YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED US WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE (2009)01 Don't Say No lyrics
02 Isolation Pay lyrics
03 Waxwing lyrics
04 Les Fleurs Du Mal lyrics
05 Muscle Memory lyrics
06 Bad Comedian lyrics
07 The Gang's All Gone lyrics
08 Lie To Me lyrics
09 Blood Brothers lyrics
10 Hurricane lyrics
11 Face The Facts lyrics
12 Goodnight, Nemesis lyrics
13 Night and Morning lyrics
One might expect a posthumous release to be a dreary, existential affair. Instead, producer Dale Morningstar (Gordon Downie, Great Lake Swimmers), has captured the Parkas at their raw and spontaneous best. Combining the Clash-meets-Stones soul spirit of their last album with nods to the Replacements, old U2, and Dinosaur Jr., You Should Have Killed Us When You Had The Chance is the Parkas' loudest, boldest, and best work to date. It is the sound of old friends, at the height of their musical powers, having the time of their lives.
Included on the album are stellar performances by Fiona Stewart (Rock Plaza Central), Andrew Collins (Skeletones Four), Jesse Whiteside (Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy), and Selina Martin. You Should have Killed Us When You Had The Chance will be available on Saved By Radio in December of 2009.
PUT YOUR HEAD IN THE LION'S MOUTH (2007)01 Filthy Rich Kids lyrics
02 Toronto Enough Tonight lyrics
03 You & What Army? lyrics
04 Margaret Atwood lyrics
05 You Get What You Pay For lyrics
06 Lenin & McCarthy lyrics
07 (Still Hanging Around With) The Crucifixion Blues lyrics
08 A Change of Heart lyrics
09 Let There Be Light lyrics
10 Raggedy Ann lyrics
11 The Wolves, Darling lyrics
12 (On Vinyl Only) Hey, Ritchie Man!
After a critically acclaimed debut (Now This Is Fighting, 2003), and near collapse on camera in their brutally honest tour documentary (A Life of Crime, 2006) the Parkas returned at full strength with their long awaited sophomore album Put Your Head in The Lion's Mouth. Recorded by Dale Morningstar (Gordon Downie, Great Lake Swimmers, Rock Plaza Central) the Parkas' second full-length borrows the ragged gospel of John Fogerty, the punk spirit of the Clash, and the wry grin of Elvis Costello. As the opening track spirals from quiet confession to epic frenzy, and soaring synths meet furious guitars, it becomes quickly apparent that this is a different kind of Parkas record.
A LIFE OF CRIME + THE SCARS TO PROVE IT (2006)01 Darling the Wolves
02 Start Your Own Country
03 Sweet Amputations
04 Recipe for Sick
05 The Highway Divides
06 My Life of Crime (live)
In April 2004, filmmakers Jon Egan and James Loftus followed the Parkas as they embarked on their second cross-Canada tour to support their critically acclaimed debut-album Now This Is Fighting. By the end of June founding member Grady Kelneck had quit and the future of the band was uncertain. A Life of Crime is about just what the hell went wrong.
Three months after Kelneck's departure, the Parkas recorded The Scars to Prove It. Like a miniature Blood On The Tracks, the six song EP marks a distinct and dark change in the band's sound and reminds everybody that breaking up is hard to do but damn good to listen to. The DVD and EP was released in the spring of 2006.
All song lyrics © the Parkas.
START YOUR OWN COUNTRY (2005)01 Stettler - Roger Dean Young & The Tin Cup
02 No Unmaking - Old Reliable
03 Straight to Hell - Steve Ketchen & The Kensington Hillbillies
04 Nothing to You - Two Gallants
05 Sky Begins to Storm - The Only Children
06 Too Sober to Sleep - Justin Rutledge & the Junction Forty
07 Little Wonder - Augie March
08 Battle Fields - By the Fireside
09 Country Song - The Idaho Falls
10 Angel of te Morning - Charlemagne
11 Somewhere Else - Jim Bryson & Jim Cuddy
12 Loretta Lee Jones - Longhorne Slim
13 Sweet '69 - The Pink Mountaintops
14 Surrender - Ox
15 On a Plane - Megan Reilly
16 Feel the Same - Anders Parker
17 Division St. Girl - Jason Molina
18 Dream Feedback - Elephant Micah
19 Soldiers of Christ - Blood Meridian
20 Start Your Own Country - Parkas
Start Your Own Country is a compilation brought to you be Loose Records.
The Parkas' 'Start Your Own Country' became the title of the album.
"Of the myriad alt. country compliations New Sounds Of the Old West are the finest." - The Sunday Times
"Essential additions to any music lover's Americana record collection." - MOJO
Available to listen to or to buy online at Loose Records.
NOW THIS IS FIGHTING01 Bus Station Blues
02 Giants In My Field
03 My Life of Crime
04 Scam the Tram
05 The Art of Complication
06 This Colonial Affair
07 Every Light is Red
08 The Heart is the Only Muscle
09 Wildlife Reservations
10 Bombs Away
Now This is Fighting is the first full length release from the Parkas. The album hurtles through sweet harmony lament, staggering country rock and hip-shaking pop songs about revenge and traffic accidents.
Much of the album was recorded live amid the December creaks and groans of Andy Magoffin's House of Miracles. Every day was cold and Andy wore a sweater that said 'Polar Bear'. Grady, Mike, Greg and Mark performed the music and sang the songs, the the help of Andy, Tina Simmons, the city of London, random radio interferences and Q the cat.
Now This is Fighting is a document of the following things: Grady wears dusty boots, Mike carries a hunting knife, Greg packs a compass, Mark has the medicine. Listen well.
Available to buy online at the Endearing Records store.