Permanent Bastards

The four-piece outfit pound out catchy, powerful tunes backed by a muscular rhythm section, all the while bellowing anti-establishment anthems like the title track and “Faux Real!” with plenty of snotty authority. Excessively earnest as on killer single “SOS,” you won’t have any trouble imagining them topping the charts.

- Eye Weekly

"Hailing out of Toronto, Canada come soldiers of the seemingly new wave of punk. The 'Bastards' are a solid act with heavy influences of folk rock, blues, and indie alongside their notable punk rock roots. Check out 'Gun Club', I guarantee you will not be disappointed." - WGTS Magazine

"The Emericans LP is an unexpected step up for these suburban punks, a collection of upbeat songs that wouldn't be out of place on the Fat or Epitaph roster. " - Exclaim!

Toronto-based punk band the Permanent Bastards were formed in May 2007 by guitarists Simon Paik and Sean Cepeda and bassist Duncan Spence. Their collective raison d'etre was to shake things up a bit on the local punk scene and open up the minds of audiences to a new way of looking at music within their chosen format and in general. "I want this band to be judged, I want feedback; We put ourselves up for it. I want there to be the ideas of having an interaction. This band isn't meant to be a run of the mill group. We're trying to open people's eyes and minds to new ideas. Theres lots of things going on in this world that need to be reopened for everyone to see. We're living in a blank suburbia, and I want people getting around that sanity or at least talking about reality in this world. I'm talking about our economy, racism, consumerism and even music. We're not rockstars, we don't want the idea of one-way worshipping, sheep minded people. We're against ignorance. If we can't get that through our music, then we shouldn't be doing what were doing." Says Simon. This is in keeping with their own approach to composition which adheres to punk but also comfortably embraces rock, blues and metal.

While their influences range from from the Clash to Tom Waits and they maintain a consistently rough-edged, revivalist punk approach particularly as it relates to power chords and distortion, they do not stick to a particular set of rules in formulating what they compose.

Examples of their sound are currently to be found on their debut EP "Gun Club" which has been played on Toronto's alternative rock radio station 102.1 The Edge as well as CHYZ 94.3 in Montreal.They have also been featured prominently on broadcasts of Punkradiocast. com.

Having performed more than 40 shows over their first year sharing stages with acts such as Fake Problems, Tim Barry, Ill Scarlet, Time Again, the Flatliner and Billy the Kid they have imposed upon themselves a brisk work schedule. Yet in exposing their sound to numerous varieties of audiences over such a brief elapse of time they are developing a following in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.

Having just performed at the North By Northeast music festival in Toronto they are set to record their first full-length studio album with producer Steve Rizen whose production resume includes the Flatliners and Creepshow amongst others.

http://www.myspace.com/permanentbastards
http://www.permanentbastards.com - Jason Daniel Baker

"Taking the Toronto punk rock scene subtly by storm, Permanent Bastards are definitely worth a listen. You may have heard them on 102.1 The Edge in Toronto and CHYZ 94.3 in Montreal or saw them share the stage with acts such as Fake Problems, Tim Barry, Ill Scarlet, Time Again, The Flatliners, Saint Alvia Cartel, Hostage Life, The Loved Ones, The Artist Life, and Billy the Kid all within their first year as a band. In any case, if you like punk rock you should check these guys out so you can say you liked them BEFORE they hit the big time!"

- Pure Grain Audio

"Hard-working band from the suburbs of Toronto, Permanent Bastards latest effort (Emericans LP) is a very impressive record that maintains a consistently rough-edged, revivalist punk sound which is paired with smart lyrics, DIY ethics, and a killer live show. Keep your ears on this band." (January 15, 2010)

"100% a band to watch in 2009"
- Alan Cross (Explore Music) (Edge 102.1)

"Hard-working band from the suburbs of Toronto, Permanent Bastards latest effort (Emericans LP) is a very impressive record that maintains a consistently rough-edged, revivalist punk sound which is paired with smart lyrics, DIY ethics, and a killer live show. Keep your ears on this band." (January 15, 2010)

"100% a band to watch in 2009"
- Alan Cross (Explore Music) (Edge 102.1)

"Passionate, at times folky, and indie singey at other times, but still very punk. It’s like a new generation thing,you might say, and I’m down with it when it’s done well, even if I won’t be listening to this kind of thing often. (The genre, anyway. I probably will come back to this band.) The lyrics on Emericans range from being overtly political to socio-political, which provides a pretty good balance. The lyrics are actually what carry the album, driving out a damaged, youthful hope. This is a great punk album, the kind my music snob roommate would dub “shitty punk rock,” the kind of punk that record geeks and hipsters who only swear by the classics of The Clash and The Fall would never quite get. Which means it’s a damn good punk album for the punks. I can definitely get behind this."

- Razorcake Magazine

"Passionate, at times folky, and indie singey at other times, but still very punk. It’s like a new generation thing,you might say, and I’m down with it when it’s done well, even if I won’t be listening to this kind of thing often. (The genre, anyway. I probably will come back to this band.) The lyrics on Emericans range from being overtly political to socio-political, which provides a pretty good balance. The lyrics are actually what carry the album, driving out a damaged, youthful hope. This is a great punk album, the kind my music snob roommate would dub “shitty punk rock,” the kind of punk that record geeks and hipsters who only swear by the classics of The Clash and The Fall would never quite get. Which means it’s a damn good punk album for the punks. I can definitely get behind this."

- Razorcake Magazine

"If you still haven’t heard of Permanent Bastards, get ready to fall in love with your discovery. In a time where the music business has grown stagnant with cookie cutter bands who make solid gold records but play shows that stink like a mountain of shit, Permanent Bastards break free from this stigma and are out to prove that rock and roll is alive and well." - Chris Cresswell of The Flatliners

"If you still haven’t heard of Permanent Bastards, get ready to fall in love with your discovery. In a time where the music business has grown stagnant with cookie cutter bands who make solid gold records but play shows that stink like a mountain of shit, Permanent Bastards break free from this stigma and are out to prove that rock and roll is alive and well." - Chris Cresswell of The Flatliners