Fanzine, volume 3, Shelby Monita, [email protected], $7.03
Some people don’t know what “hoser” means, and I feel bad for them. If you’re one of those sad people, look it up. But most know what “punx” means, and I might add that this is my preferred spelling, tied with “ponx”. Anyway, I figured I could count on certain things when I read the cover of this, and I was basically completely correct.
Hoser Punx doesn’t try for surprises; it just aims and shoots. There’s a report from a weekend at a punk festival in Ottawa, an interview with maybe the first punk zine writer in the country, some reviews, a report on community radio punk rock shows, as well as some photos and art. Classic punk fanzine fare; you know the drill.
Maybe my favorite piece of writing in here is the sort-of review of Teenage Head, a seminal punk band, by contributor Sarah Litt. She and the editor thought it would be a good idea for her to try reviewing her favorite band as if she’d never heard them before. Impossible task! And hilarious results, which lovingly show the impact of the music we love on our lives as the years go by.
The rest of the contributions are also worthwhile and make this a rewarding read for fans of classic punk zines. Especially amazing is the list of all the punk rock radio shows on community radio across the entire country, including all relevant information to check them out. After three volumes, I have a feeling things will keep moving along nicely for the fine folks at Hoser Punx. (StéphaneDoucet)