Chang-A-Lang

11:05pm Garage rockers Chang A Lang are tearing up the Bovine Sex Club. It’s super cramped, so the venue isn’t ideal for anything except gawking at the insane decor that covers the walls and ceilings, but there’s still a good vibe for the band.

11:30pm This is definitely the best band of the night so far. They’ve got a quirky sense of humour and a lot of energy.
- The Varsity

Chang-a-Lang finally have something to rally around. After years of winning over influential allies with their fun, energetic shows and a 2009 EP, the local garage-pop trio now have a full-length album, No Clean Rock And Roll. As the title suggests, it’s gritty, lo-fi, punk-inspired anthems that reliably land somewhere between the Ramones, Weezer and Sloan.

Chang-a-Lang spent two wintry days in a converted barn near Uxbridge banging out the 10 tracks live off the floor. Recorded and mixed by Chris Levoir (singer/guitarist for the Mark Inside), it’s out on vinyl and digitally on his Vampire Dance imprint.

“The decision to do vinyl was as much for us as for everyone else,” laughs bassist Jeanette Dowling. “These songs are a labour of love, and we think there’s just something special about holding a record in your hand and putting the needle down. We wanted that for them.”

Another ally of the band, Scott Pilgrim author Bryan Lee O’Malley, helped hook them up with high-profile gigs opening for Art Brut and, more recently, the Go! Team at the Opera House. But Dowling confides that they’ll be happier playing their release show in the cozier confines of the Garrison.

“We don’t like playing big stages. We like being close to each other and to the crowd. We like our shows to get sweaty and disgusting.”

- NOW Magazine

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- NOW Magazine

Day one of NxNE started off with a bang. The Silver Dollar Room played host to the nights bands; Chang a lang, Pace The Stairs and Give us the Daggers. Normally this venue caters best to Jazz and rhythm & blues. Regardless of the genre being played, the contemporary influence makes for the perfect set when you add the crowd, the lighting and the stage.
First up was Chang A Lang, a trio from Toronto. Early into their set their songs had a strong power punk rock vibe with rabid drumming and quick direct lyrics. Lead singer Sonny Boy Okamoto never failed to lighten the crowd with his charisma. “It’s eight o’clock and were wasted let’s rock” And rock they did. Okamoto’s vocals sound parallel to a 1980’s Joey Ramone combined with the bands natural garage style. One of the highlights of their set was during the song “Ruth Was a Communist”. If you watched closely you could see the drummer twirl his sticks like a pro. These guys were my pleasant surprise of the evening. - AW Music

CHANG-A-LANG at The Silver Dollar. Thurs June 18.
NOW Rating N N N N

NXNE Reviews

Chang-A-Lang
Jordan Bimm
Local garage upstarts Chang-A-Lang paid no mind to their early timeslot. Instead, the trio busted out an energetic, roof-rattling set that would have fit better following Zoobombs.
Sweet and creative vocal interplay between electrifying singer/guitarist Brian Okamoto and bassist Jeanette Dowling (who’s making a serious bid to be Toronto’s Kim Deal) contrasted the crew’s scorching riffs and full sound. While it was a little early for patrons of the half-filled Dollar to dance, there’s no doubt that Chang-A-Lang’s inspired performance would have whipped a slightly drunker crowd into a sweaty frenzy.
Chang-A-Lang deserve credit; it’s no small feat making 8pm rock, and they did. - NOW Magazine

Who are they?
Chang-A-Lang are guitarist/lead singer Brian Okamoto, drummer Jake Torrie and bassist Jeanette Dowling, and they’re Toronto's best garage-rock trio. After kicking it around the local music scene by playing small shows at the Rancho Relaxo and working their way up the Wavelength chain of command, Chang-A-Lang released their first EP in 2009. Recorded at CIUT, Fauxbot offered irrestible hooks and one killer song about the politics of love (“Ruth is a Communist”). This year, the band followed it up with the May release of their first full-length album No Clean Rock and Roll (complete with a vinyl pressing!), which was recorded in a converted barn in Uxbridge by Mark Inside member Chris Levoir. An unexpected fan in Scott Pilgrim scribe Bryan Lee O’Malley has allowed the band to open for the likes of The Go! Team and Art Brut at larger venues around the city, though Chang-A-Lang insists their hearts belong to their garage rockin’ roots.




What do they sound like?
Like flushed power pop. Though all of their music has been recorded live off the floor, Chang-A-Lang maintain tight control in their three-piece punk, especially live where they are at their most debauched and infectious. Many compare them to Weezer and The Ramones (it’s the rip-roaring guitar solos that seem to pierce through archly sarcastic lyrics), but there are also shades of early Sloan at work. Thanks to the vocal interplay between Okamoto and Dowling, Chang-A-Lang keeps an aggressive dynamism in songs like their new single “Scorn Your Youth,” which laments slackerdom while maintaining that “nothing changes.” The ensuing formula of sugary punk, soaring guitarwork and boy-girl harmonies makes them a New Pornographers for minimalists. And they only seem to be getting better and better.




Where can I see them play live?
Chang-A-Lang plays The Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen W.) this Thursday, Nov. 3 with Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. - Toronto.com