The Planet Smashers are a Canadian
ska punk
Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hard ...
band from
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
. Since their formation in 1993, they have been a staple of the Montreal music scene. During the
third wave of ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
, they performed nationally and later internationally, with tours in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Founding member Matt Collyer helped establish
Stomp Records
Union Label Group is a record label based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was formed through the merger of the smaller labels Stomp Records, 2112 Records, and Tyrant Records. Mayday! Records was later created as a genre imprint.
Stomp Records was ...
in 1994, which featured many ska and ska punk bands, including Montreal's
The Kingpins,
The Flatliners
The Flatliners are a Canadian punk rock band from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Since their formation in 2002, the band has been a growing influence in the Toronto punk/ska movement, with consistently well-received albums and live shows.
History ...
,
The Know How, and
Bedouin Soundclash
Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band based in Toronto and consisting of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, bass player Eon Sinclair and drummer Chuck Treece. Their sound has been described as a combination of reggae and ska. Bedouin Soundc ...
.
["PIONNIERS DU PUNK-ROCK QUÉBÉCOIS: Que sont-ils devenus ?"]
''La Presse'', Émilie Côté, 20 May 2016. Their music has been used in the Japanese flash series ''Catman'', Canadian show
Radio Free Roscoe
''Radio Free Roscoe'' is a Canadian teen comedy-drama television series. The series was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and produced by Decode Entertainment. It first aired on August 1, 2003, on Family Channel in Canada. It has also been dubbed in ...
, and
MTV's ''
Undergrads'' (shown on
Teletoon
Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts an ...
in Canada). Lyrics by The Planet Smashers often deal with topics such as love, partying and good times, and sometimes use tongue-in-cheek
innuendo
An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called insinuation), that works obliquely by allusion ...
.
History
Early years (1992–1993)
The name "The Planet Smashers" was first used in 1992 for a band including Matt Collyer, Ceco Munaretto, Andrew Conway and Dave Jones. The original group played punk, ska, and rock inspired by the "Manchester sound." The group primarily focused on live shows although it did record one demo ("The Road Song") at a Montreal studio, and one live performance (Station 10 in Montreal, October 1992). The songs "Coolest Guy" and "Vampire," among others, come from this period. The group briefly disbanded in 1993 - largely because its drummer had vanished.
First lineup (1993–1996)
The band was reformed in late 1993 by original members, Collyer and Munaretto. The two decided to introduce horns into the band and focus on ska. Travis Wilkinson (Trombone) was attracted to the band by a misleading poster that read ''"Its' your big break, goofball trombone player needed for ska band that's huge in Belgium with confirmed European tour."'' The other original members were Dave Cooper (Drums) and Andrew Skowronski (Tenor Saxophone). They practiced in the McGill University music department until they were kicked out and their first gig was at the now defunct "Station 10" on March 17, 1994.
["PIONNIERS DU PUNK-ROCK QUÉBÉCOIS: Que sont-ils devenus ?"]
''La Presse'', Émilie Côté, 20 May 2016.
The band played small Montreal venues, including "Purple Haze" and "Jailhouse" and at ska festivals. All the band members contributed original material and sets included some ska/punk cover tunes. A first demo of three songs was recorded in Cooper's apartment but not released. Later the band recorded their first cassette in a weekend session, using studio time won by one of Collyer's defunct former bands "The Thrill Killers". The quality of this recording was not very high, but it helped get the band more gigs and visibility, including shows outside of Montreal. Popular destinations for the band included the Toucan in Kingston, The Pit in Ottawa, and Sneaky Dees in Toronto. The band was an important part of the vibrant local ska scene that existed in Montreal in the mid-90s.
The self-titled CD was recorded in spring 1995; because of a tight budget it was produced and recorded by the band in Dave's apartment on a 12 track tape recorder. This album includes favorites like "Pee in the Elevator" and "Janice". The band had its first cross-country tour promoting its release in the summer of 1995.
In 1996 the band's summer tour extended into the United States. The band suffered mishaps like a broken saxophone, multiple van breakdowns, and an issue at the border that prevented Travis from completing the tour. After a few more shows in Montreal the original lineup broke up, with Ceco, Andrew and Travis leaving the band.
1997–present
The Planet Smashers have continued, with Collyer and Cooper remaining as core members and a series of new members and sidemen. Cooper switched from drums to bass guitar when Tim Doyle joined the band. For the past decade or so, the band's lineup has primarily consisted of Matt Collyer, Dave Cooper, Scott Russell, Alexandre Fecteau, Patrick Taylor, and most recently, keyboardist Patrizio McLelland was added to the band.
The Planet Smashers released ''Descent Into the Valley of the Planet Smashers'' on July 12, 2011.
They continue to play shows bi-monthly limited to the Quebec and Ontario area due to Matt's busy schedule with his children and family.
Their eighth studio album, titled ''Mixed Messages'', was released April 8, 2014 via Stomp Records. They released a video for the single "Tear It Up" featuring the members of the Montreal Roller Derby league.
In 2019 their ninth studio album, ''Too Much Information'', was released. This is the first album to feature keyboardist Patrizio McLelland and second album to feature trombonist Patrick Taylor. The band continues to tour Canada and plays sporadic dates in the United States with Andy McAdam filling in on bass for Dave Cooper.
Current members
*Matt Collyer (
Guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
,
Lead Vocals)
*Patrick Taylor (
Trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
,
Backing Vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
)
*Alexandre Fecteau (
Tenor Saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...
,
Backing vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
)
*Scott Russell (
Drums)
*Patrizio McLelland (
Organ,
Backing Vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
)
*Andy McAdam ( Bass guitar,
Backing Vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...
)
Discography
Videography
*''Mission Aborted'' (1995)
*''My Decision'' (1997)
*''Change'' (1998)
*''Too Much Attitude'' (1999)
*''Super Orgy Porno Party'' (1999)
*''Surfing In Tofino'' (1999)
*''Hey Hey'' (2001)
*''Fabricated'' (2001)
*''Wish I Were American'' (2001)
*''Blind'' (2001)
*''Explosive'' (2003)
*''J'aime Ta Femme (I Like Your Girl)'' (2003)
*''Raise Your Glass'' (2005)
*''Bullets to the Ground'' (2005)
*''Descent Into the Valley of the Planet Smashers'' (2011)
*''Hippopotamus'' (2011)
*''Tear It Up'' (2014)
*''Can’t Stop'' (2019)
*''Too Much Information'' (2019)
*''Break Your Neck (A Love Song)'' (2019)
References
External links
The Planet SmashersCommunity Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Planet Smashers, The
Musical groups established in 1993
Musical groups from Montreal
Canadian punk rock groups
Canadian ska groups
Third-wave ska groups
English-language musical groups from Quebec
1993 establishments in Quebec