Permanent Bastards

It's been a long road since Permanent Bastards recorded their first demo at Sleepytown Sound in Toronto, a DIY hole-in-the-wall that served as a home for bands as varied as Born Ruffians and the Most Serene Republic during its time in the city's east end. The melding of influences and low-budget accessibility of the locally infamous studio seems like a logical birthplace for a band like Permanent Bastards, who have built their career since on crafting deceptively simple, accessible songs rooted in punk but reaching for influences far outside the genre. Ostensibly based out of the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Permanent Bastards have become a fixture of the city's vibrant punk scene over the last four years, opening for bands like the Loved Ones, Fake Problems, and Tim Barry (ex-Avail). Their self-released 2008 full-length, Emericans, further solidified the band's sound, a mixture of Against Me!-style punk anthems and a smattering of folk, blues, and classic rock. The record's critical success helped the band take to the highways of Canada for the first time, covering the country coast to coast and, today, looking down the barrel of an upcoming full U.S. Tour. All the activity surrounding Emericans quickly grabbed the attention of labels north and south of the border, including the U.S.-based Anchorless, home of Brendan Kelly (the Lawrence Arms) and the Sainte Catherines, and Toronto's own Drive, the Canadian label for the Flatliners. Ready to showcase their further developing sound to the world, the band headed back to the studio to track the three songs which would comprise the Young Girls 7”, their first release through both labels. No longer in the shadow of their influences, the three songs on Young Girls show a band fully in control of their own sound. “Bloody Mary” has the bounce of a Johnny Cash song and the intricate, inspired opening of a Tokyo Police Club hit, all channelled through the anthemic power of kids raised on the classic Fat Wreck Chords roster. Elsewhere, the band's full-out aggression recalls the melodic post-hardcore of bands like Leatherface or Fairweather, even slowing down for some female-fronted slow jamming in the form of “Constance.” While it sounds like a lot to cram into three songs, the band manages to hold it together, never straying to far from a core that keeps every moment recognizably theirs. Armed with two devoted record labels and a definitive new 7”, punk fans on both sides of the border should be on the lookout for these Bastards coming to your town. Their influences range from The Clash to Tom Waits while maintaining a consistently rough-edged, revivalist punk approach, particularly as it relates to power chords and distortion, they do not stick to a particular set of rules in formulating what they compose. Having performed hundreds of shows over the past few year and sharing stages with such bands as The Flatliners, Fake Problems, Tim Barry, Ill Scarlet, Time Again, Saint Alvia Cartel, Hostage Life, The Loved Ones, The Artist Life, and Billy the Kid...Permanent Bastards continue to impose a brisk work schedule upon themselves, exposing their sound to numerous audiences of all varieties as they grow their following throughout Canada and abroad. Having been a band for just over 3 years, they have managed to release their EP, Gun Club, their first full length, EMERICANS and are currently working on an upcoming 7-inch record. Since then, the band have toured the majority of Canada and have played alongside various notable acts such as The Flatliners, Cobra Skulls, Fake Problems, Time Again, The Loved Ones, Tim Barry of Avail, Billy The Kid, Saint Alvia, The Artist Life and Hostage Life. The band continues to work harder and show no signs of slowing down. Having recorded, toured across Canada, interviewed and featured on ‘BEST OF 2009’ on Toronto's Edge 102.1, featured in January’s issue of Alternative Press Magazine, reviewed in Eye Weekly, Exclaim!, Punknews.org and noted by Alan Cross as “100% a band to watch in 2009”, the band live up to their phrase, “THIS IS NOT A STAGNANT OPERATION”. www.permanentbastards.com www.permanentbastards.bandcamp.com