Propagandhi
Encyclopedia
Propagandhi is a Canadian punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
-Transportation:Portage la Prairie railway station is served by Via Rail with both The Canadian and Winnipeg – Churchill trains calling at the station....

 in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

.

While their earlier work draws from the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 and skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...

 tradition, recent Propagandhi records have moved towards a heavier and more technical heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

-influenced sound. Both in their lyrics and hands-on activism, the band's members champion various anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...

 causes and veganism
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...

, and have taken an active stance against human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 violations, sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...

, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

, homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...

, imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...

, capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...

 and organized religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

.

Formation, first two records (1986–1997)

In 1986, Samolesky and Hannah recruited original bassist Scott Hopper via a "progressive thrash band looking for bass player" flyer they posted in a local record shop. Hopper was replaced around the turn of the decade by Mike Braumeister, marking the first lineup to perform live. After several demos and larger shows (including one with Fugazi) made a name for the band, Braumeister moved to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, and John K. Samson
John K. Samson
John Kristjan Samson is a musician from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is a singer-songwriter and currently the frontman of the Canadian folk punk band The Weakerthans...

 became the band's third bassist.

In 1992, Propagandhi played a show with California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 punk rock band NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...

 and included in their set a cover version of Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...

's "I Want You to Want Me
I Want You to Want Me
"I Want You to Want Me" is a song by Cheap Trick which first appeared on their second album In Color in 1977. It was the first single released from that album but it didn't chart in the US. However, it was a #1 single in Japan...

". Impressed by their performance, Fat Mike signed them to his independent record label Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords
Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by Fat Mike and his ex-wife, Erin, in 1990....

. The band later accompanied him to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, where they recorded their debut album How to Clean Everything
How to Clean Everything
How to Clean Everything is the first album by the punk rock band Propagandhi, released in 1993.In 2006, the album was ranked as the highest rated punk album of 1993 on Sputnikmusic. Vocalist Chris Hannah said about the album:...

, released in 1993. The band spent the next three years touring and enjoying the popularity provided by the explosion of the punk rock revival in the mid-1990s.

In 1996, they recorded and released their second album, Less Talk, More Rock
Less Talk, More Rock
Less Talk, More Rock is the second full-length album by the punk rock band Propagandhi, and the last album to feature bassist John K. Samson. Released in 1996. It was re-released on CD, vinyl, and colored vinyl by Fat Wreck Chords on January 3, 2010. The colored vinyl pressing is limited to 666...

, also on Fat Wreck Chords. The title was satirical, as Propagandhi is well-known for lengthy political speeches and rants during live performances. The album was, if anything, more out-spoken than its predecessor, with song titles including "Apparently, I'm a 'P.C. Fascist' (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)", "Nailing Descartes to the Wall/(Liquid) Meat Is Still Murder", and "... And We Thought Nation-States Were a Bad Idea". Ramsey Kanaan
Ramsey Kanaan
Ramsey Kanaan is a Lebanese-Scottish singer and publisher of anarchist literature, best known as the founder of AK Press, one of the largest distributors of anarchist and left-wing books in the world, named after his mother Ann Kanaan. He left AK in 2007 to found a new radical publisher PM Press...

, founder of the anarchist publishing company AK Press
AK Press
AK Press is a worker-managed independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. It is collectively owned and operated.-History:...

, appears on "A Public Dis-Service Announcement from Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...

" as the voice of the petroleum multinational. Partial proceeds of the album were donated to AK and other activist groups.

Change of bassist; Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (1997–2005)

After Less Talk, More Rock was released, Samson left the band, later forming The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...

. Hannah and Samolesky founded the record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records
G7 Welcoming Committee Records
G7 Welcoming Committee Records is a Canadian independent record label started by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky of punk band Propagandhi, and their friend Regal in 1997...

 (which released The Weakerthans' first album). The label name is a reference to the band members' dislike for the G7. The label's economic structure is based upon the one proposed in Robin Hahnel
Robin Hahnel
Robin Hahnel is a Professor of Economics at Portland State University. He is best known for his work on participatory economics with Z Magazine editor Michael Albert. He is currently a visiting professor at Lewis & Clark College....

 and Michael Albert
Michael Albert
Michael Albert is an American activist, economist, speaker, and writer. He is co-editor of ZNet, and co-editor and co-founder of Z Magazine. He also co-founded South End Press and has written numerous books and articles...

's Parecon. It was started using their advance on royalties from Fat Wreck Chords.

Todd Kowalski
Todd Kowalski
Todd "The Rod" Kowalski is a Canadian electric bassist and singer, currently a member of hardcore punk band Propagandhi. Along with his band, he lives a vegan lifestyle and supports animal rights.-Career:...

, formerly of the bands I Spy
I Spy (band)
I Spy was a Canadian hardcore punk band founded in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1991, relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1994, and disbanded in 1996.-History:...

 and Swallowing Shit
Swallowing Shit
Swallowing Shit was a short-lived Canadian grindcore band, active in Winnipeg, Manitoba in the mid-1990s.-History:Swallowing Shit was formed in 1994 by vocalist Mike Alexander with guitarist Mike Koop of The Bonaduces, drummer Steve Dueck of The Undecided and, for one show only, bassist Dave...

, filled the vacancy left by Samson as Propagandhi's bassist. The band released a collection of demos, alternate takes, covers and live songs called Where Quantity Is Job #1
Where Quantity Is Job Number 1
Where Quantity Is Job #1 is an album by the punk rock band Propagandhi, released on November 15, 1998. It is a compilation of rare, out-of-print, live, and demo recordings, as well as Propagandhi's half of I'd Rather Be Flag-Burning, a 10" split with I Spy.-Track listing:# "Mutual Friend" – 0:45#...

.

In 2001, Propagandhi released their third album, Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes is the third album by Canadian punk rock band Propagandhi, released February 6, 2001.One of the album's tracks, "Back to the Motor League", indirectly refers to two songs by the Dead Kennedys, "Triumph of the Swill" and "Chickenshit Conformist", as well the year of...

. The album was considered by some to be a major departure from their previous works. The song titles and lyrics of Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes furthered the sphere of their political views, bolstered by the addition of Todd's aggressive song-writing and an increased density of guitar lines. The album includes enhanced content, with political videos and essays concerning such topics as COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...

 and the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....

.

Potemkin City Limits (2005–2006)

Propagandhi released the album Potemkin City Limits
Potemkin City Limits
Potemkin City Limits is the fourth full length album by the Canadian band Propagandhi, released on October 18, 2005. It was released on the band's own G7 Welcoming Committee Records label in Canada, and Fat Wreck Chords elsewhere....

on October 18, 2005. Like Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes, the album features multimedia content, with a number of Adobe PDF files on topics such as Parecon and veganism, and links to websites of organizations that Propagandhi support. However, it does not include any videos, as the former did. The album's opening track, "A Speculative Fiction", won the 2006 ECHO songwriting award (by online vote). Propagandhi pledged to use the $5000 prize to make donations to the Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 Action Network and The Welcome Place (an organization in Winnipeg which they'd previously done volunteer work for), which helps refugees start new lives in Manitoba.

Hannah adopted a pseudonym in the run-up to and immediate aftermath of the release of Potemkin City Limits, causing confusion among some fans, reviewers, and commentators. In September 2005, G7 Welcoming Committee Records
G7 Welcoming Committee Records
G7 Welcoming Committee Records is a Canadian independent record label started by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky of punk band Propagandhi, and their friend Regal in 1997...

 announced that Hannah had left the band in 2003, and that the remaining members had found a replacement in Glen Lambert, formerly of the Portage Terriers. This claim was quickly revealed to be untrue through a multitude of sources.

Becoming a four-piece (2006–2008)

Without admitting to the joke, Propagandhi announced on August 14, 2006 that "Glen Lambert" had been dismissed and would be replaced by "former" member Chris Hannah, who was to be joined by David Guillas
David Guillas
David "Space Beaver" Guillas is a Canadian guitarist. Formerly of Giant Sons and Rough Music, he is currently a member of hardcore punk band Propagandhi.- Career :...

, making the band a four-piece for the first time. Guillas, nicknamed "The Beaver", is a former member of two Winnipeg-based rock outfits, Giant Sons and Rough Music. Hannah had previously stated that he had been a fan of, and influenced by, Guillas' work in Giant Sons. Some biographies and websites still erroneously state that "Glen Lambert" did take Hannah's place in the band for a period of time.

In 2007, the band released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 entitled Live from Occupied Territory, which features a recording of their set at The Zoo in Winnipeg on July 19, 2003. Proceeds of the DVD benefit the Grassy Narrows blockade and the Middle East Children's Alliance. Included on the DVD are two full-length documentaries: Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, and As Long as the Rivers Flow.

Supporting Caste, recent activity (2008–present)

On 5 September 2008, Hannah stated on the band's website that "to [his] ears the new record seems like it will resemble a nuclear-powered space-age composite of Potemkin City Limits, Less Talk More Rock, Giant Son’s Anthology and a carefully measured dose of Today’s Empires Tomorrow’s Ashes". On 13 November 2008, Kowalski stated on the band's website that the new record was completed and that touring would commence in February 2009. On 13 January 2009, Propagandhi announced that the album was entitled Supporting Caste
Supporting Caste
Supporting Caste is the fifth full-length album by the punk rock band Propagandhi. It was released on March 10, 2009 through G7 Welcoming Committee Records and Smallman Records in Canada and North America, Hassle Records in the UK and Europe, and Grand Hotel van Cleef in Germany...

and would be released on 10 March 2009.

The band created a page giving fans an option to receive two high-quality songs from the album before its release, by donating $1–$10 to one of three activist organizations supported by them. The page also linked to various pre-orders of the album. On March 3, a week before its release, Supporting Caste was streamed in its entirety on the band's MySpace profile.

Hannah stated in an interview that a new album may arrive quicker than any previous, possibly in as little as two years. In another interview he furthered this possibility by stating the band's desire to begin recording again in 2010.

On 6 April 2010, the band released a digital EP entitled The Recovered EP
The Recovered EP
The Recovered EP is a digital EP released by Propagandhi on April 6, 2010. It comprises three previously unreleased tracks from the How To Clean Everything and Less Talk, More Rock sessions, remixed by lead singer and guitarist Chris Hannah. The EP was released to benefit Partners in Health, to...

, which features old recordings from the How To Clean Everything and Less Talk, More Rock eras, remastered and with some new parts recorded by Hannah. In August of that year, it was announced that they would be releasing a split 7" (of covers) with Sacrifice
Sacrifice (band)
Sacrifice is a Canadian thrash metal band from Toronto, Ontario. The band was formed by guitarists Rob Urbinati and Joe Rico in 1983. Sacrifice played a prominent role in the '80s underground metal scene in Toronto, and grew to release four studio albums before parting ways in 1993...

, who are one of their collective favorite bands.

On 24 June 2011, the band posted a video on their facebook page of them performing a brand new, untitled song from their forthcoming album. Todd has also stated on their website that they hope to be in the studio recording their new record by September.

Members

Current members
  • Chris Hannah – vocals, guitar (1986–present)
  • Jord Samolesky – drums, vocals (1986–present)
  • Todd Kowalski
    Todd Kowalski
    Todd "The Rod" Kowalski is a Canadian electric bassist and singer, currently a member of hardcore punk band Propagandhi. Along with his band, he lives a vegan lifestyle and supports animal rights.-Career:...

     – bass, vocals (1997–present)
  • David Guillas
    David Guillas
    David "Space Beaver" Guillas is a Canadian guitarist. Formerly of Giant Sons and Rough Music, he is currently a member of hardcore punk band Propagandhi.- Career :...

     – guitar, vocals (2006–present)

Former members
  • John K. Samson
    John K. Samson
    John Kristjan Samson is a musician from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is a singer-songwriter and currently the frontman of the Canadian folk punk band The Weakerthans...

     – bass, vocals (1991–1997)
  • Mike Braumeister – bass (1989–1991)
  • Scott Hopper – bass, vocals (1986–1989)

Discography

  • How to Clean Everything
    How to Clean Everything
    How to Clean Everything is the first album by the punk rock band Propagandhi, released in 1993.In 2006, the album was ranked as the highest rated punk album of 1993 on Sputnikmusic. Vocalist Chris Hannah said about the album:...

    (1993)
  • Less Talk, More Rock
    Less Talk, More Rock
    Less Talk, More Rock is the second full-length album by the punk rock band Propagandhi, and the last album to feature bassist John K. Samson. Released in 1996. It was re-released on CD, vinyl, and colored vinyl by Fat Wreck Chords on January 3, 2010. The colored vinyl pressing is limited to 666...

    (1996)
  • Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
    Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes
    Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes is the third album by Canadian punk rock band Propagandhi, released February 6, 2001.One of the album's tracks, "Back to the Motor League", indirectly refers to two songs by the Dead Kennedys, "Triumph of the Swill" and "Chickenshit Conformist", as well the year of...

    (2001)
  • Potemkin City Limits
    Potemkin City Limits
    Potemkin City Limits is the fourth full length album by the Canadian band Propagandhi, released on October 18, 2005. It was released on the band's own G7 Welcoming Committee Records label in Canada, and Fat Wreck Chords elsewhere....

    (2005)
  • Supporting Caste
    Supporting Caste
    Supporting Caste is the fifth full-length album by the punk rock band Propagandhi. It was released on March 10, 2009 through G7 Welcoming Committee Records and Smallman Records in Canada and North America, Hassle Records in the UK and Europe, and Grand Hotel van Cleef in Germany...

    (2009)

External links

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