BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edition - Feb. 2016

ROCKPILE
PROPAGANDHI
legendary Winnipeg political punks talk new member and coming tour
by Sarah Mac
Propagandhi are going with the flow while thinking of the future.
Canadian punk rockers Propagandhi are
hitting the road again and this time
Western Canada are the lucky ones to
revel in the glory.
Although many are quite familiar with Propagandhi,
for the stragglers, here’s a quick history lesson.
Propagandhi are veterans of the punk rock
scene, forming in 1986 and based out of Winnipeg,
Manitoba. They’ve released six studio albums and
a handful of singles and live albums. They are best
known for their quick-witted, progressive political
punk, accompanied by fast tempos and a heavy
sound. But it’s their devotion to activism that has
put them above and beyond. Not only are the majority
of their songs screaming demands for human
and animal rights, they also have contributed much
of their earnings to many deserving charities for
both these worthy causes.
Since the release of their first album, How to Clean
Everything (1993), Propagandhi’s sound has matured:
what started out as smart-alecky, power punk has
grown into a heavier, thrashier style. This style was
mastered on their last album, Failed States, which
was released in 2012 and immediately became a new
favourite among fans.
Recently, there were some changes with the band,
and with their growing tour schedule and no real talk
of a new album in the works, BeatRoute chatted with
long-time bassist Todd Kowalski to discuss all things
Propagandhi and get the story straight.
In 2015 Propagandhi went through a lineup
change—something that hasn’t happened since
2006, when David “Beaver” Guillas joined the band—
adding not only a fourth member for the first time,
ROCKPILE
but a rhythmic guitar section as well. Then sadly, last
June, the Beaver decided to move on to other things
and rather than continue as a three-piece as they had
for decades before, the remaining members decided
to replace him.
“I think we just enjoyed being a four-piece band
more. It’s fuller and we had more options on guitar.
We can add more layers and textures to the songs.
Also, just having someone else in the band brings
more ideas to the table, as well as a different personality.
And you [the fan] also have more to focus on,”
Kowalski explains.
Propagandhi decided on an old-school approach
to finding their new guitarist, they placed
a want ad-style application on their website and
potential candidates submitted videos showing
off their skills. Although this sounds like a lengthy
process, they were determined to find their Beaver
replacement. In a matter of days they received
hundreds of audition videos from people across
the world. With one video standing out from the
rest, Propagandhi made the official announcement
in September, welcoming Sulynn Hago,
Floridian and badass axe-shredder, as the newest
member of Propagandhi.
“She seemed really cool, she handed in her audition
video really quick and it was done really well.
Also, what she wrote in her bio, she seemed pretty
awesome. We wanted someone with a lot of go-getem
spirit, you know. And her video showed us a lot of
that. It showed a lot of effort and hard work right off
the bat. She’s good at improvising on the guitar, and
she’s just into music 100 per cent. That really came
across in her video. She just eats and breathes guitar.
But, the fact that she lives in Florida is a little tricky,”
Kowalski reflects.
“Even though we didn’t really have one thing
in particular we were looking for, every little thing
helped. Especially for us, we have a lot of certain
ideas, and we wanted someone who meshed with us.
Hago has listened to us for a long time and is kind of
on the same page,” he continues.
“It does help that she’s vegan, it goes with the
spirit,” he chuckles.
With the change in lineup, and their irregular touring,
Propagandhi fans wondered if there would finally
be a new album in the works, and if so, who would be
performing on it.
“We have a bunch of songs we’re working on, not
recorded… The goal is to be recording by the end of
the year, I hope,” he says.
“But in the end, we would rather have a good
record than one that’s out by a certain time. We
jam every week, five to six times. We have lots of
music on the go that we’re really excited about it.
And we know we gotta get back out there, but for
some reason it takes us awhile to get all our gears
going. I don’t know why. It happens every single
time,” Kowalski continues.
Rumours spread that possibly Hago will just tour
with the band, and wouldn’t be involved in any of the
recordings. But Kowalski thinks it’s safe to say that
that’s not the case.
“We’re opening up our doors to Hago a bit more.
We had to get to know her first and see what’s up.
But we’re going to get her up here [Winnipeg] and
record some songs. At the same time, we haven’t
closed the door on Beaver either. We’re just going
with the flow, making tunes and having fun. But yes,
we want Hago in the mix too and you know, we’ll see
what happens.”
Many of the Propagandhi shows on this tour are
somewhat smaller in size and most of them have sold
out quite quickly. The disappointment of the sold out
shows was brightened by second dates in some cities,
while others will sadly have to wait for the next tour.
“We’ve added shows to B.C. and here in Winnipeg.
But unfortunately, we can’t add second dates
for Calgary and Edmonton because we have to
be back in Winnipeg for a show. For the Calgary
show, it really sucks, because it sold out so fast,” he
reveals apologetically.
“When you are in a band, you really don’t want to
overshoot with a big place, and so we figured we’d
just go out and play these small- to medium-sized
venues and see what happens. Cause you know, you
really don’t know what to expect.”
This is not so comforting for those that are ticketless,
but don’t give up hope yet.
“When we have the new record out, we’ll come
back and play the bigger shows. Promise.”
Well, at least there is a light at the end of this very
long show and album-less tunnel. Let’s just hope
Propagandhi gets those gears going sooner rather
than later.
At printing time, tickets were still on sale for Propgandhi’s
Vancouver show at the Rickshaw on February
6th, in Victoria at Sugar on the 7th, in Banff at Wild
Bill’s on February 10th and in Winnipeg at the Garrick
Centre on February 13th. Edmonton and Calgary stops
are sold out.
BEATROUTE • FEBRUARY 2016 | 21