Musicians - Propagandhi

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	Musicians - Propagandhi

Propagandhi is a progressive punk rock/thrash band formed in Winnipeg, Canada in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky.

Featuring noticeable political involvement especially taking on ignored topics and standing up against human rights violations, the band's political attitude includes anti-racism, anti-homophobism, anti-imperialism, anti-fascism, and anti-capitalism. Moral and ethical attitudes include pacifism and veganism.

History

Early Years: How to Clean Everything and Less Talk, More Rock

In 1992, Propagandhi played a show with California punk-rock band NOFX. NOFX's singer, Fat Mike, asked them to come to L.A. to record what would become their first album, How To Clean Everything. The album was released on Fat Mike's own record label, Fat Wreck Chords, in 1993.

The band spent the next three years touring and enjoying the popularity provided by the explosion in popularity of punk-rock in the mid 1990's. In 1996 they recorded and released their second album, Less Talk, More Rock, also on Fat Wreck Chords. The album title was a joke, as Propagandhi were well known for going into lengthy rants during their live performances. The album was, if anything, even more out-spoken than its predecessor, with song titles like "Apparently I'm a P.C. Fascist (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)", "Nailing Descartes To The Wall / (Liquid) Meat Is Still Murder," and "... And We Thought That Nation States Were a Bad Idea."

Intermediary Period: G7 Records and Where Quantity is Job #1

After Less Talk, More Rock was released, bassist John K. Samson decided to quit the band and form The Weakerthans. Chris and Jord founded the record label G7 Welcoming Committee Records (which released the Weakerthans' first album). The label, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the band members' dislike for the G7 (which has since become the G8) is based on the economic structure proposed in Robin Hahnel and Michael Albert's Parecon, and was initially started thanks to a $50,000 loan from Fat Mike. During this time, Propagandhi released a collection of demos, alternate takes, covers and live songs called Where Quantity is Job #1. New bassist Todd Kowalski, formerly of the bands I Spy and Swallowing Shit, was hired to replace Samson.

Later Years: Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes

After four years, Propagandhi released their third full-length album, Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes. The album was a major departure from their previous works. Searing politics without resorting to preaching; heavy, almost metal riffs; and the addition of the song-writing styles of Todd, who had previously played in Canadian hardcore bands I Spy and Swallowing Shit. The album also included enhanced CD-ROM with political videos and essays concerning such topics as COINTELPRO and the Black Panther Party.

Recent Developments: Potemkin City Limits and "Glen Lambert"

Propagandhi released its newest album, Potemkin City Limits on October 18, 2005. The album was something of a logical stylistic evolution from their past CDs: the songs now somewhat slower and longer, with five of the twelve songs clocking in at over 4 minutes apiece, and only three shorter than 3 minutes in length, and the subjects more distinct and far reaching than those on How to Clean Everything. Like Today's Empire's, Tomorrow's Ashes, the album has multimedia content, with a number of Adobe PDF files on topics such as Parecon and veganism and a site featuring links to websites of organizations Propagandhi supports. It does not, however, include any videos, as their previous album had.

Chris Hannah adopted the pseudonym "Glen Lambert" for use in the release of Potemkin City Limits, causing a great deal of confusion among less-observant fans, reviewers, and commentators. While all the band members had used pseudonyms on all the previous releases and continued the tradition with Potemkin City Limits, in September 2005, G7 Welcoming Committee had jokingly announced that Chris had left the band in 2003, and the remaining members had found a replacement in one Glen Lambert, formerly of the Portage Terriers. This claim was quickly proven to be untrue through a multitude of sources, but many fans, not realizing it was all a hoax, were victims of Hannah's sarcastic sense of humour.

Discography

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