As he prepares for a show in Squamish, legendary Canadian punk rocker Joe Keithley says his foray into politics won鈥檛 change what his band DOA stands for.
鈥淚t stands for fun instead of politics and wild and loud guitar and drums, right?鈥� said Keithley with a chuckle.
鈥淎long with some manic screaming to go with it. That premise can鈥檛 change, otherwise you can鈥檛 call it DOA.鈥�
Fresh off winning a municipal council seat in his hometown of Burnaby, Keithley will be hitting the stage at the Knotty Burl on Nov. 24.
The two events, though unrelated, seem to fit each other well.
In addition to its credibility as a pioneer of hardcore punk, part of DOA鈥檚 appeal has been its message.
While Keithley said it was never part of his grand plan to eventually become a politician back when he started his band, he has been singing political tunes for quite some time.
Back when his band released its iconic album Hardcore 鈥�81, one of the tracks on the record was titled Slumlord.
Decades later, while running for council in Burnaby, Keithley said stopping demovictions was one of his biggest priorities.
鈥淚nequality 鈥� DOA albums have always been about this,鈥� he told The Chief.
鈥淭he last one, Fight Back on Sudden Death records, you know, was really about inequality: economic inequality, gender inequality, racial inequality.鈥�
In a sense, his work with DOA has prepared him for stepping into office.
鈥淚鈥檝e been a cultural politician all my life, or an unofficial politician, now I鈥檝e merely gone from that to official,鈥� said Keithley. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been pretty easy.鈥�
He also noted he鈥檚 had no problem juggling what some might consider two juxtaposed positions.
Punk has long been considered anti-establishment music, and having a sitting politician on a punk band may seem like a contradiction.
Keithley, however, seems entirely comfortable with the idea, largely in part because of his long history as an activist.
He said his activism has melded together with his music to point where it hasn鈥檛 been hard to represent both punk and politics.
鈥淧eople that know me know that is just another side of me that I鈥檝e worked at pretty hard,鈥� said Keithley.
With respect to DOA鈥檚 future, he said this tour won鈥檛 be the last time the band hits the road to play shows, though the shows will likely be less frequent.
That being said, Keithley promises that his band will play the Knotty Burl as if this performance was their last.
鈥淓very time I got to a town... I kinda go like, 鈥榊ou know, we gotta go at this like it鈥檚 the last time we play the town,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淪o let鈥檚 go out on a high note and drive people nuts with the show. So that鈥檚 what we intend to do.鈥�
Local bands Anonymericans and Buster Jangles will open for DOA鈥檚 Nov. 24 show at the Knotty Burl at 8 p.m.
Advanced tickets are available for $20 at Stuntwood Skate Shop. The price jumps to $25 for tickets at the door.
DOA鈥檚 appearance is the third installment of a three-part punk rock concert series being organized by Squamish鈥檚 Paul Hudson, one of the founders behind the popular Squamish Equinox Rock Festivals (SERF) between 2008 and 2012.
The first part featured Modern Terror from Roberts Creek. For the second part, the Dayglo Abortions from Victoria were the ones hitting the stage.
Hudson will be organizing another three-part punk rock series.
This winter-spring saga kicks off on Jan. 26 with Russian Tim and Pavel Bures.
