BEATROUTE MAGAZINE AB EDITION JANUARY 2019

THE MORÖNS
under the F... (for fun)
BY CHRISTINE LEÖNARD
16 | JANUARY 2019 • BEATROUTE
Shout out to Canuck Amusements!
It’s almost a lyric to a Dead Milkmen song,
Robbie Morön – magnanimous local rock
‘n’ roll bingo host –decides to pen some
songs about his beloved game and soon
the aspirations of forming a party punk
band are sparked in his bass-riddled brain.
“I wrote and recorded four punk tunes
about bingo, and came up with the whole
Moröns name and concept as a gimmick
for the show. The show was eventually
shelved and I got canned, but I still wanted
to use those songs and the name. First
thing I had to do was rewrite the lyrics. I
no longer wanted the songs to be about
bingo, except “Rock n Roll Bingo Baby”, because
that jam’s a gem just the way she is!
The next thing I had to do was get a band.”
And so, Robbie set about rounding up
a rag-tag gang of misfits and weirdos to
forge an alliance and set about the business
of wrecking rooms across Calgary. Or,
as they call it, “Hick City.”
“The mandate for the group was to
make simple, straight ahead, light-hearted
and catchy punk tunes. We thought the
world could use another party rock band
and that’s right in my wheelhouse,” reckons
Robbie, who couldn’t be more stoked
about The Moröns’ freewheelin’ line-up.
“Well, obviously, you don’t need to
pass an IQ test if you wanna be an official
Morön,” he points out.
Teaming up with drummer Lucky
Morön, whom he had previously played
with in La Cagaderas, Robbie identified
kindred spirits in guitarists G.G. Morön
(Inventing the Wheel, Torches to Triggers)
and Dave Morön (Deville). Finally, the former
ball-caller was confident that his new
group had the potential to blackout more
than a bingo card.
“I’ve known Rob for a long time. When
he sent me his ‘bingo’ songs, I really didn’t
have anything else going on at the time. So
I said, ‘Screw it, sure!’” Dave adds.
The drinking anthems began to flow and
soon it was time to hit the stage, playing
gigs and giving their hometown a taste of
its own Jägermeister, er, I mean medicine.
“The Hick City Punk Rawk EP is a raw
DIY project we recorded on our own and
did our own artwork, etc. I love the feel
of those gritty demo’s and think everyone
should have one,” says Robbie. “The
upcoming We Threw You Under the Bus
Cause It’s the Best Place for You EP was a
more professional approach. And by professional,
I mean we put a lot more money
into it. We recorded it at Echo Base Studios
with Casey Lewis and he just took it to
another level.”
An expert when it comes to short attention
spans, chief Morön Robbie knows the
key lies in changing things up often while
maintaining a frenetic dancefloor pace.
“All killer, less filler.” That’s how they get ‘er
done.
“We thought that we might be better
off releasing two or three EPs a year, as
opposed to one full-length every other
year. Just keep new music coming more
often, but in smaller batches. I could be
wrong, but time will tell, and we don’t have
much to lose. So, what the hell?! Let’s try
something different!”
The Moröns host their ‘Skate Punk Ain’t Dead
- Big Ass EP Release Party’ featuring Trashed
Ambulance, Sessions Grizzly Trail and Aces on
Jan. 11 at Dickens Pub (Calgary)
ROCKPILE