GENETIC CONTROL

DISCOGRAPHY Releases FIRST IMPRESSIONS 7" (Generic, 1984) 1985 DEMOS tape (sessions for a never-released LP) Compilations PRIMATIVE AIR-RAID LP (Psyche Industry, 1984) "Suburban Life" INFO Lyrics to First Impressions/Suburban Life Genetic Control Webpage On the "You Are The Scene" site.

Discography compiled by Tim Freeborn, Band History written by Tim MacKenzie
In 1983, there was a building on Bleury St., just south of Sherbrooke, where Bleury turns into Ave. du Parc. 2108 Bleury became known as the BBC (Bleury Beach Club, due to the never-ending puddle on the roof they used to party around). It had a bunch of rooms that bands used to rehearse in. In Montreal, these are known as "locals". In one room, a band called Out Of Step (Rhythm Rob, Dougo, Zabo, and Marc Doucet, an old friend of mine from back east, on drums). Next door to them, a duo calling themselves Drunken Disturbance (Rob Porter and Mike Brisebois), would drink and practice old punk tunes. Their old band, TFRL (Terry Fox's Right Leg) had just broken up. Well, time went on, Marc Doucet moved back to Moncton, New Brunswick, and the rest of the guys from both bands merged to form Genetic Control: Rhythm Rob-guitar, Doug Crevier-bass, Mike (Zabo) Price-vocals, Rob P.-lead guitar, Mike B.-Drums.

This line up played a few shows and created quite a following, especially due to Mike Zabo's and Rob P.'s affinity for Frank Zappa, and his use of props in shows. Those old Gen-Con shows are legendary. Also happening around this time was a band called The Unruled. Kind of a Discharge/GBH-styled band, they had a young guy drumming on their EP that was phenominal, a kid named Louis Levesque (pronounced La-Vek). Louis had problems with the Unruled's singer, Cory Lowe (Cory once threw a full beer bottle at Louis' head, Louis apparently dropped like a rock), and left the band at Zabo's urging to join Genetic Control. So, in early '84, Mike B. was asked to step down and let Louis join. Being the extremely nice guy that he is, he did, and went on to play in No Policy and Countdown Zero.

After about a month of practicing with Louis in the band, Genetic Control recorded the demo that would become their first EP. 7 songs of the most blistering hardcore that Canada had ever unleashed on the world, it consisted of the tracks that ended up on the EP (Love Rat, 1984, Brave New World and Urban Cowboy), the Primitive Air Raid track (Suburban Life), and 2 unused tracks (First Impressions and Dirty Rockers). Everybody that heard it, for the most part, loved it. I first heard it from a friend of ours from Halifax that had been in Montreal for awhile, and he had stopped in on his way home for a visit and told us that they needed a coupla roomates to move into the BBC. So Marc Doucet and I moved in there in Aug. of '84. Zabo and I would sit there, putting the records in the sleeves, adding in tickets from shows that Zabo had promoted (Discharge, Subhumans, GBH) and we got to hear them rehearse just about every night. Their first show with Louis, as well as their first show since the EP came out, was in January of 1985. They played under a different name (Fresh Fish And The Volkswagons), so that only their friends would know. Marc D. and I had gone back to New Brunswick to spend Christmas and work. I have seen video of this show. Rob P. has a baby onstage, and they all wore dresses.

Not too long after that, I think summer '85, the album was recorded. It was great to hear all of those songs that we heard them rehearsing finally down on tape. And fast. Very, very fast. All of the songs from the earlier demo were repeated at lightning speed. And new songs, like Abandoned At Birth, Licence To Kill and Condemned For Life sounded killer. Then, not long after that, they disbanded. They played a re-union gig in '99 or something like that, my friend Eric went to see it, but got thrown out of the club before they came on, so I don't know how it went down, but I imagine it was pretty good, with all the original members (Louis on the drums, a monster in a 5'2" or so body). In the picture that you always see, from the back of the EP, it's Rhythm Rob on the far lower left, with Louis next, standing and with his arm up on the board, next to him is Zabo (Polio Elvis), next to him is Rob P. (Teen Hunk Rob), with his tongue out looking sauced and his arm around Dougo, who has his hat on sideways, on the far right. That pic is taken in mid-late '83.

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