S.T.R.E.E.T.S. at Pat’s Pub.
Photo by Gregory Adams.
I must admit, that mini-guide to Global Symphonic from a few weeks back has still got me nostalgic for some turn-of-the-century Vancouver punk rock, which got me thinking about another of the label's bands: S.T.R.E.E.T.S.
S.T.R.E.E.T.S. (or, more formally, Skateboarding Totally Rules Everything Else Totally Sucks) were a full-on adrenaline rush—successors to early '80s skate culture punk crews like J.F.A., while also bombing through something like a hyper-speed, War and Pain-period Voivod thrash influence. Their name was no joke either, with the quartet of Arjan Miranda (guitar, vocals), James Farwell (guitar, vocals), Mike Payette (bass), and Cory Gagnes (drums) McTwisting their way through countless skate-centric anthems like "Too Fast to Powerslide," "Freebird to Revert," and eternal rally-cry "Come On Everybody Grab Your Skate Let's Go."
This is an interview that took place December 14, 2002, at Pat's Pub in Vancouver, shortly after they'd tracked their second album (and first for Global Symphonic), BoBoGnarGnar. S.T.R.E.E.T.S. played alongside the Organ, but according to my notes A Luna Red dropped off the bill that night. The piece was written during a practicum I'd been on with long-gone Vancouver magazine The Nerve, who had also hosted the show as part of their Festival of Guns, which they'd billed as "Vancouver's New Outlaw Rock 'n' Roll Festival." Fun!