The Class Assassins – The Treason 45

Toronto streetpunks The Class Assassins have followed up their brilliant 2010 full length You’ve Got It All Wrong with a new EP titled The Treason 45. The release includes two new tracks on 7” vinyl.

Side A, Treason, blends the bands classic stripped down punk rock sound with a heavy back beat to produce a song that is legitimately catchy and memorable. I received the album a day ago and have probably heard this song a dozen times since.

The B Side is a song titled Start Again which is more reminiscent of You’ve Got It All Wrong. It’s a straight forward punk rock anthem expertly crafted to incite the listener to sing along and throw back a pint for the working class.

The Treason 45 only has one problem; it leaves the listener wanting more, and that’s a quality problem to have. One thing’s for sure, I’ll be looking forward to the next full length.

Check The Class Assassins out and order The Treason 45 at Rebel Time Records.

Demonstration in Western Sahara - the struggle against the occupation continues

January 13th 2012

Caterpillar lock-out in London hits families

Caterpillar is demanding a 50 percent pay cut

January 13, 2012
Reprinted from Rabble.ca

LONDON, ONTARIO -- "Caterpillar equipment is used to destroy homes in Palestine. Kind of like what Caterpillar is trying to do to our homes here in London," a locked-out worker commented outside the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) plant last week on their picket line.

Home losses are a likely outcome of the aggressive concessions the locked-out workers' employer (owned by Caterpillar since 2010) is demanding. Wage cuts of more than 50 per cent plus loss of benefits would mean families not being able to make mortgage or rent payments. I spoke to one welder, a father of five, whose spouse also worked at EMD. With both breadwinners hit by drastic compensation cuts or job loss, what sort of future would a family like theirs face?

Sandino Primera on Venezuela

Ali Primera was a great heroic Venezuelan folk musician who is remembered as a voice of the poor and oppressed and a national hero of the country. Below is an interesting interview with his son, Sandino Primera. Although the interviewer does not mention it, Ali Primera was a long-time member of the Venezuela Communist Party (PCV). The Party and progressive Venezuelan's remember Ali Primera with the March of the Red Carnations (see photos below).

Harper's "Big Brother" Law (C-52)