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Rebel with a cause

Punk rockers Rebel Spell deliver political punch in new songs for Punk Night

By Nicole Fitzgerald

Who: Rebel Spell

When: Friday, Sept. 29

Where: Garfinkel’s

Tickets: $5

With a new album whose working title is Refugees and the Shark Infested Lands of Amerika, listeners can expect a strong political punch from the music of Rebel Spell, who cast new magic for Punk Night, Friday, Sept. 29 at Garfinkel’s.

“Lyrically we are trying to cover more and focus on certain issues,” said frontman Chris Rebel. “We wanted to record four songs all around each other, covering things like being trapped in North America, watching it go into a direction where people have no choice in saying anything (and) watching the government take over and take over.”

The four new songs, some of which will be previewed at the Whistler concert, will be released on seven-inch vinyl, the second album for the Vancouver punkers. The three-guy, one-girl punk quartet pulled from an old school mould is also re-releasing their second CD, Expression in Laymen’s Terms, on 12-inch vinyl early next year.

The reason for the re-release? Fans are Spell-bound and despite the album clocking in four years, listeners keep asking for it time and time again. More than 3,000 albums have been sold to date, launching the band’s music on a global scale to the far reaches of Russia, Ireland, Germany and, of course, North America.

With tight-protocol on U.S. boarders these days the band is touring less in the U.S. Still just cutting their teeth, the band’s $100-a-show gigs in the U.S. aren’t compatible with the bookings and paperwork that must be done 10-months in advance to cross the border.

“It restricts artists,” Rebel says of the border requirements. “Music is a cultural thing and the U.S. thing is preventing us from sharing our music with other people.”

So in the meantime, Rebel Spell stays on Canuck soil with a new tour setting out Oct. 11. Propagandhi will join Rebel Spell.

For the Whistler show, The Bad Guys will open, bringing country punk to the Punk Night mix.

“It’s all beer-drinking music,” Rebel said.

Tickets are $5.