Groupoem's DIRT CHURCH

Here's the kind of band that we created Rock & Roll Rehab for. They're called Groupoem and they originally formed in Toronto in 1983 at the height of the New Wave / Punk era. Their influences include Husker Du, Nick Cave, Morphine, P.I.L., Butthole Surfers and King Crimson whose Adrian Belew / Robert Fripp guitar style is clearly evident in guitarist Terry Robinson. Their press kit claims the various band members have performed with bands such as No Means No, DOA, Dayglo Abortion, GWAR x 3, SNFU, Poison Idea, Painted Willie, Victim's Family, The Mentors and Psychic TV. Psychic TV is one of the "related acts" on my band The Tooners' iHeart Radio channel so I've heard them before. These aforementioned band members beside Terry Robinson who is the chief songwriter are Marph, aka Mr. Science on vocals, Christopher "Flea" Lee on drums and Darren Katamay on bass.

Watch Groupoem's documentary promo film HERE.

After being part of the Toronto music scene in the 80s when they released an EP and toured North America in 1987, they recorded a ten song album which is only now being released.  Apparently the big time lag between records is because the band broke up for twenty-five years. According to their press kit: "Groupoem band began its journey of regrouping with all original members and began rehearsals working on brand new material from Terry Robinson's vast repertoire of songs in 2014 after over a 25 year separation. Ironically, all four members of the band separately had migrated from Toronto to the Vancouver, BC area. Thus, the reunion was complete."

Groupoem on Spotify HERE.

I don't know how "ironic" it was that all the band members just happened to move from Toronto to Vancouver since Vancouver has become known as "the Amsterdam of Canada," if you know what that means. Listening to the music of Groupoem you can easily understand why they would all be drawn to the West Coast.

 

Visit Groupoem online HERE.

 

Now that they've reunited they're going back into the studio and hopefully back out on tour. These guys aren't kids and have some real life experience (see above documentary) and like a lot of us they have chosen to spend whatever time they have left doing what they wanted to do when they first started out. More power to them. They're serious about it though and their DIRT CHURCH CD has some top notch production. It was recorded at Farm Studios and Greenhouse Studios in Vancouver BC. It was recorded and mixed by Tim Crich whose resume has included working with David Bowie, Gene Simmons, Billy Joel and Mick Jagger and it was mastered by Craig Waddell from Gotham Studios.

Groupoem's Crimso Red era sense of time and complex guitar rhythms and textures may not be the sort of sound that "the kids" can really dig these days but the patients hanging out in one of Vancouver's "pharmacies" (dispensaries) or maybe hanging out in a smokeasy would soon understand and quickly learn to appreciate where these guys are coming from (not Toronto). The vocals are sincere and intense (The Mentors influence no doubt) and it is because of their age, not in spite of it, that they reek of authenticity which is getting harder and harder to find (much like finding live music venues to hear original music like this). I'm hoping one of the perks of the growing International 420 Movement will be a resurgence of live music and small, local clubs where the joy and excitement of discovering new music can be something the young folk of today can experience as did I and guys like the members of Groupoem.