Information/Write-up
Budokan are a rock and roll band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed by musicians deeply rooted in Canada’s West Coast underground. Built around hook-driven songwriting, loud guitars, and classic power-pop instincts, the group takes its name from Cheap Trick’s Live at Budokan, a reference point that reflects both their melodic sensibility and their allegiance to stripped-down rock tradition. Their sound draws from a lineage that includes Cheap Trick, the Ramones, Redd Kross, the Rolling Stones, and the Buzzcocks, filtered through decades of experience in punk, pop, and independent rock scenes.
The band was founded by guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter Andrew Molloy, whose musical history stretches back to the early 1990s. Molloy first gained wider recognition with BUM, a prolific Vancouver-based band active from 1990 to 1995. BUM released multiple singles, a full-length album, mini-albums, and a live record, and toured internationally, including two tours of Spain. After BUM disbanded, Molloy formed Power Failures in Vancouver with Stephen Hamm and Terry Russell of Slow and Tankhog, before returning to Victoria and beginning work on a new project that would become Budokan.
Joining Molloy was guitarist and vocalist Craig Vishek, whose background included the jazzcore-influenced punk band Pigment Vehicle, with releases on the Wrong and Sudden Death labels, as well as a tenure with The Show Business Giants, an offshoot of Nomeansno. Vishek’s playing and songwriting broadened Budokan’s range, bridging aggressive punk roots with classic rock and power pop structures.
The rhythm section was anchored by bassist Kent Bendall, previously a member of Pingu, and also active with Victoria-based new wave group Cablevision. Bendall’s melodic bass work and songwriting contributions added a pop-oriented counterbalance to the band’s guitar-driven attack. On drums, Budokan eventually recruited Graham Watson, a veteran of the West Coast scene whose résumé included BUM, The Smugglers, Metronome Cowboys, and Timber Kings. Watson joined BUM in 1992 in time to record Wanna Smash Sensation for Popllama Records and later toured extensively across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Japan with The Smugglers.
Budokan’s first releases appeared in 2004, beginning with the 7-inch single ‘Doll Hospital’ on Magic Teeth Records, followed by the digital tribute release ‘Obsequious and Dumb: A Tribute to Rusty Willoughby’, featuring the song ‘Now I Know’, originally recorded by Pure Joy. These early recordings established the band’s identity while documenting a transitional period as members balanced multiple projects and long gaps between sessions.
After intermittent recording activity through the late 2000s, Budokan reconvened to complete their debut full-length album, Spin a Little Gold, released in 2012 on Northern Electric Records. Issued on 180-gram gold vinyl, the album marked the band’s most fully realized statement, consolidating years of songwriting into a cohesive collection of power-pop and rock material. The album was later released on compact disc in Japan via SP Records, extending Budokan’s reach beyond Canada.
On July 1, 2012, Budokan and all related off-shoot projects associated with its members — including BUM, Pigment Vehicle, Pingu, Power Failures, and other connected groups — were formally added to the Museum of Canadian Music (MoCM) archive, documenting the broader creative network from which the band emerged.
Budokan returned with new recorded material in 2019 with the standalone single ‘Daddy C’mon’, released on Monster X Music. Recorded by Myke Hall and Rob Nesbitt and mixed by David Carswell, the track featured a refreshed lineup that included drummer Connor Waddell alongside Molloy and Bendall, with additional contributions from Bronwyn Gaudin, Wendy Nesbitt, and Rob Nesbitt. The release demonstrated the band’s continued commitment to concise, melody-forward rock while reflecting the cumulative experience of its members.
-Robert Williston
Inspired by J.
Released July 5, 2019
© 2019 Monster X Music (SOCAN)
Musicians
Andrew Molloy: guitar, vocals
Kent Bendall: bass, vocals
Connor Waddell: drums
Bronwyn Gaudin: backing vocals
Wendy Nesbitt: backing vocals
Rob Nesbitt: additional guitar
Songwriting
‘Daddy C’mon’ written by Andrew Molloy
Production
Recorded by Myke Hall and Rob Nesbitt
Mixed by David Carswell
Notes
Monster X Music (SOCAN)
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