Rebel Sing | Tribute LP Release Show
Words by Jennifer Di Published by BeatRoute Magazine Music is a strange thing, to some they just see it as a way of generating an income, but to others its a way of life. Your voice when you canât speak, your teacher when youâre feeling lost and your friend whenever youâre alone. It brings people together and unites them, complete strangers become family, and even the strangest of people are seen as ânormalâ. No genre speaks more truly of this than the DIY punk scene. Punk music has always been known to attract the outcasts, the free thinkers, the ones who can see whats wrong with the world and arenât willing to sit idly by. But with this radical way of thinking also comes discrimination, bullying and a lack of understanding from those that donât see the world the way that we do. This is why the bands that we love become such a huge part of our daily life. Theyâre the ones that assure us weâre not alone when times are tough and reenforce the idea that one person has the ability to change the world. On March 7th, 2015 the entire Vancouver punk scene was rocked with the announcement of the death of Todd Serious, lead singer of The Rebel Spell. A band that truly lived everything that DIY punk stands for. From hand cutting and gluing cases for their first album back in 2003, to their song lyrics, the way they interacted with their punk rock family even their tour van which had been converted to run off of vegetable oil. The Rebel Spell had a voice, a cause, they wanted to make the world a better place and in this, they succeeded. I wasnât fortunate enough to grow up in Vancouver, and I had only been aware of this amazing band for a few years but in that time I saw the way they brought about change and effected every single person privileged enough to listen to them. On Friday September 30th at The Rickshaw Theatre the love that everyone feels for this band will be shown in typical DIY fashion with a tribute LP release show featuring such acts as ATD, Jeff Andrew, Soundcity Hooligans, Reckless Rebels and Jesse Lebourdais. It will be a time of healing, and of celebration for the life so many of us have been touched by. Todd may be gone, but his words and ideals remain immortal, and in that alone he has forever changed the world for the better.
