Written by Johnny Papan
MAMMOTH 18-TRACK ALBUM FEATURES THE BRIGHTEST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA'S PUNK SCENE.
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 disrupted the flow of music festivals in 2020. Many festivals were sadly cancelled, while others have adapted to the livestream format. The B.C.-based punk fest, Squamish Punk Night, stayed true to the D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock and kept the spirit of their festival alive in their own way. By releasing their very own compilation: Squamish Punk Night - The Compilation Vol. 1.
The 18-track record covers artists from all over British Columbia including Squamish, Roberts Creek, Burnaby Tsawassen, Victoria, Whistler, the Fraser Valley and Vancouver.
“This regional British Columbia compilation is a tribute to the bands originally scheduled to perform at Squamish Punk Night in 2020,” said festival organizer and compilation producer Paul Matthew Hudson. “It's also a tribute to the bands that have played and supported our events since 2018. Despite the pandemic, this album helps keep our local DIY dream alive by delivering high energy punk rock to our loyal and loving fans.”
High energy punk rock is no understatement. Every song on the record is fast, catchy and brings you back to the hot, sweaty, bump into each other dancing of a 2019 punk-pit. It’s hard to ignore the nostalgic feeling of local live music when listening to this eclectic collection of homegrown artists.
Blasting off with the hard-hitting tracks “Ridin’ the Waves of Radiation” by Squamish’s anonymericans and “Let America Burn” by Modern Terror from Roberts Creek, the compilation features some of the most well-known independent talents from B.C., including past Rekt Chords featured artists like Precious Things, You Big Idiot, Rong, Russian Tim and Pavel Bures, the Corps, ATD, Dead End Drive-In and Not Inpublic.
Squamish Punk Night - The Compilation Vol. 1 gives you a perfect idea of what the 2020 festival could have been. Sure, this wild event couldn't happen, but this record mends the wound and has the ferocity to keep you amped all the way until Squamish Punk Night 2021.