Vancouver's Original Punks- The Furies

See the Furies live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94fIx0BQJ8I

Visit The Furies My space to listen:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=194844616

Why the Furies matter: Chris Arnett is a rock god. What more can I say? I was lucky enough to grab his mike one night and jump off the stage of the Smilin' Buddha backwards after screaming the immortal scream of the undead during the Shades (post Furies) gig and version of Psychotic Reaction. In those days, they caught you.

Today, the crowd would part....like the red seas, or Charles Heston's lips. Maggots crowding old man teeth, tongue distended, NRA,NRA,NRA.

I digress. Taylor Little is the coolest drummer of all time. Props are due. You will see him in Bughouse 5 too, bringing the punk/rockabilly esthethic full circle. Chris Arnett does a mean devils head folk art too. John Werner....I'll let their myspace bio confirm:

About The Furies:
Western Canada's first punk band, The Furies, formed in early 1977 and broke up by the fall of 1977.
In the mid-seventies, a stagnant music scene afflicted Vancouver and the Western world in general. Music sucked. Musicians sucked. The potential of the sixties’ cultural revolution became a complacent “seventies” manipulated by big business. Music was big business. Things could be different. By doing what needed to be done we could change the way music was being made and thus, change the world. In the spring of 1977 Chris Arnett (guitar, vocals) joined high school friend Malcolm Hasman (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Walker, from Alberta, to form the Furies.

Interjection: Jim Walker went on to be the first drummer in PIL.

The Furies played their first gig in May 1977 at an opening for artist Richard Hambleton at Pumps, an art/performance/living space on Powell Street in Gastown. The Vancouver nightclub/music establishment was not receptive to the sound and it was difficult to find gigs. The Furies played Battle of the Bands competitions at the Blue Horizon Hotel on Robson Street, East Vancouver house parties, appeared on the Vancouver Show and, in June 1977, made a two-song demo at North Vancouver’s Ocean Sounds, the first “punk” recording in Western Canada.
On July 30, with the help of many friends, the Furies headlined a “Punk Rock Saturday Night” at the Japanese Hall on Alexander Street in the Downtown East Side. 400 showed up. The all-female Dishrags, three 16 year olds from Vancouver Island, opened the show.
In August, Malcolm was replaced by Jim’s friend, John Werner, in time for a gig at Seattle’s Odd Fellow’s Hall in mid-August. A televised appearance at the Pacific National Exhibition followed and, on September 3, the Furies headlined another packed show at the Japanese Hall, with Seattle’s Lewd and Burnaby’s Skulls, replacing a cancelled Seattle act, the Feelings, to open the show.
The Furies broke up September 11, 1977 and the local scene floundered. Jim and John moved to the UK where Jim was recruited by Public Image Ltd. for their first album (check out PIL's 1978 "Public Image" video), and then eventually joined John in The Pack. (check out vintage 1978 Pack videos "King of Kings" and "Tyburn").
Now we have returned...