Hoser Punx Vol. 4
Fanzine, Shelby Monita, [email protected], $7
2016 was a straight up heinous year: beloved rock icons like Leonard Cohen and Prince died, the twin political calamities of Brexit and Trump happened, and it’s remained fashionable to wear jogging pants in public. At the rate things are going, I expect airplanes will soon just start falling out of the sky. So it is fitting (and appreciated) that Shelby Monita (editor of Hoser Punx) started out the zine’s fourth installment by saying, hey, we know it’s been tough, we feel your pain and hope this little punk zine lifts your spirits just a little.
But then the zine included an interview with one of my favourite bands, Nomeansno, which reminded me that not long ago (and probably after Hoser Punx Vol. 4 came out) Nomeansno disbanded forever. So it goes: even the things designed to cheer us up can inadvertently bum us out. This zine comes from my hometown of Ottawa, and while I am not as hip to the punk scene there as I once was, I’ve heard that it’s the tops. I definitely get that impression based on the raw enthusiasm of the contributors, who scribble nice drawings, invite you to play in their kitchen, and flagrantly gush about something called Pouzzafest that apparently unites Ottawa punx in their “love of dirty music and getting fucked up.” This zine is rough around the edges but contains the sincere appreciation of the simple pleasure of the punk and the rock. Visually, the zine is cut-and-paste and bound in a torn off LCBO bag with the title scribbled over it in Sharpie. There is some rather conspicuous Canadian flag imagery throughout that seemed a little out of place and patriotic for a punk zine, but hey, they do call themselves Hoser Punx so whatever! Good stuff. (Chris Landry)