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Awhile ago, I discovered an interesting little service that CDPlus offers in the Medicine Hat Mall. They offer local band CDs in a special section up on the back right wall. I haven’t really seen anything like this before from a retail chain – but it’s very cool. I have since found out, CDPlus offers this for all the cities that they are in. Besides actually going out to the local band shows that happen many times a week here in Medicine Hat, this would be the only source for you to buy some physical copies of the music.

And by physical copies, I mean the CD in your hand. If you are a little bit “newer” school, many local bands have content on their MySpace or Facebook profile in which you can download in .mp3 format, or simply stream from their page, but then again, that’s not buying local music. Rarely you can also sometimes see local-ish (Calgary) bands use a distribution service to sell digital copies such iTunes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Medicine Hat band sell music digitally though.


I’m sure many readers of this post will be quite familiar with this Taberbased singer and his long time band the Hurtin’ Albertans, but in case there is anyone left in Southern Alberta who hasn’t heard of these talented people I decided to feature them this week on Music Exposure. Although I am not a huge fan of this style of country music generally, the fact that I can easily relate to them (being that I grew up in rural Alberta like Corb) makes them a lovable alternative to my usual tunes.

The first song I ever heard by this band was “The Truck Got Stuck”, and at the risk of sounding incredibly redneck, I loved every minute of it. Every situation he described in that song made me laugh because I had either been in that situation or knew someone who had. Such is the appeal of Corb Lund’s music, its fun, easy to relate to, and above all, played by talented musicians.

Unfortunately I have never seen them live, although much of my family has, and they all say they are a joy to watch. As they released their sixth studio album last year Losin’ Lately Gambler, I’m sure Corb and the Albertans will be finding themselves in this area sometime soon, so for a night of fun music be sure to check them out!

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »


DOA's Joey Keithley - "I, Shithead" Book

DOA's Joey Keithley - "I, Shithead" Book Cover

DOA is a hardcore punk rock band that formed in 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with the bands Black Flag, Bad Brains and Minor Threat, they are often considered the founders of hardcore punk rock.

The band has been around for more than 30 years and currently is fronted by singer/guitarist Joey “Shithead” Keithley and accompanied by Dan Yaremko and James Hayden. Their music, like most punk rock, takes a strong stance on politics. Their lyrics often involve anti-racism, anti-globalization, freedom and drug use. It is not uncommon for DOA to perform for causes and benefits to raise awareness on specific issues.

Since forming in 1978, DOA has created and released 16 studio albums, 7 compilation albums and 16 music videos. In total, they have sold more than 500,000 records and played more than 3000 shows in 30 different countries.

In keeping parallel with the “Do It Yourself” attitude that lots of punkers have, when DOA started, Joey Keithley created Sudden Death Records, an indie record label to release DOA albums on. The label remained only a part-time business until around 1998 when they began to sign more bands. Sudden Death Records now has about 30 bands signed to it.

DOA has been cited as an influence by many bigger and more well known bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Rancid and The Offspring. They have toured with The Clash, The Ramones, The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Nirvana and Minor Threat.

In 2004, the book “I, Shithead” was released, which recollects Joey Keithley’s life in punk rock. The book starts out from him and his friends as kids getting into music, starting DOA, rioting, drinking, and playing their music. The book reveals DOA’s famous slogan: “Talk minus Action equals Zero.”

As if the achievements over a 30 year career were not enough of a reward, in 2003, Vancouver’s then-mayor Larry Campbell declared December 21st to be “D.O.A. Day” in honour of the band’s 25th anniversary.

I, Shithead on Amazon

Medicine Hat Media DOA article from 2008 Calgary show

Music video after The Jump.

THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »


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