By Jana McDade
Dave Faught, Ron Lance and Kevin Hopkins remember the good old days when Centretown was the hub of the Ottawa punk music scene.
And they would know.
The trio has been playing around town in numerous bands since the mid-1980s.
Faught and Lance moved to Centretown from around the Ottawa Valley in search of higher learning, while Hopkins gravitated to the area from Orleans.
What they all found was a welcoming and vibrant local punk music scene.
“There were tons of places to play, it was cheap, and a lot of people were interested in following the local punk scene,” says Faught.
Over the years, the three musicians honed their chops in a number of classic Ottawa punk acts, such as Black Triangle, Switchblade Haggis, Resin Scraper, the Inflatable Jesus Lovedolls and Good 2 Go.
They never played in one band all together, but as friends they often shared stages.
Then, in 2003, the time seemed right for something new, and the three musicians came together to form the punk band Blackball.
With Faught on drums and vocals, Lance on guitar, and Hopkins on bass and vocals, they set out to bring a unique, intense and exhilarating musical experience to Ottawa’s punk scene.
“It was all about doing something different,” says Faught. “We wanted to bring something unique to the scene, something nobody else was doing.”
Blackball continued to play hard and fast, working in unfamiliar time signatures and new tempos.
While pledging to stick to their punk roots, the band broadened their musical scope by including as many different musical influences as possible.
“We twisted and reshaped an Afro-beat horn line into a heavy riff,” says Faught. “It’s
totally hyperactive rockability.”
Each member brought to the table different musical styles collected over the years and experimented with various projects.
The band has even mapped out the musical history of each member.
It’s what they call the “Blackball Family Tree.”
It is a web of connected Ottawa punk bands and side projects that date back to as early as 1985.
Looking at it makes one thing obvious – these guys have been around the punk scene for a while.
But Blackball members say the local Ottawa punk scene isn’t what it used to be.
“The mid-90s were great in Ottawa,” says Hopkins.
“There were a bunch of really good Centretown venues,” says Lance.
But all that has changed since local performance venues have begun to disappear from Centretown.
“It’s not very easy to find a place to play anymore,” he adds.
When smaller venues like Bumpers and Fenn Lounge shut down, local bands had to fight for the stage.
“It used to be that all you had to do was pay for the sound guy and it was a go,” says Faught.
Now, as Capital Music Hall prepares to close its doors in January, local musicians will have to compete with big-name bands.
“It’s especially hard for all-ages bands,” says Hopkins.
“Community centres used to be great places for shows, but a lot of them have had bad experiences and won’t let people play anymore.”
Even after 15 years, the members of Blackball say they think it is important to support new talent and continue to bring punk music to the community.
“We stick to Centretown because we like being part of the local scene,” says Lance.
Blackball’s next show is at the Aloha Room, on Dec. 14.