Canadian Punk legends DOA are coming to Studio Q on Monday, Sept. 8 as part of a Threadbare Productions lineup that also features Krash, Broken Idols, and Dirty Sanchez Orchestra.
DOA founder and only original member Joe Keithley said this was the first time the band has played Prince Albert since a show at the Prince Albert Penitentiary with Bachman Turner Overdrive in 1988.
“That was a pretty significant show because MuchMusic organized the thing,” Keithley said. “They hadn’t played for a long time. We still had the original lineup of BTO, so that was great.”
He recalls some controversy around the bands set in 1988.
“Terry David Mulligan was the host,” Keithley said. “In those days, we used to have song called Lumberjack City and I bought the chainsaw out on the stage. Mulligan was standing back with the Warden and they’re like, ‘where the hell they get that thing?’ It had no chain on it, right, so it was harmless. The prisoners roared their approval. It was like pretty funny, so this will be the first time being back.”
Keithley said every show is a highlight for the band because of their longevity. The group has played more than 4,500 shows in 50 countries on five continents.
“We think the only band in rock, metal and punk that played more than us is Blue Oyster Cult and they’re a bit older,” Keithley said. “I think we’ll end up surpassing them.”
Keithley is currently a City Councillor in Burnaby British Columbia and waits until he gets his schedule in December before planning tours. “I work the tours around whatever my Council duties are because that’s pretty important to take care of all that stuff,” he explained.
Keithley is in his second term as a City Councillor and was re-elected in the last municipal election in British Columbia. He represents the Burnaby Green Party and received 11,383 votes in the 2022 election. The next election is in 2026.
Keithley and Mayor Mike Hurley have a great relationship.
“We have a great mayor. He’s a musician that came over from Northern Ireland, so me and him do like benefit shows for people, play music and raise money,” Keithley said.
“(He’s) a really reasonable guy who was the negotiator for the firefighters for a long time so he knows how to listen to all sides of the argument. I think he’s the best mayor that we’ve ever had,” Keithley said.
He said the city of Burnaby is one of the most diverse in Canada with over 150 different languages spoken.
“Traveling around the world and dealing with a lot of different cultures, it really helps me from that perspective,” Keithley said.
DOA completed a European tour in August which Keithley said went excellent. They started out playing clubs, but also performed at five open air festivals.
The first one saw the band drive from Germany to a farm in Northern Italy to perform.
“Our booking guys said something about 6 hours to get down there but it took us 11 hours,” Keithley said. “Then when we got close it started raining and then a thunderstorm, hail like as heavy as I’ve ever seen, like in Alberta. We get there and the power cables for the stage we are playing on are all sitting in pools of water.”
Keithley said the cords managed to get dried out for the show.
He said that the best show of the tour was in Blackpool England at the Rebellion Festival on Aug. 10.
“Rebellion has like three days, eight stages, tons of bands,” he said. “We had 5,000 people and went over like gangbusters.”
The band’s Canadian leg includes stops in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan with the only other Saskatchewan stop in Saskatoon on Sept. 9.
Keithley said the band is looking forward to playing in an inclusive space like Studio Q because the band has a long history of inclusion. He said he understands what it’s like for that population to be unfairly criticized and ostracized. When DOA started playing, gay clubs were one of the few places willing to host them.
“We had an open date and I asked the booking guy to find a place for us. It looks like they found a good setup,” Keithley said.
The band has had numerous members over their many years. The current lineup includes Paddy Duddy on drums and Mike Hodsall on bass.
“There are about 27 different people in DOA. Some people say I’m hard to work with, but I would argue that point,” Keithley said.
Roughly six former band members have passed away. Keithley said some other members left due to changing lifestyles or changing perspectives.
Although the band has seen plenty of changes, Keithley said the goal remains the same.
“We’re going to play loud fast music,” he said. “We’re going to have fun and we’re going to try and change the world. That’s still the three basic tenants of DOA’s existence.”
The band essentially invented the idea of Hardcore punk with their album Hardcore ‘81 in 1981.
“I came up with that expression. I invented it, so it’s like I’m kind of the godfather of that, so to speak. It came out and people still love it,” he said.
Keithley added that people should expect a great time at the show on Sept. 8.
“This lineup’s really, really strong,” he said. “We’ve been playing together for 10 years, so. We know the stuff inside out. Our whole goal is to get people excited and revved up and have a great time. (We) try to do that every single night. (It) doesn’t matter where we are.”
The show is on a Monday evening and Keithley said what night of the week the band plays on is also a big factor.
“Weekend nights are easy except sometimes you have a lot of competition depending where you are,” he said.
Studio Q and the Prism Project is located at 1114 Central Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the bands begin at 6 p.m. Advance tickets are $15, tickets at the door are $20 (Cash Only) Advance tickets are available at Skin Junkies.
“I hope everyone will come out. It should be really fun show,” Keithley said.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
