First Listen Issue no. 4

NO. 4

DIY Will Find a Way

by Julia Wright

new releases AN

ODE

TO

THE

SCENE

+ MORE

Welcome to Issue #4

There's been a running joke in recent months that I'm Loveover's "mom-ager" and in May it became a reality when I had the honour of hosting their EP release show at Paris Crew. I am eternally grateful to everyone who helped make it happen and to the attendees who sold out the show in three days! Special thanks to Butcher, Diner Drugs and Botfly for playing the show and the biggest thank you to Yurgos, Dusty, Dawson, Dan, Cait and Cherise for trusting me and being the best pals ever.

Issue Number 4 is an ode to the scene. You'll find plenty of photos from the Moncton, SJ, and Fredericton shows, and of course - lots of new releases!

Finally, thank you to Xeroz, The Cap, Radstorm, Paris Crew, Diner Drugs, Butcher, Botfly, Dad Patrol, Travis J Flynn, Bloodprint, Thousand Knives, and Pale Ache for being the absolute best and making this tour one to remember.

If anybody needs a mom-ager, hit me up.

Keep it strange,

01 - FIRST LISTEN WITH AMELIA 06 - LYRIC OF THE ISSUE 09 - MARITIME MINUTE 12 -DIY WILL FIND A WAY: LOVEOVER’S “WORSE THAN BEFORE” EP RELEASE SHOW WITH BOTFLY, DINER DRUGS AND BUTCHER BY JULIA WRIGHT 18 - STRANGE SCHEDULE

Lyric of the Issue artwork by Amelia Bailey.

Album Covers via Spotify and Bandcamp.

Front and back cover photos by Amelia Bailey.

FIRST LISTEN

WITH AMELIA

Metalcore/heavy rock

Misery Made Me / Silverstein

Camera Eats First / Ithaca

Lost Cause / Five AM

Cherished / Liquid State

III / Stray From The Path

Undone / Thousand Thoughts

Syth.wav / Moodring

Death Poems / Us In Motion

S/T / Notions

Shine & Fade / Saviour

Inside My Head / Until I Wake

A Form of Protest / Cane Hill

Shivering / ILLENIUM ft. Spiritbox

Chronicles II: Heaven / Void of Vision

Slaughterhouse / Motionless in White ft Bryan Garris

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Rock/pop-punk/alternative

Above It All / Saint Asonia

The Foundations of Decay / My Chemical Romance

Always Lose / Real Friends

Rituals / Tunic

Borderline / Cawston

Sans Soleil / Alexisonfire

Explosions / Three Days Grace

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EVERYTHIng else

It's You / LOWBORN

Grown? / Ludic

Gemini / Brynn Cartelli

Splat! / Connor Price

American Heartbreak / Zach Bryan

Moon Dragon / Lush Fleece

Forest In The City / UMI

In The Stars / Benson Boone Harry's House / Harry Styles

Not Coming Home / Nolie

OMR / Omar Rudberg

Heart On My Sleeve / Ella Mai Monica Lewinsky / UPSAHL

100sadsongs / Tai Verdes

Sunflower (Deluxe) / Briston Maroney

Yours / Conan Gray

Like Whoa / Aly & AJ

Blood Runs Red / Matt Maeson

blue water road / Kehlani

Could've Just Left Me Alone / Alexa Cappelli

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05

L Y R I C

S A N S

O F

S O L E I L

T H E

B Y

I S S U E

A L E X I S O N F I R E

Find the full playlist of new releases on Spotify

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M A R I T I M E

M I N U T E

The newest releases from the East Coast of Canada

Worse Than Before / LOVEOVER

Lunch / Aquakultre

Eazy Love / Apryll Aileen

Ruminations / Sunnyside Uppers

Shepherd / Motherhood

Waitin' / The Hypochondriacs

Mirror / Russell Louder

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DIY Will Find a Way: Loveover’s “Worse Than Before” EP release show with Botfly, Diner Drugs and Butcher

By Julia Wright When Taco Pica closed in May 2020, spelling curtains for three glorious decades of packed shows and hazy green bathroom memories, some grimly predicted allages were all over in Saint John. The pandemic had killed the scene, they said. It was the end of an era.

Well, as usual, “they” had it all wrong. An era ended, sure - then a new one started.

Loud DIY shows aren’t dead in the Port City. They’re just looking for a place to happen.

I submit as evidence: the May 14, 2022 show at, of all places, Paris Crew Gallery, an unlikely punk venue with its white gallery walls, chic art, and little hanging plants.

Loveover’s “Worse Than Before” EP release show featuring Botfly, Diner Drugs and Butcher, held, two years almost to the day since Taco Pica closed forever, roared the scene back to life with an unlikely mash-up of fine art and fishnets, sweaty shirtless punks and expensive oil paintings. In other words, it was perfect.

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Sonically speaking, the sold-out show was what sound tech Corey Bonnevie described as “controlling chaos”: incredibly loud guitar music in a super small, brick room. But instead of a mess of drowned-out drums and distortion, the main impression as the bass shook my solar plexus and lightly vibrated the windows was how good everything sounded.

The bands, of course, brought the magic. Butcher’s Cole Savoie stripped off his shirt and screamed (“Please Don't) Go” in a pair of overalls as the sun set over west Saint John in a blazing ball of orange fire. Instead of awkward stage banter, a portable analogue synth cranked out a catchy little beat between songs: at one point, a person at the back yelled “I love this!” just as the monotribe shut off, leaving their voice echoing alone in the room, a record-screech moment that made everyone laugh.

Photo by Julia Wright

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Photos by Amelia Bailey

As Diner Drugs kept the party going, a group of kids walking by on Water Street with their parents stopped and peered in the windows, busting some dance moves and looking on in awe at all the bigger kids having fun inside. The rose-gold sunset lit up the beautiful fuschia hair of a girl in the front row, and dozens of variously intense, concentrating, elated faces.

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Botfly, whose tour van had broken down the same day as the show, looked around incredulously as they took to the stage: “This is an amazing venue,” said lead vocalist Keegan Goodspeed. “DIY will find a way.” He talked about how art is so important, so vulnerable, and so therapeutic. How the continuation of DIY shows depends on the generosity and belief of venues to hold them, and the creativity of musicians and promoters. How it’s up to people who had our lives saved in various ways by the scene, who found best friends and lovers and a way to be ourselves in DIY places, to make it happen. And then they launched into “Reflect/Reject” with the intensity of a thousand suns setting over the west side.

Photo by Amelia Bailey

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Photos by Amelia Bailey

Long-awaited Loveover killed it from the super catchy guitar hook and scream-along chorus of “If You Want,” to the haunted angst of “All My Ghosts.” The feeling of the night was best summed up by the band later on: “places like these are special and extremely hard to come by. Appreciate them while you can.”

Frankly, the music was the only chaotic thing about the show. Not so much as a leaf on a plant was damaged. Earplugs were worn to protect our hearing. No neighbours complained. Everyone was on their absolute best behaviour: “Hey guys, we’re too close to the door. Let’s go across the street to smoke,” I heard one girl politely admonish her friends. Everyone was grateful just to be there. It was the cooperative, kind, and collaborative Saint John scene at its peak, as if the past two years hadn’t separated us all, and made some doubt these moments would ever happen again.

For this, we have to thank the willingness of the Paris Crew to take a chance on something scrappy and different. They reached a totally new demographic and earned the respect of their community. And we also have to thank First Listen Zine’s Amelia Bailey, the editor of this fine publication, and the babes at Strange Grooves, who co-presented this show.

The only remotely risky moment I witnessed was a teenager with long brown hair, having a solo, mini-mosh pit moment. She bumped into Abigail Smith and me and immediately apologized. “No,” I said. “I love it. It’s great.”

It was great. Let’s do it again.

Photos by Julia Wright

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S E D O S I P E W NE !

N O O S G COMIN

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JUNE EVENT SCHEDULE

June 5, 7 PM - Maldita, Small Package, Scumlord + HeatSeeker @ The Cap June 8, 9 PM - Fortunato Eastern Promises Tour with Special Guests @ The Cap June 10, 9 PM - Feeling 2022! (Ruby's Version) @ The Cap June 10, 10 PM - Big Loser, Slumps + Before the Dinosaurs @ Broken Record June 11, 9 PM - Pillow Fite and Alex MacNeil @ The Cap June 11, 8 PM - July Talk + Jamie Comeau and the Crooked Teeth @ Area 506 Container Village June 12, 6 PM - Jordan Matchett & Richard Gloade @ The Cap June 16, 7 PM - FLOURISH: The Darvel + The Backstays @ The Cap June 16, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Angelikah Fahray, lil Omar + The Gen Zs @ Garrison Night Market June 16, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Stink Bomb Prom with Young Satan In Love + Guests @ The Cap June 17, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Marian, Souvenir + Chillteens @ Garrison Skatepark June 17, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Friday at The Cap ft. Living Hour, Matt Comeau, Pony Girl + More!

June 17, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Friday at Broken Record ft. Sunforger, Knitting, LAPS + More!

June 18, 12 PM - FLOURISH: DIY Fair @ The Cap ft. Kieran Smyth, Dead Gowns, HEXEE + More!

June 18, 6 PM - FLOURISH: Bait Bag, Diner Drugs + Cluttered @ Garrison Skatepark June 18, 7 PM - FLOURISH: Danielle Doiron, Travis Flynn + Weak Tea @ The Hilton June 18, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Saturday at The Cap ft. Shay Pitts, DenMother, dope.gng + More!

June 18, 8 PM - FLOURISH: Saturday at Broken Record ft. Sadie, Swimming, Actual Vivid + More!

June 18, 9 PM - FLOURISH: Deadly Nightshade Drag Show @ The Charlotte Street Arts Centre Auditorium June 19, 6 PM - FLOURISH: Fresh Blossom All-Ages Drag Show @ The Cap June 19, 7 PM - FLOURISH: Farewell Show @ O'Dell Park Lodge June 18, 8:30 PM - The Strumbellas @ Area 506 Container Village June 20, 5 PM - Classified + Zamani @ Area 506 Container Village June 21, 5 PM - Matt Andersen + Dave Sampson @ Area 506 Container Village June 22, 5 PM - Joel Plaskett Emergency + Tomato Tomato June 23, 5 PM - David Myles + Mo Kenney @ Area 506 Container Village June 24, 5 PM - Kill Chicago + Like A Motercycle @ Area 506 Container Village June 24, 9:30 PM - Neon Dreams + Nicole Ariana @ Area 506 Container Village June 25, 7:30 PM - Matt Mays + Villages @ Area 506 Container Village June 25, 9 PM - Neon Dreams, Levi Rowan + Nicole Ariana @ The Cap June 26, 7:30 PM - The Hypochondriacs @ Area 506 Container Village June 27, 5 PM - Alan Doyle + Terra Spencer @ Area 506 Container Village June 29, 5 PM - Big Wreck + Kendra Gale @ Area 506 Container Village June 30, 10 PM - Hexis, Svneatr + Anthesis @ Broken Record Submit events via firstlistenzine@gmail.com All music related events in the Maritimes accepted!

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Thanks for reading!