From Melville to Brockville Moby Dicks journey across Canada
Since 2009 Lethbridge’s already crowded musical output has been treated to the pop-punk-infused garage rock of local three-piece Moby Dicks. The project is the brainchild of Joel Butler the former Myelin Sheaths and current Stressed Out guitarist who shreds his vocal chords singing straightforward punk songs while bashing out rhythms on a duct-taped two-piece drum setup.
“I had just kind of written some dumb little songs that I wanted to play. It wasn’t something I thought of too seriously” he recalls. While pop is the name of the game with the band’s ’60s garage-meets-Ramones attack however he doesn’t labour over the catchiness letting it happen naturally instead. “It’s mostly little ditties that come into my head when I’m in the shower” he explains. “When I was at university I’d be zoning out not paying attention to Hinduism class and writing songs.”
The Moby Dicks are rounded out by guitarist Evan Van Reekum who moonlights in Fist City and bassist Paul Lawton also of the Myelin Sheaths Radians and countless others. Van Reekum and Lawton also perform together in the Ketamines and run Mammoth Cave Recording Co.
Despite a quality pedigree of local bands however Butler explains that Lethbridge doesn’t offer much for punk bands. “I think if you were in a roots band or an alt-country band you’d be having the time of your life but it really seems like the general consensus is that no one really gives a shit about punk or garage” he admits. “There’s just not a lot of places in town now that will cater to this side of the music scene. It’s pretty brutal.”
Still the southern Alberta city has provided a muse for the band via the Red Dog Diner a former hot dog and poutine joint that has been through its own ups and downs. First there was “The Ballad of the Red Dog” a celebration of the restaurant and its surly staff that found its way on the Moby Dicks’ debut 7-inch.
Tragically however the Red Dog has since burnt to the ground. While Butler has only heard secondhand information he shares the larger-than-life details: “That’s a crazy story that still blows my mind to this day. I heard it burnt down but there were whispers about whether or not it was insurance fraud-related or some kind of arson. Apparently a container of accelerant was tossed through the window and the place was burnt to the ground. There was suspicion because a lot of the food supply in the place had run out just previous to this. There was no ketchup left there was no pop in the pop machine.”
It’s a legacy that has inspired the followup songs “What Happened to the Red Dog” and “No More Red Dog” a two-part farewell to the former hangout. “They get progressively sadder” Butler says of his rock trilogy. “The first one was a happy celebration of the Red Dog and then the second one was a kind of nostalgic upsetting song and then the last one is a goodbye. Even if they do rebuild the place I’m not sure if I’ll be a customer.”
Here’s hoping the Moby Dicks will find their fill of poutine when they embark on a cross-Canada tour with Vancouver’s Needles//Pins this month. It’s a fair bet they will.
