MAKE YOUR SQUARE FOOT RAD: ON THE LOSS OF THE REFINERY
BY MATT DIXON, SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2011.

We have lost our all ages music space The Refinery. There is plenty of blame and finger pointing going around as to why our venue and along with it, our hopes for a rad Charlottetown have gone up in smoke. The truth of the matter is we are all to blame; we must all own this loss. It is crucial to come together and support each other, not to lay blame but to reflect and learn from our mistakes.

I've been feeling nostalgic these past few days and I've decided to dig up an old interview I did with Brooklyn NY's JAPANTHER. The interview took place in early 2007, one of the first band interviews I ever did. I haven't kept up with the band very much since then, but I remember how inspired I was by their go-getter attitude and their idealistic spirit.

We need more go-getters in Charlottetown; more people who are willing to voice their ideas and who are willing to put their necks on the line for what they believe in. I commend all those involved in the Refinery for at the very least trying to make something great happen in our quiet city. We will not let this setback destroy us. "Together we can build something greater than the tallest building in this city."

No more finger pointing, let's use our hands to pick each other up and dust each other off. Let's channel our frustrations and create!

--Don't agree? Don't just complain, DO SOMETHING. MAKE IT BETTER.

 

JAPANTHER INTERVIEW
BY MATT DIXON, MARCH 2007.

What were the original goals of Japanther?
Ian: Matt, I have to say the goal was to travel and friendship and that has been achieved ten fold! We are continuing the endless mission to play every city on earth. Our dreams just keep getting bigger as we make more friends.

What are some of the things you try to communicate through your music?
Ian: That is tough. Our personal politics aren't as important as our goals as a group. Japanther intends to unite as many people as possible through dancing and singing. In order to achieve this we have to drop a lot of the politics and focus on similarities. Lyrical themes include: advertising subversion, divorce, personal health, death of a loved one, hollywood, abortion, travel, oil crisis, bicycles, etc...

What inspires you as a band?
Ian: Man, our friends influence us the most. Bruce Odland cooked us dinner in Croton on the Hudson in upstate New York two nights ago. He is a major influence on us collectively. Good food inspires us a great deal. Illegal grafitti makes us smile. I walk around collecting photos of "Fillins" for my zine. We listen to pop punk, hip hop, country, books on tape, wbai, npr, soul music, folk music, comedy records, and pop music old/new.

Most memorable show to date?
Ian: There are too many to list here but off the top of my head I would say the Swoon Opening. We played using a generator out of the back of a rented truck in Soho (Lower Manhattan) to about 1000 people dancing and going nuts. They blocked traffic and crowd surfed all the way down the black. We snapped the door shut and got away before the cops could get through the massive crowd. People were cheering and beating the truck so loudly, we felt like the Beatles.

Final words?
Ian: Fuck yeah, you can start a band and do as well if not lots better than us. We know very few chords but we love music. Our common love of The Ramones and comedy drove us all over the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and continues to pay for our trips all over. You and only you can make Rad American (Canada) a reality. Make your square foot totally rad! We must unite and destroy the old way!

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