rundownsun records

TUNNEL CANARY 'JIHAD' / 'LIVE AT THE ECCA 1980(WINTERKILL)' LIMITED EDITION 2LP rundownsun No. 44 / No. 49

Available for pre-order now: the limited edition(less than 200 copies!) 2LP version of TUNNEL CANARY's long delayed vinyl debut.

Formed nearly 30 years ago at the height of Vancouver BC's early punk scene, amidst Canadian HARDCORE progenitors like D.O.A. and SUBHUMANS, TUNNEL CANARY emerged with a sound more in common with the then still incubating UK POWER ELECTRONICS scene and a militant attitude/lifestyle more in-line with straight edge hardcore or east-asian asceticism.

Influenced by avant-garde guitarists Fred Frith and Keith Rowe, contempory electronic composers like TUDOR, STOCKHAUSEN, and CAGE, and NO WAVE bands like MARS and DNA, TUNNEL CANARY produced a volatile and often violent mix of pure-noise, synthesizer music, free-improv, and confrontational performance art. Centered around the chaotic guitar antics and synth compositions of guitarist Aleh Kaheen(now: Nathan Holiday) coupled with the accusatory and often absolutely-hysterical caterwauling of vocalist Ebra Ziron, and supported by the tasteful and powerful bass punctuations of David Sheftel, TUNNEL CANARY’s unique sound sits somewhere in the spheres of POST-INDUSTRIAL, PROTO-POWER-ELECTRONICS, and NOISE.

This 2LP set represents the definitive TUNNEL CANARY Document. Culled from material recorded between 1980 and 1983 representing the bands most prolific and powerful period. Included on the first LP is the bands sole released work ‘JIHAD’. Edited and re-named “Erdang” and released on the cassette compilation “Stitching Small Tears” in 1981; here ‘JIHAD’ has been restored to its complete length and original title. Flip of ‘JIHAD’ is a recording of TUNNEL CANARY’s extravagant multi-media live performance of ‘BEAUTY SECRETS’ from 1983. LP number two is a raucous performance from 1980 recorded at the Emily Carr Center for the Arts.

American Noise Legend, and early TC ally GX JUPITTER LARSEN remembers the TUNNEL CANARY live experience:

“A Tunnel Canary show had layer after layer
of racket fragments bouncing somewhere between the
back of your teeth and your inner ear. They were the
classical complaint against calm, and the archetypal
battle against boredom. They made you realize there
was more to punk than just safety pins and leather.
I remember seeing them open up for a William Burroughs
reading in 1981. They blew the PA in seconds! Nathan I
know doesn’t care much for that one, but I remember
Burroughs telling me how he loved it. We all loved it.
Tunnel Canary was a wake-up call for those of us
fortunate enough to catch them live in those early
days. When we heard them we heard the future, and the
future was going to be loud!”

Absolutely no expense has been spared in the manufacturing of this record: expertly mastered by Joshua Stevenson (magneticring, samara lubelski band, caste-exotic archives, etc). Cut twice for quality assurance. Imported black paper poly-lined inner-sleeves. Quality offset printed, double-sided, 2-panel heavy cardstock covers. A HUGE 25.5" x 34" offset printed poster! And a beautiful vinyl-ink screen-print on the b-side of the live LP.

sound clips at: www.punkhistorycanada.ca

shipping: 2nd-3rd week of MAY 2008

PAYPAL TO: therealjosh@hotmail.com

MORE INFO: rundownsun@hotmail.com

$25.00 usd + postage

please add $12.00 usd for postage in North America

international customers please e-mail for postage rates.