Armed and Hammered

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Armed & Hammered
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s) Hardcore Punk
Years active 1989-2003
Label(s) Ransom Note Recordings, Subvert & Deny, Obese
Associated acts The Restarts, Suckerpunch, The G-Men, Masochistic Religion
Former members
Mopa Dean, Kyle, Big John, Kurf, Cindy, Mark Dickinson, Rick Geroux, Hardcore Dave, Doug McLarty, Kieron, Dorian Wilde, Philphee, Thor, Lamo

Armed and Hammered was a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, spawned from the Kensington Market, BFG (Bunchofuckingoofs) scene. They played their first show June 7, 1989 and their final show on April 19, 2003.[1][2] Originally formed by singer Mopa Dean, bassist for Masochistic Religion, arguably Canada’s foremost Goth band, and drummer Kyle, the earliest lineup also included Lamo, Philphee and BFG's Thor.[3] By the time of Armed & Hammered's first release in 1991, the Fully Loaded cassette the latter three had given way to Hardcore Dave (guitar) and Kieron (bass), beginning the long revolving door of membership.[4]

In 1992, guitarists Big John and Dorian Wilde had replaced Hardcore Dave. This lineup was featured on the next several releases: the split 7-inch records with Suckerpunch and Oppressed Logic and tracks on the various artists compilations Dead on the Road and Living in Fear.

The band was banned from a repeat performance on Much Music when they were playing during a live “AIDS benefit” broadcast across Canada. The media cited them as being vulgar and swearing and they were removed from the rebroadcast the next day.[citation needed]

Over the course of the mid-1990s, the band's lineup would change several times. Guitarist Wilde left in 1994 and was replaced the following year by Kurf. Soon after, Kieron left the band and did a tour with The Varukers before moving to the UK permanently and forming The Restarts. He was replaced by Rick Geroux, who was in turn replaced in 1997 by former Heatseekers and Suckerpunch bassist Cindy Beattie. [5]

The debut full-length It's About Fucking Time was recorded over much of 1996 and 1997 and features both Rick and Cindy. The CD also features re-recordings of many of the songs from earlier releases. It also spent some time in the independent charts in Canada.[5]

In 1998 Kurf left the band and in 1999 was replaced by former Abalienation guitarist Mark Dickinson. In 2000, following the release of The Negative Aspect of Positive Thinking CD, Mark returned to the US, leaving Armed and Hammered once again with one guitarist. In 2000, Mopa left the group to be replaced by Jaww singer Doug McLarty. After Mopa's departure the group became mostly inactive, playing only a handful of gigs before their final shows in early 2003. Mopa formed The G-Men in 2002, who played at least one gig with Armed & Hammered, on November 15, 2002 at Sneaky Dee's.[2] These final shows featured the return of former members Kurf and Rick.

Contents

[edit] Members

  • Kyle - drums
  • Mopa Dean - vocals, also member of Masochistic Religion, The G-Men
  • Big John - guitar
  • Kieron - bass, member of The Varukers, The Restarts
  • Kurf - guitar
  • Doug McLarty- vocals, former member of Jaww
  • Rick Geroux - bass
  • Cindy Beattie - bass, former member of Suckerpunch, The Heatseekers
  • Dorian Wilde - guitar
  • Mark Dickinson - guitar, member of The Others, Bloodsucking Freaks, former member of Abalienation
  • Hardcore Dave - guitar

[edit] Discography

  • Fully Loaded (Cassette, Independent) 1991
  • Armed & Hammered / Suckerpunch Split 7-inch (7-inch record, Independent) 1993
  • Armed & Hammered / Oppressed Logic Split 7-inch (7-inch record, Ransom Note Recordings, USA) 1995
  • I'm More Punk Rock than You (7-inch record, Subvert & Deny Records, USA) 1996
  • Don't Mess with Punk (Cassette, Independent) 1995
  • It's About Fucking Time (CD, Obese Records, USA) 1997
  • Negative Aspects of Positive Thinking (CD / Cassette, Independent) 2000

[edit] Various Artists Compilations

  • Dead on the Road (CD, Raw Energy Records) 1994
  • Living in Fear (CD, Ransom Note Recordings, USA) 1995
  • Raw Energy Records (CD, Raw Energy Recs./Shock Records,Australia) 1999
  • Disease Control: Vol. 1 (CD, MUCK Records) 1999

[edit] References

  1. ^ Canadian Indie Band Database. [1]. Accessed August 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Random Killing Show Listings. [2]. Accessed August 23, 2007.
  3. ^ Punk History Canada. [3]. Accessed August 23, 2007.
  4. ^ Armed & Hammered Discography. [4]. Retrieved from the Internet Archive August 23, 2007.
  5. ^ a b Armed & Hammered. MAXIMUMROCKNROLL No. 185 (October 1998).