Make Your Exit: Making it Indie

I interviewed Make Your Exit about how they make it Indie. They used a DIY ethic to create their own EP, with the packaging made from scissors and paper. They're helped by grass-roots venues such as the East Village Arts Co-op to put their music out there.

Punk Archives: The Mods - 70s Punk Lives On

The old days of stealing equipment, begging for recording time, and getting into fights is over for The Mods, a Toronto punk band from the 70s.

But their music will never die.

The late 1970s band is back, after playing their fourth reunion show at Sneaky Dee’s, a bar and live music hub on College Street. Bassist Mark Dixon, who's turning 50, relished performing for the mix of older and younger fans.

“I didn’t know how this gig would go. I heard the place was kind of grody,” said Dixon, who was unsure if his original fans would enjoy a venue frequented by 20-year-olds.

Yet Dixon was pleasantly surprised with the turnout of 40 and 50-somethings that filled the bar.

Before hitting the stage after the opening band, Modern Superstitions, The Mods reminisced over a pint of beer about their days of rebellious antics on tour, which was part of the punk lifestyle in the 70s.

“When you put young kids together in a van going on tour to Detroit (in 1978), it’s dangerous,” said drummer David “Quinton” Steinberg, 48, who feels like he’s living out of context playing gigs nowadays.

“We were the epitome of perfect travel behaviour,” added a chuckling lead-singer Greg Trinier, 50, who remembers his days of planning hotel-room-trashing after-parties.

The Mods were frequent headliners in Toronto from 1978 to 1979, opening up for bands like The Police and Squeeze. But before the band hit the punk scene, they were just a group of teenage boys fresh out of high school and looking to enter the bar-band circuit.

Before Dixon became the bassist for The Mods, he decided to dedicate himself to the band as the “second fiddler,” playing second guitar full-time after he finished Grade 12. Although at 17, Dixon wasn't satisfied with the band's sound.

“We did cover songs to bands like the Stones and had a couple originals, but they sucked,” said Dixon, remembering the band’s classic rock days.

It wasn’t until guitarist Scott Marks, now 52, started pushing for a more punk rock edge that The Mods changed their style. They had joined the dark side.

Becoming a punk band back then was like coming out of the closet, Dixon admitted. For him, it was like leaving society once you were branded. Yet, The Mods knew it was their calling.

“We saw a punk band called The Jam play and they were so cool,” Dixon recalled. “The way they played and their energy made us change over night.”

Dixon and his band were attracted to the guitar-smashing, head-banging stage performance of The Jam. They could relate to punk, but abandoned the harsh screaming vocals that were characteristic of most punk bands in the 1970s.

The Mods adopted a power-pop punk style, which Dixon described as high pressure music that contains a recognizable tune. This made the band different, since they were more melodic than the other “rude and vicious groups” like The Ugly and The Viletones.

Their edgy sound brought them initial success at The Horseshoe Tavern, a bar and live music venue that promoted New Wave and punk rock in downtown Toronto.

“We continued to move up the ladder after those gigs, and started recording demos for record labels,” said Dixon. The Mods signed on with Airwaves Records, which Dixon considered to be the cutting-edge, avant-garde label of non-mainstream music.

The band released their first single “Step Out Tonight” in December of 1978, and was featured in Filmmaker Colin Brunton’s documentary “The Last Pogo” later that year.

“(The Mods) were tight and fun, with an intense lead-singer and an even more intense drummer…And of course, they’re all nice guys,” said Brunton, the always-will-be Mods fan who documented the Toronto punk scene in his 1978 film.

Dixon and his band also recorded a full-length album a year later. Yet the CD, entitled “Twenty 2 Months,” wasn’t released until 1995.

“Our CD never got out because we ran out of money and never finished it,” said Dixon. “It was hard to be patient when we were young, and two years seemed like forever. We had hoped to hit our ultimate goal over night.”

The band was only in their early 20s when they broke up. While The Mods members joined other bands, Dixon took the opportunity to become a “business climber guy.”

Dixon got a job after answering an ad to be a sales rep that required guitar playing experience. Not long after, he found himself moving to Sarnia to manage the music store Picker’s Alley.

“It was a big step,” said Dixon, who had married six months before the move. “I had always known that if I wasn’t in a band I could work in a music store.”

Yet his punk days were far from over. In 2004, after becoming a father of three, Dixon picked up his bass once more to jam at a New Wave and Punk Rock revival show at The Horseshoe Tavern. That night, The Mods officially reunited and have been playing a gig per year since then.

“At my age, you don’t remember stuff that well,” said Dixon, while chuckling, “that’s why we play all the old songs. If we learned new songs we’d probably forget them.”

The Mods still maintain their 70s energetic edge and iconic lyrics, but are a little less intense after adopting a new, sub-crazy stage performance style. Although Dixon has retired from attending punk concerts, he still loves to play in them.

“You never know if it’s going to be your last gig,” said Dixon, who’s going to keep it punk until his final show.


THE MODS

THEN:

NOW:

Black Hat Brigade: Funding the Indie Life

Sometimes, to be an independent musician means learning to live with an empty pocket.

Indie artists have the benefit of writing and recording what they want and the freedom to focus on their own musical agenda. But the do-it-yourself (DIY) work – music recording, distribution, and touring – means scrounging every last penny and putting it all into the band’s piggy bank.

Trying to enter the music industry often means enduring the nine-to-five by day to pay for practices by night. Most up-and-coming musicians tend to play music as a side project.

Justin Myler, the singer and bassist for Black Hat Brigade, has learned to balance his time between work and music.

“I’m able to jump back and forth between my job and playing with the band,” said the 26-year-old indie artist from Toronto. “I want music to be a big part of my life. I’m not making money but I just feel driven to do it.”

He works at his brother-in-law’s catering company, which gives him time to write and jam with guitarist and keyboardist Bryan Ward. Myler will settle with any job in order to make a living and create music simultaneously.

“The only real way to make [the band] work is if you do both at the same time.”

Myler and his band put their hard-earned money into their first EP, entitled Fathers. They also wanted to incorporate a visual aspect to their music by making a video for their song Zombie City Shake.

In order to save money, Myler asked his filmmaking cousin to produce their music video. The DIY project cost about 500 dollars to cover props and the people in the video were all zombie-acting volunteers.

“I think you get a very original feel out of it, especially with a tight budget,” said Ryan Myler, who's attending Fanshawe College for film production.

The 23-year-old student said the music industry is great for allowing musicians and filmmakers to collaborate and expand both their works.

“People that listen to music will see the videos and people who pay attention to videos will hear the music.”

Working independently has allowed Black Hat Brigade to get a feel for the music industry. But Justin Myler’s focus isn’t on making it big.

“It’d be nice to make money from our music, but we’re just looking to write the best songs we can. We’ll just keep doing what we do.”

Attack in Black in London

Attack in Black loves performing in London despite the closure of some of the city's prominent music venues. For guitarist Spencer Burton, London is a great city to play in, mainly due to the plethora of interesting people.

"It's a great city with a lot of different people," said the 26-year-old. "Last time I was here I was at a 7-Eleven and met a woman with sauce all over her face. The story made a boring ride home more interesting."

Burton, Ian Kehoe, and Daniel and Ian Romano of Attack in Black played at Call the Office last weekend to promote their newest album Years (By One Thousand Fingertips). The full-length CD was released in March with Dine Alone Records.

Attack in Black are on their East Coast tour with Dog Day, an indie band from Halifax. Burton feels performing with Dog Day has been fantastic.

"We’re pals," he said, "if you can meet someone instantly and bond it’s amazing. Dog Day is just that. We’ve been on tour with them for a few weeks and it’s been great."

The Welland band has evolved from opening up for bands like Alexisonfire during their punk-inspired days. They've changed their music to a more folk-rock sound.

Burton feels the latest album Years (By One Thousand Fingertips) should have received more publicity. He fell in love with the collaboration of songs written by all Attack in Black's members.

Regardless, he believes the band has come a long way.

"I don’t mind at all how things have changed. It’s nice to see how we’ve progressed."

Burton sees music as continuing to play a large part in his life.

"The tour started in 1983 – that was the year I was born. [I] didn’t know it at the time but I was touring live...I don’t think I would ever stop playing music."