Also known as Clump Labels G7 Welcoming Committee Origin Regina, Canada (1991) | Years active 1991–1996 Active until 1996 | |
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Associated acts Propagandhi, Swallowing Shit Website www.myspace.com/ispyofficial Past members Todd Kowalski
James Ash
Juan David Guerrero
Jeromy Van Dusen
Sean Talarico Record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records Albums Perversity Is Spreading ... It's About Time !!!, I'd Rather Be Flag-Burning Genres Punk rock, Hardcore punk, Melodic hardcore Similar Propagandhi, Swallowing Shit, Todd Kowalski, Chris Hannah, Jord Samolesky | ||
I Spy was a Canadian hardcore punk band founded in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1991, relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1994, and disbanded in 1996. Combining childish humour and politically oriented emotive hardcore, the group released several records on Recess Records and toured internationally. Front man Todd Kowalski later joined Propagandhi.
Contents
Career
Originally called Clump (alternately Klump), the band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Todd Kowalski ("Todd the Rod"), lead guitarist Jeromy Van Dusen ("Rary"), bassist Juan David Guerrero ("Guido" or "Olive"), and drummer James Ash ("Jimmy Juice Pig"). With a blend of childish humour and serious, radical left wing political subject matter, the band garnered a following in the Canadian punk rock scene behind several releases on Recess Records and extensive touring.
In 1994, the band released a split 10" record with fellow Winnipeg band Propagandhi, and the two bands toured together throughout western Canada that year. Later in 1994, the band toured throughout the Midwestern United States independently. In 1995, they toured the western United States, western Canada, and Europe. Van Dusen left the band in 1995 after the band's European tour, reducing them to a three-piece in their latter days. The final lineup found bassist Sean Talarico replacing Guerrero, who moved back to Regina.
Post-breakup
G7 Welcoming Committee Records released the band's complete discography on a single CD, Perversity Is Spreading... It's About Time! This packaged all of their released material with bonus tracks, including cover versions of songs by Diana Ross and Youth of Today. Kowalski joined Propagandhi in 1997 after the departure of bassist John K. Samson, who left to form The Weakerthans. Propagandhi's 2001 album Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes features their rendition of an unreleased I Spy song, "Fuck the Border". Kowalski also played in the grindcore band Swallowing Shit.
In 2002, the original four members reunited in Propagandhi singer Chris Hannah's basement studio to re-record their version of Diana Ross's "When We Grow Up" for the Somebody Needs a Timeout compilation album released by Campfire Records.
Band members
Discography
I Spy has also contributed songs to numerous compilation albums.
Songs
Appliances and CarsI'd Rather Be Flag-Burning · 1995
Sixty Billion ServedPerversity Is Spreading It's About Time !!! · 1998
God Family CountryPerversity Is Spreading It's About Time !!! · 1998