Martin Force

I never traveled for punk fests like an early-2000s-style anti-globalization summit-hopper, but I have definitely been to my fair share. K-Town Hardcore Fest has always stood out for me. I've been twice: once in 2018 while driving GAZM and CELL on tour, and last year playing bass with TOTAL NADA. It's big, but not too big, with all the official shows happening at a single venue (the infamous Ungdomshuset), with an additional matinee or two happening off-site (including of course the BIKE WARS!)....

Lo-fi 3-piece anarcho crust. The note that came with this tape tells me they are split between Youngstown, Ohio and Pittsburgh. I imagine Youngstown is a bleak town. Halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and not even on the lake. Where depressive and dark music comes from. I love the opening riff. It's stupid and stompy. The vibe of this tape roughly fits in the current northeast crust thing happening, so if you like the new crusty bands with solid politics coming out of NY and surrounds (K...

In lieu of a year end top ten list, I present to you a dirty dozen of selections from DEMO FEST 2025. In case you missed it, over 70 bands/musicians put together a new demo in October and November this year for our 2nd installment of DEMO FEST. All those releases are available online at 2025.demo-fest.org and all proceeds from donations/downloads go to the local Montreal mutual aid group Solidarity Across Borders. I simply could not narrow this selection down to 10 releases, so it's 12. And eve...

On the heels of DEMO FEST 2025 we are announcing another project: January 2026 is Fediverse Punk Month!! We encourage all hardcore punk underground DIY adherents to try spending January on the Fediverse with us. If you've been dabbling, try doubling-down. If you are already confident here, then spread the word and bring your friends. Let's get some collective momentum going! We set up a special website at ALLPUNKSPLEASELEAVEMETA.com which has the pitch, info, and physical and digital flyers t...

DEMO FEST 2025 is here. Over 70 bands and musicians spent October and November writing/recording/producing/finishing some kind of new demo and sending it in to us. Everything we received is online now: DEMO FEST 2025Over 70 bands and musicians spend the fall recording these demos, released exclusively as part of DEMO FEST on the winter solstice (December 21st) as a benefit for Solidarity Across Borders.DEMO FEST 2025 DEMO FEST is a benefit for Montreal's Solidarity Across Borders. You can dona...

A first column in which I look at the current landscape of bandcamp alternatives and how to DIY punk music online. ...

BOOT (or B.O.O.T. ?) is a bit of an Ottawa supergroup. Ska Jeff (needs no introduction) joins Will from GERM ATTAK (and countless other bands) to provide the rhythm section. The guitarist Greg was also in a local-secret screamo band in Montreal in the 2010s called KALE (it was better than you're thinking). Normally I wouldn't be that excited about another band influenced by the current Oi!/skinhead trend, especially with a name like BOOT. But... BOOT is good! There are the simple guitar melodie...

First, this is the best sounding DEADBOLT recording so far. I've seen DEADBOLT a lot but it's rare that their live sound lives up to how hard this recording sounds. Maybe we need to get Seb a second guitar cab? I feel safe in saying that DEADBOLT has finally slotted into the power vacuum left by GAZM and formerly occupied by OMEGAS. Few bands can straddle Montreal's punk and capital-H-hardcore scene without being trapped by whatever current trends are stagnating each one at any given time. Soni...

I was handed this demo tape at the recent Search For The Sun festival in Montreal. It's dark anarchist crusty punk. It reminds me of earnest political early 2000s crust. The lyrics The first song ends with group vocals chanting "Can you small the oil seeping from the spoiled ground?") but musically it's not as melodic. These demo songs are pretty straight forward, unrelenting pots-and-pans d-beat, no breakdowns or octave leads. But there is an acoustic/clean guitar intro to the last song. Maybe...

DEMO FEST 2025 has begun! The deadline to submit is December 1st (you've still got lots of time), and the submission form is now posted on the DEMO FEST website. Head over there to submit or get more info about the project!...

I keep up with a lot of my distant and local friends via Signal Stories. Here I'll present Signal as a good alternative to the corporate social media platforms....

Inside Front was essentially a early/proto Crimethinc zine from the 90s, put out as late as 2003 (back when Crimethinc was really punk)....

I came across this zine in a distro in Lille, which is quite close to Brussels where the zine is based. Crash-Test is zine of anarchy and punk, with many contributors. It was one of my best discoveries of tour....

Full disclosure, I actually recorded this demo in 2023. TENSER was a band with a bit of a false start that shared the same practice space as me. They formed pre-COVID, as early as 2019, initially as a guitar-bass-drums unit searching for a vocalist. Actually, now that I think about it they asked me to sing as well, but I guess I didn't have time. The pandemic derailed the band's full formation, and although they started practicing again eventually the search for a vocalist took a long time. The...

DEMO FEST is back for 2025 This time brought to you by The Counterforce! The short version: * Spend October + November recording a new punk demo and submit it to DEMO FEST * Submission deadline is December 1st * Release day is December 21st Never heard of DEMO FEST? In 2020 during the height of Covid-19 lockdowns in Montreal, DEMO FEST 2020, brought together hundreds of punks and friends recorded a new demos during the Fall and everything was released by DEMO FEST on the Winter Solstice...