DIG IT UP

HQ:
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Now playing:
Magnets EP

You like? you'll like:
Turbonegro/ Hot water music/ Every time i die

The story so far:
Together less tan a year, Canadian punk five-piece Dig It Up had had it rough. "We've had to decide against financial security, career stability and all rational thinking to play self-booked tours," says guitarist David Macpherson Adams. "But we chose being happy and broke to play for people who understand that line of thought." They've played all over Canada, openign for the likes of Agent Orange and Saint Alvia, and were invited to appear at the North By Northeast Music Festiva in Toronto

Why you should know 'em:
Dig It Up's furious brand of party punk has the promise to lure the attention of industry bigwigs, but that's not the audience they're concerned with. "We've got a vote of confidence from the die-hard bangers at basements, bars and sweaty venues across the large metropolises and quaint towns of Eastern Canada," says Adams. "And that's what's most important to us."

(August 2009) - Issue #254

http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/latestsub.aspx?csid1=115&csid2=870&fid1=41309

Who couldn't love a band that someone once saw fit to dub "party punk"? Melding the over-the-top riffs of Turbonegro with the manic hardcore drive of the Bronx, Dig It Up have provided a (brief) soundtrack to your next Black Flag pizza party. While Magnets doesn't quite match the manic, massive-sounding live destruction of these Montreal punks, that doesn't mean it isn't rad. "Oh No!" is a speedy, brutal slice of garage rock with an instantly catchy chorus (read: "Hey! Hey! Hey!"), while "Aristocrats" manages to showcase impressive guitar work, inventive and memorable songwriting, and kick-ass punk rock in four-and-a-half minutes. Magnets is worth picking up but do yourself a favour and catch the fury in person next time this bearded monstrosity roll through your town. (Independent)

(October 2009) - Sam Sutherland

"Wow, this is a strain of punk rock that doesn't come around too often. Straight no-bullshit hardcore with a real rock-n-roll edge. The riffs are ballsy, the vocals sound like the singer is tearing at his own throat. These Canadian boys will seriously be tearing off the stage this weekend."

(October 2009) - The Fest 8

http://www.punkmeup.com/musique/index.php?section=critiques&title=Magnets&date=2009-02-19

9/10 Review

Critiquer un album n’est jamais déplaisant. Mais lorsque le premier commentaire qu’on a sur un groupe est « c’est un excellent groupe » et qu’on a jamais entendu parler de celui-ci, la première réaction est toujours la même: « on verra bien ». Vous comprendrez que le peu d’informations que j’avais sur DIG IT UP avant de faire cette critique mettait la barre élevée dès le départ. Est-ce que le premier mini album, Magnets, réussira à me faire dire à une autre personne qui ne connaît pas le groupe que ce dernier est excellent?

Dès les premières notes de Oh No! qui ouvre l’EP, on voit bien que le groupe ne se contente pas d’un punk-rock classique, mais qu’il préfère lui ajouter une touche dansante et festive. THE BRONX nous vient en tête immédiatement à l’écoute de cette chanson. Le son des guitares est similaire, la voix éraillée s’en rapproche et l’ouverture progressive de la pièce ainsi que le premier cri poussé par Mike Rock nous ramène directement à la pièce d’ouverture de Heart Attack American, le premier album de THE BRONX. Heureusement, le morceau est plutôt court ce qui nous épargne d’y penser trop longtemps. Par la suite, la pièce A Thousand Words arrive avec un brin de fraîcheur. Le son reste le même, mais les similarités avec le groupe de Los Angeles s’estompent. L’énergie reste au rendez-vous et les guitares toujours aussi efficaces, sans oublier la batterie qui, ma foi, est plutôt sûre. Le reste de l’album s’enfile aussi bien que les deux premières chansons et, sans jamais vraiment déstabiliser par une innovation dans le son du groupe, on sent une très bonne base et une qualité au-dessus de la normale dans leur facilité à créer des rythmes accrocheurs. Quelques trucs restent tout de même à surveiller avec les oreilles bien ouvertes: le solo de guitare qui se retrouve au trois quart de la chanson Love And Whiskey, qui arrive de façon inattendue et frappe fort; les « Oh yeah, goddamn » de Rock dans Missing People, qui pourraient facilement se retrouver dans une chanson de LIL' JON.

Donc, une fois arrivé à la fin de Magnets, est-ce que la barre aura été trop élevée pour ce petit groupe de Montréal? En fait, elle était beaucoup trop basse. J’aurais pu la monter de plusieurs échelons encore et le groupe aurait tout de même réussi à passer haut la main. Je conclue donc en vous disant: DIG IT UP est un excellent groupe!

+: Rythmes accrocheurs et paroles que l’on voudra crier avec eux en spectacle
-: Les similitudes avec THE BRONX pourraient en déranger plusieurs

Chanson préférée: Missing People

Genre musical: Punk Rock

Pour fans de: THE BRONX, THE SAINTES CATHERINES, A WILHELM SCREAM

(February 2009) - Etienne

http://www.nationalunderground.org/bands-you-need-to-know-mainmenu-86/206-dig-it-up

As this is the eve of the release of their debut EP Magnets (literally…it comes out tomorrow), now is probably the best time to tell the tale of Montreal’s own Dig It Up!

Rising from the ashes of departed post-hardcore ruffians Explode and Rebuild…actually, scratch that, they kinda just got a new singer and wrote new songs…does that REALLY count as a breakup? Some would say yes, most would say no, but what is undeniable is the effect vocalist Mike Rock had on the proceedings from the moment his face touched the cool steel of that microphone. Whatever this monster was, it was NOT Explode and Rebuild.

The band finds its backbone formed by the charging drumbeat of “the hardest-hitting female drummer in punk today” (I shit you not that was actually said), the unfuckwithable Andrea Silver. The simultaneously airy and biting guitar work of axemen David Adams and Diego Montoya create the arms. The erratic, booming basslines of Jonathan Allard fill in the chest while Rock perches himself on top as his gravely, equal parts whiskey and cigarettes vocals ties the whole package together with some of most confrontational lyrics seen in the Montreal punk scene today. However, what gives Dig It Up its legs is the small but dedicated (and growing) fanbase spreading like wildfire throughout Canada, carrying the band across the country and back.

The EP starts with a bang, grabs you by the shoulders and headbutts you right in the face. The up-tempo lead-in of “Oh No!” pushes you over the edge and by the time the vocals kick in to rip the song into the verse you’re clinging for dear life. “Oh no, we won’t go quietly” we are told, and it is at this point that the band’s motives become clear: Dig It Up is here, they wish to party, and if you are not dancing they WILL make you.

On a more personal note, I’ve known these dudes (and dudette) for a while now, and the words “earnest” and “motivated” can’t even begin to cover it with them. The third time (and by that I mean lineup) appears to be the charm and in just under a year they’ve gone from not existing to playing shows across Quebec and Ontario with the likes She Rides, Static Thought, Living With Lions and Sakes Alive!! to writing an EP and now taking the (freak)show across Canada on their first proper tour. I guess another keyword you can tack on would be “productive.”

For more info on the band, the EP and their upcoming cross-Canada tour, hit up http://www.myspace.com/digitup

(June, 2009) - Joshua Mocle

http://thoughtgrenade.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/what-didnt-suck-about-music-in-2009/

"Magnets" EP Ranked #4 on Albums of the Year

(December 2009) - Thought Grenade Blog

http://www.punknews.org/review/8822

3 1/2 Stars

I’m kind of in love with Canada. Their Kit-Kats taste different. Their side of Niagara Falls has a WWE store (also, a better view). They invented the Canadarm (I calls it a space claw), hockey and John K. Samson. So it makes sense that I’d be attracted to the folks in Dig It Up. On their new EP Magnets, the band tears through five furious punk tunes in under 20 minutes.

Of course, my throbbing Canuck fetish wouldn’t apply if Dig It Up didn’t write good songs. They do. Their stuff is loose ‘n’ frenetic -- think the Bronx, Cloak/Dagger or Lost City Angels. It’s not quite Black Flag-ian, but I’m sure the five members own at least one copy of Damaged. Maybe two.

“Oh No!” is the shortest tune of the bunch (1:19), but it makes a strong opening argument for the band’s sound. Basically, they work the title in a couple times, throw in raw, crunchy guitar parts a lot, and then sprinkle in a dash of “hey”s. It’s like they measured out the exact amounts of awesomeness to grab your attention (probably in metric, a unit of measurement I maintain is witchcraft). “A Thousand Words” is almost twice as long but just as rocking.

From there, the EP hits listeners with three songs in the four minutes and change vicinity, which is admittedly a little lengthy for the style. Still, these are energetic party songs for punks, and any critical statements stem more from observation than actual complaint. Border patrol and anti-Americanism can’t stop me from enjoying Magnets. Oh, Canada...

(November 2009) - Jelone