proposterous

PROPS TO PROPOSTEROUS
Local metal duo dishes out big riffs and big laughs

by Jordan Bimm

Issue date: 1/23/07 Section: Arts and Entertainment

With their deliberate misspelling of "preposterous" for a name, you can't expect the guys in local comic-metal outfit Proposterous to take anything too seriously-except for throwing down a wickedly raucous CD release party.

Introduced by semi-nude and obviously intoxicated comedian Bryan O'Gorman (who cautioned that the band would not be responsible for soiled underwear, cheating girlfriends, or "any semen" that might result from the forthcoming sonic assault), Proposterous took the stage. Stripped to the waist and striped and dotted with tribal body paint, these dudes looked like they were born to rock.

Proposterous, comprised of singer/guitarist Craig VK and drummer Hunter J, are certainly a unique band in Toronto. Sporting a sound influenced by 80s hard rockers like Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Soundgarden, the two also show an affinity with 70s metal acts like Black Sabbath and Zeppelin.

But perhaps the most apt description of the duo is their own. On their MySpace page, Proposterous describe their sound as resembling "God having sex with Satan, and God is a hot chick. But Satan looks like JTT [Jonathan Taylor Thomas]." And honestly, that's not too far off.

A large portion of Proposterous' posturing is comedic, and they're better for it. Instead of being one of those shitty nu-metal bands earnestly ripping off Static X, Korn and the worst of emo, Proposterous delivers huge, head-banging riffs with a cheeky smile that lets you know that the inherent ridiculousness of it all is fully intended, and is, in fact, a vital part of what they do.

I hesitate to use the label "joke band" here because the term has been usurped to refer to one section of the total spectrum it could apply to. Proposterous aren't like Weird Al or Tenacious D, and they don't do parody songs. In some ways, their whole set can be seen as one giant, meta-parody of a hard rock band, like Spinal Tap. Despite their "who gives a fuck" attitude and offensive yet hilarious brand of humour, the two are skilled musicians, proficient performers and Scandinavian drinking champions (apparently).

Playing to a near-capacity crowd at Sneaky Dee's on Thursday night, Proposterous launched into songs from their brand new CD Tiger Tits. Craig handled vocals and somehow made his single guitar sound like three six-strings and a bass-usually all at once. Meanwhile, drummer Hunter was busy beating on his kit like a drunken stepfather on the first of the month. Sporting some serious double-kick skills, Hunter surprised the moshing crowd by spewing a mouthful of (hopefully fake) blood all over his chest, to the shock and delight of everyone present.

After two huge opening numbers, Craig introduced The Tiger Girls, the group's two female backup dancers dressed like-you guessed it-tigers. The girls came prepared to party, packing huge Super Soaker squirt guns loaded with vodka. While the band played a spirited rendition of "The Thrill" off of Tiger Tits, the girls took turns showering audience members in free alcohol, usually aiming for people's mouths but hitting about 50/50.

It was around this time that thunderous applause for one number prompted Hunter to shout "I just came in my pants! Smell that? Either they opened up a swimming pool in Sneaky Dee's or I just came in my underwear!"

Next, Proposterous launched into a hard-rock cover of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears (an acoustic cover of that song got a lot of exposure recently in a commercial for the X-Box game Gears of War) which ended up sounding more like "Gone Away" by the Offspring, but was full of energy nonetheless.

The best part of the show came during a drum break. Craig abandoned his guitar and joined Hunter on drums from behind the kit. Then, in one well-rehearsed move, Hunter slid aside and Craig took over the whole thing without missing a beat. Hunter picked up Craig's guitar and the pair continued the song with their positions reversed.

If this stunt was meant to exhibit their musical skill, what happened next was a testament to their sense of humour. One of the Tiger Girls made her way to the back of the kit and performed the same maneuver, taking over drum duties from Craig. Hunter set down the guitar and joined Craig at centre stage. Instrumentless the two shamelessly basked in their ironic glory, with the poor Tiger Girl working hard to supply a solid beat. It was excellently executed and thoroughly hilarious. The crowd went wild.

Those looking to see a real "joke" band should have stayed for closers Sean Ward and the Realness-a name that's actually more ironic than apt.

****
Proposterous
Sneaky Dee's
Thursday January 18
Rating: VVVV / VVVVV
**** - The Varsity (University of Toronto)

PROPS TO PROPOSTEROUS
Local metal duo dishes out big riffs and big laughs

by Jordan Bimm

Issue date: 1/23/07 Section: Arts and Entertainment

With their deliberate misspelling of "preposterous" for a name, you can't expect the guys in local comic-metal outfit Proposterous to take anything too seriously-except for throwing down a wickedly raucous CD release party.

Introduced by semi-nude and obviously intoxicated comedian Bryan O'Gorman (who cautioned that the band would not be responsible for soiled underwear, cheating girlfriends, or "any semen" that might result from the forthcoming sonic assault), Proposterous took the stage. Stripped to the waist and striped and dotted with tribal body paint, these dudes looked like they were born to rock.

Proposterous, comprised of singer/guitarist Craig VK and drummer Hunter J, are certainly a unique band in Toronto. Sporting a sound influenced by 80s hard rockers like Guns N' Roses, Metallica and Soundgarden, the two also show an affinity with 70s metal acts like Black Sabbath and Zeppelin.

But perhaps the most apt description of the duo is their own. On their MySpace page, Proposterous describe their sound as resembling "God having sex with Satan, and God is a hot chick. But Satan looks like JTT [Jonathan Taylor Thomas]." And honestly, that's not too far off.

A large portion of Proposterous' posturing is comedic, and they're better for it. Instead of being one of those shitty nu-metal bands earnestly ripping off Static X, Korn and the worst of emo, Proposterous delivers huge, head-banging riffs with a cheeky smile that lets you know that the inherent ridiculousness of it all is fully intended, and is, in fact, a vital part of what they do.

I hesitate to use the label "joke band" here because the term has been usurped to refer to one section of the total spectrum it could apply to. Proposterous aren't like Weird Al or Tenacious D, and they don't do parody songs. In some ways, their whole set can be seen as one giant, meta-parody of a hard rock band, like Spinal Tap. Despite their "who gives a fuck" attitude and offensive yet hilarious brand of humour, the two are skilled musicians, proficient performers and Scandinavian drinking champions (apparently).

Playing to a near-capacity crowd at Sneaky Dee's on Thursday night, Proposterous launched into songs from their brand new CD Tiger Tits. Craig handled vocals and somehow made his single guitar sound like three six-strings and a bass-usually all at once. Meanwhile, drummer Hunter was busy beating on his kit like a drunken stepfather on the first of the month. Sporting some serious double-kick skills, Hunter surprised the moshing crowd by spewing a mouthful of (hopefully fake) blood all over his chest, to the shock and delight of everyone present.

After two huge opening numbers, Craig introduced The Tiger Girls, the group's two female backup dancers dressed like-you guessed it-tigers. The girls came prepared to party, packing huge Super Soaker squirt guns loaded with vodka. While the band played a spirited rendition of "The Thrill" off of Tiger Tits, the girls took turns showering audience members in free alcohol, usually aiming for people's mouths but hitting about 50/50.

It was around this time that thunderous applause for one number prompted Hunter to shout "I just came in my pants! Smell that? Either they opened up a swimming pool in Sneaky Dee's or I just came in my underwear!"

Next, Proposterous launched into a hard-rock cover of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears (an acoustic cover of that song got a lot of exposure recently in a commercial for the X-Box game Gears of War) which ended up sounding more like "Gone Away" by the Offspring, but was full of energy nonetheless.

The best part of the show came during a drum break. Craig abandoned his guitar and joined Hunter on drums from behind the kit. Then, in one well-rehearsed move, Hunter slid aside and Craig took over the whole thing without missing a beat. Hunter picked up Craig's guitar and the pair continued the song with their positions reversed.

If this stunt was meant to exhibit their musical skill, what happened next was a testament to their sense of humour. One of the Tiger Girls made her way to the back of the kit and performed the same maneuver, taking over drum duties from Craig. Hunter set down the guitar and joined Craig at centre stage. Instrumentless the two shamelessly basked in their ironic glory, with the poor Tiger Girl working hard to supply a solid beat. It was excellently executed and thoroughly hilarious. The crowd went wild.

Those looking to see a real "joke" band should have stayed for closers Sean Ward and the Realness-a name that's actually more ironic than apt.

****
Proposterous
Sneaky Dee's
Thursday January 18
Rating: VVVV / VVVVV
**** - The Varsity (University of Toronto)

THE SCENE

Shows that rocked Toronto last week
Thu, Sep 4

PROPOSTEROUS at Sneaky Dee’s Rating: NNNN

Stand-up comic Bryan O’Gorman introduced local tongue-in-cheek metal kids Proposterous to their throng of diehard fans, and informed the few not yet in the know that these dudes are serious about not taking shit seriously. Pumped about releasing their first LP, Wicked In Bedlam, the pair have built a solid rep for their ear-shredding, semi-ironic tunes as well as for their hilarious DIY stage show.

To make this release party extra-awesome, singer-guitarist Craig VK and drummer Hunter J introduced two crazy homemade characters: perched next to the drum kit, Puking Chicago Bulls Werewolf, a papier-mâché construction, spewed fountains of fake blood. Later, a giant cardboard robot called Proposterobot crashed the stage, and audience members were encouraged to drink beer flowing out of the ingenuously rigged cyborg’s phallus.

Despite the entertaining antics (which also included the Tiger Girls spraying the slam-dancing crowd with whisky and vodka), their solid hooks and killer musicianship lent substance to their joke-metal facade.

Jordan Bimm

Sat, Sep 6

V-FEST DAY 1 at Centre Island Rating: NNN

There’s a rush that comes when your ferry is docking at Centre Island for V-Fest and you hear the muffled echo of snare drum blasts and then muted roars from the crowd. For two days, guitar rock is your destiny. This proved to be the Devil’s bargain, but we’ll get to that later.

It was a bit strange seeing Spiritualized so early in the day, considering this is a band that rivalled Radiohead in the 90s. Playing heavily from his newest, Songs In A&E, leader Jason Pierce slipped between noise romps and fragile mood pieces, and two powerful female backup vocalists gave the set a huge boost. Not a great daylight band, but they delivered nonetheless.

Of the entire V-Fest lineup, arguably the hottest band on the ticket was MGMT. The N.Y. duo (who are actually a four-piece) owned the summer airwaves with their sexed-up funk, contagious electro-y pop tracks and neon headgear. Aside from a mid-set lull of Floydian foolery, they packed hits and raised arms skyward, culminating with the undeniably likeable song Kids.

Bloc Party always gets the coveted sunset slot when they play Toronto Island. Maybe it’s a stipulation in their contract, but they seem to be a case of the law of diminishing returns. The sloppy play and apparent inability of these Brit mopers to improve on Silent Alarm could mean the sun is truly setting on them.

As usual, Foo Fighters offered no surprises other than the fact that Dave Grohl now aspires to be James Hetfield. In between macho rants about “playing some fucking new shit, some old fucking shit,” we were treated to video screen close-ups of Grohl spitting phlegm balls (he actually horked in mic range at one point, sending a disgusting sound reverberating across the island). The lucky ones on the early ferry back probably didn’t hear it.

Jason Keller

Sun, Sep 7


NOEL GALLAGHER, PRE-AMBUSH.
PHOTO BY ZACH SLOOTSKY

V-FEST DAY 2 at Centre Island Rating: NN

The taste of guitar-based rawk was getting a little sour by V-Fest’s second day. Would it have killed organizers to add a highly billed female artist, or maybe a Mike Skinner, to bust up the power-chord club?

Fortunately Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains cleansed the palate early in the day. The former DFAer played a charged-up side-stage set of 70s rock with unexpected verve, considering they’d rocked a Queen West loft late the previous night. Grainger is building steam toward their debut release in October. Should be huge.

Back on main, hazy alt-90s throwbacks Silversun Pickups played to an audience politely waiting to hear the one song this band will always be known for: Lazy Eye (they played it last, of course). Oasis clones Stereophonics fared better in terms of reception, boosted in no small part by all those waving Welsh flags.

Whether Paul Weller was the right choice for the pre-Oasis hole will be the subject of some debate. In a perfect world, young concert-goers could connect lines between the iconoclast and all the Brit rock bands he’s influenced at this fest. But that didn’t happen, and the generation gap was glaringly obvious through the majority of his unfamiliar and often adult-contempo-sounding set list. Jam classics near the end did spark some energy, though.

As soon as their instro-intro Fucking In The Bushes blared, V-Fest officially became an Oasis concert. However, the rousing Wonderwall singalong likely won’t be remembered as vividly as the attack on Noel and Liam Gallagher midway through their gem (What’s The Story) Morning Glory by an assailant who was quickly dragged backstage, where he probably got a couple of Gallagher brothers autographs in the face.

JK
- Now magazine

THE SCENE

Shows that rocked Toronto last week
Thu, Sep 4

PROPOSTEROUS at Sneaky Dee’s Rating: NNNN

Stand-up comic Bryan O’Gorman introduced local tongue-in-cheek metal kids Proposterous to their throng of diehard fans, and informed the few not yet in the know that these dudes are serious about not taking shit seriously. Pumped about releasing their first LP, Wicked In Bedlam, the pair have built a solid rep for their ear-shredding, semi-ironic tunes as well as for their hilarious DIY stage show.

To make this release party extra-awesome, singer-guitarist Craig VK and drummer Hunter J introduced two crazy homemade characters: perched next to the drum kit, Puking Chicago Bulls Werewolf, a papier-mâché construction, spewed fountains of fake blood. Later, a giant cardboard robot called Proposterobot crashed the stage, and audience members were encouraged to drink beer flowing out of the ingenuously rigged cyborg’s phallus.

Despite the entertaining antics (which also included the Tiger Girls spraying the slam-dancing crowd with whisky and vodka), their solid hooks and killer musicianship lent substance to their joke-metal facade.

Jordan Bimm

Sat, Sep 6

V-FEST DAY 1 at Centre Island Rating: NNN

There’s a rush that comes when your ferry is docking at Centre Island for V-Fest and you hear the muffled echo of snare drum blasts and then muted roars from the crowd. For two days, guitar rock is your destiny. This proved to be the Devil’s bargain, but we’ll get to that later.

It was a bit strange seeing Spiritualized so early in the day, considering this is a band that rivalled Radiohead in the 90s. Playing heavily from his newest, Songs In A&E, leader Jason Pierce slipped between noise romps and fragile mood pieces, and two powerful female backup vocalists gave the set a huge boost. Not a great daylight band, but they delivered nonetheless.

Of the entire V-Fest lineup, arguably the hottest band on the ticket was MGMT. The N.Y. duo (who are actually a four-piece) owned the summer airwaves with their sexed-up funk, contagious electro-y pop tracks and neon headgear. Aside from a mid-set lull of Floydian foolery, they packed hits and raised arms skyward, culminating with the undeniably likeable song Kids.

Bloc Party always gets the coveted sunset slot when they play Toronto Island. Maybe it’s a stipulation in their contract, but they seem to be a case of the law of diminishing returns. The sloppy play and apparent inability of these Brit mopers to improve on Silent Alarm could mean the sun is truly setting on them.

As usual, Foo Fighters offered no surprises other than the fact that Dave Grohl now aspires to be James Hetfield. In between macho rants about “playing some fucking new shit, some old fucking shit,” we were treated to video screen close-ups of Grohl spitting phlegm balls (he actually horked in mic range at one point, sending a disgusting sound reverberating across the island). The lucky ones on the early ferry back probably didn’t hear it.

Jason Keller

Sun, Sep 7


NOEL GALLAGHER, PRE-AMBUSH.
PHOTO BY ZACH SLOOTSKY

V-FEST DAY 2 at Centre Island Rating: NN

The taste of guitar-based rawk was getting a little sour by V-Fest’s second day. Would it have killed organizers to add a highly billed female artist, or maybe a Mike Skinner, to bust up the power-chord club?

Fortunately Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains cleansed the palate early in the day. The former DFAer played a charged-up side-stage set of 70s rock with unexpected verve, considering they’d rocked a Queen West loft late the previous night. Grainger is building steam toward their debut release in October. Should be huge.

Back on main, hazy alt-90s throwbacks Silversun Pickups played to an audience politely waiting to hear the one song this band will always be known for: Lazy Eye (they played it last, of course). Oasis clones Stereophonics fared better in terms of reception, boosted in no small part by all those waving Welsh flags.

Whether Paul Weller was the right choice for the pre-Oasis hole will be the subject of some debate. In a perfect world, young concert-goers could connect lines between the iconoclast and all the Brit rock bands he’s influenced at this fest. But that didn’t happen, and the generation gap was glaringly obvious through the majority of his unfamiliar and often adult-contempo-sounding set list. Jam classics near the end did spark some energy, though.

As soon as their instro-intro Fucking In The Bushes blared, V-Fest officially became an Oasis concert. However, the rousing Wonderwall singalong likely won’t be remembered as vividly as the attack on Noel and Liam Gallagher midway through their gem (What’s The Story) Morning Glory by an assailant who was quickly dragged backstage, where he probably got a couple of Gallagher brothers autographs in the face.

JK
- Now magazine