DSK - March/April 1997
Style: terrorizing punk
Lineup: Blair Dobson (vocals); Rich Priske (bass); David Genn (guitars); Brad McGiveron (drums)
Contact: Divine Industries, PO Box 309, 1001 West Broadway, #101, Vancouver, BC V6H 4E4 (604) 685-0143, FAX (604)682-8572;
In 1992, Vancouver’s Dead Surf Kiss recorded Narcotic Nevada for Onslot/BMG which made zip of an impact. Fast forward several years, and some former band members totally abandon the DSK name as an acronym (now it means nothing), get a new vocalist (Blair Dobson), change their sound to no-nonsense dementia and emerge as an entirely new entity. An indie video for “Targets”, directed by frontman/director Blair Dobson, rears its ugly head first and wins a 1994 MuchMusic Video Award. Finally, two years later, the CD appears, and Exploder! proves to be an appropriate title. Dobson’s cigarette-charred vocals growl nastily (still often melodically) from beneath a noisy, pounding onslaught on “Landmine”, “Cementhead”, “Butt”, “Whine” and a host of other deluge-ful offerings. Produced by DSK, the album was recorded and mixed by Tridon at Profile and Crosstown studios with assistant engineer Jeff Bond. It was mastered by “The Brothers Gunny” (Anthony Valcic, Mark Cohen, Judas Bullhorn) at Fropile Audio Kitchenette. As a footnote, “the most dysfunctional band in Canada” has disbanded yet again, emerging under a new monicker, Meeker, with a new singer, ex Another White Male’s Nathan Dillon. Whether the Exploder! material will be laid to rest is still in question. The saga continues . . .