Evil Farm Children

EVIL FARM CHILDREN
II : The Evilling
Dad’s Favourite Records 2008

Ottawa based trio with some background (one of the members was in The Restless Virgins, early ‘80s punkers who released Television Child) that draws influences from such notables as Link Wray, Evan Johns, early LeRoi Brothers and any other like minded combo to produce some pure nitro driven rock’n’roll! Ah, yes, fine stuff indeed and not only that, but they toss in some surf sounds to add a little variety to the guitar based mixture. Gotta admit they caught me off guard with the Max Webster staple, “Hangover” (hadn’t heard that tune in… many years!) done rock’n’roll style… now if old and bald Kim Mitchell hears this, he’s gonna blow a gasket for sure! Would love to see this band play out as they probably destroy live! (Dave O’Halloran)

http://mongrelzine.wordpress.com/category/music-reviews/
- Mongrel Zine

Good rock 'n' roll comes easy, Dave Kerr finds.

"From the moment I picked up a guitar and hit an E chord through a distorted amp, that's what I wanted to do -- play good, fun, rock 'n' roll," he says, gesturing on an air guitar as if playing were a reflex.

Kerr is Evil Farm Children's front man, playing with Janice Fitzsimmons on bass and drummer Jeb Bond. The latter two are B-movie fans who lifted the band name from a movie-of-the-week synopsis. It conjures an image of possessed, tractor-riding brats.
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The silly name tells a story -- but not as well as the sound, which encompasses surf-rock, psychobilly and punk, while evoking a bit of nostalgia for spaghetti westerns, rock 'n' roll radio and the kind of grimy old tavern we find ourselves in one afternoon. That sound is highlighted on the sophomore album called The Evilling. Songs like Booze Can iconize dive bars, while Max Webster cover tune Hangover speaks for itself. Border Blaster is a revving tune about border radio and Brain Buffet is the staple love song -- about zombies.

The album features art by Andy Brown, whose work can be found on Bluesfest posters and at the Elgin Street Diner. Sketched on a 12-by-12-inch sheet and scaled down to disc size, it's a complex, colourful, highly detailed rendering of a city scene as two horned farm children go on a tear.

The drawback is that it's not on a vinyl sleeve. Such art lends itself to a wider canvas, but record pressing was prohibitively costly. To compensate, the band packaged the CD with a handheld plastic magnifier. Hoist it close and you'll see some familiar bar names as well as drawings of the three band members crammed into Bond's '67 Mustang convertible.

After dark, Evil Farm Children will go into extravaganza mode Saturday when they host a release party at the Dominion Tavern. Musical guests include: Marie-Josée Houle on accordion; Rob Bennett of the Bushpilots (who'll join in for a Georgia Satellites cover); Ian Vance of Boom Creek and the Polymorphines; and the guy who's been electrifying Ottawa stages for over a decade -- Slim Reaper from Big Jeezus Truck, who will join in on an Alice Cooper cover. Each guest is complicit in Kerr's campaign for good rock 'n' roll.

"We're definitely not rewriting the rule book here," he says. "It's the same old three chords, but, you know what? We don't care. We love playing this stuff; it's the stuff we grew up on. There's still nothing better than a good rock 'n' roll song.

"If you get it, you're our kind of people."

Evil Farm Children's CD-release party takes place Saturday with GOOD2GO at the Dominion Tavern, 33 York St., 10 p.m., $7 - Ottawa Citizen, Fateema Sayani, Sept. 18, 2008

"What we're talking about here is some quality rock'n'roll from a band with one of the coolest names in the business. Surf rock instrumentals aside, the tracks on this album are energetic, well-played and should have enough cross sub-genre appeal to give most x-Billies a kick. WARNING: do not play The Evilling in your car, you'll end up with your foot to the floor and the blue noses zapping you with their little fun detectors." Rink

"Plays like a soundtrack to some greasy, raunchy, down and dirty spaghetti western. It's infectious like a zombie bite ! Loved it!" D. Coulson - CD Baby

"How often can you listen to Max Webster before getting sick of the tunes? Trick question, dude - you can never get sick of Max Webster. That's why baby boomers recall their drunken high school gym concerts with such fondness and continue to pack the Ex for Kim Mitchell's annual (toupé optional) soirée. It's a wonder so few dare cover the legends, and a nice surprise when they do. Evil Farm Children may be a contemporary rough-and-tumble outfit relatively fresh on the local scene, but they show their vintage rum and coke roots with a crankin' version of Hangover. Yeah! Power trio muscle with some surfy twang, Evil Farm Children unleash their sequel monster, and it's a goodun. Part Gretsch whammy instro wailin', part ragged vocal locomotive mayhem, The Evilling is the perfect fuel for your Saturday bar brawl.”
John Sekerka
- Ottawa XPress / Montreal's Hour Magazine, September 11, 2008

Our Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

Not that he's complaining or anything, but this reviewer seems to be inundated by new releases from Canada just now. Every third jiffy bag or so seems to originate from the great Maple State and - thrillingly – many of them are extremely good indeed.

The latest slice of warped sonic bliss to land on this writer's doormat is 'The Evilling' by the delightfully-monikered EVIL FARM CHILDREN. A trio of experienced garage-rock aficionados from straight outta the Ottawa hinterland, they are led by one Dave Kerr – a man wielding the meanest Gretsch since X's Billy Zoom – and rock like Beelzebub's very own rottweilers are snapping at their heels.

This is without question, a very good thing indeed. 'The Evilling' may come housed in a daft, Sci-Fi/ Stephen King pastiche of a sleeve, but the music contained within is played with heart, muscle,volume and sincerity. Sure, its' 50s-influenced surf-punk sounds are probably as anachronistic as hell in these conservative, recessionary days, but who the heck's complaining? It sounds tremendous to these ears.

The spills and thrills come thick and fast. Tracks like 'Border Blaster', supercharged zombie love song 'Brain Buffet' and the low-ridin' – and self-explanatory – 'Booze Can' are rabid, irresistible bar-room brawlers, although discipline always tempers the group's inherent power. Bands with a similar adherence to all-out, piledriving rock'n'roll like The Blasters and New Christs spring to mind most of the time, though the murder ballad 'Valley Justice' – sung with real relish by bassist Janice Fitzsimmons – proves that the Evil ones can also knock together fatalistic, Americana-tinged delights worthy of The Handsome Family or Calexico when they put their minds to it.

A trio of rubber-burning instrumentals punctuate the anthems. 'Cone of Silence' is a drag strip riot of Link Wray-style power; 'Greasy' again adds a tinge of fast'n'furious Americana with Kerr's fingers flying like an amphetamined Albert Lee while the drum-heavy 'Knuckle Duster' sounds every bit as lunkheaded and brilliant as its' title suggests.

Your reviewer must confess prior ignorance of the album's sole cover – Max Webster's 'Hangover' – but it sonds like Dick Dale jamming with The Sex Pistols and that's more than good enough. The closing 'Straight'n'Narrow', meanwhile, is a bruising ode to hard times for honest – if permanently hungover – men and women and ensures 'The Evilling' goes down with all guns blazing. Not that it ever showed any signs of wimping out anyway.

Careering from cartoony to sinister and slashing away at all points in between, Evil Farm Children can call up their authentic garage rock thunder seemingly at will. Lock up yer combine harvesters, 'cos something wicked this way comes. - Whisperin & Hollerin (UK), author Tim Peacock

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
When Evil Farm Children step on stage it’s like introducing alcohol to a party, literally anything can happen. The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada power trio segue from Punk to Surf to Metal to Americana like runway models change their outfits and nothing ever sounds out of place. Dave Kerr plays guitar and sings on most tracks, while Janice Fitzsimmons plays bass and sings; Jeb Bond beats the skins and keeps Evil Farm Children on track. Any of the three members might be musically impressive, but when they come together as Evil Farm Children something special happens. 2008 saw the release of their second album, Evil Farm Children II: The Evilling, which raises the bar from their self-produced debut EP Knuckleduster. When playing live EFC has been known to cover such diverse artists as Dick Dale, Black Sabbath, Tom Waits, Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, Link Wray or Alice Cooper. Their original material is as unpredictable and fun to listen to. You’ll come to the conclusion that either they’re mad, or Evil Farm Children is a product of collective genius. We’re not ruling out either one.

The Evilling opens with Code Of Silence, a classic surf guitar rock song with a hint of rockabilly swing, like something from a Ventures session. Border Blaster follows a similar retro vein, getting back to Roots Rock N Roll in a classic party song. Booze Can is an interesting Garage/Punk/Surf hybrid that its feet firmly planted in the 1960’s. Much of the material here is fun to hear on CD but seems like it would be much more vibrant live. Valley Justice is interesting; written like a trail rider’s song to the slow beat of a plodding horse. The song has a dark and vaguely ominous quality with a bit of a “pulp fiction” sound to it. The highlight of the disc is the cover of Max Webster’s Hangover. While lead vocalist Dave Kerr isn’t quite as dynamic as Kim Mitchell, he manages to capture the gritty drunken essence of the song. Other songs of note are Knuckle Duster and Straight ‘N Narrow.

Evil Farm Children have a unique sound, call it punkabilly if you want; its close but not a complete description. I can’t say I was blown away by Evil Farm Children II: The Evilling, but it was a fun listen. I strongly suspect, from all that I’ve read about the band, that the live show is the thing here. Evil Farm Children did an excellent job of capturing a live sound on The Evilling, but the charisma of the live show is much harder to translate to a CD. Nevertheless, the songs presented here are bound to whet your appetite for more from Evil Farm Children.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildy

THE EVIL FARM CHILDREN
Three Orange Whips/Outer Limits Bride 7”
Dad’s Favourite 2010
Ottawa 3 piece greasy rock’n’roll combo that lives up to the expectations of their live show on this little 7” of purplish multi coloured vinyl. A side is a guitar instro that combines surf and Link Wray sensibilities for a catchy little ditty that could have easily come from an obscure late 50’s instrumental compilation, but is actually a self penned number. Flip it over for the hook laden tale of an invisible bride as the background harmony vocals on this one make the song. - Radio Whatwave

I was thrilled when Evil Farm Children cranked up the volume and detuned the strings for their deliciously raunchy tunes Knuckle Duster, Your Time is Up and Border Blaster. Kerr showed he was an intense performer who could pick a guitar with the best of them. - Ottawa Sun, July 5, 2008

Uptown's Top 10s for 2008
Compiled by Jen Zoratti

Uptown's Top 10s for 2008
We're about to wave goodbye to 2008, but before we move on, it's time for a quick look in the rear-view. Listed below are the top CDs, songs and concerts that rocked the worlds of Uptown's friends and contributors in 2008. Peruse all that was great about music last year, and enjoy. (Lists are of top albums unless specified.)

Joanne Kelly, host/producer, Shaw TV
In no particular order
. The Waking Eyes - Holding On To Whatever It Is
. Novillero - A Little Tradition
. Neil Young - Sugar Mountain Live at Canterbury House 1968
. Ben Folds - Way to Normal
. Evil Farm Children - The Evilling
. Bend Sinister - Stories of Brothers
. Mia Dyson - Struck Down
. Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
. Lucinda Willimas - Little Honey
. J.P. Hoe - The Dear John Letters - Uptown Magazine

Last Nite's show at the Black Shire Pub was totally awesome!!! Great turnout and everyone was into the bands!!
The Evil Farm Children stunned everyone with their London debut! Pure rock'n'roll fun that had a lot of kids (ya, surprisingly a lot of the young'uns really dug them, which is great!) up dancing and drinking! Amazing band and we hope to get them back next time they tour down this way! - What Wave Dave's facebook group