We recently caught up with Todd Kowalski of the Canadian thrash-punk outfit, Propagandhi to get his take on the songs that got him in to punk rock. Check it out here.
1) MDC -“Born to die “
“I traded three KISS records for the first MDC LP and two Exploited records. That was the best trade of my life. I put this on and knew right away it was something really special. It sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before.”
2) Accused – “Bethany Home”
“In my teen years The Accused were my absolute favorite band. Nowadays there’s a lot of people singing with crazy voices but back then Blaine’s voice seemed so outrageous and ruling. Still does sort of.”
3) SNFU – “The Ceiling”
“I saw the letters SNFU spary painted downtown then I saw the record in a record shop and bought it. It blew my mind. in their prime they were the best live band EVER. I slammed so hard to this song. haha.”
4) Expoited – “Dead Cities”
“Man I loved the Exploited, they inspired my first mohawk!”
5) Dayglo Abortions – “Drugged and driving”
“Driving around listening to Dayglo in a truck full of smoke. Seemed so heavy, a great memory for me.”
6) Nomeansno – “The Day Everything Became Nothing”
“Nomeansno is a great lesson in skill and creativity! Beaves favorite band..well besides Rush.”
7)Guilt Parade – “Ode To an Asshole”
“This is the only Guilt Parade song I could find on Youtube. When I first heard Propagandhi back in the day I instantly thought of Guilt Parade. As it turned out Chris and Jord were/are in fact big Guilt Parade fans as well.”
8) Corrosion Of Conformity – “Prayer”
“Walking to school listening to this I thought to myself ” This is the greatest fucking band I’ve ever heard!!” It was true!”
9) Bad Brains – “At The Movies”
“Bad Brains and SNFU are the two bands that stand out to me as the ultimate bands. Creativity, style, and a totally raw wildness!”
10) Crumbsuckers – “Trapped”
“Damn, my friend Jamie and I loved Crumbsuckers. We saw the cover and took a gamble. It ruled.”
11. Beyond Possession – Living To Tell You About It”
“Beyond Possession was a crossover from Calgary Alberta who was the craziest band I ever saw live. After the show I was up all night and the next morning I drove my bike out of town to a steel plant to recuperate and try to make sense of what I’d I just seen. These are possibly the fastest vocals ever. Wicked Double Kick and bass playing as well.”
12. Doughboys – “No Holiday For The Living”
“Doughboys were an absolutely special band. Their Drummer Brock Pytel has so much heart. The first time I saw Doughboys I was 14 or 15 and so excited that I showed up so early for the show I was actually at the soundcheck. Before they went up to check I was talking the bass player and I asked if they’re going to be as fast as D.R.I. He said they were going to be even faster. haha..”