Photo by: Avrinder Dhillon

According to earlier band bios, Propagandhi described themselves as “three skids from the most backwards reaches of the Canadian prairies, forged in the flames of mid-80’s political hardcore and early-80’s speed metal.” The band’s disgust for the music industry has reached an all-new high (can ya blame them?), and they no longer have the patience or the “give-a-fuck” to scratch out words describing themselves to the uninitiated. So in an effort to avoid being exclusionary, we’ll throw out some points of interest and historical info. I know, I know: boring. But look, at the end we will reward you by including the band’s suggested bio. It’s been nominated “Feel Good Bio Of The Year.”

The band hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and released their first record on Fat in 1993. This latest full length, Potemkin City Limits, is their fourth for the label and continues with their long tradition of potent thrash-punk. Their music is both enlightened and incendiary, and many consider them to have picked up where the Dead Kennedys left off. They’ve toured the world many times, and despite being the most uncooperative band in the entire underground, they plan to play a lot of shows in support of the new tunes. With Propagandhi, it’s always seemed that their message came first. I’m certain they resent the hell outta that description, so here they are in their own cheery words:

Piece of Shit – Bass & Voice
Fart Hands – Drums
Chris Hannah – Voice & Guitar
A Beaver – Guitar

There are specific assumptions to keep in mind when one composes the requisite “biography” for a new record. One: Music journalism is stenography. Two: Consumers believe what they read, despite evidence to the contrary. With these assumptions in mind, we offer you, the music journalist, these time-saving, typically misleading and self-aggrandizing accolades to simplify the process of filling up the space between ads in your terrible publication:

“most eagerly anticipated release of (insert year here)!”, “ground-breaking!”, “controversial!”, “critically hailed!”, “impossible to categorize!”

It is our sincere hope and expectation that you will mindlessly recite such meaningless clichés in exchange for future advertising revenue from Fat Wreck Chords. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Talking points:

+ The band was formed in 1986.

+ The band was almost dealt a death-blow in 2003 with the sudden departure of founding member and guitarist/vocalist Chris Hannah, who left the band to pursue other disinterests. Remaining members Jordy Samolesky and Todd Kowalski quickly found a worthy replacement in one Glen Lambert, formerly of the Portage Terriers. Not only did Glen proclaim that he was a much more rounded musician that the departed Hannah, but that his commitment to “make politics sexy” would bring a newfound optimism to what he described as “a flagging band”.

+ About 5 minutes after Lambert’s proclamation, the band decides they’d rather be “flagging” than sexy so they give Lambert the boot and announce the return of the decrepit Hannah, who returns with his 2006 #1 draft pick, The Beaver, on 2nd guitar. Hannah declares “I love Beaver” and promptly goes to sleep.

+ In past years, their live show has been described as both ‘alright’ and ‘ok’. With the addition of The Beaver to the arsenal, it is now being hailed as ‘decent’ and ‘satisfactory’.

+ Their latest album, Potemkin City Limits, is not really groundbreaking, essential, provocative, or particularly anticipated, but it is 41 minutes long.