Another Joe is a Canadian
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band formed in
Richmond, British Columbia
Richmond is a city in the coastal Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly a suburban city, it occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough, New Westminster, Queensborough), between the two estuarine dis ...
, in 1995, when founding members Jon Glen (guitar & vocals) and John Simmonds (drums) recruited Alison Toews (bass). The trio toured extensively throughout Canada and the United States, grew a large following as well as a major buzz within the college radio circuit, and recorded 4 studio albums: ''Pee Against The Wind'' (1996, Positive Records), a split album with
Gob, ''Ass Seen on TV'' (1997, Landspeed Records),
Cran-Doodle Daddy' (1998, Landspeed Records, Smallman Records), and
Plasti-Scene' (2000, Smallman Records).
Origins
Another Joe was born from local Richmond, B.C. band Feuz Box, which had been formed in August 1994. Cameron Burt (vocals), Rob VanDyk (bass), and Jon Glen (guitar & vocals), brought in John Simmonds (drums) to create a new punk-influenced group inspired by
Nirvana
Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
,
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
,
NOFX
NOFX () was an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin were original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
,
Lagwagon
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the ba ...
, and other new school punk bands. Feuz Box wrote several songs, a few of which would end up on Another Joe's first album: ''Pee Against the Wind''. Shortly after their creation Cameron Burt left the band, and not long after Rob VanDyk followed, leaving Glen and Simmonds to lay the foundation for Another Joe.
Glen and Simmonds recorded a few demos on a 4-track, with Glen on guitar, bass and vocals, while Simmonds drummed and helped engineer the process. At the time, Glen worked in a sign shop and would often bring Simmonds to help with installations. While stuck in traffic in a smoke-filled van driving to a job site, they came up with the name Another Joe.
Jon and John auditioned several bass players before meeting Alison Toews. Alison was immediately the front runner, not only for her skills on the bass or her punky cute look and bubbly personality, but also her ties with
Tom Thacker of
Gob, her high school sweetheart.
History
1995–1997
Another Joe wrote and rehearsed vigorously for several months before playing their first show in the
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
bar The Abyss in July 1995. This was their only live performance before hitting the road with a box full of demo tapes, a van full of gear, and little money. Their first tour included shows in San Jose, and the surrounding area; they had only a handful of shows booked, and many got canceled.
Upon their return, Another Joe focused on recording their debut CD release and performing wherever they could in the Vancouver area. The
Langley all-ages scene was booming, with bands such as
Gob,
D.b.s.,
Brand New Unit, and Manner Farm. These bands attracted national attention and hosted many shows featuring headliners such as
No Use for a Name
No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN or No Use) was an American punk rock band from Sunnyvale, California, formed in 1986 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass) and Rory Koff (drums). The band's sound evolved considerably throu ...
,
Hi-Standard
Hi-Standard (stylized as Hi-STANDARD) is a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1991 by bassist and lead vocalist Akihiro Nanba, guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. The release '' Making the Road'' sparked sold-out Japa ...
,
AFI, and
Swingin' Utters
Swingin' Utters (often typeset as $wingin' Utter$, and originally called Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin' Utters) is a Californian punk rock band that formed in the late 1980s.Bush, JohnSwingin' Utters Biography, Allmusic, retrieved September 30 ...
. This scene, consisting of mostly under-age teens, became the life force of Another Joe and would partly inspire their first music video.
Recording for ''Pee Against The Wind'' began in September 1995 at Sporadic Studios, Victoria B.C., engineered by Jason Flowers. The sessions were recorded over a weekend using a 6-channel multi-track cassette recorder for the drums, bass, and guitars, and an 8-channel DAT recorder to add vocals. The vocals were re-recorded in Vancouver at Big Midget Sound, where the final record was also mixed. ''Pee Against the Wind'' was released by Positive Records, owned by
Tom Thacker of Gob in March 1996, and a video for the singl
Eat at Bernie's"was shot in February 1996. "Eat at Bernie's" debuted on
Much Music
Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...
in Canada in April 1996.
Another Joe embarked on their second tour in the summer of 1996. They targeted Western Canada, playing shows throughout British Columbia and Alberta, gaining a reputation as a hard-working live band. To support the tour, they sold T-shirts and hundreds of copies of ''Pee Against the Wind''.
In October 1996
Gob and Another Joe recorded a split CD called ''Ass Seen on TV''. The 21-song collaboration included 9 songs from Gob, and 8 songs from Another Joe including "Simon Says", "What", "Spam", "Outta Here", and a cover of Canadian punk legends The Ripcords "Whatever Happened To". Both bands recorded two bonus songs that are available only on the vinyl release, Another Joe's being the songs "Dink" and "I'm Hungry".
In November 1996, Another Joe and Gob went on a brief tour—3 shows in 3 days in
Prince George, to
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
, and
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
. Over the following months, Gob and Another Joe completed the mixing and mastering of ''Ass Seen on TV'', and it was released on May 13, 1997, by Landspeed Records.
In January 1997, Simmonds left Another Joe to form the band Willis with original Feuz Box member Rob VanDyk and, in 2000, formed the record label Worn Records. Glen and Toews added Manner Farm drummer Richie Clingan in April 1997. The three toured extensively across Canada that summer and built on what was becoming a large national following.
1998–2001
Another Joe's full-length album, ''Cran-Doodle Daddy'' charted heavily on radio across Canada and re-affirmed their spot among the top punk bands in Canada. In 1998, Another Joe toured through North America with bands such as
AFI,
No Use For A Name
No Use for a Name (sometimes abbreviated NUFAN or No Use) was an American punk rock band from Sunnyvale, California, formed in 1986 by Chris Dodge (guitar), Steve Papoutsis (bass) and Rory Koff (drums). The band's sound evolved considerably throu ...
,
Diesel Boy,
Hi-Standard
Hi-Standard (stylized as Hi-STANDARD) is a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1991 by bassist and lead vocalist Akihiro Nanba, guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. The release '' Making the Road'' sparked sold-out Japa ...
,
SNFU
SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band from Edmonton, formed in 1981 as Society's No Fucking Use. They relocated to Vancouver in 1992 and went on hiatus in 2018 due to illness. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation ami ...
,
Guttermouth
Guttermouth is an American punk rock band formed in 1989 in Huntington Beach, California. They have released nine full-length studio albums and two live albums and have toured extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are ...
,
Chixdiggit, and
The Suicide Machines
The Suicide Machines are an American ska punk band formed in March 1991 in Detroit, Michigan. During the course of their career, the band has released seven full-length albums on the labels Hollywood Records, Side One Dummy Records and Fat Wr ...
.
In the fall of 1999, Another Joe began working with Smallman Records, and with the technical assistance of drummer John Rylance, created their hit album, ''Plasti-Scene''. ''Plasti-Scene'' was released in February 2000, charting quickly on National College Radio Charts and reaching number two on the National Loud Radio Chart in April 2000. The album was seen as a departure from the band's classic "snotty Punk Rock", featuring a more serious sound, learning towards
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. The style often includes guitar harmonies, riffs using octave chords, as well as broken chords. Additionally, lyrics tend towar ...
with lyrical content about social commentary rather than relationships. In support of ''Plasti-Scene'', Another Joe hosted the first annual Smallman Records tour, going to 14 ski resorts in British Columbia and Alberta.
After returning to Vancouver in May 2000, John Rylance left the band, and Glen and Toews were unable to find a replacement.
Another Joe disbanded in January 2001. Alison Toews joined the band
State of Shock, Richie Clingan a band called Jacqueline/Deepsearch.
2022 Reformation/New Lineup
On October 17 2022 Another Joe announced their new lineup with Jon and Alison being joined by Ryan Walter Wagner (guitar) and Gabe Mantle (drums). They also launched a website and released a new album titled 'Ready or Not' through People of Punk Rock Records on February 3, 2023.
Band members
Current
*Jon Glen –
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
,
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
(1995–2001, 2012–present)
*Alison Toews –
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
(1995–2001, 2012–present)
*Ryan Walter Wagner -
Guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
(2022-present)
*Gabe Mantle -
Drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
,
backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...
(2022-present)
Former
*John Simmonds –
drums
The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
, backing vocals (1995–1997)
*Ritchie Clingan – drums, backing vocals (1997–1999)
*John Rylance – drums, backing vocals (1999–2001)
Discography
*''Pee Against The Wind'' (1996, Positive Records)
*''Ass Seen on TV'' with
Gob (1997, Landspeed Records)
*''Crandoodle Daddy'' (1998, Landspeed Records, Smallman Records)
*''Platiscene'' (2000, Smallman Records)
*''Ready or Not'' (2023, People of Punk Rock Records)
References
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1995
Musical groups from British Columbia
Richmond, British Columbia
Canadian punk rock groups
Canadian musical trios
1995 establishments in British Columbia