they’re a part of everyday life. I won’t speak for my bandmates on their political affiliations, but I will say that I’m strictly SHARP (skinheads against racial prejudice) and that includes anti-fascist, anti-homophobic, and anti-sexist. I’ve never been one to tell people how to vote, but I’m not going to shy away from voicing my views either. The fact is we have a soap box, and as much as I love singing about getting drunk at the pub with my friends every weekend, there are important issues that should also be given their share of attention.

A European tour happened just a bit ago … any highlights?

Reckless Upstarts did a run of shows in Europe in September and October of 2018 and it was a surreal experience for all of us. I don’t think any of us thought we’d get to this point. We did a straight run of 9 shows between the Netherlands and Germany, and loved every second of it. Having the opportunity to drive around those countries really drives home how beautiful they truly are. And it’s also a totally different experience touring Europe than North America… their hospitality is on a different level. My personal highlights were the shows in Hannover and Hameln; the energy and camaraderie at those shows was top notch. We had skins from Hannover take the train to Hameln to catch our set again towards the end of the tour, so that meant a lot to us. But every city was special… Essen we made new friends in an awesome band from the UK called Criminal Mind, in Dresden we played with the mighty East End Chaos, and in Berlin we drank too many Mexikaner shots and took in the Ramones museum. We also managed to snag a couple days off in Amsterdam to bookend our tour, so that was a riot as well.

What’s next for the bands? Recording? Touring?

For Reckless Upstarts, we’ve got a busy year ahead of us and we haven’t even really started planning everything. We have a bunch of one-off shows lined up, including the Rebel Time Spring Offensive matinee blowout in Hamilton on March 24th. As far as touring goes, we have 2 days lined up in Alberta with our pals in the Harrington Saints for early May, we will be playing the Midwest Live & Loud festival in Chicago in late August, with a short Midwest tour around that fest. And we’re trying to make it back to Europe again this year.

With regards to recording, we have an EP scheduled for release this year on Insurgence Records (North America) and Contra Records (Europe), so watch for that to come out. We have started writing our next release as well which will be our debut full length. We hope to get that recorded this year and released in 2020.

For Rough Cuts, we just finished recording our debut EP, and are just starting to book shows. Our first ever show will be March 22nd for the Rebel Time Spring Offensive show in Toronto, but we’ll be booking more shows to fill out the year.

Please check out the Reckless Upstarts facebook page and the Rough Cuts facebook page to stay up to date with all news, shows, music, etc.

Here’s Reckless Upstarts doing “Rose City”:

And, here’s Rough Cuts doing “New Breed” :