The Hold

2006-06-03T13:09:00.000-03:00

Tickets on sale today!

To quote BennieP:

Gigantic Entertainment is proud to present the first installment of the
Rogers' “Flip the Switch” festival on August 14; a day-long alternative music
extravaganza at the Alderney Landing Events Plaza on the Dartmouth
Waterfront. California punk pioneers NOFX headline the festival in their
first appearance in Atlantic Canada since the early 1990s. They will be
joined by Florida's Against Me!, Ontario's Protest the Hero, Hostage Life
and the Cancer Bats, and Montreal's The Gorgeous. There will also be a
side stage featuring locals Dean Malenkos, Risky Business, the Letter
Unfolds, Hope and the Hold.

Tickets for this all-ages event are $28+applicable service fees and go on
sale Saturday, June 3rd @ 9am through Tickets Atlantic. They are
available at participating Superstores, the Ticket Atlantic box office in
the Halifax Metro Centre, by phone @ (902) 451-1221 and at
www.ticketatlantic.com. Gates open at 4pm and the show runs rain or
shine. This is a general admission show with limited unreserved seating.

NOFX was formed in LA back in 1983 and has released 10 studio full
lengths, about 6 EPs, and a metric ton of 7”s. They’ve somehow managed to
sell over 6 million records worldwide, which is an unprecedented feat for
an independent band. They’re true pioneers of the genre as they’ve toured
all but one continent (no Antarctica yet, sorry), and insisted on holding
true to their punk ethics. No band has achieved more success
independently, and no band has turned down major labels and MTV more
often. Although they’re reluctant to admit it, they’re musically
influenced by bands like Bad Religion, Misfits, RKL, etc. At least they
were back in the day, now they do all the influencing. After years of
working with mega-indie Epitaph, the band switched to Fat Mike’s own
imprint. Thus began 2003’s War On Errorism, one of their most successful
releases yet, and a record that catapulted the band into the mainstream of
political press: Newsweek, CNN, NY Times, etc. Next up for the band is
the 6-song CDEP Never Trust A Hippie (uhhh, definitely see record cover
for explanation). It’s just a taste of what’s to come from the skate-punk
kings as they have a new full length, Wolves In Wolves’ Clothing coming
April ’06. Then they headline Warped Tour.

Fat Mike – Vocals & Bass
Smelly – Drums
Melvin – Guitar
El Hefe – Guitar & Trumpet

Oh, and we had a great time in Truro, as per usual. We even managed to get lost again.

2006-03-09T01:17:00.000-04:00

What in the hell is this? The Hold blog? Wow. What have we done since last time? A lot. Not much.

There's a DIVORCE party coming up. A showace.
We're playing a North by North End show at the One World Cafe on St. Patrick's Day.
Attack Mode, Bed Bad, and Gilbert Switzer are also playing. It's early, so you can pretend to be Irish later.

There's also a DIVORCE marriage coming up.
April 5.

2005-11-21T00:16:00.000-04:00

We got back from tour and we went back to work.
We recorded again.
KC and I went on tour with the "pop band" we're in.
Now, Christian is on tour with the "indie band" he's in.
We have some shows coming up when he gets back.

The Dome Tour

2005-09-08T00:24:00.000-03:00

This trip turned out to be quite an experience. Every show was a different world, and each day was a dream...

The jock pits in Sherbrooke were fun. Our set was loose but soulful. It was a good start. A fraternity of Phys Ed students rented the bar out for their frosh and we were supposed to entertain this event. It turned out to be quite a bash. A few punks intermingled with the main core of ignorant students and threw down for our set. I was told a live goat was being brought out but this did not happen. Honestly I'm glad it didn't, because they would have slaughtered it in their drunken states.

In Montreal we played above an anarchist book store in this super small room. We moved all the chairs and couches (that were there for meetings) out on the deck and into another room and set up our gear. I felt excited to play in this environment. The room filled up by the time the first chord of the first band was hit. Desperate Living, they were a band with a thrashy Black Sabbath sound and hardcore vocals. I liked them very much. We went up and ripped through some songs, then the cops arrived. Eventually the piggies left and we finished our set. The situation and us left about 10 minutes for the last band to be play before closing. The band was Jaws of Life and they are an very fast and aggressive hc punk band. Great set.

We played with Global Holocaust in Three Rivers. This was an extremely fun crust event. The Hold fit in quite well and all the bands were intense and nasty. The bar was dark and dingy and every one was messed up and dancing and shouting up a storm. Me, knowing only english made it difficult to really get to know anyone there but it really didn't matter, because everyone there seemed really positive. Good night.

We recorded a set for a radio show on CIUT in Toronto and did an interview. I assume we sounded moronic for the most part, my brain wasn't entirely functional at this point. I appreciated the questions Stephe asked and his general dedication to punk music. Hopefully we had worthwhile stuff to contribute.

Our next show was in the Market area of Toronto and it was called Planet Kensington. This was as punk rock as you could get. It was another one of those holes in the wall that smelled distinctly of human waste. It was more potent than usual but hey, I'm used to this reek. The show was very intimate and loud. The first band started with Negative Approach, I was feeling it. They proved to be good straight up hardcore. Everything felt natural to me when we got up there. I felt we really delivered and the feeling definitely seemed mutual. It was too bad that after such a rad event, Chik put a dent in the rental van by hitting a pole, with Crystal's guidance. We were bummed but the shows must go on.

The next day we headed for Hamilton. The night before, after the show we all spit up so we had to reassemble ourselves in Steel City. Crystal met up with her mother and step dad (who are truckers from the states) after the show at the planet and hit some motel somewhere, Christ left for dome and Chik and I stayed with friends. We ended up taking Dave and Matt who we were staying with to Hamilton with us. It was a long but funny day of hanging out. The show was sort of a bust because it was a Monday night on Labour Day at a fairly big bar. This was "new music night" or something we were part of a mixed bag. I have to say there was some weak shit going down. I remember liking one band but I can't recall their name. I think the ex drummer of Sam Roberts played in some band that night. They blew. We played for about 10 or 15 minutes. It was an easy in, easy out. Maybe we stopped too soon, but no one could have complained we played too long. I personally had fun at this show. For a Monday, I've played worst shows on a Friday or Saturday in my life, so this was fine. There were 7 bands and we got paid 40 dollars, and this made us "feel rad."

Chik drove for 4 hours after the show while I tried to stay awake to help keep him awake. We parked in a truck stop, slept for 2 hours and then woke up and Chik drove for another 16 hours straight into Halifax.

When we pulled up in front of Domer's house, Chik's pupils were burnt black and he was in delerium from such a long ride.

2005-08-03T17:14:00.000-03:00

If you saw the Seahorse ad in the Coast (congrats, Gilbert Switzer for scoring the cover) and got excited to see us this Friday (Aug 5), I should let you know that the ad is incorrect. This show has changed dates and lineups, but the Hold were never supposed to play. We're on a break. For those of you who don't know, our drummer also plays bass for the Burdocks, who are on the road supporting their newest release, What We Do is Secret.

It still looks like a fine show, and I'll be in the audience. The bands playing are Los Mantolinos (sp? I know nothing about them), Warring States, Pull's Key, and A Million Dollar Rock Band. Warring States is our friend Robin (formerly of the Warming Signs) and Jason (formerly of the Heelwalkers). A Million Dollar Rock Band are also friends of ours and if you check the past shows section, you'll see we played at least one show with them when we were first starting out. Back then, they were a two-piece. Now, they're a "full" band. Johnny Flinn, Jora Wentzel (who played bass in my first band), Erik Southey (who was in Head Injury Convention [I should go to one], the Debonnaires, and other stuff), and a guy named Hayden, affectionately known to us as "the Heckler". He comes to our shows and yells stuff at us like, "you stink like piss!"

In other Seahorse news, I heard a rumour that the show on August 13th is the end of an era. After that, they're "done with punk shows." I knew it was coming, but it would've been nice to play there one last time. (edit-or not. Just saw a good show listed for the 19th. But, hey, that's why it's a rumour. It'll still probably happen soon.)

In other Hold news, we're almost done that split 7". Gilbert Switzer are just waiting on us to finish our vocals, which we will get to when they hit the road this weekend. Speaking of hitting the road, we will be at the end of the month. We're taking another short trip west (but no further west than Ontario). Christian bought a van, so hopefully this one will be our first without rental costs. Watch here, or the shows section, to find out where we'll be when. We should have our little movie done by then. We're playing Reflections (with A Million Dollar Rock Band) August 24 before we go, and Gus' Pub (bands TBA) September 22, after we get back.

Divorce is growing, but more on that later.

2005-07-03T14:32:00.000-03:00

We're recording again. I'm excited. Tonight should be very fun. We're doing a split 7" with Gilbert Switzer. I can't wait to see those guys (and I mean guys in a non-gender specific way).

2005-06-29T11:53:00.000-03:00

Few more shows. I don't know how well they've been promoted. I know it's redundant to post it here as well, but maybe some of you read this, but haven't recently checked out the shows section of the website.

Thursday, June 30, Attack Mode are playing with Sharp Like Knives, Colour TV, and Shelter With Thieves

Friday, July 1, The Hold are playing with Bucket Truck and Laid To Waste

both shows are at the Attic.

2005-06-24T11:49:00.000-03:00

There are a few shows tonight featuring members of the Hold.

Early this evening, Shit Cook, will be releasing his second EP, Part Knife. This show is at the One World Cafe on Argricola, around 8:00. Also performing are FDH and S-Slater.

Tonight, around 11:30, the birthday extravaganza will get under way at the Seahorse. It's the birthday of Gerry Hubley, frontman of Oh God, a band that our guitarist drums for. Don't look at their website if you don't like "dirty" stuff. A couple of their band members are on antibiotics, but their not cancelling the show. Also playing are A/V, the Stolen Minks, and Gilbert Switzer (celebrating the lifting of their ban).

So, get off work (early if you have to) and stop by a couple shows. It's a beautiful day.

2005-06-23T11:32:00.000-03:00

My take on the trip. I agree with everything Chik said. I had a great time, and I especially enjoyed Shit Legion, Which Side? and the Twenty Something Windbags. Before leaving for the ferry, I actually almost took the dress the guy was offering. I didn't know he supposedly pissed himself in that dress. Christ protected me by quickly saying "uh, you don't want that dress." But, I didn't know what he was getting at and I kinda did want it. I took his advice anyway. It is too bad we couldn't stay for the whole show, but we needed to get the ferry.

On the ferry, we ate some, explored some, and then four of us sat in the lounge while Chik tried to sleep. Poor guy's the only one of us with a driver's license. Melissa and I bought some of those Magic Ink books that neither of us had seen since we were children, and we listened to some Islanders singing loudly and proudly on their way home, for a funeral. One woman took a few pictures of us, so I took a picture or two of her. She kept asking us why we weren't playing Cornerbrook, and if we knew how long the drive was to St. John's. We told her we'd try to get a show in Cornerbrook next time. Eventually, we found places to sleep. KC and I got the remaining two bunks, and Christ and Kill found a piece of floor somewhere. It was gross and interesting climbing into my top bunk, and looking around at a room full of sleeping strangers.

I'm losing interest in making this a long, detailed story. Well, more like losing time. This trip was a month ago. The mountains were beautiful. I barely slept on the ferry, and I only napped for about half an hour in the car. I didn't want to miss the scenery. We drove around Gander looking for a place to eat, and noticed that everyone in town was running and smiling. We stopped somewhere closer to St. John's. It was a quiet little Bed and Breakfast, and the owners and customers didn't understand our antics. Practically everything on the menu had meat in it, even the Chef's Salad (which are salads with ham and cheese, even in other provinces).

When we got to St John's, Chik took a nap while the other four of us looked for a drug store, and a patio on the legendary George Street. We found one on a rooftop with a guy playing an acoustic and singing. He covered Neil Young, among many other things. We got a bucket of beer for $14.75. That's five bottles in a bucket of ice. We split the fifth four ways. The bottles are shaped differently and in my opinion, they are much more efficient.

The shows were good. The people were nice. Steve was a great host. Throughout the rest of the weekend there, we did some Value Village shopping (which is always fun in new cities. Different cities have different things on the racks), had a yummy vegetarian (made vegan for Steve) meal made by Chik, saw some indie rock at a place called the Ship, played on George Street, witnessing the drunks lining up for fries with dressing and gravy at the end of the night, while cop cars drove by (we joined in, but I got a hot dog instead of fries). We even bumped into Mike from JSB, did some used record shopping, and ate breakfast at a place called Oscar's.

The ferry ride home was extremely disappointing. Steve had us very excited for movies in the vein of Funky Monkey. I guess night passengers are just supposed to sleep. No movies, no lounge. There was a TV room, but even in there people were screaming and cursing because the TV was too loud. I felt ripped off. I had just had some coffee. I didn't want to sleep through the whole trip. They could've had separate rooms for sleepers and non-sleepers.

I didn't get a T-shirt, which was one of my main goals.

2005-06-16T18:45:00.000-03:00

I suppose I should keep this thing going...

We had a wicked time in Newfoundland. The bands there were pro. I especially enjoyed Shit Legion (crusty noise with two bass players) and Which Side?(old-school American-style hardcore). The all-ages scene is strong in St. John's. Our show was packed-- really impressive for a city that size. The bar show was just as fun; although it was strange being sober on one of the drunkest streets in North America.

Oh ya, we played Cape Breton right before getting on the ferry. I wasn't expecting much from a Thursday night all-ages show, but I was wrong. The Steel Worker's Hall was hot and filled with kids-- an awesome time. We liked The Twenty Something Wind Bags. The singer was crazy. Apparently he pissed himself on stage, but it's hard to say. Too bad we couldn't stay for the whole show.

Anyway, thanks Joe for Cape Breton, and Steve for Newfoundland. I started booking a Quebec/Ontario tour today. Hopefully we'll get back to NF soon.

2005-05-14T19:30:00.000-03:00

That sound check was awesome. The drummer for Oh God, the guitarist for Gilbert Switzer, and Chik and I rocked out Disease. Toby's amp sounds weird to me. Gainy. The Minks are on stage now. Why aren't you here?

Oh, and Subenacadie was an alright time. The place smells like cow poo. That's a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

Lyrics

2005-04-27T21:16:00.000-03:00

Here's some NOISEBLOODASSAULT lyrics:

DISEASE

footsteps
I can hear your movements

corner
that means nothing at all

I can shut you out
or send out a warning

move you out
but not far enough away from me

stop speaking to me
stop thinking for me

disease

cornered
I'm not nasty

we're all taught to be a certain way in our thinking

I'm tired of reinventing
reasons that give life too much meaning

NOTHING

we've got hands to untie
we're gonna have to unite
rethinking nothing
just keep digging

animals, animals
if they come for you
sleep on the streets that night
nothing is going to happen to you

THEY'RE All DEAD

they're all dead
they're all dead

everyone here lives to wait
everyone waits for the past
to come back

GAVE UP EVERYTHING

a hand to punch you with
something to hold on to

everything is shit
but we need something

can you back away
from your convictions

can you eat your words
once you've screamed them

I gave up everything

A hand to punch you with
we need something

everything is shit
we need something

I gave up everything
I stopped doing everything
I gave up everything
I stopped doing everything

now I have nothing

Here's some Need lyrics in case you don't have the original or whatever:

SERFDOM

faster! harder!
break your spine for shit
sucks the soul
lights out
that's it

faster! harder!
don't be a martyr
work will destroy you
work will destroy you

realize
that this may be your only life

it's a fucking lie
working hard just to die

good life
good death
I want something better than this shit

COWARD

you probably can't say no
even if you want to
know why?
cause your a coward

you probably can't let go
probably wish you could though
but you can't because your a coward

dreaming all day about how thing are going to pick-up
but they never seem to

are you going to wait 'til you're too dull to think?

when did you plan to go?
you're growing roots into the floor of your office

and now you can't find a way out

KILL YOURSELF
(dedicated to violent freaks and all the causes of their behavior)

I have broken
every promise
my mind is numb
and filled with smut
it's taking less and less
for me to get the message
there may be nothing anymore

but claustrophobia
brain-dead in my twenties
getting bored with no solutions
so I reach to anything
for feeling
destroy everything
to take this skin off

now I'm into confrontation
I've tried drugs and education
I look for conflict to light me on fire

WAR ON THE STREETS

powerful people mean nothing to me
their power can be taken by a war on the streets
poverty is violence
our minds will be weapons
war on the streets
we'll take what we need

I'll write out a few more songs later...

2005-04-14T11:36:00.000-03:00

Can you believe we're playing Gus' Pub tonight? I'm excited.

2005-04-14T11:08:00.000-03:00

I suppose you're wondering how the trip went. It all happened so quickly, and I rushed so back to work, it seems like a dream.

The show in Saint John, on Thursday, was, well, it was nice to be out of Halifax. There weren't a whole lot of people there, but the people that were there were very nice to us. On the Blood of Others couldn't make it to the show, so it was just us and Porkchop Sandwiches. They were a three piece and the bass player was the drummers father. I think they have another guitarist that wasn't there that night. They played covers. I've never heard a band cover the Misfits, the Cure, Marilyn Manson, and the Verve Pipe (just to name a few) all in one set before. Vixen did an awesome job chasing people down for cover. She even made the people that were just in the back with the VLTs pay. I was a little shaky. My first out of town trip in awhile, and I wasn't sure if the thirty or so people there would like it. They did. Vixen was kind enough to open up her apartment, with computer, futon, Motorhead, and floor to us. Our Ottawa show was cancelled (cops and pepper spray were involved in a show at the venue the week before), so we didn't have to drive for hours to get a motel as far from Saint John as we could. It was nice to relax after the show and save the money we would've spent on a room.

We got to Montreal sometime Friday evening. Christian got ahold of Jon and we ate Mexican while trying to get ahold of Janice. We all hung out at Janice's place Friday night. Her roommate was away, so she took Erin's bed, KC and I got her bed, and the other three had the floor/chairs/cushions. We were up pretty late and Ali gave me a present. J had to get up for work the next day, but she gave us a set of keys. It was like we had our own apartment in Montreal, and it had a kitty. Yago (sp?) was very happy to get so much attention with Erin away and Janice's allergies. We walked around the city all day, heading back to the apartment every 2 hours to feed the meter. I got some socks, a pair of $10 shoes (and I love them), and some studs for my guitar strap.

The show was Saturday night. It had been listed in the Mirror, and some people were nervous that it had been listed as a "venue". That show was awesome and fun. It's probably the most comfortable I felt the whole trip, which is weird because I'm not exactly a crust punk. We have some (dark) footage of that show, and I have an interesting roll of pictures to develop. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to let friends and strangers use my camera. Maybe it was a great idea. I love Montreal.

And we have T-shirts now.

bock bock bock

2005-03-23T14:04:00.000-04:00

So, we're about to head out on a little trip for Easter weekend. Shows are listed on our website, but we're not doing the Ottawa one anymore. Things got sketchy. We just might be getting a Friday show in Quebec somewhere. Or, we might just spend the weekend in Montreal. I'm so excited to get out of here, and the monotony of my work weeks. Have a good time with the family, if you do that kind of stuff. If not, and you're in Saint John or Montreal, why not come see us?

2005-03-11T13:18:00.000-04:00

Sorry about last night. It's hard being crazy.

Somebody interviewed Chik White.

2005-03-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

Just over a year ago, Colour TV played our CD release. Tonight, we're playing theirs. At the Seahorse. Hope to see you there.

Oh, and we've been adding a cover to our sets lately. They're fun, and usually easy. Since we've already played that Discharge song at a few shows, we have a new one ready for tonight. An exciting one. One I really enjoy playing. One that will soon be recorded by us. If we saw you at Gus's last night, we may have told you about it.

They like us, they really like us

2005-02-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

Hi,

Just wanted to share some recent reviews with y'all.

First, is one from Ireland's Hardcore Times:

The Hold - Need

This is a 10 track self-releae. The Hold hail from Canada, and like all Canadian hardcore bands I've heard, they play some fuckin great hardcore. Fast, heavy, thrasy, old school, with added The Hold noise. This is pretty unique actually, obviously drawing influences from hardcore and punk, but its quite fast and the production is great, raw but very good.They actually released two albums last year NOISEBLOODASSAULT and this one NEED and are in the process of making a short movie!

Next, is one on Quebec Hardcore News (I can't figure out how to link it directly; it's all qchc dot com. Just go to recent reviews. You know our name.):

The Hold - Need
Divorce Records - 2004

Wow, talk about a Canadian band everyone is totally sleeping out on. The Hold are unequivocally a punk band, but add so much more to the genre. It's mostly thanks to some seriously wicked tempo changes that they stand out. I would say this band is perfect for fans of Negative Approach, Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. I don't think I could pick out more modern influences, but they definitely have an artistic touch of their own. This new CD is 11 tracks, 13 minutes. So yeah, most songs are less than a minute, with a couple being 2 minutes. I'm still surprised this is a Halifax band and that they're not getting talked about more often.

Wednesdays are the new Tuesdays

2005-02-09T02:58:00.000-04:00

Ugh. I can't believe I just used the "___ is the new ___" sentence. I hate that. Anyway, with the demise of the Marquee, and the Jamboree downstairs, comes the rise of something at Stage Nine. I don't know if it will ever be an open mic, but I do know it's heavy. Punk and metal. I'm pretty sure you can talk to DRock about booking your band.

We're playing tomorrow with On the Blood of Others and, of course, the hosts, System Shit.

Two Dollars. You may find out why we used to call this weekday Weekened Wednesday.

2005-02-08T13:49:00.000-04:00

I'd like to thank everyone that came out to the Bridgewater show, especially those of you who stuck around for us. Some money was raised for the Sri Lankan fund. Not much, in my opinion, but certainly more than I expected from a crowd that size, especially considering most of the audience seemed to be band members who didn't have to pay (but were, of course, welcome to make donations).

I'm sorry I didn't warn you beforehand that there would be a few female musicians. I understand it can be shocking to see the likes of us playing music that rocks. Thankfully, no one suffered a heart attack or aneurysm due to the surprise, however, some of you proved you do not know how to behave yourselves around us. And I'm not talking about the teenage boys. They can't be blamed for staring at Poison. I stare at her too when they play, and I'm not a teenage boy.

I had the pleasure of witnessing a spectacle created by Johnny Hate. For those of you who don't know, he's the drunk, angry little "man" who trashed the jam spot way back when. He grabbed the mic and lectured us. "Bridgewater used to be THE place to go to rock out punk rock style. Ask anyone from Halifax and they loved the South Shore. Now look at you. YOU'RE ALL SITTING DOWN!!" I must say, he had a point. Although I'd never been to a B-water show, I'd heard stories and I'd expected more. However, if he wanted us to "rock out punk rock style" maybe he shouldn't lecture us during, what I would call, a metal band. Just a thought. I'm not saying they're bad, just that they're not "punk rock."

Anyway, the band kicked into another song, and Mr. Hate pushed everyone who was even remotely close to the dance floor as hard as he could, including my female friend who's not into that kind of stuff. So, ultimately, he succeeded in causing more people, who were standing, watching the band, to sit down. That's about when he exposed himself. He pulled his pants down the front of his pants and shook his penis around, pulled down the back and mooned us, did some more floor-punching moves, then pulled his pants way down, jumped around and smacked his cheeks in a "kiss my ass" gesture and eventually sat down. Don't get me wrong, I don't have much of a problem with his display, had it have been a regular old punk show (I laughed), but there was a family there working the donation table. A mother, father, and three daughters. The good thing is, the mother didn't stand for it. She marched over to his table, yelled, and pulled back and punched him. Hard. Good for her.

I spent the rest of the night at my friends' place. All in all, our trip to B-town was an in-ter-esting one.

Getting It Out

2005-01-30T13:41:00.000-04:00

These were damn cold nights we played, with The RB crew, but people still fought through the brutality and came out. Thanks to all those non-pussys who attended and if they had fun, then I commend them even more. Personally, I had a good time, busting riffs is much more fulfilling then making industrial size buckets of muffin mix all day long.

I think we confused some people with our Discharge cover... yes, we like them... well I'm actually not sure what Christ thinks of them, except that the song is easy and a good break from his usual race against time.

Risky Business were rad, but I feel they were a little too hard on themselves at Reflections, the stage is cursed or something, but they still rocked with balls out. Good job, both nights, boys!

The Cancer Bats were tough and they're EP is too, hope to see em' when we return to TO.

I'm out of it, so see ya.

2004-12-14T13:10:00.000-04:00

November was a fairly busy month for the Hold (well, October, too). We finished the recording and did our best to mix it before the Burdocks left for their own recording adventure. Seth mastered it for us. It's been hard work trying to meet our self-imposed deadlines. I even came in on Saturday once. It wasn't ready for the Pop Explosion, which was a good show. It wasn't ready for the Zeke show, which left me speechless for days. And now I'm not sure if it'll be ready for our show at the Pavilion. I think we may have some limited edition, pre-release copies, but I'm not sure.

I'm excited for the next show. It's been over a year since we played an all-ages show in town. (the My Revenge show at the Vogue theatre.) That's partially due to the problems our fair city had with all-ages venues for awhile, and partially due to scheduling impossibilities. I like playing for the kiddies. Most of our tour was all-ages. I'm also excited because I like all the bands we are playing with. (Except I've never heard ZAAT)

Get ready for Christmas with the Hold.

...

2004-10-21T14:35:00.000-03:00

If it wasn't for Crystal, the HOLD would not even sound half as tough.

We recorded her tracks for three songs yesterday morning, and for someone unused to playing along with a recording - not to mention a moody smoker - she whipped off her parts with absolutely no effort, and the real point is: they made the songs sound wicked dope.

I was starting to feel a bit worried after just hearing the guitar and drums for so long (two days), but now i'm confident this record's going to be my favourite punk record of all time (putting it ahead of the last HOLD record on a list of two). Yes.

recording, so far

2004-10-18T19:27:00.000-03:00

is half way done for the new record, which may or may not be titled violent speeches. kc and i spent some eight hours recording all the drums and guitar saturday and it sounds pretty dope. two new songs were written on the spot in there for good measure. crystal will be adding her bass through the week and hopefully the whole shit will be done by poop explosion.

2004-10-16T13:01:00.000-03:00

"When are you guys playing next?"

I've been hearing that a lot lately. We played a bunch of shows in the summer (to finance out tour), but we haven't played, in town, in 2 months. So, when are we playing next?

November 5, at the Seahorse. (http://www.halifaxpopexplosion.com/schedule.html)

Oh, and we're recording today. More on that later.

2004-10-09T11:50:00.000-03:00

We got lost in Truro again. But, thankfully, this time it was on the way home. We entered Truro on our way out of Truro. We stopped at a Tim Horton's to ask for directions. "I always get lost in Truro." Do you know what the girl working said in reply?? "Really? Me too." Me too?? I hope she just recently moved there.

I love playing Truro. I had a great time despite being hungry and cranky. It's too bad that the 3 travelling bands had their sets cut short, but, oh well, 'twas still a good time.

Kicking around your hometown (Part XIV)

2004-09-29T13:21:00.000-03:00

So, as Crystal points out, we didn't get to play a skatepark in Lunenburg.
That was ok, I guess, we'll get back there sometime. What concerns me more is that this is the second vehicle-related missed show for me in less than a month. Every second road trip for me is cursed. I guess that means that this weekend my trip to Montreal will go o.k. The hold should wait one more turn to go anywhere. How's that sound? I guess we're playing in Truro pretty soon, but I'm going to Gobblefest in Cape Breton the week before, so by the odd/even rule, that means that trip will be hell, and then we'll have a good one to Truro. Killer.

I would like to add to Crystal's story that my favourite parts were (a) driving on the shoulder at top speed (75km/h) while a line of cars behind us got dirt and rocks in their eyes and windshields and (b) Chik calmly telling KC that he's "Like a Down's Syndrome Child" because he couldn't handle more than three minutes in a row of just driving with no punk mix to distract him. Ha! Also, hearing about their sordid life before I knew them to the tune of:

"By the time the year was over, KC and five of his friends were living in my (2br.) apartment, and my girlfriend had left me and taken all of the furniture." -Chik White.

So this was still pretty much a worthwhile road adventure for the hold.

p.s. we are going to start recording our new record as soon as we get our heads out of each other's ass.

2004-09-26T22:55:00.000-03:00

Well, that was the best show we ever played (I mean never played) in my opinion.

We didn't make it to Lunenburg. We were supposed to play at the skate park. It was a nice day and I was looking forward to it. I was wondering when it would happen to us; it's happened to everyone else I know. We had to cancel because of vehicle problems.

We left Halifax and had just started on the highway. I asked what I was smelling and we discussed it. It seemed like the smell was coming from outside, so we kept going. It smelled like maybe burning tires or fresh tar.

We pulled off in around Tantallon to get some coffee. We drove some more and started eating our bagels with cream cheese. The smell was getting worse and it became apparent that it came from the Z-28. On the shoulder of the highway, finishing our breakfast, we saw the smoke coming out from under the hood. It smoked for a good fifteen minutes; until it cooled down. I was a little paranoid it would flame up, but it didn't.

None of us knows enough about cars to guess what the problem was (at least we weren't forced to sell the car), but we couldn't accelerate. We drove back to Halifax, with the four-ways on, at about 60 km/hr. At one point, there was quite a line of cars behind us, and when most of them passed, they were understanding but curious. Although, that didn't stop KC's frustration and anger. We were passed by two tour busses of old folks, and a yellow pick-up truck honked at us. Birds up for him.

I wanted to play today; we haven't since Drummondville. I like playing in the South Shore.

2004-08-25T11:59:00.000-03:00

I needed that. I needed it to show me what it's really like to be in a band. I was, afterall, the only one in the van, besides the Employee, who had never done that before; the only one in the band with no experience. I'm glad it was a short one, because I went a little crazy. I should have brought my Wort. I promise I won't be such a brat next time.

I learned about travelling in a van stuffed with gear. I experienced what it's like to leave your province for a show and play for strangers. I met some strangers and made some fans. I played a show almost every day, which resulted in getting better at playing, which is to be expected. By the last few shows, I was able to look around and move a little while playing, although I couldn't move much in the last show as I was acting as the weight to keep the kick drum in place.

I experienced playing with bands I had never heard of. Some I liked, others, I didn't. I, once again, felt what it was like to play a very mismatched show. We played with the Perms. I was shocked for the first time. Twice on the lips; they were just little shocks. And then, I felt a surge of electricity go through my teeth. They throbbed and ached for a few hours after the set.

I experienced the whole "oh, you're from Halifax. Do you know _____?" Usually we actually did know the person, even though last names weren't given.

And, yes, christ is right. We do have footage. Now we'll just have to see if we Follow Through. Do you have any Risky Business cd's?

2004-08-20T16:51:00.000-03:00

hello.
check.
this is christian for once.
apparently there's this kind of music that you can play anywhere and whether you're any good at it or not, people are nice to you and they pretty much get the fuck down. it's called punk rock. so far two shows and two good crowds and two times where we pretty much sliced into everyone of our songs without thinking about it and played way too fast and probably too loud. i guess that's what you're supposed to do with punk music because everyone seems pretty stoked about the whole thing. we're playing in brantford tonight, and i'm sure it will be as good as the others. morale is high, there is a good degree of recycled jokes being tossed around, the stereo doesn't know who the fuck has been driving it the last few days and if there's one thing that makes sense to do on a punk rock tour, it's take a day off and go camping. i stink, but now i smell more of wood smoke than of having changed twice in the last three days only to put on clothes to play in, and then putting the same clothes on afterward.
if anyone ever looks at this: get ready for digital video representation of the shortest, fastest and possibly most non-sensical tour of all time.

is that good enough, crystal?

2004-08-16T11:43:00.000-03:00

We're all ready to go. Just need things to fall into place. Maybe I'll see you on the road. Maybe I'll see you when I return. Maybe I won't see you at all.

2004-08-11T11:14:00.000-03:00

I'm not exactly sure why this is here. I thought after my initial setting up of it, we would maybe change the title and/or description. There are four contributors, but only two of us have written anything. I think it's because no one else really knows what this is. I think it's just where we can write about the band if we want. I'm sure we'll use it more when on tour, or at least update when we get home. It depends on how much internet access we have. We're leaving on Monday. Wish us luck.

2004-06-13T13:06:00.000-03:00

Pictures of the band at Tumbleweed.

2004-06-07T00:59:00.000-03:00

Saturday was a perfect day for an underground festival. It was the first day in about a month that wasn't dark and wet. The crowd was well mixed and most of them were just getting drunk, throughout the day. There were obliterated 30-40 year olds moshing with 14 year olds. There were dogs, freaks, scensters, elders, crusters etc. Everybody seemed to be cool with each other, but I think the drunkest guy there drank a bottle of pee because he was told it was cider. I think that fool was 40. It takes alot of dignity to do that. Besides observing the antics of the crowd, this event was a reminder of how diverse all the bands in our city are. There was everything from weird nerd pop to satanic death metal.

I arrived feeling harsh. I spent the morning cleaning muffin pans, with a Faxe headache. I definatelty felt like playing, but was skeptical about how much energy I had. Personally, our set felt really bright and hard,(as in difficult). I nearly collapsed half way through the 20 odd minutes we had to play. Rock Dad was standing in front of me, rocking, and this is what drove me to the final chord. I did have a great time on stage, and hope to be back on one again some day. Thanks for coming out, if you did.

2004-05-01T13:56:00.000-03:00

The show last Saturday was a success. And by success, I mean that I had fun, the audience seemed to have fun, and I didn't screw up too much. The couple times I did mess up, I found it hard to pick up and continue. I couldn't hear KC's guitar much at all, and I knew that I was playing a rhythm that was off both him and Christian.

There was a game of FAXE hands before the show. I didn't even consider participating. I do drink at shows, but I try to keep it to a manageable level, and I knew playing FAXE hands would be a big mistake. I am glad that the people who played, did. They brought an extra level of excitement to the Seahorse.

Emily told me, near the end of Contrived's set, to contact her if I needed a beer while onstage. I was nursing the one in my hand, and knew I'd want a fresh one for the stage. Somehow, when the drink tickets were divided, I got an extra one. So I gave them both to Emily and told her to get one for herself while she was at it.

I've been working on not staring at the neck of my bass when I play, but when I looked up, I got shy. I've never looked people in the eye much while playing. I ended up looking above everyone and at the ceiling, or closing my eyes like Nanker does. I spit at the crowd once. I've been trying to break that habit, mainly because I like the people that come up front and it's rude to spit on them. It went right between Alfred and Dale, of the Spincycle. I'm glad I didn't hit them; those guys are the best.

I remember at one point, near the end of the set, Al and I did the cheers thing, smacking our bottles together. At the end of that song, he holds it up to show me that the bottle is smashed. Mine didn't break, and I hope it wasn't my fault his did. I also saw people laying bottles and glasses on the floor and stomping on them.

People kept getting up on stage, and Chik would smack the mic into their chest and push them off. Seabass was up there quite a bit, but he's also the best so it was okay.

Thanks to everyone that came out. KC already said he loves you all, now here's my turn: I love y'all. We don't have any shows this month, but watch for some in June when Christian returns from his tour with the Burdocks, who he plays bass for.

2004-04-28T15:47:00.001-03:00

The Seahorse is the only rock bar in town. You can get away with everything but murder there... maybe even murder. I realized that "Faxehands" was very predominant at this event and thanks to this 10% phenomenon, the show was fully charged or maybe thanks to the human spirit, I'm not sure. This city possesses many crazy people and many of them I know by name... and am in love with.

2004-01-04T19:44:00.001-04:00

entered Truro three times
were lost
for an hour

I remember asking a lady
"Where's Truro Heights cuz
we're trying to find a circle pit"

finally arrived at site

asked if drummer/Mark had shown up yet
suspecting he turned back
due to semi storm

was glad to see him pull in

still early evening
kids and men packed
in some parent's garage
feeling old and ready

grinding, muddy madness
wild teenagers and clowns
Darcy and crust punks
dancing without sound

did he do it for nothing
did anyone hear a word he said
did he get punched
I think he did
a couple times

its fun playing music

Past Shows

2004-01-03T14:18:00.000-04:00

Jun 23/06- Gus' Pub- War Pony, Badseed Overdrive
Jun 22/06- Pavilion- Raygunomics (CD release), Refusal Code, Shit Kicker, The Insubordination
Jun 08/06- Pavilion- Cancer Bats, Risky Business, Athaliahs
May 27/06- Truro Boys and Girls Club- DD/MM/YYYY, Be Bad, Genetic Angry, Aslyxiation
May 13/06- Hell- GUNT, The Insubordination, Cheers to Beers, Get Wrecked
Apr 28/06- [State of Nature release]- Hell's Kitchen- Gilbert Switzer, Art Department, Slug Bait
Mar 17/06- One World Cafe- [North by Northend]- Gilbert Switzer, Be Bad, Attack Mode
Jan 29/06- Reflections- [Not a Hold show]- Attack Mode, Die Brucke, Spincycle^2, Flat Denial
Jan 20/06- One World Cafe- Be Bad, Attack Mode
Jan 07/06- Stage Nine- Gilbert Switzer, Die Brucke
Jan 01/06- Woozley Farm- Eviction Party, Friends of the Red Army Faction
Dec 22/05- Gus' Pub- Plague Dogs, Raygunomics, the Insubordination
Dec 20/05- Truro Boys' and Girls' Club- Gilbert Swizter, Be Bad, ZAAT, No Decency, Negative Feedback, Anal 47
Nov 04/05- Pavilion- Gunt, Raygunomics, Black Rats, The Douchebags
Sep 22/05- Gus' Pub- Million Dollar Rock Band
Sep 05/05- The Underground -Hamilton, ON
Sep 04/05- Planet Kensington- Toronto, ON
Sep 04/05- live on CIUT -Toronto, ON
Sep 03/05- - Trois Riviere, QC- Global Holocaust, Discrime Nation + Guests
Sep 02/05- Le Local- Montreal, QC- Jaws of Life, Desperate Living
Sep 01/05- bar le one way- Sherbrooke, QC- Farler's Fury
Aug 17/05- Stage Nine- [Crystal/Graham's birthdays]- Wohedness, Burning Moon, Hellacaust Jul 17/05- One World Cafe- [Not a Hold show]- Burdocks, Attack Mode, Warring States
Jul 14/05- Pavilion- [Tumbleweed Benefit]- Douchebags, Gun, Raygunomics, Look Back
Jul 08/05- Seahorse- Gunt (missing their drummer), Plague Dogs, Raygunomics, On the Blood of Others
Jul 01/05- The Attic- Bucket Truck, Laid To Waste
Jun 30/05- The Attic- [Not a Hold show]- Attack Mode, Sharp Like Knives, Colour TV, Shelter With Thieves
Jun 04/05- Roxxy's- St. John's, NL [George Street]- Werewolf, Trailer Camp, The Hanging Horses
Jun 03/05- Masonic Temple- St. John's, NL- Beaumont Hamel, Which Side?, Shit Legion, Profession Ill, Brains!
Jun 02/05- Steelworkers' Hall- Sydney, NS- Thryvn, Ten Second Epic, Twenty Something Windbags, Forsaken, Lost Innocence, Thrashed
May 31/05- Stage Nine- [Not a Hold show]- Beaumont Hamel, Attack Mode, Be Bad
May 21/05- Dale's House- [Not a Hold show]- Attack Mode, Gilbert Switzer
May 20/05- Seahorse- Risky Business, Oh God, Cheers to Beers, Gunt, Bus Pass
May 14/05- Pavilion- Oh God, Gilbert Switzer, Stolen Minks
May 13/05- Shubenacadie Hall- On the Blood of Others, Fathom, CP&D, more
Apr 22/05- Seahorse- The Hemingways, Varsity Weirdos
Apr 14/05- Gus' Pub- Attack Mode
Mar 26/05- The Gates of Hell- Montreal, QC- And The Saga Continues, Walk Aside, Last Days
Mar 24/05- Studio 122- Saint John, NB- Porkchop Sandwiches
Mar 04/05- Seahorse- Colour TV, Special Noise
Feb 09/05- Stage Nine- System Shit, Black Rats
Feb 05/05- [Tsunami Benefit]- Bridgewater Lion's Club- Last Chance Blueprint, Chaotic Roots, Sloth, The Amazing 2, Gilbert Switzer, the Douchebags
Jan 28/05- Pavilion- Cancer Bats, Risky Business, Raygunomics
Jan 27/05- Reflections- Risky Business
Dec 23/04- Pavilion- This Message Will Self-Destruct, Special Noise, Gilbert Switzer, ZAAT
Nov 19/04- Stage Nine- Zeke, the Black Halos
Nov 05/ 04- [Halifax Pop Explosion]- Seahorse- The Illuminati, Les Mods, Atomic Machetes
Oct 08/04- Truro Boys' and Girls' Club- Youth Diversion, Risky Business, Force of Habit, the Bile, xGamerax, Vegetarian
Aug 22/04- Boomer's- Drummondville, QC- Jaws of Life, Squalor, Black Eagles
Aug 21/04- [House Party] Jo's House- Ottawa, ON- The Sewer Rats, Hands of the Few, Trioxin 245
Aug 20/04- The Ford Plant- Brantford, ON- The Perms, Glasgow Kiss, +1 more
Aug 18/04- Ania's Cafe- Toronto, ON (Queen West)- Urban Blight, Dirty Black Summer, Terminal State
Aug 17/04- [Crystal's birthday]- the Balafre- Montreal, QC- Jaws of Life, the Expectorated Sequence, Broken Alien Bones
Jul 31/04- Seahorse- System Shit, Risky Business
Jul 24/04- Stage Nine- Dean Malenkos
Jul 21/04- [Hissyfit]- Reflections- Big Game Hunt, the Spincycle Squared, the Tragedies, Jack MacDonald & Hotel Faces
Jun 24/04- [Ger's birthday]- the Attic- Oh God
Jun 05/04- [Tumbleweed]- Sackville Landing (outdoors)- tons of bands
Apr 24/04- Seahorse- Contrived, the Spincycle Squared
Mar 27/04- Maple Leaf- Sydney, NS- The Burdocks, Evil Eyeball
Mar 24/04- All ages somewhere- The Burdocks, Evil Eyeball, & more
Feb 28/04- [noisebloodassault release]- Seahorse- Oh God, Colour TV
Jan 03/04- [BAAMfest]- Matt's Garage- Truro, NS- Capital Death, This Message Will Self-Destruct, ZAAT, America's Funniest Home Videos the Band featuring Aerosmith and the Detroit Red Wings
Dec 05/03- [Adopt-a-Landmine benefit]- Seahorse- the Hemingways, the McFaddens, Oh God, Kansas Nebraska Act
Nov __/03- Vogue Theatre- My Revenge, Envision, Capital Death
Oct 31/03- [Halloween]- Bella Muse- we were followed by a fashion show
Sep 18/03- Reflections- the McFaddens
Sep 05/03- Seahorse- Dean Malenkos, Oh God, the Literati

"Fri 12"/03- Seahorse- The Black Mambas, a Million Dollar Rock Band

We also played J's basement twice between June and August of 2003, and a basement on Bloomfield spring/summer 2004.

If you know some of my missing details, like dates, other bands that played, or complete shows that I've missed, feel free to contact me, and I will add them.