Ninesixnineseven

The Glory Stompers were an Edmonton punk band whose music developed from raw political hardcore into a harder, anthemic street-punk and Oi! sound. Formed during the early 1990s, the original lineup brought together Greg Huff and Lorna on vocals, Mike on guitar, Matt on bass and Taras ‘Ter’ Ostapchuk on drums.

The band’s roots extended into Edmonton’s earlier punk activity. Ostapchuk had played in R.C.M.P., also known as Rednecks Cause More Problems, before joining the Glory Stompers, and later identified that group as his immediate predecessor. The Glory Stompers carried the R.C.M.P. composition ‘Society’ into their first release, creating a direct link between the two bands.

Their first record was a self-titled double seven-inch issued by Disturbance Records in 1993. Packaged in a fold-out poster sleeve with photographs and lyrics, the release contained ‘Society,’ ‘I Dunno What,’ ‘Greedy Fortune,’ ‘Waste,’ ‘Visual Discrimination’ and ‘Go Away.’ The unusual two-record format gave the young band room to establish both its sound and its handmade visual identity.

The record also captured an early change within the lineup. Greg and Lorna shared the vocals, while Mike initially played guitar and Matt handled bass. On ‘I Dunno What,’ however, Greg played guitar and Mike moved to bass, anticipating the three-piece arrangement the group would later adopt. Taras handled drums and the release layout.

Disturbance Records was closely connected with the band rather than functioning simply as an outside label. Taras ran the Edmonton street-punk imprint, and the Glory Stompers’ double seven-inch appeared as its first catalogued release. The label later issued the band’s album and became part of the wider network through which Edmonton punk reached listeners outside Alberta.

The Glory Stompers followed in 1994 with the Tory Crimes EP on the American label Pogostick Records. Its title track was directed at Alberta premier Ralph Klein and the social consequences associated with his Conservative government. ‘Cornerstore Bombshell Blues’ and ‘Games’ completed the record.

The band’s principal early statement was Abandoned Youth (What Will the Future Bring?), released by Disturbance Records in 1995. Its eleven songs included ‘Homeless,’ ‘Waste,’ ‘No More,’ ‘(Not a) Machine,’ ‘Redline,’ ‘Tory Crimes,’ ‘Deceiver,’ ‘My Life,’ ‘Fight,’ ‘City Life’ and ‘Part Time (You Don’t Give a Shit).’

The album was recorded and mixed by Tom K. in his Staten Island basement on August 18 and 20, 1994, using eight-track equipment. Greg and Lorna shared vocals on the first eight songs, with Mike on guitar and Matt on bass. The final three tracks introduced the later trio of Greg on guitar and vocals, Mike on bass and Taras on drums.

The change in personnel was accompanied by a musical shift. The first part of the album retained the abrasive hardcore attack and male-female vocal arrangement of the original lineup. The later recordings moved toward a more direct street-punk sound, with Greg’s vocals and guitar increasingly at the centre.

The lyrics addressed poverty, government, conformity, urban frustration and the position of young people who felt abandoned by the society around them. A contemporary review in HeartattaCk described the album as political punk in the vein of Aus-Rotten and singled out its female vocals, large lyric sheet and extensive collection of photographs.

The album’s distribution through Profane Existence placed the Glory Stompers within an international DIY network of politically engaged punk bands, labels and fanzines. Its credits and acknowledgements connected the group with Tribal War, Slug & Lettuce, Aus-Rotten, The Pist, Mankind?, The Casualties, Battle of Disarm and numerous independent distributors in Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan.

By 1995, the Glory Stompers had settled into the trio of Greg Huff, Mike and Taras Ostapchuk. During August of that year they recorded ‘We’re Here to Stay,’ ‘Luck Wasn’t His Friend’ and ‘Kids of Today’ at the Rat’s Nest in Victoria, British Columbia, with Gary Brainless.

Those songs appeared in 1996 on a split 12-inch with New York Oi! band The Templars, released in Germany by Knock Out Records. The pairing introduced the Glory Stompers to a wider European street-punk audience and marked their clearest move away from the anarcho-punk and hardcore character of the earlier lineup.

Further sessions took place at Rumenal Records in Toronto during October 1996 and October 1997. Mike Pedrow recorded and engineered the material, with Taras assisting on the first mixes and the Glory Stompers sharing the later mixing work.

The resulting album, Ninesixnineseven, was released by Knock Out Records in 1998. Its title reflected the two years in which the material had been recorded. The album included ‘Look Out Here We Come,’ ‘Night Train,’ ‘Clockwork Society,’ ‘We Won’t Be Denied,’ ‘Ham Fisted Thugs,’ ‘What Went Wrong?,’ ‘Demented with Dents’ and ‘Don’t Call Me a Waste of Time.’ The three Rat’s Nest recordings were added as bonus tracks.

Ninesixnineseven completed the band’s transition into Oi! and street punk. The songs were more melodic and chorus-driven than the earliest Glory Stompers material, but the lyrics retained the social criticism, working-class perspective and distrust of authority that had defined the group from the beginning.

The Glory Stompers became one of the recognizable names associated with Edmonton’s 1990s street-punk scene. Later recollections of the period place them alongside groups such as SNFU, The Smalls, Unsound, Subworm Feeders and Vocal Resistance within a city supported by all-ages shows, basement clubs and a strong independent punk community.

Greg Huff moved to Vancouver and continued through a succession of influential street-punk bands. He played with the Subway Thugs, followed by the Lancasters and Alternate Action, before helping form Bishops Green in 2011. Bishops Green brought his songwriting and distinctive vocal delivery to a much larger international audience, particularly in Europe. He has more recently continued with First Attack.

Taras Ostapchuk remained active in punk after leaving Edmonton. Following the Glory Stompers, he played in the Systematics, sang with Toronto’s Blatherskites and became the drummer for Riot 99. In a 2002 interview, he directly traced that path from R.C.M.P. through the Glory Stompers and the Systematics to his later Toronto bands.

Mike subsequently played with Rednecks Cause More (or My) Problems, the Systematics, Thee Leaders—also known as 100% Teenage Destruction!—The Feds, The Bionics and Melbourne’s The Dice Age. Matt also played in Blindside and the Hamilton hardcore band Chokehold. Lorna’s shared vocals remain a defining feature of the Glory Stompers’ original recordings.

-Robert Williston