>>PREVIEW
THE MARTYR INDEX
Saturday, July 15
Hifi Club
One of the most promising acts on Calgary’s local music scene, The Martyr Index had sunk into relative obscurity since the 2002 release of their stellar independent album 1936. Featuring the endearing anthem "From the Schools to the Factories (In Three Easy Steps)," 1936 introduced audiences to the band’s fresh-yet-authentic take on old-school political punk rock with an anarchist edge.
Forging bravely ahead, the band embarked on a gruelling two-and-a-half month North American tour in support of their album, which according to lead singer and songwriter Mark Vermin, took a mighty toll on The Martyr Index. A couple of years off was just the thing needed to mend inflamed tendons and reignite the fizzling embers of their collective imagination.
Now refreshed and realigned with drummer Casey Lewis, vocalist extraordinaire Meg Spinx, bassist Ian Baker, guitarist James Campbell and violinist Phil Harmonix, Vermin is eager to pull out the stops and reconnect with the band’s listeners via their newly-pressed EP It’s Called Rock and Roll.
"There was a general lack of initiative to continue after our last tour," says Vermin. "We were all involved in different pursuits and it took a long time before we had anything to bring to the table. Now we’re finally back to it, and doing a lot more of what we wanted to do in the first place.
"There’s a lot of heart missing from modern punk. We need to hijack things outright and return punk to what it originally stood for – rebellion and social progress. Corporate alignment spells the death of punk. It is the antithesis of everything we stand for. As soon as you hear a so-called punk artist discussing the finer points of the Republican Party and who to vote for, you know you’re in trouble."
Keeping alive the spirit of anarcho-punk politics, grassroots revolution and general merry-making, The Martyr Index’s latest release features four free- flowing tracks that range from serious to sensational in the course of an hour’s listening. Drawing inspiration from international events as well as their own personal experiences, they present a well-researched and provocative package brimming with unbridled enthusiasm and rock solid rhythms.
"The last track on It’s Called Rock and Roll, ‘Hacienda Luisita,’ was inspired by some kids in the Philippines who were working with Food Not Bombs," Vermin explains. "They began writing to us asking for CDs to raise money for their cause. We sent them a hundred or so CDs and soon we were being contacted every week by the kids over there who were starting to learn about politics and culture and different types of activism. It made us want to do something more potent with our own music.
"One of the contacts we made told us about hacienda Luisita. It all started about 40 years ago when the new government was brought in to ensure that the new constitution outlawing the feudal land system would be put into motion. The peasants who lived on the Haciendas, which are large sugar plantations, were supposed to take ownership of their lands, but this never happened and soon whole villages were in revolt. Poverty-stricken and desperate for change, they began a bloody fight for their rights, which continues in some form even today."
Such profound topics make for great lyrical content but can often come up short in the "danceability" department. Fortunately, The Martyr Index know how to effectively harness the power of their artistic expression when it comes to the crucial balance between informing your audience and entertaining them.
"Art is about communication, not preaching to people like a professor in a history class," says Vermin. "It has more to do with emotions than textbooks. We want to convey a feeling, but at the same time we don’t want to just sit around thinking about these topics and not doing anything about them. It’s not all heavy politics, though – we’re still about fuckin’ in the backseat and living life!" |
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