I Spy was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band founded in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

, in 1991, relocated to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, in 1994, and disbanded in 1996. Combining childish humour and politically oriented emotive hardcore, the group released several records on

Recess Records Recess Records is an independent record label founded in 1988. Label founder Todd Congelliere (frontman for F.Y.P and Toys That Kill) initially made 100 cassettes of F.Y.P's songs and sold them at skateboard contests. Two years later, Congel ...

and toured internationally. Front man

Todd Kowalski Todd "The Rod" Kowalski (born May 27, 1973) is a Canadian bassist and singer, currently a member of hardcore punk band Propagandhi. Along with his band, he lives a vegan lifestyle and supports animal rights. Career In the early 1990s, Kowalski ...

later joined

Propagandhi Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski and guitari ...

History

Career

Originally called Clump (alternately Klump), the band was composed of lead singer and guitarist

("Todd the Rod"), lead guitarist Jeromy Van Dusen ("Rary"), bass guitarist Juan David Guerrero ("Guido" or "Olive") and drummer James Ash ("Jimmy Juice Pig"). With a blend of childish humour and serious, radical left wing political subject matter, the band garnered a following in the Canadian punk rock scene behind several releases on

and extensive touring. In 1994, the band released a split 10" record, '' I'd Rather Be Flag-Burning'', with fellow Winnipeg band

, and the two bands toured together throughout western Canada that year.Sheldon Birnie
"A Comprehensive Look At Winnipeg’s PC Punk Scene"
''Noisey'', September 22, 2014. Later in 1994, the band toured independently throughout the Midwestern United States. In 1995, they toured the western United States, western Canada and Europe. Van Dusen left the band in 1995 after the band's European tour, reducing them to a three-piece in their latter days. The final line-up had bass guitarist Sean Talarico replacing Guerrero, who moved back to Regina.

Post-breakup

G7 Welcoming Committee Records G7 Welcoming Committee Records was a Canadian independent record label based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The label mostly released material by artists and speakers with a radical left-wing point of view. History G7 Welcoming Committee Records was ...

released the band's complete discography on a single CD, ''Perversity Is Spreading... It's About Time!''. This packaged all of their released material with bonus tracks, including cover versions of songs by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

and

Youth of Today Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk band, initially active from 1985 to 1990 before reforming in 2010. The band played a major role in establishing the "Youth Crew" subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies o ...

. Kowalski joined Propagandhi in 1997 after the departure of bass guitarist John K. Samson, who left to form

The Weakerthans The Weakerthans are an award-winning and Juno-nominated Canadian indie rock band from Winnipeg. The band, led by John K. Samson, has released four studio albums and is currently inactive. History The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manit ...

. Propagandhi's 2001 album. '' Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes''. includes their version of an unreleased I Spy song, "Fuck the Border". Kowalski also played in the

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. G ...

band

Swallowing Shit Swallowing Shit was a short-lived Canadian grindcore band formed in 1994 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History Swallowing Shit was formed in 1994 by vocalist Mike Alexander with guitarist Mike Koop of The Bonaduces, drummer Steve Dueck of The ...

. In 2002, the original four members reunited in Propagandhi singer Chris Hannah's basement studio to re-record their version of Diana Ross's "When We Grow Up" for the ''Somebody Needs a Timeout'' compilation album released by Campfire Records.

Band members

– vocals, guitar (1991–1996) *James Ash – drums, vocals (1991–1996) *Juan David Guerrero – bass guitar (1991–1995) *Jeromy Van Dusen – guitar (1991–1995) *Sean Talarico – bass guitar (1995–1996)

Discography

*Four-song demo cassette (1993: self-released) *'' I'd Rather Be Flag-Burning'' (1994: split 10"/CD with

) *''Revenge of the Little Shits'' (1995: 10"/CD, Recess Records) *Split 7" with ...But Alive (1995: 7") *'' Perversity Is Spreading... It's About Time!'' (1998: complete discography, CD/LP,

) I Spy has also contributed songs to numerous compilation albums.

References

External links

I Spy profile
at G7 Welcoming Committee Records
I Spy
at ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:I Spy Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups from Regina, Saskatchewan Canadian hardcore punk groups Anarcho-punk groups G7 Welcoming Committee Records artists 1991 establishments in Saskatchewan 1996 disestablishments in Canada