The Consumer Goods
Encyclopedia
The Consumer Goods are a Canadian indie rock
/pop
band originally from Winnipeg
, Manitoba
. Their wickedly incisive and politically-charged music has earned both praise and contempt, but rarely disinterest. Between 2005-2010, they released three records and scored two significant ‘hits’ including “…Sam Katz,” a polemic against Winnipeg’s mayor that went into heavy rotation on local radio, much to Sam Katz
’s embarrassment, http://www.uptownmag.com/2007-08-16/page679.aspx and “Hockey Night in Afghanada,” an anthemic call for the separation of hockey and war-mongering that "managed to thoroughly embarrass the folks at CBC Sports when they submitted the song to CBC’s contest to replace the Hockey Night In Canada Theme."http://www.planetsmag.com/content.php?vn=6&is=25&an=866&sc=9 The band also toured Canada extensively, graced the cover of Uptown Magazine, charted in over 50 independent radio stations in Canada and the US, were nominated for two awards (including one of CBC
's annual listener-selected "Bucky Awards")http://www.andpop.com/article/10309, hit airwaves in Havana, Cuba, and made top-ten lists in the Netherlands. Principally powered by activist/teacher Tyler Shipley
, the band is now based in Toronto and preparing a fourth record. They are often compared to other politically-minded acts from Winnipeg, most notably The Weakerthans
and Propagandhi
. The Consumer Goods appear on the Winnipeg-based Grumpy Cloud Records.
Indeed, that insistence on intellectual rigor is what made 2007’s “Happy Bidet” arguably the best in the band’s catalogue. Written during a tumultuous 8-month span that saw Shipley move from the comfortable Winnipeg scene to the bustle and alienation of Toronto, the record featured a band at the height of its craft; its thirteen tracks were recorded in just one day, but come off as a perfectly polished meditation on an American Empire at war with everyone and everything. The record seemed to tap directly into the absurdity of Bush-era idiocy and violence, and the folly that a generation was striding arrogantly into. Unlike its predecessor, “Happy Bidet” turned the anger into a sublime joke; Shipley lamented the attack on women’s reproductive rights by imagining George W. Bush
looking for a back-alley coat-hanger abortion (“Rovie Wade”) and advised the sun to stop shining in Arab skies, lest it be labeled a terrorist and bombed by American F-16s (“Sun Oh Sun.”) In a world so screwed up, ridiculing the bad guys seemed like the only way to cope, and the glowing response to the record seemed to confirm that. The mainstream radio popularity of “…Sam Katz,” a clever polemic aimed at Winnipeg’s mayor (“I know it’s not easy running a city, a business and a baseball team,” says Shipley mockingly), indicated that there was a real appetite for political critique that came with a wink and a nod. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/detour/theyre_playing_our_song.html Critics almost universally raved about the record, which was nominated for a CBC Radio 3 Award, and the band became a legitimate fixture in the Canadian indie consciousness. http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/podcasts/CBC-Radio-3-Track-of-the-Day/The-Consumer-Goods---Gunboat-Diplomacy
But somewhere along the way, giggling behind the backs of George Bush and Dick Cheney
became an inadequate outlet for Shipley’s ever-present preoccupation with injustice. Unwilling to engage in self-satisfied mockery at the expense of a caste of already-unpopular right-wingers, the Consumer Goods’ third release was a sharp re-engagement with the outrage that characterized “Pop Goes The Pigdog!” coloured by a manic and diabolical absurdity that reflected a similarly erratic period in Shipley’s personal life. “The Anti-Imperial Cabaret” chose harder targets - relentlessly satirizing the police, the military, the press, even the state itself - in a manner once described as "maniacally surreal." For instance, "Serve and Protect, Uh!" featured Royal Canadian Mounted Police
officers fetishizing their tasers; "The Terminator Rules" had undocumented workers celebrating their poverty in Arnold Schwarzenegger
's California; "Day Job at the DND" followed a lonely Ottawa
civil servant paper-pushing his way through a foreign occupation. As a foil to the "Happy Bidet" focus on America, this record insisted on bringing the critique to Canadian soil, even implicating the CBC
in “Hockey Night in Afghanada,” a devastating and unflinching indictment of the violence and racism legitimated by Don Cherry
and Ron MacLean
’s weekly intrusion into Canadiana
-at-large. http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=15133
Despite the immense popularity of "Hockey Night in Afghanada," which was accompanied by a comically-rough hand-drawn video and submitted to the CBC for consideration as the new theme song for "Hockey Night in Canada," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFwruD0FGfo the record did not garner the same kind of critical praise, as commentators seemed reluctant to endorse the take-no-prisoners approach. Even Shipley himself acknowledged that “The Anti-Imperial Cabaret” produced a certain kind of discomfort for its unapologetic denunciations, in which even the author was not spared. http://www.uptownmag.com/2008-07-24/page2627.aspx But if this unforgiving approach alienated some listeners it was, ironically, also the record’s strength; while ostensibly plunging off the lyrical deep end, it was ultimately an honest reflection of Shipley’s own struggles to grapple with his own position in a profoundly messed up world. Indeed, the ambitious cross-Canada tour that accompanied the release in 2008 was remarkably apt; after about a dozen shows, and with momentum growing, Shipley suffered a serious back injury and the tour was cut short by his hospitalization and recovery. A breaking point was reached.
In the following year, Shipley tried to answer the questions he had asked himself on “The Anti-Imperial Cabaret,” throwing himself deeper and more effectively into the political struggles that had animated so much of the Consumer Goods’ catalogue. It was a much-needed intervention. In 2009, Shipley recorded a bluegrass record under his own name documenting a three-month strike at York University
where he taught, http://www.tylershipley.com and in 2010 he emerged with a new band and a somewhat different approach. The ruthless irony he employed on earlier projects was no longer tenable; irony had become the new black, applied with post-modern detachment to any situations or questions that seemed complicated, in order to avoid the hard work of determining and acting on ethical principles. The moment demanded a re-appraisal of sincerity, and the Consumer Goods – never inclined to take the easy way out – are embracing the challenge with vigor. In June 2010, they sang “we got friends beaten by the cops; the older we get the beatin’ never stops,” only hours before finding themselves facing riot cops on Toronto's Queen Street West
in the largest mass arrests in Canadian history during the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit
. More than ever, this is a band that is engaged in its place. Plans for a fourth record are in the works.
Former/part-time members include:
Guest musicians have included:
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
/pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band originally from 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...
. Their wickedly incisive and politically-charged music has earned both praise and contempt, but rarely disinterest. Between 2005-2010, they released three records and scored two significant ‘hits’ including “…Sam Katz,” a polemic against Winnipeg’s mayor that went into heavy rotation on local radio, much to Sam Katz
Sam Katz
Samuel Michael Katz, OM is the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is also a businessperson and a member of the Order of Manitoba.- Life before mayorship :...
’s embarrassment, http://www.uptownmag.com/2007-08-16/page679.aspx and “Hockey Night in Afghanada,” an anthemic call for the separation of hockey and war-mongering that "managed to thoroughly embarrass the folks at CBC Sports when they submitted the song to CBC’s contest to replace the Hockey Night In Canada Theme."http://www.planetsmag.com/content.php?vn=6&is=25&an=866&sc=9 The band also toured Canada extensively, graced the cover of Uptown Magazine, charted in over 50 independent radio stations in Canada and the US, were nominated for two awards (including one of CBC
CBC News
CBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...
's annual listener-selected "Bucky Awards")http://www.andpop.com/article/10309, hit airwaves in Havana, Cuba, and made top-ten lists in the Netherlands. Principally powered by activist/teacher Tyler Shipley
Tyler Shipley
Tyler Shipley is a songwriter, musician and political activist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is best known for a political pop band called The Consumer Goods who have released three records since 2005, toured across Canada and received critical acclaim in North America and Europe...
, the band is now based in Toronto and preparing a fourth record. They are often compared to other politically-minded acts from Winnipeg, most notably 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...
and Propagandhi
Propagandhi
Propagandhi is a Canadian punk band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba....
. The Consumer Goods appear on the Winnipeg-based Grumpy Cloud Records.
History
The Consumer Goods formed in Winnipeg, MB in 2005 around a set of angry and unflinching emotional responses to a world on its head. Songwriter Tyler Shipley, then 23, surrounded himself with a cadre of musicians drawn from the best of Winnipeg’s always-fertile music scene and charged them with animating the angst that gave that first crop of songs its edge. The result was a shimmering and ambitious piece of work that surprised critics expecting a learning-curve debut from a local artist. Complete with DIY artwork stamped with a hand-carved image of anti-capitalist graffiti, “Pop Goes The Pigdog!” shot to the top of local charts and established the band in the national scene with much exposure on CBC radio. http://www.earshot-online.com/charts/cjum.cfm?dWeekOfID=2006-06-13 In particular, critics seemed to agree that what set this record apart was that its anger felt neither contrived nor naive; unlike so much of what passes as ‘political’ music, this was an articulate and thoughtful engagement with the world. http://www.uptownmag.com/archive/cds/06june08.htmIndeed, that insistence on intellectual rigor is what made 2007’s “Happy Bidet” arguably the best in the band’s catalogue. Written during a tumultuous 8-month span that saw Shipley move from the comfortable Winnipeg scene to the bustle and alienation of Toronto, the record featured a band at the height of its craft; its thirteen tracks were recorded in just one day, but come off as a perfectly polished meditation on an American Empire at war with everyone and everything. The record seemed to tap directly into the absurdity of Bush-era idiocy and violence, and the folly that a generation was striding arrogantly into. Unlike its predecessor, “Happy Bidet” turned the anger into a sublime joke; Shipley lamented the attack on women’s reproductive rights by imagining George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
looking for a back-alley coat-hanger abortion (“Rovie Wade”) and advised the sun to stop shining in Arab skies, lest it be labeled a terrorist and bombed by American F-16s (“Sun Oh Sun.”) In a world so screwed up, ridiculing the bad guys seemed like the only way to cope, and the glowing response to the record seemed to confirm that. The mainstream radio popularity of “…Sam Katz,” a clever polemic aimed at Winnipeg’s mayor (“I know it’s not easy running a city, a business and a baseball team,” says Shipley mockingly), indicated that there was a real appetite for political critique that came with a wink and a nod. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/detour/theyre_playing_our_song.html Critics almost universally raved about the record, which was nominated for a CBC Radio 3 Award, and the band became a legitimate fixture in the Canadian indie consciousness. http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/podcasts/CBC-Radio-3-Track-of-the-Day/The-Consumer-Goods---Gunboat-Diplomacy
But somewhere along the way, giggling behind the backs of George Bush and Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
became an inadequate outlet for Shipley’s ever-present preoccupation with injustice. Unwilling to engage in self-satisfied mockery at the expense of a caste of already-unpopular right-wingers, the Consumer Goods’ third release was a sharp re-engagement with the outrage that characterized “Pop Goes The Pigdog!” coloured by a manic and diabolical absurdity that reflected a similarly erratic period in Shipley’s personal life. “The Anti-Imperial Cabaret” chose harder targets - relentlessly satirizing the police, the military, the press, even the state itself - in a manner once described as "maniacally surreal." For instance, "Serve and Protect, Uh!" featured Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officers fetishizing their tasers; "The Terminator Rules" had undocumented workers celebrating their poverty in Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
's California; "Day Job at the DND" followed a lonely Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
civil servant paper-pushing his way through a foreign occupation. As a foil to the "Happy Bidet" focus on America, this record insisted on bringing the critique to Canadian soil, even implicating the CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in “Hockey Night in Afghanada,” a devastating and unflinching indictment of the violence and racism legitimated by Don Cherry
Don Cherry
Don Cherry may refer to:* Don Cherry hockey player, coach, and commentator* Don Cherry , trumpeter* Don Cherry...
and Ron MacLean
Ron MacLean
Ronald Harold "Ron" MacLean is a Canadian sportscaster for the CBC who is best known as the host of Hockey Night in Canada.-Early life and career:...
’s weekly intrusion into Canadiana
Canadiana
Canadiana is a term referring to things related to the country of Canada. It is most often used to refer to a class of books somewhat wider than Canadian Literature because it also includes books about Canada as well as Canadian non-fiction works....
-at-large. http://www.hour.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=15133
Despite the immense popularity of "Hockey Night in Afghanada," which was accompanied by a comically-rough hand-drawn video and submitted to the CBC for consideration as the new theme song for "Hockey Night in Canada," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFwruD0FGfo the record did not garner the same kind of critical praise, as commentators seemed reluctant to endorse the take-no-prisoners approach. Even Shipley himself acknowledged that “The Anti-Imperial Cabaret” produced a certain kind of discomfort for its unapologetic denunciations, in which even the author was not spared. http://www.uptownmag.com/2008-07-24/page2627.aspx But if this unforgiving approach alienated some listeners it was, ironically, also the record’s strength; while ostensibly plunging off the lyrical deep end, it was ultimately an honest reflection of Shipley’s own struggles to grapple with his own position in a profoundly messed up world. Indeed, the ambitious cross-Canada tour that accompanied the release in 2008 was remarkably apt; after about a dozen shows, and with momentum growing, Shipley suffered a serious back injury and the tour was cut short by his hospitalization and recovery. A breaking point was reached.
In the following year, Shipley tried to answer the questions he had asked himself on “The Anti-Imperial Cabaret,” throwing himself deeper and more effectively into the political struggles that had animated so much of the Consumer Goods’ catalogue. It was a much-needed intervention. In 2009, Shipley recorded a bluegrass record under his own name documenting a three-month strike at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
where he taught, http://www.tylershipley.com and in 2010 he emerged with a new band and a somewhat different approach. The ruthless irony he employed on earlier projects was no longer tenable; irony had become the new black, applied with post-modern detachment to any situations or questions that seemed complicated, in order to avoid the hard work of determining and acting on ethical principles. The moment demanded a re-appraisal of sincerity, and the Consumer Goods – never inclined to take the easy way out – are embracing the challenge with vigor. In June 2010, they sang “we got friends beaten by the cops; the older we get the beatin’ never stops,” only hours before finding themselves facing riot cops on Toronto's Queen Street West
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
in the largest mass arrests in Canadian history during the 2010 G-20 Toronto summit
2010 G-20 Toronto summit
The 2010 G-20 Toronto summit was the fourth meeting of the G-20 heads of government, in discussion of the global financial system and the world economy, which took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during June 26–27, 2010...
. More than ever, this is a band that is engaged in its place. Plans for a fourth record are in the works.
Political and cultural references
Many of the Consumer Goods' songs refer to contemporary and historical politics and culture. For example:- the famous U.S. supreme court case of Roe V. WadeRoe v. WadeRoe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
is used as a backdrop to the amusing pro-choice anthem "Rovie Wade" - Canadian Conservative hockey pundit Don Cherry is the central character in satirical pop anthem "Hockey Night in Afghanada"
- Malcolm XMalcolm XMalcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
's speech about violent and non-violent revolution is featured on "Christmas in Camden" - Winnipeg mayor Sam KatzSam KatzSamuel Michael Katz, OM is the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is also a businessperson and a member of the Order of Manitoba.- Life before mayorship :...
is mocked for his repressive civic record in "And The Final Word is Yours, Sam Katz" - the 1898 invasion of CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
by the United States in the Spanish-American WarSpanish-American WarThe Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, and subsequent imperialist domination of the island until 1959, is referenced in "Gunboat Diplomacy" - "Lord's Not On My Side" appears to flow directly from Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's "With God On Their Side" and makes reference to Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
's comment in 2006, "may god forgive the terrorists" - "The Terminator Rules" is a reference to Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, the Hollywood actor who played the role of The TerminatorThe TerminatorThe Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
in the 1990s and who now holds the office of California Governor - the song references his aggressive policies towards undocumented foreign workers in that state. The song refers to the trailer park DurovilleDurovilleDuroville is the nickname for the Desert Mobile Home Park near Thermal, California USA.The park, which sits on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation, is nicknamed for owner Harvey Duro, Sr., a member of the tribal council....
. - Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's aphorism "Revolution is no tea party" is featured on the track of the same name - a speech by Dick CheneyDick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
is appropriated and edited in a mocking tribute to Cheney, George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, and Donald RumsfeldDonald RumsfeldDonald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
in "Eat a Dick, Cheney" - the phrase "camels coming home to roost" on "London Bombs" refers either to Ward ChurchillWard ChurchillWard LeRoy Churchill is an author and political activist. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1990 to 2007. The primary focus of his work is on the historical treatment of political dissenters and Native Americans by the United States government...
's controversial essay On the Justice of Roosting ChickensOn the Justice of Roosting ChickensOn the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections on the Consequences of U.S. Imperial Arrogance and Criminality is a 2003 book written by Ward Churchill and published by AK Press. The "Roosting Chickens" of the title comes from a 1963 Malcolm X speech about the John F...
or Malcolm X's commentary on the assassination of U.S. President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963.... - commentary on the Devil's Lake outlet controversy and criticism of Premier of ManitobaPremier of ManitobaThe Premier of Manitoba is the first minister for the Canadian province of Manitoba. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. Until the early 1970s, the title "Prime Minister of Manitoba" was used frequently. Afterwards, the word Premier, derived from the French...
Gary DoerGary DoerGary Albert Doer, OM is a Canadian diplomat and politician from Manitoba, Canada. Since October 19, 2009, he has served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States...
on "Good Thing (for Bourgeois Nationalism)" - the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon is the subject of "Lebanong Song"
- Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's unfortunate description of Iraq as an "ungrateful volcano" when Iraqis refused to comply with British subjugation after the First World War is the subject of the song of the same name - the gradual demise of the Montréal ExposMontreal ExposThe Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
on "C'est la Vie Westerne" - the story of the ill-fated Taiping RebellionTaiping RebellionThe Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
is articulated on the track "Taiping Riverboat" - author of the U.S. Patriot Act, John AshcroftJohn AshcroftJohn David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
, is skewered in "Happy Bidet (Let The Balled Eagle Soar)"
Band members
The current members of The Consumer Goods are:- Tyler ShipleyTyler ShipleyTyler Shipley is a songwriter, musician and political activist from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is best known for a political pop band called The Consumer Goods who have released three records since 2005, toured across Canada and received critical acclaim in North America and Europe...
- Gareth WilliamsGareth Williams (musician)Gareth Williams is a Canadian musician and songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has his name attached to over a dozen records and EPs that were released in the early and mid-2000s. He is known for the mixture of sweetness and darkness that pervades his lyrics.His major project during this...
- Ryan McVeigh (also the producer)
- Matt McLennanMatt McLennanMatt McLennan is an Ottawa-based musician and songwriter who grew up in, and retains strong ties to, the indie music scene in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is a member of the Grumpy Cloud Records label collective, and is currently the lead singer and guitarist in Ottawa band use every part of the...
- Matt Hildebrand
Former/part-time members include:
- Brian Okamato
- Ian Jeffrey
- Ken Phillips
- Michael Kirkpatrick
- Chris Hiebert
- Allison Shevernoha
Guest musicians have included:
- Andrew Workman
- Mat Klachefsky
- Billy Western
Discography
- "Sentinel Road," Tyler Shipley solo record, Grumpy Cloud Records, 2010.
- "The Anti-Imperial Cabaret", Grumpy Cloud Records, 2008
- "Happy Bidet", Grumpy Cloud Records, 2007
- "Pop Goes the Pigdog!", Grumpy Cloud Records, 2006
See also
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- List of bands from Canada
- List of Canadian musicians
- :Category:Canadian musical groups