“Four pissed off punks who hold nothing more than contempt for the global corporate death machine.” Such terminology has been the definition of punk rock as a whole since its inception in the late ’70s. However, as time plods on and the essence of the movement evolves further and further from its mission statement, few “punk” bands are actually worthy of such an evocation.
East Vancouver’s The Rebel Spell is one of the few. An intense blast of intellectual stimuli wrapped up in high-octane four-chord riffs and denim with more holes than fabric, this quartet (vocalist Todd, guitarist Erin, bassist Chris and drummer Stepha) has been spreading its message about global consciousness and do-it-yourself ethics for the better part of a decade.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed. Currently touring with fellow grit-punks Leftover Crack in support of their latest EP, Four Songs About Freedom, The Rebel Spell is the latest addition to Winnipeg’s politically-charged record label G7 Welcoming Committee. Discovered while label founders Propagandhi were hand-picking opening bands for a recent tour, The Rebel Spell fit the G7 Welcoming Committee profile perfectly. Not only is the band’s style unique thanks to a direct, no-holds-barred sonic attack, but their strong convictions are quite in tune with G7’s goal of elevated social and political consciousness.
“The main thing is that we’re anti-capitalist and anti-hatred no matter what it is,” notes Todd of The Rebel Spell’s philosophy. “It sounds backwards because it’s so ‘anti,’ but when you turn away from those things you’re left with obvious, positive options. Naturally, there are so many debates within that, but as long as the world moves in that direction, then we can work out the details.”
Both The Rebel Spell and G7 have already taken a massive stride in “that direction.” Recently turning their entire catalogue into download-only content from their website, the label — and therefore its roster — have virtually eliminated their role in the environmental impact of producing CDs and records. As Todd notes, G7’s refusal to produce antiquated technology for consumers lessens the amount of chemical waste and pilfering of natural resources already stressing our overtaxed planet.
“We’re super into that. We’d rather have people download songs because most people — not everyone — don’t use CDs anymore,” he states. “Not that everyone has abandoned CDs, but it’s less common these days. People take a CD, rip it onto their computer and never use it again. It becomes a piece of plastic and metal garbage that does nothing but be garbage for a million years. We’re concerned with bypassing that, and when G7 committed to the same ideal, we were totally on board.”
To the Luddites in the room, however, Todd agrees that some people have a hard time turning over cold, hard cash for something intangible. In an effort to soothe the masses during this transition into a purely digital age, The Rebel Spell has been working to find a medium that offers something for everyone.
“People are concerned about not getting anything physical with Four Songs About Freedom. That’s understandable, so we’re toying with the ideas of having posters with lyrics on them to give out. It’s something other than a non-biodegradable piece of garbage. We want to give the best of both worlds, (but) even we argue about it. Some want to put it out on vinyl, but then it becomes an argument over how much plastic that wastes. Our record sales aren’t significant enough to make that much of an impact, but if everyone did that, well, you’ve already got major artists taking note and changing their modus, only releasing new material digitally.”
While environmentalism has come into vogue as of late, Todd vehemently stresses that The Rebel Spell is not just jumping on a bandwagon. Environmentalism, social reform and political awareness are the band’s mission, goal and driving force. As their most recent U.S. tour proved, this permanent tide of realization is rushing in fast.
“We wound up in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas,” he says. “Places where people were like, ‘How did you survive in those redneck towns?’ Well, you draw people who are interested in what you’re doing. The world around those people is so conservative, but we’re known enough now that when we go somewhere, like-minded people come out. I’d like to think we’re capable of drawing others in musically and politically, though. You can see a mainstream shift in environmentalism and other areas.”
