December 19, 2007
Quit Your Day Job: Fucked Up
Unless you were born with one of those silver spoons, you likely work a day job, sneaking time for your own business when not taking care of someone else's. You're not alone. Every week, Brandon Stosuy finds out how our favorite indie artists make ends meet...
Fucked Up are one of my favorites. From their occasionally bloody, always ecstatic live shows and smart-ass, always smart politics to the fist-pumpers packed onto Hidden World and the charged, sex-workers's-rights epic "Year Of The Pig" (song of the year?), the Toronto hardcore quintet (sometimes sextet, etc.) nail the things that move me most about music. (As an aside, how did Pink Eyes not win Mr. Indie Rock?) On the socially conscious tip, they along with Xiu Xiu, were one of the bands who took an active response after being included in Camel/Rolling Stone's "Indie Universe" advertisement. Check out the post about the fiasco at their blog.
Fitting perfectly with the band's punk defiance and blue-collar vibe, Fucked Up guitarist/backup vocalist 10,000 Marbles, aka Mike Haliechuk, works long shifts at a light bulb factory: He describes the atmosphere like The Machinist, his coworkers like "crumbs of people." Definitely one of the dirtier jobs featured in Quit Your Day Job to date (though, not to give things away, but we have someone who works in a mine coming up soon).
Post-discussion, take a listen to "Crusades" and "David Comes To Life," the first two tracks from Hidden World. 10,000 Marbles wrote the lyrics for "Crusades," so take heed. In February, Fucked Up go on tour with super cool Epitaph punks, Gallows, throughout the UK. If you're over there, don't miss it. Also, FU just released their David Christmas 7", whose proceeds go to the George Herman House, "a transitional housing program for women living with mental health issues" (to quote the band's blog). According to Fucked Up -- who swear this isn't a joke -- the b-side involves a huge cast of guests, "We Are The World"-style:
James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), Cole (Black Lips), Davey Havok (AFI), Kevin Peterson (What's Your Rupture?), Faris Rotter (The Horrors), Mike Fellows (Rites Of Spring), Matt Sweeney (Chavez/ Zwan), Dave One (Chromeo), Jacob Thiele (The Faint), Morag and Ursula, Jay Reatard, Dan Romano (Attack In Black), Trevor Keith (Face To Face), Jason Green (Panthers/ Orchid), Jerry A. (Poison Idea), Shenae Grimes (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Scott Vogel (Terror) and Nelly Furtado.
Poor Matt Sweeney to forever have Zwan affixed to his name. Furtado seems a stretch, but she is Canadian, so who knows. More on the 7" soon. In the meantime, take a walk into the factory... Click to continue reading "Quit Your Day Job: Fucked Up"
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