BeatRoute Magazine B.C. print e-edition - May 2016

THE REBEL SPELL
finding affirmation within tragedy
This May 21st the extensive community
that Todd Serious, aka Todd Jenkins,
helped build will gather to mourn his loss
and celebrate the music he created with his
band The Rebel Spell. Todd tragically passed
away March 7, 2015 from a climbing accident.
He is remembered by his family, friends, band
mates, and fans. The Todd Serious Memorial
Show will bring everyone together to enjoy
one of his greatest passions: his music.
The Rebel Spell became a Vancouver DIY
icon through years of hard work and dedication
to both their music and their ideals. They
were a band with work ethic and drive, and it
was their dedication to their community and
politics that built their reputation over their
12-year career.
Sitting in a sunny East Vancouver park,
Erin, guitarist and one of the founding members
of The Rebel Spell, takes a moment to
reflect on the energetic frontman and the band
she shared with him.
The band was formed when Erin placed an
add in The Georgia Straight looking for a new
project. Todd and Stepha, the band’s original
drummer, answered the add. “Todd in his
mind already had this vision of a band with the
name The Rebel Spell. So it was kind of like
I was actually the addition to something that
was already in the making,” explains Erin. “It
turned out to be right in line. I was looking for
something more political, something more DIY
than the project I was involved with before.”
Thus The Rebel Spell was born. The band
produced four albums and toured Canada
extensively as well as The United States and
Europe. They toured with Canadian punk
heavyweight Propagandhi, and to pay tribute
to Todd’s memory, Propagandhi released a
cover of The Rebel Spell’s song “I am a Rifle.”
They have a lot to be proud of and Erin doesn’t
shy away from that pride. “I feel really good
about the whole body of work we created. I
feel like our songs are my babies and I don’t
have a favourite album or a not favourite
album. It’s all really special to me.”
For Erin, losing Todd put both her and Todd’s
life choices into focus. “Throughout my time in
the band I’ve had a lot of doubt about my life’s
choices because living in grinding poverty for
that long is really difficult and it took a toll on
me. I often felt like I was spinning my wheels
and I wasn’t going anywhere in my life,” says
Erin. “Since Todd died, just how many people
have reached out and talked about how my
band has impacted their lives, how they think,
and what we meant to them, it’s made me feel
like I really have made the right choices in
life. Made me feel like both Todd’s time on this
earth and mine have not been wasted.”
“Everything about this has been bitter sweet.
It’s just completely horrible but at the same
time really life affirming. I’ve learned the hard
way not to take stuff for granted,” she adds.
The band’s last release ended up being
oddly prophetic. Titled The Last Run, it sadly
lived up to its name. The shock of Todd’s death
came with the grim realization that they would
never play with him again.
“We played our last show on New Years
Eve of 2014 and we were booking our next
tour. We were about to go back to Europe. We
were in full swing of everything. Last Run had
just come out a few months before and, you
know my whole life revolved around this band
pretty much, and in an instant it was gone.
Completely...and so that was hard, and it was
by Alex Molten
hard to think that we would never play these
songs again. I think this will give us a bit of
closure,” says Erin on the decision to put on
the memorial show.
The Rebel Spell that you will see on May
21st will be the final line up the band had, with
Erin on guitar, Elliot on bass, and Travis on
drums. Stepha, the drummer in the first line
up, will be doing most of the vocals with some
guests coming to sing some songs as well.
“We are going to have some surprise guests.
There will be people from our past. It’s going
to be wonderful, I’m really excited,” hints Erin.
When asked about a favourite memory of
Todd, Erin remembers the love he had for
his dogs. “One time when we were on tour
somebody asked us if we were allergic to dogs
and Todd said ‘I’m allergic to not dogs.’ As in
he was allergic to having dogs not around,”
laughs Erin. “I can handle so much. I can get
through so much of thinking about him and
like not break a tear at all but whenever I think
about his dogs, and [them just] waiting for him
to come home and like they don’t even know
where he is...That totally breaks me. Besides
his band he had his climbing and his dogs.
Those were the things he based his whole life
around and everything he did in life was for
those three things.”
So come remember Todd Serious and
celebrate the band he and his band mates
dedicated so much of their lives to. His voice
will live on through his songs so take the time
to listen.
The Rebel Spell with perform at the Todd
Serious Memorial Show at Astorino’s on May 21
KRIS SHULTZ
destroying perceived notions one box at a time
Metal music has always gotten a bad rap
and has garnered a reputation as a bunch
of angst-ridden, rowdy rebel rousers.
It’s just noise played by a bunch of musicians
who have a one track mind, right? Wrong.
Case in point, Kris Schulz. His metal resume speaks
for itself; he is a well respected axe slinger in local
stalwarts Mechanism, West Of Hell, and Cocaine Mustache,
but beyond that Schulz has just released a solo
album full of acoustic wonderment. This album is a far
cry from his previous power chord existence. It is one
hundred percent of just him and the acoustic guitar:
no drums, no vocals. It is an amazing journey and real
eye opener to a soulful side that many metal musicians
have and hold dear to their heart. Many just don’t have
the guts to throw it all out there. The album is called
While The City Sleeps and it is 13 songs of beauty. It
is inspiring to hear these songs that are so obviously
coming straight from a pure and passionate place.
“I had a major realization and it hit hard. I knew I
needed to do this but I did not know how to play this kind
of music that I had in my head,” Schulz explains. “All the
16 THE SKINNY
songs were written way above my level. I struggled the
whole way. I’ve never played anything more challenging.”
In saying that, Schulz is being a bit modest. A couple
of year ago he took a few of these songs to the Canadian
Fingerstyle Competition, a world renowned acoustic
event that has players from around the globe competing,
and placed fourth. Schulz is not the type of guy
into competitions, but this impressive feet gained him
connections to heady record label FretMonkey Records
who released his album and ultimately culminated in
back to back sold out release shows at The H.R. Mac-
Millan Planetarium in Vancouver. Starting May 4 he will
be embarking on a two month cross Canada tour. So
guitar aficionados, this is a chance to see a true talent
and another side to a multi talented intense individual.
“I am not a big fan of boxes. If I could change
one thing about the way people perceive music
it is to fuck off with boxes. You play music.
You are a musician. Everyone has multiple influences
coming in,” says a wistful Schulz.
Kris Schultz performs at the Heritage Grill on May 4.
by Heath Fenton
May 2016