Spores

Websites:  No
Origin: Vancouver, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

The Spores formed in Vancouver in 1983 and became part of the city’s second wave of punk. The group centered on guitarist Wayne Abstain, guitarist Sandy Beach, drummer Boom Boom Benson, bassist Johnny von Klutz, and vocalist Danny Shimanny. From the start they combined straightforward punk songwriting with a sense of humour and stage presentation that made them stand out from other local bands, but their music was always the core of the project.

Their first release was the Meat Biproduct EP, recorded in early March 1984 at Mega-Thrust Studios with Steve Whitehouse engineering and Rogan Roger mixing at Studio 26. The record introduced the band’s sharp, energetic approach and remains one of their most collected titles. Around the same time they produced two early music videos — “Up the Boss” (1984) and “Meat Biproduct” — both highlighting their deliberately outrageous and irreverent personality.

In 1985 the Spores released their only full-length album, Schizofungi!, on Criminal Records. The LP brought together their fastest and most developed material, including “Billboard Hero,” “Chemical Rainbow,” “House of Frankenstein,” and a live version of “Meat Biproduct.” The album captured the band’s sound more fully than the EP and became their defining release.

The Spores continued performing and recording through the mid-1980s and began work on a second album in 1988. The sessions were never completed, and the group dissolved later that year. Many of those recordings remained unreleased until Sudden Death Records, operated by Joey “Shithead” Keithley of D.O.A., issued the anthology News, Weather and Spores in 2009. The collection compiled material from the band’s singles, the Schizofungi! LP, and the unfinished 1988 recordings, along with two tracks re-recorded by former members after the original masters could not be located.

Although their active period was brief, lasting from 1983 to 1988, the Spores left behind a concise and distinctive catalogue that continues to be referenced in discussions of Vancouver’s 1980s punk history. Their recordings, EP, album, and surviving videos provide a clear record of a band that contributed a unique voice to the region’s punk landscape.
-Robert Williston

Wayne Abstain: lead guitar and blowtorch
Born: Weener Woowoonoonoo
Age: 22 (we don’t believe him)

Boom Boom Benson: drums, beer
Born: Benjamin Skanker Bannister
Age: forever young (only scrotum ages)

Johnny von Klutz: brain paralyzer and bass
Born: Rev. Shlickpfft von Klutz
Age: lost count at “43”

Danny Shimanny: voice, gimmicks and complaints
Born: Crusty Bazooka Love
Age: unknown – birth certificate burned by mother

Sandy Beach: terror machine and rhythm guitar
Born: Dr. Redrum A. Embryior, O.A.S.
Age: older than you think