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Iggy’s guitarist calls him “The Godfather of Punk in Calgary”. Slash’s bass player proclaimed him “Calgary’s Mayor of Rock & Roll”. Queens of the Stone Age’s soundman calls him “The Keith Richards of Calgary”. His Remone bandmates nicknamed him “Ribsy” and that moniker has stuck.
Ribsy (a.k.a. Ian Grant) moved to Calgary, underage, in 1979 to join a touring classic rock band. “We played four sets, six nights a week,”says Ribsy, recalling his bar band heyday. “Then hauled our gear, PA and light show to the next town. That’s a good way to learn your chops.” Shortly thereafter, Ribsy was bitten by the punk rock bug. He cut off his hair with a razor blade and joined The Unusuals, then a number of other early Calgary scene bands.
With the recent exit of The Remones, Ribsy has fired up The Black Dots, which features his old bandmate from Cat Ranch (who notoriously played the old National Hotel for 156 consecutive Wednesday nights), Gord Adam, on guitar and multi-instrumentalist Greg Cox on drums.
“It’s pretty funny having Greg on the kit,” says Ribsy. “When I was hanging out at the Calgarian Hotel in the early punk days, I would sometimes go laugh at Greg’s (not so cool) band who were playing The Regis Hotel next door. But the guy’s an amazing guitarist, and a good singer and drummer. So that opens up a lot of possibilities. I’m probably one of the best drummers in town, yet I’m playing bass and singing. And we have one of the best singer/gutarists in town on drums.”
The Black Dots’ new CD Out Of The Ice will be released this spring and features contributions from Goddo’s Greg Goddovitz, Loverboy’s Paul Dean, and Iggy Pop’s Whitey Kirst. Ribsy describes the band’s sound as “Classic punk rock, as in punkish classic rock. To me, The Clash and Sex Pistols were just great classic rock, and we rock the same way: melody and hooks with a dash of social commentary.” - BeatRoute
Discography
Surviving discography:
"Planet Of The Idiots" (2007 CD, ELLIPSIS Studios)
1. Planet of the Idiots
2. Stop Turning Around
3. Masterbater
4. Bunny Boiling Bitch
5. Not Born To Lose
6. Liar
7. Pop Tart
8. Booze Filled Glasses
9. It's Only Just Begun
10. If You're Ever Alone
"Archaeopteryx" (2008 EP/CD, ELLIPSIS Studios)
1. Dream
2. Six Stages
3. The Gods Are Not Mocked
4. Beneath The Planet Of The Idiots
"Out Of The Ice" (2013 CD, ELLIPSIS Studios)
1. She's Got A Lot
2. Laughing At You
3. Big Oil Blowout
4. Down 4 The 3rd Time
5. It Was Only A Dream
6. Out Of The Ice
7. Applause To Rain
8. Sons Of The Soundwaves
Photos
Bio
The Black Dots have been touring and recording since forming the band as pimply-faced teens in 1979 "mainly to pick up girls". 20 albums and 34 years later finds the band still relative unknowns on the fringes of music society. The admirable but unfortunate decision to record, process, and release their music on biodegradable 8-track (and later, cassette) tapes resulted in the gradual erosion and subsequent disappearance of their entire back catalogue. This, coupled with guitarist Gord Adam's extreme stage fright and agoraphobia (which resulted in no live appearances or press releases) have in effect eliminated any known records of the band's existence. The recordings found on this site are thanks to a quick-thinking fan who years ago transferred them to open reel tapes. Despite their diminished quality, fans are grateful to have at least a partial record of the band's history.
Fast forward to 2013, and through the science of modern medicine, therapy, and a combination of middle eastern smoke treatments & Peruvian opiate retreats, all members are now fully functioning Performing Artists. The Black Dots are back and performing "live" in select venues across the globe. Catch them before they become too big for your venue.
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